Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Taobao City
Time flies. Luo Yin had just put down her pen when there were only a dozen minutes left before the exam ended.
She checked the paper several times and, finding no errors, placed it in a corner.
Then he started thinking about what to do after he got home.
For the past two weeks, she has been preparing for the monthly exam and hasn't paid much attention to what's coming next.
Thinking about the money she had saved up, she pondered what to buy for her unborn nephew.
Just then, Uncle Qin returned, so we could ask him to go to the city.
Luo Yin did not intend to go into the city alone.
With a list in mind, I quickly made it up before the bell rang.
"The exam is over. Students, please stop writing."
"Collect the papers one by one, from back to front."
After waiting a few more minutes in her seat, Luo Yin saw that everything was packed up and quickly took her things out.
Soon everyone returned to their classrooms and put the disordered items back in their proper places.
The homeroom teacher, Ms. Chen, appeared carrying a stack of test papers and stood on the podium.
"Alright everyone, listen up! This holiday is only five days long. Go back and spend time with your families. Don't forget your homework during this time, because we'll be going to continue explaining the books when we get back!"
"I understand, Teacher Chen!"
"Teacher, we all understand."
"Okay, get out of class dismissed."
Having been prepared in advance, Luo Yin went out from the back as soon as she gave the order.
I stopped at the dormitory to get a change of clothes on the way, and then slowly walked out with my bag.
Luo Yin thought about buying some fabric so that her mother could make some new clothes.
She left on a whim, wandering around for quite a while, practically wearing her lips out before finally buying what she wanted;
Ignoring the woman's complicated look, she carried the thank-you gift she had bought to the bookstore.
He brought the gift to Qin Shu's side and explained the matter to him; Qin Shu quickly agreed.
Luo Yin thanked him repeatedly, picked out a few newspapers that interested her, and left in a hurry.
On her way back, she turned a corner and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a lot of new things.
Cookies, canned goods, and alcohol, etc.
Then he rushed home excitedly!
Little did she know that no sooner had she left than a group of wealthy-looking young people arrived in town.
The man at the head of the group was impeccably dressed in a suit and wore shiny leather shoes.
The man, who looked to be in his early twenties, with slicked-back hair and a powdered face, looked around with obvious disdain.
She would cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief from time to time.
"Young Master, let's go inside and take him. It's really unbearable outside."
"I'm not going. It's fine inside. Why does everything have to be on the road? The horses are going to poop and pee everywhere!"
"Yes, yes, but that's how it is; they don't drive when they travel."
The young man looked at the street with a twisted and disgusted expression.
"Never mind, when is my brother coming anyway?"
Several bodyguard-like figures stood motionless beside him.
The errand runner said, "They said it's already on the plane, and it should arrive tomorrow night after the transfer."
"Alright, if it weren't for my brother, I would never have come."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, young master."
Seeing that the young master had finally been appeased, the errand boy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
This little brat insisted on coming north with the young master to collect authentic medicinal herbs, only to hear halfway there that a shopping mall was about to open here.
I heard that it contains authentic medicinal herbs from all over the country, and these are herbs that are usually difficult to sell.
It's hard to make a move against others, but for the Li family... humph, that's a piece of cake!
When Luo Yin arrived home on the grassland, she was watching her father undergo rehabilitation.
Yes, he's been more energetic than ever since his father came back.
Not only is he always smiling, but he can also joke around with his family.
"Hua Hua, you're back! Look how Dad is doing today!" Bart said, staring at her expectantly.
Luo Yin stepped forward with a smile, observed carefully, and then said.
"Hmm, did Dad and Mom secretly give you cordyceps? You look much younger and more energetic."
Upon hearing this, Bart burst into laughter.
Hahahaha, really?
He subconsciously touched his face, and besides the feel of the beard, he felt the flesh.
It seems to be much softer than before, and not as rough to the touch.
Urina, who was passing by, overheard the father and daughter's conversation and couldn't help but say, "You haven't eaten yet. Your father has been eating quite a lot of meat and milk lately."
"Hahaha, that's all thanks to my mother for raising me so well."
"Dad, you're getting more and more handsome!"
Luo Yin was overjoyed and praised him generously.
"Come on, I bought some delicious food too." She said, taking the package over.
"Oh dear, why are you spending money again? Keep the canned food and biscuits for yourself." The mother pushed the things into her arms.
Father said, "You don't need to buy alcohol anymore; you can keep it for yourself."
Luo Yin smiled, "No, the wine is for you and Grandpa. We'll share the canned food and biscuits. My brother and the others haven't come back yet."
Upon hearing this, Bart smiled even more broadly; his daughter had bought him wine.
She's such a sweet little lamb!
"They haven't done it yet. A while ago, some big spenders came from who-knows-where, saying they wanted to buy medicinal herbs. Many herders' herbs were taken away, and it's said that even freshly processed herbs were taken. Now everyone is busy on the grasslands."
"I see, the price is quite high?"
Luo Yin felt that something that could lure her grandfather into making a move must be quite valuable.
"Yes, it's five times more expensive than the market price."
Luo Yin asked in surprise, "So many?"
"Dad, what kind of medicinal herbs are they buying? Did they sell our cordyceps that's been stored for over ten years?" That won't do. Old medicinal herbs are more effective the longer they're stored.
"No way, we kept all of those. We bought them from the ones you dug up a couple of years ago."
Luo Yin thought of the good stuff that had been aired out at home several times, which was worth about seven or eight years' worth of goods compared to the value of over ten years.
"Okay, my brother and the others are over there. I just happen to have some free time, so I'll go check on them."
She really wanted to move her hands and feet, having been confined to the school for so long.
I really want to get some fresh air!
"It's in the woods over there in the small ravine."
"Okay, then I'll go find them."
Luo Yin quickly put her things away, picked up her tools, and rode off towards the small gully.
Bart, who remained where he was, watched her skillfully ride away.
The smile on his lips never seemed to fade.
Luo Yin gripped the reins, letting the white horse gallop away into the distance.
Along the way, not only did she clear her mind, but Big White also ran around happily.
They would occasionally bark, showing off their happiness and pride.
"Chirp chirp~"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
“You’re happy too.” Loin stroked its head. “Charge!”
The man and his horse, laughing and joking, soon came to the woods.
This is a forest of Chinese fir trees, which is much lower in elevation compared to other forests and mountains.
The kind where you can almost see the top at a glance.
It's less of a forest and more of a low hill.
Luo Yin slowed down, searching for traces of her second brother and Ani.
They quickly found their way on the ground and followed the path.
"Second brother, second brother!"
Mu Ren was engrossed in digging when he heard someone calling him.
I turned around and saw my younger sister.
"Luo Yin, what brings you here!"
Mu Ren quickly wiped his hands and stepped forward to greet the person.
"Come quickly."
"Second brother, what are you doing? I don't see Ani."
"Ani's over there. You look a bit thinner. Have you not been eating properly at school?"
Luo Yin shook her head, "No, I'm just busy with the monthly exams, I'm tired."
Upon hearing this, Mu Ren was at a loss for words.
Still feeling a bit scared, "Studying really is a painful experience!"
"I heard from Father that there's a big family that buys medicinal herbs. Second Brother, how much do you know about them?"
"Oh, you mean that one? I only heard that he's from out of town, a very wealthy boss, and he's been buying medicinal herbs for over a month."
At this point, he pointed to the mountains and forests to the east, "I heard that ginseng was collected over there before."
"That's amazing!"
Luo Yin was envious and drooling. Yes, the three northeastern provinces are known for producing high-quality ginseng and medicinal herbs.
All kinds of high-quality, authentic medicinal herbs are available here.
"I don't know about other places, but there's a herding family on the grassland who made over 7,000 yuan just from selling medicine."
Luo Yin stared in disbelief, "Seven thousand?"
Their entire family doesn't even have that much money.
Oh no, we're broke this time.
"Yeah, this should last a long time. I'm planning to dig more, working from early morning to late at night."
"Alright!"
Luo Yin, who originally planned to play, was also caught up in the fun and got busy.
No matter how much, you can make some money by digging.
During the five-day holiday, except for the day she returned, Luo Yin spent the rest of the time running around with her second brother.
By the time Luo Yin realized it was time to go back to school, she hadn't even recovered yet.
She's been leaving early and returning late these past few days, and her legs feel so thin from all the running.
"Don't worry, I'll save the money for you after the herbs are sold."
"Second brother, I believe you!" Bart said, noticing the siblings whispering to each other.
Not long ago, Ani's old friend told him to go to the east, saying there was something new there.
I visited Ani years ago and found quite a few things there.
Now I'm thinking of asking the two kids.
