Chapter 129: Two Small Sculptures

That night, the shelter provided an extra meal. Everyone who had ventured out and put in some effort was given carrot soup, ham, and a can of eight-treasure porridge.

Ordinary people also mix some diced bacon and sausage into their rice. Although it’s not much, you can still taste the meat flavor.

Add two drops of light soy sauce, and it’s already a Chinese New Year treat for everyone.

In the past, we only had salt and condiments that we grew ourselves, but there was limited space to grow them, so we were reluctant to use them.

I exchanged some large barrels of light soy sauce and cooking oil from Chenyou’s shop, which were finally put to use.

"We need two more pounds of bacon." The person from the kitchen shouted outside the warehouse.

The warehouse manager at the door, holding a small notebook to record accounts, looked at the materials that had just been transported in with distress.

"I'm not asking you to save some! Even though we have a lot of supplies now, they'll be used up quickly."

"I told the director that the next few days will be difficult and we have to guard the shelter. Today, let's let everyone have something good to eat and have some fun." The man explained with a smile, his face unable to hide his excitement.

In the neatly organized kitchen, steam was rising from the food.

Outside, everyone held their rice bowls in their hands with great care, thinking back to the most difficult times in the past, when they had to fry damp flour and add water, and even break an expired biscuit into two pieces before eating it.

Not to mention the survivors who had just survived the disaster and arrived at the new shelter. Their conditions on the road were even more difficult.

At this moment, his eyes were red as he ate the food in the bowl.

The happiest ones were the team members who had children at home and received milk powder, cereal and milk biscuits.

Some children were still very young at the end of the world and had no memory of the taste of these things. But when they suddenly ate them once, their faces were filled with excitement.

The milky smell is really hard to resist. When I saw the hot water pouring, I couldn't help swallowing.

In the past, I mostly ate noodle soup and rice soup, which were very lightly cooked, with the rich flavor of milk and soaked oatmeal spreading in my mouth.

How can there be something so delicious!

The biscuits were soaked in it, and they were sweet and fragrant. The bowl of slightly watered-down milk wheat was quickly finished.

The little girl, wearing old clothes that didn't fit her well, had her eyes shining as she looked at the remaining cereal in the bag.

"Dad, let's hide the rest of the cereal in the cupboard!"

Such delicious food, she was reluctant to finish it quickly and wanted to save it for later!

"Okay." Director Xiang touched her head lovingly and sighed that things that could be bought casually on the street before are now extremely precious.

“If we work hard, there will be more delicious food in the future.”

Given his position in the shelter, it would have been easy for him to ask for more things, but he chose not to do so. Instead, he took the lead in observing the rules and not let down those who were working hard outside.

In the next room, Fang Qi took off her old coat, put the can of Coke she had carried with her on the table for a while, and opened the pull ring.

It is so comfortable to eat and drink happy water in a safe underground shelter!

Now I just hope that the parts can be received and transported to the shelter smoothly.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Chen You had some free time, he walked around the antique street for a few rounds, talked with several acquaintances in the Collectors Association, and saw a modern jade ball set from Mr. Zhang.

Because of the material, it looks heavier than ivory carvings, and the carving craftsmanship is not as good as the antique ghost balls she collected, but it is also an exquisite work of a jade carving master.

Modern craftsmanship is equally valuable.

Mr. Zhang dug a display cabinet on the wall and placed the items inside. When the lights were turned on, the crystal clear jade and the lively floral patterns looked so beautiful.

He said, "I can't collect the ivory-carved balls from the ancient palace, so I can only collect jade-carved ones. When this set of balls came out, I bought it immediately."

Mr. Zhang's vision is indeed good. The value of this jade ball set has increased a lot now. It is the proudest work of the master who made it in his life.

Chen You came here today not only to see the jade carving, but also to come up with something, an ivory hairpin and box carved by court craftsmen.

These two items are not contemporary products in Da Qi. They are passed down from the palace and are quite rare on the market today.

Chen You took out the hairpin first.

"The collection value of old ivory carvings has been increasing. How could you be willing to give them all away, Mr. Shen?" someone present asked with a smile.

Since they heard that Zheng Mingbo had a fan that was also made by her, everyone was curious about how many exquisite carvings she had.

"I only have this hairpin and an ornament in my hand now." Chen You also replied with a smile.

"Ornaments?!" Everyone became interested when they looked at these collections.

Even Mr. Xu's face showed a little more anticipation.

Chen You still took out a brocade box from her canvas bag that contained more than twenty yuan worth of shipping.

This is the perspective from an outsider's point of view, but in reality it is taken out from a personal storage compartment.

Everyone's eyes followed Shen You's action of opening the box, and a sculpture that was no bigger than a palm appeared in front of them.

The ultimate in artistic aesthetics, all the collectors present praised the quality of the items.

“Girl Shen, are you going to sell this box?” Old Master Xu couldn’t help but ask.

Shen You hesitated for a moment, and said sincerely, “I’m a little reluctant, but if you like, you can go out.”

This box is really beautiful. The colorful branches on it are all carved and then painted, making it look like a whole.

But she also had several exquisitely shaped boxes made of jade and gold.

Besides, buying mechanical parts is quite expensive, so she has to come up with something.

Old Master Xu didn't know what Shen You was thinking, but when he heard her say that, he immediately smiled.

Several collectors nearby wanted to compete, but seeing that Mr. Xu was not in a position to bid first.

If it were at a formal auction, they would have raised their bids long ago.

But for this kind of situation formed by a small circle, Chen You expressed her opinion again. How could they grab it? If they opened their mouths, they would offend the old man.

"Mr. Xu, do you want to take this? Or give it to me?" Mr. Zhang wanted both things.

Mr. Xu turned his head to look at him and refused decisively.

"No, no! Didn't you hear what Miss Chen You said? She was willing to give it to me because she saw that I liked it. You already have such a good hairpin, why do you want to snatch it?"

Mr. Zhang looked at the box twice with regret. If he didn't seize the time to appreciate it now, he would have to go to the Xu family's old house to see it later.

"Miss Chen You, how much do you want to spend?" Old Master Xu asked kindly.

"It's whatever you say." Chen You took a sip of tea.

The old man won't let her suffer any loss, so there's no need to worry about that.

The people around were a little surprised at Chen You's status in the Xu family. She and the old man had become close friends regardless of age.

Mr. Xu was not vague either, "How about fifteen hundred?"

This is a very good price, the collectors present thought.

Shen You nodded, "1,500 including tax."

She also let Li out.

The hairpin that Mr. Zhang liked was not expensive, costing just over one million yuan. The good thing about it was that it had an exquisite shape and the carving technique was not as complicated as the box.

There are words engraved on it, and it is obvious that it is something from the palace, but the owner's name is not written on it, so it is impossible to confirm which dynasty or person it belongs to. Only the craftsmanship of royal craftsmen is worth this much money.

Usually it’s in the six figures.

When the people present saw Chen You complete two business deals in 2 minutes, they all thought she was very courageous and wanted to establish a good relationship with her so that she would think of them first when there was something good next time.

(End of this chapter)