Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Gold in Troubled Times, Antiques in Prosperous Times

“I’m going to check out the salvage station. You guys stay here and read. I’ll be back in a bit.” Adrian Hawthorne was in a great mood. He gave Tang Xiaonan’s cheek a gentle pinch. ’This little chubby girl really is lucky; she always manages to say the most brilliant things without even trying.’

Tang Xiaonan impatiently slapped his hand away. ’I hate it when people pinch my cheeks. I don’t care if he’s a future tycoon, he can’t pinch them. It’s so annoying!’

“I want to go too.”

Tang Xiaonan also wanted to see for herself if you could really find treasures at the salvage stations of this era. In many of those “decade novels,” the female protagonists made their first pot of gold by scavenging at places like this.

Although Patrick Thorne was annoyed, he had no choice but to go along with Adrian Hawthorne for his sister’s sake. Gentry Chapman and his sister naturally tagged along as well, since they didn’t like reading.

The salvage station was a bit of a walk, and it took them about twenty minutes to get there. Back then, all the salvage stations were state-run. A woman in a khaki Lenin suit was guarding the entrance. Seeing Adrian Hawthorne and the others approach, she snapped, “Shoo, shoo! Kids, don’t come here and cause trouble.”

“Ma’am, I’d like to buy some old books for kindling,” Adrian Hawthorne said politely.

As soon as the woman heard he wanted to buy something, she let them in. People often came here to scavenge for furniture and whatnot, and she could make a little extra cash on the side. It wasn’t like her superiors cared anyway.

But the woman didn’t let all of them in, only two at a time. Adrian Hawthorne took Tang Xiaonan inside, leaving Patrick Thorne and the others to wait outside.

Inside, there were piles of junk everywhere, and dust motes danced in the air. The place was a total mess. Tang Xiaonan covered her nose and walked cautiously, afraid of stepping on a nail. She was, however, deeply disappointed.

’This salvage station is just old and filthy. I really don’t see any treasures here. It’s all just broken-legged furniture and scrap metal. Nothing looks valuable. What kind of antiques could possibly be here?’

’Novels are full of lies.’

There were, however, quite a few old books. Adrian Hawthorne rummaged through them carefully. Most were torn beyond repair, but his haul was still significant. He found several “forbidden” books, like *Dream of the Red Chamber* and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, as well as some world classics. Although they were missing Chapters and pages, they were mostly complete. These were all books that Old Master Tate had mentioned to him, and he had been wondering where he could possibly buy them!

Best of all, he also found some books on economics and an English-Chinese dictionary—all things he wanted to read.

The woman’s impatient voice called from outside. Adrian Hawthorne had no choice but to gather the books he’d found. There were about thirty of them. He pulled a fertilizer sack out of his bag, put all the books inside, and then placed a few tattered ones on top. When he saw a worn-out copy of *Grimms’ Fairy Tales*, an idea struck him, and he tossed it into the sack as well.

’I can read fairy tales to little fatty Tang. Grandpa Tate said little girls love these kinds of unrealistic stories.’

Tang Xiaonan was squatting in front of a dark stool, staring blankly. The stool was missing a leg, but its color and scent were identical to the carved bed back home.

“Mr. Hawthorne, this stool smells really nice.”

Adrian Hawthorne picked up the stool. It was heavy, a bit of a struggle with one hand. When he caught the familiar scent, he couldn’t help but smile. ’Little fatty Tang is a real money-magnet!’

“Let’s go!”

Adrian Hawthorne grabbed the stool as they left. It wasn’t worth much now, but in a few years, once things settled down, it would definitely be worth a lot of money.

Gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace. It was a principle as old as time.

“You can’t take this many books, and you can’t take the stool either. That’s against the rules,” the woman said, displeased. She took about a dozen books from the top of the pile—the ones Adrian Hawthorne had used for cover.

“Ma’am, this stool is pretty sturdy. I can take it home, fix it up, and it’ll be usable. Could you please bend the rules for me?”

Adrian Hawthorne took out two yuan and stuffed it into the woman’s hand. Her expression flickered, and her grip loosened. She waved her hand dismissively. “Hurry up and go!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep