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墨書 Inktalez
It is said that in chaotic times, one should hide gold, while in the Golden Age, one should collect antiques.
In a world a hundred years later, it is already fortunate if people can fill their stomachs and survive.
Very few people engage in antique collecting.
No one pays attention to protecting those items that were incredibly valuable during the Golden Age.
Even the most precious antiques are worth no more than a bowl of rice in the apocalypse.
During the dark and savage years, many precious cultural relics and antiques were destroyed, but some were still preserved intact.
Chen Xiaozhao once saw a beggar on the street using a relic-level jade bowl to beg for food.
The jade bowl's age was unknown, but it was certainly worth much more than gold.
If he could manage to bring such items back from the apocalypse, it would be much faster than selling gold.
However, the risk of dealing in such items was too great, and their origins would be hard to explain. Chen Xiaozhao had to consider everything carefully before engaging in this business.
Jindeli noticed Chen Xiaozhao's apparent interest in antiques and guessed, "Brother Zao, isn't there a Tomb in Old Mountain Ridge? Besides gold, can’t you 'pick up' antiques too? If we could find valuable artifacts and sell them to Dragon Lord, we wouldn't have to worry about food for the rest of our lives."
"Haha, you think too optimistically. Let's talk about it when we actually find something."
Chen Xiaozhao didn't pursue that topic any further. He took out a stack of ten thousand yuan bills from his bag and handed them to Jindeli: "Fatty, take this ten thousand. We've had our share of hard times; now that we have some money, enjoy yourself. Don't you love eating at Golden Knife Hot Pot in Chang'an City? Last time Big Gang treated us there, you drooled for over a month just thinking about it but didn't want to go again. Now that we have money, go ahead and eat; spend all this ten thousand."
"Eat ten thousand worth of Golden Knife Hot Pot?" Jindeli was astonished.
"I'm not saying eat it all in one sitting; I mean spread it out!"
"Oh, oh, haha."
Jindeli took the money and grinned while licking his lips: "I thought you meant I should eat it all in one meal! I was wondering what I should order to eat it all without bursting! Their beef and lamb are only 38 a plate; if I eat 100 plates that's 3,800. If I eat 200 plates, that's 7,600..."
"You won't order anything expensive! Why do you always stare at beef and lamb? Order that medicinal sashimi that costs hundreds, or get some seafood to hot pot!" Whenever it came to hot pot with fish and shrimp, Chen Xiaozhao felt inexplicably relieved.
"Brother Zao, please stop talking about seafood." Jindeli said with a pained expression on his chubby face, "I've been nauseated by the Fish Oil dishes you've made recently. Now, whenever I smell fish, I want to throw up."
Chen Xiaozhao scoffed, "This stuff is healthy. You, being a fatty with little education, don't understand the saying 'bitter medicine is good for the disease.'"
"Brother Zao, I'm eating a meal, not taking medicine! You should stop developing that Fish Oil-flavored Roujiamo; it's just too much effort for no reward."
"Development is a must. Later, you can help me think about what ingredients could make the Fish Oil flavor more palatable."
"Your Fish Oil smells like a dead fish soaked in a cesspool for ten years, then squeezed out as soup. No matter what you pair it with, no one will accept it!"
Chen Xiaozhao was initially quite hungry, but after Jindeli's comment, he lost all appetite.
Jindeli's metaphor was crude but very vivid.
The stench of Deep Sea Beast Oil was indeed hard to accept.
"Forget it; let's not talk about this anymore. You've made me lose my appetite."
Taking out three stacks of cash from his wallet, Chen Xiaozhao handed them to Jindeli. "Here are thirty thousand. Tomorrow, take this to Chun Ni. That girl has been wanting to build a Dog House for stray dogs in the welfare home's backyard. She's tried fundraising several times but hasn't succeeded. Don't let her keep trying; it's embarrassing. Just take this money and build it."
Jindeli asked in confusion, "Previously when Chun Ni came to us for funds to build a Dog House, didn't you say her actions were foolish? You said strays should be wandering around; why build them a Dog House? You even suggested we fundraise for a game console instead."
Chen Xiaozhao awkwardly replied, "I want to buy the game console for the kids at the welfare home, not for myself."
"Then let's use this thirty thousand to buy some large game consoles for the kids instead of building a Dog House. I also think building a Dog House is unnecessary; spending thirty thousand on it is too extravagant! We didn't even spend that much on renovating this shop."
"I initially thought building a Dog House was unnecessary too, but after Chun Ni explained her reasons to me, I pondered it and found it quite reasonable."
Chen Xiaozhao reasoned with Jindeli: "Think about it; those stray dogs are like homeless children. Just like us when we were young. Would you prefer wandering outside or living in the welfare home—a big Dog House? It must be the big Dog House. We were lucky that the welfare home took us in when we were young so we didn't have to suffer outside in the cold. Now those stray dogs need their own 'welfare home' too. That's why I think it's necessary to support Chun Ni."
After hearing Chen Xiaozhao's perspective, Jindeli understood and said, "If that's the case, we really should build homes for those stray cats and dogs; it's like fulfilling a childhood dream."
"Not just fulfilling dreams; once this Dog House is built, the kids will have more activities to engage in. They can play with the strays and take care of them, cultivating their sense of responsibility from an early age so we won't have any more scum like Zhou Ziheng coming out of our welfare home."
Chen Xiaozhao referred to Zhou Ziheng as a disgrace raised by the Gubei Welfare Institute.
The Gubei Welfare Institute takes in orphans from surrounding counties every year, adopting as many as forty to fifty children in a good year, and at least twenty in a lesser year.
Among the children who grow up in batches like this, many form close-knit groups of peers.
For instance, Chen Xiaozhao, Jindeli, Zhuo Chugang, and Zhuo Chunni are part of a small group of over ten children who share a bond as tight as that of siblings.
Zhou Ziheng, now 24 years old, was once a member of this small group.
As a child, he was particularly honest and well-mannered, strikingly handsome, and very popular at the welfare institute; many girls liked him.
However, after entering society, Zhou Ziheng became dazzled by the glamorous world and turned into a refined scoundrel.
In Chen Xiaozhao's group, there was also a girl named Zhao Jing, who had grown up alongside Zhou Ziheng.
Zhao Jing was a year older than Zhou Ziheng and loved him deeply, willing to give everything for him.
In the autumn of two years ago, ignoring Chen Xiaozhao's advice, Zhao Jing quit her accounting job at the county grain bureau to follow Zhou Ziheng to work and live in Chang'an City.
That scoundrel Zhou Ziheng didn’t last long in Chang'an before being taken in by a wealthy woman and became a kept man, heartlessly dumping Zhao Jing.
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