Surrounded by two people with no reinforcements, Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to agree. She knew in her heart that once she moved in, it would be difficult to move out; spring had its reasons.

But then I thought about it again. My new career was about to begin. Although my little sister had started talking, she still couldn't go to kindergarten because she had to learn piano.

Grandma Zhang isn't suitable for taking care of children, and Zhou Xing's mother is the only suitable candidate, which puts her in a difficult position. So, she'll just trust her for now and let her stay for the winter.

These days, Qin Xiaoyu has been running all over the city, and no one knows what she's looking for. She's been exploring every nook and cranny.

My cousin's wife couldn't sit still after not going to the sock factory for a few days. When Qin Xiaoyu picked Hanhan up from school, she saw her sitting awkwardly on the sofa, with Zhou Xing's mother warmly keeping her company.

"Little Fish, your sister-in-law is here. You keep her company while I ask them to add more dishes. We'll eat here tonight." Zhou Xing's mother was no longer the aloof person she used to be; she was considerate and warm, as if she had matured after what had happened.

"No, no, I can't eat here. My whole family is waiting for me. I just want to talk to Xiaoyu for a few minutes." My cousin-in-law was quite frightened.

Qin Xiaoyu knew she was uncomfortable in front of the Zhou family, so she took her upstairs.

"Wow, this room, wow!" My cousin's eyes widened as she entered the room.

"Sister-in-law, has something happened?"

"Sigh, I'm really worried to death. Little Fish, what do you think we should do? Tang Long has gone off to collect scrap."

"What?"

"I don't know where he got a tricycle, he tinkered with it for three or four days and then went out. I thought it was just a short ride, but I didn't expect to come back at night with such a load on it. Broken bottles, tin cans, and even a broken chair. He even put them all into the building, one by one, and I..."

"Really? He's finally figured it out?" Qin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, and she pulled her cousin-in-law downstairs.

"Aunt Zhou, I'm not going to eat yet. I'm going to take my sister-in-law home. Don't wait for me," Qin Xiaoyu said hurriedly, and then went out with her cousin-in-law.

"Xiaoyu, you have to talk to him. No matter how bad things are for our family, we can't do that. I told you, your aunt will definitely start some kind of business next year. Even if you just help with the boiler, you won't starve. Don't go out and embarrass yourself." My cousin-in-law kept nagging.

“Sister-in-law, that’s not how it works. If it were just about letting Tang Long work as a boiler operator for the rest of his life, that would be too easy. With our family background, it would be easy for us to find him a wife, have children, and live an ordinary life. But I don’t want him to live like that. I want him to live a life full of clarity.” Qin Xiaoyu interrupted her sister-in-law.

“What’s wrong with being ordinary? You’re ambitious, but I’m not as ambitious as you. I only care about my son having a grandson, and I’ll just take care of him. I don’t have any other ambitions. Collecting scrap is shameful, and I don’t agree with that.” Her cousin-in-law wasn’t stupid; she could tell from Qin Xiaoyu’s words that she wasn’t on her side.

“Sister-in-law, Longlong is not an ordinary child. He can never go back to being ordinary. If you make him ordinary, he will suffer.” When Qin Xiaoyu drove the car into the yard of the sock factory, the people upstairs heard the commotion and came out to greet her.

"Why are you here so late? Have you eaten?" my cousin asked.

"Auntie, come and see my baby!" Tang Long suddenly appeared out of nowhere, covered in dust. His sister-in-law angrily came over and slapped him a few times, raising dust that made everyone cough.

Tang Long shook off his cousin's hand and pulled Qin Xiaoyu into the house.

Qin Xiaoyu was startled when she entered the house. This kid was quite capable; he had brought back a lot of things in just two days. From large pieces of old furniture to small bottles and bowls, everything was there, but they all had one thing in common: they were broken and old.

"Little Fish, I can't, I have a headache, I can't watch this!" My cousin-in-law followed in and continued to grumble.

"Auntie, look at this." Tang Long led Qin Xiaoyu to an old cabinet that he was just tidying up.

The cabinet was covered in a thick layer of dust, and Tang Long had just tidied up a corner, where the mother-of-pearl inlay was already sparkling.

Qin Xiaoyu had only learned about mother-of-pearl inlay from watching palace dramas, and knew that this ancient technique was on the verge of extinction, thus acknowledging its value. Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn't help but marvel at it.

"Longlong, you can't use alkaline water to wipe it. Quickly rinse it with clean water." Qin Xiaoyu noticed the problem. Although Tang Long had taken back a lot of antiques, if he didn't know how to take care of them, they would probably still turn into junk.

Tang Long obeyed and quickly fetched a basin of water. Qin Xiaoyu took a rag and helped him clean up.

"Little Fish! I called you here to persuade him, not to have you work with him!" His sister-in-law, furious, slapped Tang Long, causing him to stumble and fall backward, knocking over an old box. The box's wood was rotten, and the bottom had fallen off, spilling out a package.

"What is this? It's wrapped in yellow silk." Qin Xiaoyu's curiosity was piqued, so she picked it up and opened it.

My cousin's wife shut up immediately.

This is a bag of gold and silver jewelry, including three emerald rings, a large pearl that has turned yellow, and several hairpins, all exquisitely crafted and inlaid with gemstones.

"There's a mechanism here. I don't remember whose this is. I should have returned it," Tang Long said regretfully.

Qin Xiaoyu liked his innate kindness.

"Longlong, please accept this for now. It's fate that brought you here. If you find something good next time you buy something, give them more money. They can't recognize the value of these things right now. If they keep them, they'll probably just be destroyed sooner or later. You should take them back, protect them, and wait for the day they will shine."

"Little Fish, what are you saying? I don't understand."

“Sister-in-law, Longlong doesn’t collect junk; he collects treasures. In less than ten years, his collection will be quite substantial. If he is willing to study hard, he will become a great collector.”

While exploring various places, Qin Xiaoyu discovered that urban planning was on the rise. Many of the things that people were throwing away when they moved were old items that looked worthless now, but in the future, those items would have a unified name: antiques.

So she guided Tang Long in this direction, having his wife give him a crash course in antique appraisal. Unexpectedly, Tang Long dived right in.

"Auntie, I don't quite understand. Our city is in the northern frontier, and its history is only three hundred years old. Why do we have so many antiques?" Tang Long asked in confusion.

Have you heard of Ningguta?

"I've heard of it. It's been told in storytelling that when the emperor got angry, he would shout and exile the whole family to Ningguta."

"Yes, although we are not in Ningguta, we are not far away and are both within the scope of exiles. Many of the exiles back then were exiled because of literary inquisitions. They were all great scholars from prominent families. Every item they carried with them had a history. That's why there is such a thing as the culture of exiles. You can look up some historical materials and learn more about it when you have time."