"If you have time, you can come with me to take a look." Bart still hoped that the children would gradually broaden their horizons.
"I won't go, Ani. I'll just go and gather more medicinal herbs," Mu Ren said, shaking his head in refusal.
Luo Yin pouted; her second brother was a complete money-grubber.
"Ani, where is to the east? What treasures are we looking for?"
"I don't know, it's been around for years. I might as well go and join in the fun!" Ani said casually, but her interest was undiminished.
Perhaps seeing hope in her son, she felt much more energetic.
"Hua Hua, do you want to go?"
"Yes, I want to go!"
"It will take several days to get there, and you still have to go to school, right?"
Luo Yin asked him approximately when, and after hearing the answer, she patted her chest.
"No rush, I'll definitely get it done before the next holiday."
Because she could have fun, Luo Yin was all smiles on her way to school.
Soon, they arrived at the classroom, and the students returned one after another.
Everyone chatted in small groups about the grades, while Luo Yin pondered how to ask for leave.
"Clap clap clap~"
"Class monitor, go to my office and bring the books over. They've been distributed."
The homeroom teacher's voice soon reached everyone's ears.
Amidst giggles and chatter, the exam papers were finally distributed to everyone.
"Everyone, take a good look. We will explain and correct each point later. This class exam surprised the teacher; our class performed very well."
"In particular, our class ranked first in English, and the student with the highest overall score was also in our class."
As soon as he finished speaking, many eyes in the class turned to those few people.
Luo Yin was flipping through the exam paper, checking where she had made mistakes.
Meanwhile, her deskmate was already feeling discouraged by her high score.
"Waaaaah, you skipped a grade and still got such a good grade!"
"Let's congratulate Luo Yin, who is ranked first in the grade!!!"
"Clap clap clap~"
"Wow, it really is her."
"I never knew she was so amazing."
"That's right, that's amazing!"
Hearing the praise beside her, Luo Yin's cheeks flushed and she felt a little happy.
I feel that my efforts over this period of time have not been in vain.
And he secretly encouraged himself, determined to work even harder in the future.
The homeroom teacher then explained the problems that arose during the monthly exam.
Because of this praise, Luo Yin felt more confident about her future learning progress.
She not only kept up with the school teachers' teaching schedule, but also practiced on her own in private, knowing that the high school entrance exam was the key.
Thinking about my father's health, I wonder if we'll be able to go together in time.
Compared to the peaceful daily life here, the flower sea base deep in the heart of the area is quite tense.
Inside the flower field base, perhaps because the project has reached a critical stage, the workers who come and go every day can hear arguments taking place inside.
The arguments, quarrels, and disputes continued!
This provided plenty of entertainment for everyone, but no one dared to intervene.
Old Yang, one of the people in charge, was also having a huge headache!
Little did he know that, just as they were finishing up, they would have a dispute with Old Xia over the cultural relics.
"No, I must take all the cultural relics with me this time, leaving not a single one behind." Xia Ming's tone was firm, showing no leniency.
"That's impossible. I respect you, Elder Xia, as a senior and a role model, but these were discovered in our province. Even if we cooperate in handling them, we can't leave a single one behind, can we?"
"That's right, there are so many cultural relics here that are of great research value, we can't let them go."
Xia Ming's expression was very bad. He had received orders to go to another location; but he couldn't let these things go. Didn't he remember how the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau had intervened in the Yuan Dynasty's capital, causing them to lose a lot of initiative?
Old Xia wouldn't back down either!
“Then you go find the person in charge and slap the documents in front of me.” He stared straight at the crowd. “Otherwise, just follow my documents. I’m taking all of these with me.”
"You, you're being completely unreasonable!"
If they can produce the documents, we still need to verbally stop them.
"Hmph, then so be it!"
After finishing his sentence, Old Xia left with a cold face.
The group left behind were muttering complaints in hushed tones.
"Old Yang, you can't just stand by and watch, you should come up with some ideas."
"Exactly, what will happen when we get back to our units if we agree to this?"
"Then the mummified corpse must be preserved," someone suddenly said firmly.
"Yes, yes, that's right!"
"But no matter how you look at it, what they said isn't unreasonable; his reputation is higher than ours."
"So what? We'll find someone to talk to the higher-ups and get them to talk to him."
Old Yang gave a wry smile as he listened to everyone contribute their ideas and establish the rules.
He didn't know whether to say yes or no.
But one must always consider their own interests, so in the end, I agreed.
