Opening an antique shop and getting rich through all the worlds

Chapter 106

The man looked gaunt and withered, wearing the coarsest gray hemp clothing, yet his bearing was unlike that of a common person.

“This is an antique shop.” Shen You explained, meeting his searching gaze.

“You can exchange things for silver money, or for food and medicine that you need.”

The middle-aged man raised his weathered face, carefully examining everything before him.

The exile procession had already left the capital.

How could such a strange shop exist beside the inn’s stable?

But even if this was some miraculous encounter, he had nothing of value to offer.

On the day of his conviction, his estate was confiscated. During his imprisonment before exile, all his possessions had been taken.

If not for the care of old friends in the capital, his entire family might not have made it this far.

Now with wind and rain raging outside, bone-piercing cold seeping in, even a few pieces of firewood were hard to find in such a place.

His family members were frail, and some had already caught colds.

The little silver his family had left was counted on to sustain them until they reached the place of exile. Food and drink along the way all cost money.

“I apologize for disturbing you, Miss.” He Haizhou said bitterly. “I have nothing of value on me.”

With that, his thin back bent, and he turned to leave.

Hearing the clanking sound of shackles dragging across the ground, Shen You suddenly thought of something and called out to stop him:

“Wait, sir. Are you one of those exiled from the capital?”

He Haizhou paused, startled, and nodded.

“What day was it, and for what crime were you convicted?” Shen You asked again.

Though he didn’t understand why this strangely dressed young woman was asking such questions, He Haizhou answered each one:

“Half a month ago, at a palace banquet, I was convicted and exiled for making a remonstrance.”

If not for the merit established by his ancestors, it would have been more than just exile for the whole family.

He Haizhou’s face showed bitterness and desolation, but notably lacked any regret.

He had known his actions would anger the emperor, but he simply couldn’t stand by and watch such wasteful spending that harmed the people.

The emperor claimed he had ascended the throne during Great Qi’s time of crisis, preserved the realm, and achieved merit that would last a thousand years, so he wanted to build a gold-plated statue of himself in the imperial temple.

Foreign tribes on the borders were stirring restlessly. He had heard how foreign invaders had once broken through, slaughtering and plundering cities, and Great Qi had spent decades recovering without fully healing.

At such a crucial moment, how could they still spend treasury funds on building some statue!

He couldn’t bring himself to bow his head and agree like the others.

Through He Haizhou’s description, Shen You opened the calendar on her phone and checked the timing. He really might be the person Wen Zhi had mentioned.

After thinking it over, she took out a cardboard box from inside, filled it with several useful items from the warehouse, and placed it on the table alongside a medicine box.

“Great Qi has entered winter, and the exile road is bitter and cold. See if there’s anything here you need.”

Wen Zhi had brought her to the capital workshops established by officials. For the person he had mentioned, she would help even without any trade.

These things weren’t very expensive anyway.

If she had the wrong person, she’d just consider it a good deed.

Seeing He Haizhou looking puzzledly at the contents of the cardboard box, Shen You began explaining:

“These are warm clothing and raincoats from the Western Regions, you’ve probably seen them already.”

He Haizhou nodded. A few days ago, someone had secretly sent some items, including these two things.

The raincoats were too conspicuous, so he’d given them to the escorting officials, and only then had his family’s situation improved slightly.

The warm clothing went first to his mother and wife, and the children at home. He himself had never worn any.

But along the exile road, he’d heard people say these items were well-priced and warm, that the common people were delighted with them, praising the court daily for not allowing price increases and expressing gratitude for the emperor’s benevolence.

He also knew these Western goods hadn’t been procured by the court.

The credit for this could only go to the emperor, but the people were genuinely benefiting, which was also a good thing.

“This.” Shen You picked up a compressed biscuit and demonstrated how to open the packaging, “is a type of dried food that can be preserved for long periods without spoiling. One packet can last you two or three days and is very filling. You can try it.”

He Haizhou didn’t immediately take it, but waited until Shen You placed it on the table before picking it up.

Being a generation older, it wouldn’t be proper to take things directly from a young woman’s hands.

Looking at the square, hard biscuit of unknown composition inside the strange opened pouch, he wondered with amazement:

Could such a small biscuit really be so filling?

He wasn’t afraid of poison. Having fallen to such circumstances, if someone wanted his life, they wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of poisoning him.

With that thought, He Haizhou took a small bite.

It was somewhat dry but tasted very good. His stomach, which hadn’t had a full meal in far too long, began growling from just this one bite of biscuit.

How wonderful it would be if this dried food could be sent to the frontier, though he wondered about the price.

“Is this item also from the Western Regions?” He asked curiously.

“Yes.” Shen You nodded, taking out the next item. Heat packs that came free with her steam eye masks.

“These can be stuck on clothing and will heat up automatically, lasting several hours. But you must be careful when using them. They can’t be applied directly to skin or they’ll cause burns.”

“There are truly such wonderful things?!” He Haizhou was already shocked.

How advanced had the Western Regions become to be so far ahead of Great Qi?

In the past, he might have been able to help procure Western goods and find people to study Western craftsmanship, but now…

He could barely protect himself, let alone do anything else.

Moreover, did these things really come only from the Western Regions?

He looked up at the miraculous objects he’d never heard of in the shop, thinking about the shop’s entrance.

The shop itself was unusual, so naturally the items sold inside would be extraordinary too.

“You’ll know once you try them.” Shen You answered confidently. “And here’s a bag of dried beef and chocolate. Hide them well after you take them back.”

Opening the medicine box lid, she pointed to several medicines and introduced them: “See which ones you need. If what you need isn’t here, I can find it for you.”

As long as it wasn’t prohibited medicine, she added mentally.

There were three pharmacies on the street at the alley entrance, and they could handle medications for common ailments.

He Haizhou looked at the box full of packages he’d never seen before, stunned for a long moment before asking hopefully:

“Might there be medicine for treating colds?”

“Jingfang granules. There’s no need to boil them, just mix with hot water and drink. If fever symptoms have already appeared, take these two together.”

Shen You also took out her regular medications: compound paracetamol and phenylephrine tablets and antibiotics.

After explaining the dosages, she took out one strip of each. The Jingfang granules were traditional Chinese medicine. She removed the outer packaging and gave him the entire box.

“These things I’m giving you won’t let water seep inside as long as you don’t open them, even if they get wet.”

“Is this medicine the miraculous drug used to treat the epidemic before?!”

He Haizhou recognized the antibiotics, his voice unconsciously quickening.

He knew about that medicine. Several noble families in the capital had managed to collect a few pills.

“That’s right.” Shen You continued. “I have hot water here, and ginger and brown sugar too. If you have a water pouch, I can help you fill it.”

He was exiled with his entire family, so carrying several disposable cups back would just be asking to be reported.

“I have water pouches! But I need to go back and get them.”

His family of old and young carried two water pouches with them, and at the inn they were also worried about how to get some hot water.