Standing atop the mountain of scrap metal, though the smell was unpleasant, I was standing on rosewood, calligraphy scrolls, antique porcelain vases…

The five men suppressed their excitement and accepted the straw hats offered by the young man.

Xiao Chen: "Don't worry, leaders, the straw hats are all newly made. See that wooden sign? All recyclable waste is marked on it."

"Once we see that sorting has reached one side, that's our job."

The five people approached, noted down the recyclable items, exchanged a knowing glance, and began to bend down and get to work.

The young man initially stayed by their side, thinking they were just another bunch of charlatans who didn't do anything but ask all sorts of questions.

Upon discovering that they were indeed working and showed no interest in communicating, he tactfully returned to his post.

As soon as everyone left, Ruan Xianxian's eyes flickered, and 365's impatient voice came:

[Look, look, look! Half a meter to your right, there are silver coins in a hidden compartment of that red lacquered wooden box with a protruding corner.]

Ruan Xianxian took three steps forward, touched the mahogany box, and drew a dagger from her sleeve that could cut through iron like mud. She then drew a line forcefully at the location indicated by the system...

The hollow interlayer was exposed, and nearly 20 silver coins were stuck to it. She used a dagger to pick them off and throw them into the space.

[An arm's length away, there's a Tang Dynasty blue and white porcelain vase, but unfortunately, half of its mouth is smashed.]

Ruan Xianxian has once again taken it into her possession.

The broken porcelain didn't matter; she remembered that there was a porcelain house in Tianjin in later generations.

A Mr. Zhang spent five years building a priceless porcelain house using over 700 million pieces of ancient porcelain he had collected over many years.

Hey everyone, let's not be picky about the recyclables we're here to collect.

A question mark slowly appeared above the system's head: ?

Scavenging for scraps? Are you sure it's not that this little mouse fell into the rice bin?

If she says so, then so be it. I'll spoil my own daughter.

[Quickly, quickly! Just one step away, half a meter deep, there's a desk made entirely of rosewood. Quickly put it into your space. The damaged parts can be repaired in the store.]

The delighted Ruan Xianxian finally noticed the flaw: "So, while rosewood can be repaired, why can't porcelain?"

【It is possible.】365 explained carefully, 【Every piece of antique porcelain is unique. If it is damaged, will you show it to others after you have repaired it?】

What if someone happens to recognize you once it's displayed in front of others?

If you don't showcase it, what's the point of your restoration?

Ruan Xianxian thought it made sense. If you find something you like, you can ask the system to repair a few of your treasured items. There's no need for large-scale repairs of porcelain.

Presenting something that is already broken in its complete form will only cause her a lot of trouble.

In my heart, I couldn't help but sincerely think, "It's all thanks to you, Tutu! What would I do without you...?"

Stop singing, stop singing! There's a chipped stool on your right, and there's a dollar in its leg. Get to work!

While she was working enthusiastically, Mu Xia, who had her own personal space, was equally impressive.

A discarded television set? The circuitry, image processor, and cathode ray tube are still usable; I'll take it.

A bicycle with only half of it left? Keep it.

A water-damaged and malfunctioning tape recorder? I'll take it.

Not far away, Chen Zhaodi and Wu Xueliang pulled out a scroll wrapped in oilcloth from a pile of waste books and newspapers.

Opening it, there was a scroll of copied "shrimp" paintings. The painting technique was superb, and the copy was lifelike. It was just a pity that the private seal at the end was wet and formed a small yellowish-brown water stain.

"What a pity," Zhao Di murmured.

Wu Xueliang frowned, staring intently at the shrimp in the painting, his eyes unmoving.

He reached out to Chu Li for a small knife, instructed the two men to shield him, squatted down, and carefully cut along the edge of the paper with the blade.

The hissing sound of the blade scraping against the paper was incessant...

When Wu Xueliang stopped and carefully took out a painting within a painting, Chu Li and Chen Zhaodi's eyes widened.

Wu Xueliang's fingertips trembled slightly. He exhaled a long breath, and his eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance. "A painting within a painting, just as I imagined."

He examined every detail of the painting closely, his fingertips trembling more and more violently. "It's an authentic work. This is Mr. Qi's painting of an eagle."

After exchanging a glance with Chu Li, Wu Xueliang nodded emphatically. His father had collected several genuine works by Master Qi, and he, who had been copying them since childhood, would not mistake them.

What's even more incredible is the exquisite craftsmanship of hiding paintings within paintings.

“I had heard my father talk about this technique before.”

Specifically, this usually involves hiding a genuine antique painting beneath a replica, using a special mounting technique to glue the two together.

"It's amazing." Zhao Di's eyes were filled with admiration. "How did you discover that something was wrong with such a flawless and ingenious technique?"

Wu Xueliang answered confidently, "The thickness might be related to what I learned since I was a child. I noticed something was wrong as soon as I started painting it."

"That's amazing," Zhao Di commented sincerely.

Wu Xueliang, however, said, "The original was found by the three of us together. Whoever wants to keep it should pay the other two a corresponding reward, how about that?"

Chu Li lacks nothing. His grandfather has quietly collected many similar authentic works by famous people, and if his brother doesn't want them, he can buy them and give them to his grandfather.

Even if Xueliang wanted to stay, he wouldn't fight for it.

Zhao Di had no objections whatsoever; money was clearly more useful to her than an original work of art by a famous person that she couldn't eat or drink.

Seeing that the two men were of one mind, Wu Xueliang breathed a sigh of relief, "If this painting were left for another ten or twenty years, its price might be a thousand or a hundred times what it is now."

You can choose to divide the money later if you wish.

Chu Li and Chen Zhaodi looked at each other. Zhaodi shrugged. Having spent a lot of time with Ruan Xian, she had become more straightforward in her speech.

"If you hadn't discovered the painting within a painting, we might have all thrown it away as waste paper. It's already good enough that we got a share of the money, so just keep it."

With the bonus alone for completing Jeremiah's order of 800,000, Zhao Di will not be short of money for some time to come.

In the past, someone who hadn't done anything significant would probably have been too ashamed to accept the money.

After seeing more of this, I realized that if I didn't take Wu Xueliang's money, I wouldn't feel at ease taking his paintings. If I didn't clarify things face-to-face, who knows what kind of disputes might arise in the future.

This money was both what she deserved and what put Wu Xueliang's mind at ease.

She is perceptive and adept at analyzing details that even the parties involved may not have anticipated.

"Alright!" Wu Xueliang carefully put away the original, a faint smile on his face. "Thank you for being so kind. I won't let you suffer any loss."

After this incident, Zhao Di took the initiative to separate from Wu Xueliang and Chu Li. Both of them had an eye for appraising antiques, and if she continued to follow them, she would inevitably be suspected of taking advantage of them.

I should learn from Ruan Ruan how to find treasures in a pile of junk.

Turning around, Zhao Di almost burst out laughing. She saw a small figure in the pile of scrap, its bottom sticking out as it huffed and puffed as it tried to crawl down...