Chapter 2: The Silver Ingot is Real

When Xiao Yingchun walked out of the pawnshop, she felt like she was dreaming!

But when she opened her WeChat wallet and looked at the six thousand yuan inside, she confirmed it was real.

That silver ingot wasn't just real; it was an ancient five-tael silver ingot.

The pawnshop owner had offered six thousand yuan on the spot, and she had walked away with six thousand yuan in a daze.

The cost of two boxes of compressed biscuits was only three hundred yuan, meaning a net profit of five thousand seven hundred yuan?

Profiteering!

Even drug dealers would want to compete with her for business at this rate!

Thinking of the "come again next time" said by that handsome ghost, Xiao Yingchun felt conflicted about whether to restock or not.

"Meet a ghost" or "be a pauper"?

She looked at her WeChat balance and decisively made a call, ordering twenty boxes of assorted-flavor compressed biscuits and several boxes of water.

She was going all in; what if a little gamble turned her bicycle into a motorcycle?

To succeed, one must first go crazy, and charge forward regardless of everything!

……

Fu Chen'an stood at the shop entrance holding two boxes of biscuits, feeling like it wasn't real.

He took a look; the strange curtain was still there, but the scene inside was unclear, yet the weight in his hands was heavy.

It wasn't an illusion.

Half-doubting, Fu Chen'an carried the biscuits back to the city on the edge of the desert, where the command tent was pitched in the central square.

This place had been almost completely destroyed by the flames of war.

As he walked, Fu Chen'an ordered, "Send for Doctor Niu."

When Doctor Niu saw the compressed biscuits in front of Fu Chen'an, he was dumbfounded. "This is..."

Fu Chen'an took out a pack of compressed biscuits, tore it open, and handed it over. "Check it. Is there any poison in this?"

Doctor Niu was bewildered, but he did as he was told.

After smelling it, licking it, and soaking it in a bowl of water to examine it carefully, he exclaimed in surprise, "Young General, it is non-toxic, edible, and truly delicious! Where did this come from?"

Doctor Niu looked at Fu Chen'an with pure admiration.

Ever since the army reached the outskirts of Yongzhou City, there had been nothing but yellow sand, and a shortage of water and food.

With supply lines cut off and Yongzhou unable to be taken, the army was in a dilemma.

Fu Chen'an immediately ordered, "Have each unit collect silver and come with me to purchase these items."

The lieutenant turned to carry out the order.

Doctor Niu, however, looked as if he had heard a fairy tale. "Purchase? This was bought?"

Fu Chen'an nodded. "Yes, bought in a small alley."

Doctor Niu couldn't believe it. "A small alley? Are there still merchants in this town?"

The lieutenant looked worried. "General, we have never seen such things. Furthermore, this place was destroyed long ago, and the commoners have all fled. Where would there be merchants?"

"When things are abnormal, there must be demons. General, be cautious!"

Everyone began to chime in with their advice.

Fu Chen'an looked at his two deputies. "Do you have any other way to get food and water?"

The lieutenant closed his chapped mouth; his silence was deafening.

Everyone fell into a collective silence. In their current predicament, they had no choice but to gamble.

A series of footsteps accompanied by the clanking of armor approached. Everyone looked outside; the Marshal had returned.

Fu Zhonghai was middle-aged, but his presence was overwhelming. As soon as he entered, he looked at the cardboard box on the table.

"I heard you are having people collect silver to buy things?"

Fu Chen'an bowed with his hands folded. "Father, I just bought these from a small alley..."

Doctor Niu immediately added, "Edible, non-toxic."

Fu Zhonghai looked at the strange cardboard box he had never seen before and the biscuits inside, and didn't waste words. "Take a squad and go see for yourself first."

"Yes!"

Fu Chen'an immediately agreed, taking thirty fully armed men into the alley.

Standing before that strange curtain, Fu Chen'an waved his hand. "Enter!"

Fu Chen'an walked in first, and the thirty men followed.

The next instant, Fu Chen'an was surprised; only he had entered.

Where were they?

The soldiers stood in the ruins, looking at each other in confusion.

What happened to the shop? The merchant?

Wait, where was their General!

The soldiers panicked and began searching everywhere.

But there was nothing but broken walls and ruins!

In their anxiety, the captain decisively ordered, "Half of you stay here, the other half come back with me to report to the Marshal!"

"Yes!"

Just as they were about to move, they saw Fu Chen'an walk out from the door again, looking bewildered. "Why didn't you come in?"

Everyone’s hair stood on end.

The captain swallowed hard, suppressing his fear. "General... we went in, but there was only ruins inside... you were not there..."

Fu Chen'an was confused. "How can that be? Let's try again."

Something was wrong.

Fu Chen'an tried several more times with the men, but the result was the same.

He vaguely understood that perhaps only he could see it. Fu Chen'an took the silver and copper coins he had gathered from them and went in again.

He ended up bumping straight into Xiao Yingchun.

She had heard the "Welcome" sensor at the back door go off several times.

After it happened repeatedly, she got annoyed and got up to check.

As a result, she ran into Fu Chen'an and was startled by the sword in his hand.

She gave a dry laugh and backed away. "You... you're here..."

Seeing the terror in her eyes as she looked at his sword, Fu Chen'an subconsciously explained, "I'm here to buy things."

With that, he placed the silver and copper coins wrapped in a grayish-yellow sheepskin on the counter. "How much of that biscuit and water from last time can this buy?"

Xiao Yingchun looked at the scattered broken silver, silver ingots, and copper coins on the counter, her gaze drawn to the two silver ingots.

These two ingots were bigger than the last ones!

Plus all that broken silver and copper coins...

Xiao Yingchun swallowed, trying to remain calm as she pointed to the twenty boxes of compressed biscuits and water that had just been delivered to the corner.

"Take them all, that's all I have for now..."

Fu Chen'an nodded, grasping the main point. "Then when I come next time, can you prepare more? Fifty boxes of each?"

Xiao Yingchun didn't hesitate. "No problem, just come pick them up tomorrow."

Twenty boxes of compressed biscuits, twenty boxes of various brands of mineral water—Xiao Yingchun felt a pang of guilt, so she also gave him a few boxes of instant noodles and canned luncheon meat from the back storeroom. After thinking about it, she also gave him a bottle of Erguotou.

Fu Chen'an sheathed his sword and, with his long limbs, made several trips to move everything out the back door.

Once the goods were taken and the person had left, Xiao Yingchun swallowed hard.

Close the door!

Go to the pawnshop!