Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Although Xiaonan Kiln was a folk kiln and the porcelain it produced was very rough and was intended for ordinary people, these porcelain pieces are still genuine antiques from the Ming Dynasty.

It may not be very valuable in monetary terms, but who dares to say that this thing has no historical value? No cultural value? No research value?
So it's understandable that He Liang and Ma Guoqiang like to pick these things, since it's about selecting the best pieces from a huge pile of antiques.

After Ma Guoqiang finished speaking, Wang An saw that the two of them were ignoring him, so he turned around and left the lower room.

When Wang An entered the room, he saw Mu Xueqing's worried face. In Mu Xueqing's mind, anything that could trouble He Liang and Ma Guoqiang must be quite difficult.

But such a difficult task had fallen on her own husband, which made Mu Xueqing think twice.

Noticing the worried look in Mu Xueqing's eyes, before she could speak, Wang An told her directly without any hesitation:

“I partnered with Brother Wu and my older sister to start a motorcycle factory. But the factory was short of foreign exchange, so I thought I’d sell the plates and bowls we dug up from our family’s cemetery to Hong Kong to get some foreign exchange.”

Mu Xueqing was taken aback at first, then asked Wang An with a look of surprise:

"A motorcycle factory? Are we going to make and sell motorcycles?"

Wang An nodded, then shook his head and said:
"Like pharmaceutical companies, our family are shareholders. We only receive dividends and do not participate in daily operations and management."

Aside from being somewhat excited when she saw Wang An bring the money back, Mu Xueqing remained indifferent to how Wang An made his money. She wouldn't say she was completely oblivious, but she would usually just ask a question or two.

So after Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueqing changed the subject, asking as if quite surprised:

"Those broken plates and bowls you brought back, are they really worth something? You can even make money from foreign countries?"

Wang An's expression hardened, and he glared at Mu Xueqing, saying:

"What kind of talk is that? What do you mean by broken plates and rotten bowls? Those are antiques, you know? They are things with historical value, cultural value, and research value."

Mu Xueqing, however, said dismissively:
"Sell them quickly if you can make money. Those things are useless and take up too much space."

Upon hearing Mu Xueqing's words, Wang An immediately lost his composure and didn't know what to say about his wife.

The main problem is that this woman, and most people of this era, simply don't know that antiques have started to become valuable, nor do they realize that those seemingly old and useless items could potentially change a family's life.

Wang An pursed his lips and suddenly asked:
"By the way, honey, did your dad sell all those old books in your house?"

Wang Anke clearly remembers that when he first visited his father-in-law's house, he saw quite a few old books and ancient texts, and he even remembered reminding his father-in-law of them.

Mu Xueqing paused for a moment upon hearing this, and then said:
"They probably didn't sell them. The day before the Lunar New Year, when we went there, I heard my mother say that one day a man from the village brought some outsiders to our house, and my father didn't say a word about it."

Wang An nodded and said:

"Well, it's fine as long as they haven't been sold. Those old books are worth at least thirty or forty yuan each now, and the price will only go up in the future. Selling them now would be a huge loss."

Mu Xueqing paused, her face full of disbelief as she asked Wang An:
"Just one book? It's all paper or wood chips, and it's worth thirty or forty yuan? I just don't believe it."

Wang An was also stunned upon hearing this, and asked in disbelief:

"Wooden shards? You still have wooden slips at home?"

Wang An was extremely surprised at this moment!
People are familiar with bamboo slips, but there are also wooden slips, though wooden slips are more common in the north, especially in places where bamboo doesn't grow.

However, since paper was invented, bamboo slips and wooden slips have been used less, and even fewer have survived.

Mu Xueqing nodded, and said with a matter-of-fact expression:
"Yeah, there are. There's probably about half a sack left. I remember when I was little, there were a lot. Then one year, I don't know what it was, our dad hid all those wooden books everywhere. He burned all the ones he hid in the stove hole. In the end, there was only half a sack left." Wang An knew what had happened as soon as he heard it. It was just people hiding things during the anti-old season.

At that time, many books and paintings were not allowed to be viewed or even exist, and many books and paintings were destroyed during that period.

After Mu Xueqing finished speaking, Wang An said with a grin:

"When I look at you, I realize that the ancestors of your branch of the Mu family were no ordinary people. They were probably high-ranking officials or nobles."

Mu Xueqing said calmly:

"Who knows? Anyway, before I married you, my family lived a really miserable life."

Wang An didn't respond, but instead smiled and said:

“Your family is quite wealthy, they even have wooden slips. Let me tell you, if those are intact, they can fetch a good amount of money.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Xueqing's beautiful eyes lit up instantly, and she asked with great interest:

"Really? Those things come in rolls, just one roll, how much could it be worth?"

Wang An thought for a moment and said:
"It should be at least 200 or more. It mainly depends on the condition and what's inside. If it's just a bunch of useless stuff, it's only worth two or three hundred yuan. But if it's full of useful information, it could be worth over a thousand yuan."

Whether it's bamboo slips or wooden slips, besides being cultural relics themselves, their most valuable aspect is actually the text on them, because researchers of ancient studies can deduce and study events from that time based on the text.

Mu Xueqing stammered, utterly shocked, and said:
"Then, then, then those wooden slips in my house, they must be worth at least ten or twenty thousand, right?"

Wang An said with an air of seriousness:
"What do you think? If you add those ancient books and ancient texts, your family would already be worth two or three thousand yuan a day."

Mu Xueqing immediately fell into deep thought. After a long while, she said with a firm gaze:

"When I go back to my parents' home someday, I have to bring back some of those wooden slips. Leaving them for Xue Li is a waste."

After Mu Xueqing finished speaking, Wang An was immediately dumbfounded.

I have to say, it has to be my wife! Her thoughts, her vision, her mindset are just too amazing!
Regardless of whether Mu Xueqing would actually do it, at least the way she said it made people feel really warm!

Wang An laughed heartily, hugged Mu Xueqing and kissed her several times, then said:

"Hey, Brother He and Brother Ma are having lunch at our place. I'll go get some food after that."

Mu Xueqing casually wiped the drool from her face and lips and said:
"How about I cook? What kind of man always cooks? People might think I don't cook for you."

Wang An ruffled Mu Xueqing's hair and smiled:

"Why are you making such a fuss? The chefs in state-run restaurants are all men. If we were to say that, they would all be laid off. Besides, what's wrong with cooking? I'm not afraid, so why are you?"

As he spoke, Wang An turned and walked out of the house into the greenhouse.

In the winter of Northeast China, serving meat to guests is just a way of showing hospitality, but serving fresh vegetables is a sure sign that your relationship is incredibly strong.

The main problem is that in Heilongjiang province during winter, fresh vegetables are always more expensive than meat. (End of Chapter)