"Okay, I'll go!"
"Teacher, why are you so adamant this time? I don't think those old guys will let this go so easily!"
Xia Mingjiang looked puzzled.
"What, am I wrong? Or are those things still things we can't touch?"
Xia didn't understand what was wrong, but she felt that she had been implicated in someone's anger.
Seeing the old man lose his temper, he couldn't believe it.
Seeing this, Old Xia drank some cold tea, and the fire in his chest seemed to be extinguished.
"Hey, I just received a message from Lao Chen. In the final stage of the field research project they were in charge of, almost a third of the cultural relics were looted and destroyed!"
As Old Xia finished speaking, Xia's eyes widened.
"What? Who stole it? Who was so bold?"
"Who else could it be but a bunch of stupid, brainless people!"
"Cough cough." The old man seemed genuinely angry.
"I will not budge an inch on the nearly 400 artifacts discovered so far, or on that corpse which is of great research value."
He said this while looking outside.
"But, this..." Xia Xia scratched her head, feeling that it might not work!
Now I wish Hosen would come back, at least then he would have someone to talk to.
I wonder where they went; they haven't come back for so long!
Before he could even worry, the next two weeks were consumed by arguments.
Just when he was about to lose his composure, a team of soldiers took over everything.
"Hello comrade, this is an order from your superiors. Please check it."
The man saluted and then handed him the transfer order.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lao Xia accepted the paper, with countless pairs of eyes almost staring right through it.
Yang Wenhua and the group of old guys waited anxiously.
The results were announced soon: the first 300 artifacts were handled by Comrade Yang Wenhua and others in collaboration with the relevant cultural relics bureau, while the rest were taken back to the capital by their team.
"How can this be?"
"Why!"
Xia Ming pretended not to hear; he couldn't care less about anything else right now.
"Thank you for your help, comrades. I'll have someone help you move your things right away."
The news spread quickly among the crowd, and those who learned the result looked at each other in bewilderment.
Most researchers didn't think much of it, just regretted not having personally participated in the study of the ancient corpse.
Xia watched as the old men's faces grew increasingly grim, fearing she might faint from anger.
After thinking about it, he turned around and followed Old Xia.
... ...
Luo Yin was worried about going out, so she took the opportunity to ask her homeroom teacher for leave.
It's a total of seven days including the holiday.
Chen Lan thought something had happened to Luo Yin's family, but Luo Yin waved her hands repeatedly to indicate that nothing had happened.
There were other things to do at home, and I repeatedly assured them that I would keep up with the schedule.
It wouldn't interfere with her studies, and Chen Lan had witnessed her intelligence before, so it's unclear whether she had thought of it or agreed.
So, after returning from another holiday and attending classes for about a week, while the other students were in class, she quietly slipped away with her bag.
Luo Yin specifically went to the hospital to get some cold medicine to keep on hand.
I rushed home, only to find my luggage already being packed.
"Huahua, did you bring all your homework?" Urina asked worriedly.
"Yes, everything is ready. Don't worry, Mom, I won't let it interfere with my studies. I'll still get first place in the next exam."
Where is Annie?
"It's inside. It's just the two of you this time. All the stuff is on the cart!"
"Yes, I know!"
During dinner that evening, everyone in the family gave her a lot of advice.
As usual, be careful and listen to Ani when you're out and about.
When Luo Yin thought about the trip, she agreed without the slightest impatience.
"I know!"
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Breakfast was prepared at home, and Luo Yin got up when she heard the noise.
After washing up, I braided two pigtails and put on a windproof felt hat.
After getting ready and having a meal, Ani and I set off at a leisurely pace.
The second brother accompanied the two of them all the way, and only when the sun had fully risen did he hurry home.
"Ani, are we staying in the wild this time?"
Luo Yin, with a piece of jerky dangling from her mouth, asked calmly.
"No, I have a place to stay."
"Are there still herders' families over there?"
"some!"
Hearing Ani nod affirmatively, Loin felt somewhat relieved.
"How long will it take us this time?" She wondered if she should run a bit ahead and then come back to find Ani later.
"Keep heading east."
Having found out nothing, Luo Yin led Da Bai around for more than four hours, finally seeing a different kind of scenery.
"Ani, there are houses up ahead!"
"Um."
Loin looked at the simple mud-brick house standing on the barren grassland.
"Whose house is this? Why is it all alone here?"
Ani slowly drove up, giving him a complicated and strange look.
