Chapter 229: The Seventies Appraisal System (3)

However, there were still a few points of confusion that Xie Yang needed to clarify:

"If I recycle this to the Appraisal System, does it mean this antique will disappear from this plane forever?"

【Yes. But before unbinding, the Host can redeem it.】

"Redeem it at the original price?"

【A 0.1% service fee will be deducted.】

In other words, for an old object worth 50,000, one would need to pay an extra 50 to redeem it.

That's not bad; it's not an exorbitant demand.

"Then what about storage? Is there a service fee for that?"

Xie Yang continued to ask.

【There is. It depends on the volume of the stored object. For example, the two small objects in the Host's hands have a very cheap storage fee, only 20 Appraisal Coins.】

"What are the ways to obtain Appraisal Coins?"

【You can top up using currency or old objects.】

Xie Yang pulled open the desk and took a two-jiao banknote from the biscuit tin where the original owner kept her money and coupons.

"Top up."

With a "ding-dong" sound, her Appraisal Coin balance rose from the previous 90 to 110.

That is to say, two jiao = 20 Appraisal Coins = the storage fee for 1 small object.

【Host, this price is very fair.】

Seeming worried that Xie Yang might back out, the Sub-system took the initiative to say:

【If the Host tops up 1000 Appraisal Coins at once, I can gift the Host an extra 100 coins.】

So, top up 10 yuan and get 1 yuan free?

The promotion was actually not bad.

But the original owner had no source of income; before she married, her maiden family had given her fifty yuan as a dowry, but she had spent it all on hair accessories and fabric.

She glanced at the biscuit tin; the money inside was all left behind by Qin Zheng.

As a key Truck Driver for the Mechanical Factory's Transportation Team, he could collect a basic monthly salary of 55 yuan, a 6-yuan allowance, and 42 jin of grain.

Because long-distance driving was quite strenuous, there was also an additional travel subsidy, calculated by the day at 1 yuan per day. If he spent half a month on long-distance runs, he could collect 15 yuan more than other Truck Drivers at the end of the month.

Don't look at the various allowances and subsidies adding up to only seventy or eighty yuan; one must know that this is the early seventies, and the wage level for workers in many regions still hovered around thirty or forty yuan a month.

Because Yongcheng was a heavy industrial city with developed steel, metallurgy, and machinery manufacturing, the wages offered to Technicians by major factories were high. The position of Truck Driver, which required strict certification, was undoubtedly classified as a Technician role in this era, enjoying Technician wages and allowances.

But Qin Zheng's family was from the countryside, and this wedding, born out of gratitude, was rather rushed. Many things were prepared on short notice, and if they couldn't be bought in time, he had to use money and coupons to trade with colleagues and friends, which was naturally more expensive than saving up slowly. The expenses for this wedding were not small.

He was in a rush to leave for a long-distance trip the day after the wedding, and he must have felt somewhat guilty, which was why he took out all the money and coupons he had and handed them to the original owner.

Xie Yang guessed while counting; there was about 120 yuan in cash, and the rest were coupons: Grain Coupons, Cloth Coupons, Oil Coupons, Meat Coupons, Soap Coupons, Coal Ball Coupons, Non-staple Food Coupons, industrial product vouchers... a wide variety of coupons, totaling over twenty types.

Among them, the Grain Coupons were the most numerous, with denominations ranging from one shi-liang to five shi-jin.

There were also several Coal Ball Coupons.

After the original owner married here, she was too lazy to cook, eating out every few days or relying on snacks bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to fill her stomach. She went to the public bathhouse to bathe, and even the hot water she drank was obtained by paying two fen at the Canteen.

Qin Zheng had been away for over half a month, and she hadn't lit the stove even once. Looking at the dates on them, several Coal Ball Coupons were about to expire.

Xie Yang calculated her subsequent plans and pulled out a ten-yuan note: "Top up!"

【Received!】

The Sub-system's little treasury was open, and it was clearly very happy, readily returning 100 Appraisal Coins to Xie Yang.

Xie Yang stored both small antiques in the space that came with the Appraisal System.

She didn't lack money for the time being, so she naturally wouldn't consider recycling them.

She roughly guessed how the couple, Bai Xiuyuan and her husband, in the original world had become rich overnight and accumulated their first pot of gold—mostly by picking up leaked cultural relics and antiques from the outside world and selling them to the Appraisal System.

However, the recycling price given by the Appraisal System was still relatively honest. The two of them were likely unsatisfied later on and smuggled them abroad for auction, causing a large number of national treasures to be lost overseas.

The small antiques had a proper place to be kept, but what about the washbasin stand whose leg she had snapped?

Following the original owner's memory, Xie Yang found a few Iron Nails from the miscellaneous drawer in the middle of the cupboard, held a hammer to nail the two broken wooden legs back together, and then used sandpaper to smooth out the rough wooden splinters.

She put the washbasin stand back in its original place and made micro-adjustments, trying to hide the "injured" leg in the shadows. She stepped back two paces to take a look—perfect!

Xie Yang satisfiedly put the "crime" tools back into the drawer, brushed the wood shavings off her trouser legs, and returned to the bedroom.

She reorganized the biscuit tin where the money and coupons were hidden:

The banknotes were folded neatly by denomination and clipped together with a large black clip;

Various types of coupons were sorted and clipped into a curled, yellowing kraft paper notebook in order of expiration;

The dozen or so coins of different denominations were left scattered at the bottom of the box.

After finishing the organization, Xie Yang took the money and coupons, planning to use the Coal Ball Coupons and stop by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to see if there were any fresh vegetables to buy.

According to the timeline of the original world, Qin Zheng would be back in these next few days.

The bug Sub-system had already been recycled, but the Task was still not completed.

She guessed that the remaining Task might be related to Qin Zheng; perhaps she had to help him avoid that fatal disaster later for it to be considered complete.

She decided to make something delicious to nourish him.

If he really couldn't avoid that disaster in the future, having a strong and powerful physique would at least provide an extra layer of safety.

She opened the door and went out, encountering neighbors—and not just one.

First was Kuihua Sao, then Wang Tieqiang's wife.

After she rebuffed Wang Tieqiang's wife back into her room, the other gossiping neighbors didn't jump out to seek attention again, and Xie Yang went downstairs smoothly with peace of mind.

She looked back at the gray, three-story Family Building behind her.

The Yongcheng Machinery Factory was very large, and the family area alone was divided into three sections. This was the oldest area, where the layouts were all one-room-one-hall, and the water room and toilets were public, located at both ends of the floor.

The dawn redwoods on both sides of the building were planted when it was first constructed, and now they have grown taller than the roof. The residents in the end units of the east and west wings often complain that the trees block their light.

Qin Zheng was lucky enough to be assigned this apartment in the middle unit on the second floor, which faces an open Courtyard with no obstructions at all.

When winter comes, airing out quilts on the balcony or moving a lounge chair out to soak up the sun... just thinking about it makes Xie Yang feel content.

However, this is also thanks to the fact that her household hasn't enclosed the balcony.

Families with many members and not enough rooms often use bricks to partition their balconies into rooms.

It might be a bit small, but at least it's an independent space, which is much better than sleeping on a floor mat beside one's parents' bed.

As for her and Qin Zheng... considering such things right now is too far off.

Even if they develop feelings and have children in the future, it would take several years to transition from a cradle to a small bed, so there is no need to consider renovating the balcony for the time being.

(End of chapter)