Chapter 11: Stockpiling Treasures at the Scrap Yard

After leaving the brick factory, Lin Xiaodou walked to the southwestern corner. She remembered there was a scrap recycling station nearby. Having read so many period novels, she knew the female protagonists often stumbled upon hidden treasures in such places. She wanted to try her luck as well. Even though the supplies in her space would last ten lifetimes, no one ever complains about having too much money.

The recycling station was located in a southwestern suburb. Beneath a large tree by the entrance, an elderly man was sitting, enjoying the shade. Lin Xiaodou raised her eyebrows. Wasn’t this the classic scene in period novels—a grandfatherly figure guarding the gate? By that logic, today’s haul should be considerable.

The recycling station was quite spacious, with three large warehouses packed full of various discarded items. Perhaps because it was a workday morning, the place was deserted, which made it easier for Lin Xiaodou to roam freely.

She entered the first warehouse, which was filled with books and waste paper. Earlier, she had told the old man she was out of kindling paper at home and wanted to take some for the stove. So, she began by gathering up some newspapers, bundling them with a scrap of cloth and setting the bundle aside. Then she started her treasure hunt.

In period novels, the heroine often finds famous paintings or ancient texts in piles like these. Lin Xiaodou felt a rush of excitement. She bent over and searched through the paper heap for half an hour, but found nothing of value. Some of the ancient-looking paintings had disintegrated into scraps, impossible to piece together. Others had been burned, leaving only large, charred patches that crumbled at a touch. Ah, such bad luck at the outset. Then again, any good items had probably been taken or destroyed long ago—what would still be left until now?

Lin Xiaodou didn’t give up and searched further. In a dusty corner, she unearthed a bundle of old thread-bound books. At first, she paid them little mind, but when she saw the title "Lingshu" on the cover, her spirit soared. In her previous life, though she studied veterinary medicine, she’d also dabbled in other fields, including traditional Chinese medicine. It was said that the Huangdi Neijing was divided into two parts, "Lingshu" and "Suwen," the earliest medical classics in the country. However, the original manuscripts had never been found, giving rise to countless rumors.

Lin Xiaodou was quite interested in this topic; she had gone through tons of research materials in the past and found nothing. She’d always felt it was a pity. Who would have thought she’d stumble upon it in this era! She hurriedly opened the "Lingshu" and skimmed through it, growing ever more certain that this was the genuine article! Checking the rest of the bundle, she found the "Suwen" as well. Behind these were "Compendium of Materia Medica," "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold," and "Divine Farmer’s Herbal Classic"—all original texts! These were the very origins of ancient Chinese medicine, their future value inestimable!

Unable to contain her excitement, Lin Xiaodou quickly stowed the bundle of medical books in her space. These ancient texts were treasures of Chinese culture. Yet here they were, cast aside like trash, gathering dust in a corner, and likely to be destroyed without a second thought. By saving them, she was doing a good deed.

Next, Lin Xiaodou found a dozen or so ancient recipe books, a few original domestic and foreign novels, and stored them all away. They were ownerless, bound for destruction anyway—she might as well take them.

Before long, Lin Xiaodou moved on to the second warehouse. This one mainly held broken ceramics, tattered clothing, opera costumes, and props. There was no point searching through the ceramics; broken shards covered the floor, not a single piece intact. Among them were even several pieces of blue-and-white porcelain—what a waste!

Her gaze turned to the opera costumes and props. Many finely crafted costumes had been slashed to ribbons, and all sorts of headpieces and props smashed to bits. The musical instruments hadn’t escaped destruction either: broken erhu, battered drums, snapped yueqin, chipped suona—everywhere bore witness to the devastation of that time. Even Lin Xiaodou, usually hard-hearted, couldn’t help but sigh. Those opera performers truly were born in the wrong era.

She found nothing particularly valuable in the second warehouse, but she salvaged a few opera props—horsewhips, swords, sabers, spears—anything still usable, she took a few of each.

She then arrived at the third warehouse, which was filled with discarded furniture, and her spirits lifted. She remembered that in period novels, the heroine always found the greatest treasures here—huanghuali wardrobes, zitan screens, golden nanmu dressing tables, and so on, all waiting to be discovered.

Full of anticipation, Lin Xiaodou began searching, but after a thorough look around, she found not a single valuable item—just ordinary furniture, all missing legs or arms. Could it be that everything of worth had already been hauled away? Unwilling to give up, she copied the heroines of period novels and tapped on the legs of every table.

Aha! To her surprise, many of them turned out to be hollow. Eyes shining, she summoned a small knife from her space and began prying at the table legs. She’d barely started when a chip of wood fell off by itself, revealing—nothing but empty space. Refusing to believe it, she pried at several more, only to find they were all empty. It seemed these pieces of furniture had already been thoroughly searched before they arrived, anything valuable long since looted. Those heroines in novels who found treasures at recycling stations must have been blessed with protagonist’s luck. She had no such fate.

Lin Xiaodou gave up at last. After more than an hour at the recycling station, her back was aching from bending over. She took the bundle of newspapers she’d prepared earlier to the old man at the gate, weighed them, paid twenty cents, and was allowed to leave.

Though the bundle wasn’t heavy, it was cumbersome to carry. Lin Xiaodou found a secluded alley nearby and tossed everything straight into her space.

Just as she was about to leave the alley, she saw a group of young men at the corner. They were hastily pulling a handcart along the small road ahead. The cart was piled high, covered with a black cloth. Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted the edge of the cloth, revealing a glimmer beneath.

Inside was a heap of glittering gold and silver jewelry!