They then ran north for more than two hours before stopping to eat something.
While eating, Luo Yin asked about the journey ahead.
"Let's go, it'll be in the city in about three more hours."
"Are we going into the city?"
Loin's curiosity was piqued, but Ani didn't seem like someone who could explain.
Fortunately, before he could say anything, Luo Yin saw it.
Beneath the patches of grass, a wide-open space suddenly appeared.
There were neat rows of brick and tile bungalows.
"Where is this?"
Loin had never seen so many houses on the grassland.
The neat rows of trees stretched as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.
"This is it, we've arrived."
"Ani, this is Taobao Mall!"
The aged gaze returned from the distance, and Ani nodded.
"Yes, this is Taobao Mall."
Luo Yin estimated that it had taken at least 10 hours, and looking at the sky, it was already past 3 p.m.
"Come inside with me!"
Before she could think any further, Ani had already cracked his whip and gone inside.
Luo Yin nodded hurriedly and followed, observing carefully with curiosity the whole way.
A city gate stood in front of us, dilapidated yet prominently positioned.
Upon entering the city gate, a gray and gloomy scene came into view.
The main road runs east-west, with many shops and storefronts extending on both sides.
Luo Yin saw people walking around in many of the bungalows, busy with something. Before she could ask, Ani turned around and called her.
"Come on, drive the horses this way."
"Okay!"
Ani pointed to a small courtyard at the very end of the road, and Loin dismounted and knocked on the door.
But his gaze fell on the three-story bungalow across the street.
As the only three-layered structure we've seen so far, it must be something special!
"Knock knock, is anyone home?"
"Bang bang~"
"Who is it? Don't you know people are taking a lunch break? Don't knock!"
Suddenly, an elderly voice came from the courtyard.
The small, dilapidated door opened, and a skinny, gaunt old man poked his head out.
"Who are you looking for?" the old man asked, staring at her.
Luo Yin felt a little nervous under the gaze, and steadied herself.
"Sir, do you have any spare rooms available?"
She only noticed the two small characters "Inn" engraved on the small wooden sign next to her when she came down.
I'm more curious about what the other bungalows are used for.
"Tsk tsk, I don't know!"
The old man was impatient to listen, and after he finished speaking, he turned around and was about to close the door.
"Cough cough."
Ani spoke up at some point.
"Still has such a fiery temper."
"Hey, it wasn't you..."
When the withered old man saw it was him, his expression softened considerably.
"Ah, this is your house? It doesn't look like it. You'd better go inside quickly."
The old man stepped aside, gesturing for her to bring the horse in.
Loin was both surprised and delighted, and went inside as Ani nodded.
The interior of the courtyard, as far as the eye could see, was the same as the outside.
As expected, we shouldn't have too high hopes; it's still a dull gray.
Luo Yin thought to herself, but didn't show it on her face.
Looking around, I found a spot to tie up the horse in a corner and settled Big White there.
He turned around and helped Ani tidy up, putting the cart away properly.
Turning around, I saw Ani sitting to the side.
"Want some drinks?"
"Yes, Luo Yin, this is your Grandpa Qin!"
Seeing this, Luo Yin came over and called for help.
"Hello, Grandpa Qin."
"Okay, since you call me Grandpa Qin, don't stand on ceremony these next few days. Just say what you need."
Old Qin, with his dry skin, stood up as he spoke.
He gave a brief introduction to the rooms behind him.
They figured they hadn't eaten, so they brought out some food for them to eat.
Luo Yin stared at the dark, unrecognizable object.
He called out in my ear, "Eat up, don't be shy!"
"have eaten!"
Ani was more straightforward and refused outright.
"Yes, we've eaten with Grandpa Ani Qin. I'll put the things inside and tidy up first."
"Okay."
Luo Yin entered the room and looked at the place where she would be staying for several days.
The room was small, with a single bed and bedside table taking up most of the space.
There is also a window on the side near the door.
It's very simple, like a private room!
Luo Yin lifted the bed sheet and sniffed it; it didn't smell.
But she didn't dare say that. She took out the sheepskin coat she had prepared from her bundle, spread it out, and covered the pillow with a pillowcase.
After wiping the rest of the room with a cloth and opening the windows for ventilation, there wasn't much else to tidy up.
She strained her ears to listen to the sounds outside.
I only went outside because I couldn't sit still any longer.
"Ani, I want to go outside for a walk."
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