Chapter 16: Celadon Lotus Pot

Bai Wei's handwriting appeared on the wooden board.

"You've worked hard discussing matters tonight; I'm adding a meal for you all."

"This is Hot Pot; it's the warmest thing to eat in winter. Be careful not to burn your mouths."

The entire commander's tent was instantly filled with the steaming aroma of Hot Pot, dispelling the bitter cold.

Xiao Dabao drooled with greed, "The Goddess is actually sending us delicious Hot Pot! And sweet soup too!"

Xiao Moting ordered someone to bring the Hot Pot to the table and had the soldiers standing guard outside the tent called in to eat together.

Qin Zhan wore middle-aged thermal underwear inside his military uniform and a pair of warm liberation shoes on his feet. He reached out, grabbed a bottle of Cola, bit the cap off, and took a sip, his eyes instantly widening.

"What kind of sweet soup is this? It's bubbling in my mouth; it's so delicious!"

Xiao Dabao couldn't care about burning his mouth; he kept eating the Hot Pot, specifically fishing out the Ham Sausage to eat.

He loved ham sausage the most, especially the one called Shuanghui!

Even the best imperial chef in the Daliang Imperial Kitchen couldn't make such delicious Ham Sausage.

Xiao Moting said, "Pass down the order: tomorrow, Shennü Daren will distribute one hundred bags of Refined Rice and flour, and five pigs and five sheep each, to the families of the fallen soldiers."

"What?" Xiao Dabao was stunned, his mouth stuffed with Ham Sausage, "Shennü Daren is too generous; she is truly good to us! If the Prince were to fall in battle, the Imperial Court wouldn't even issue such good things to him."

"Can't even a Ham Sausage plug your crow's mouth?" Qin Zhan's face darkened.

Xiao Moting didn't mind and said in a deep voice, "The Goddess also said to let everyone eat freely, get full, and prepare for battle; she will take care of the food."

As soon as he finished speaking, the men cheered, all of them moved in their hearts.

The steaming Hot Pot dispelled the bitter cold from everyone's bodies and warmed the soldiers' hearts as well.

A sack sat by the table, filled with various items; it was the stuff that hadn't been finished being sent over last time.

Xiao Moting picked one out and placed it in the wardrobe.

After resting for a night, he recovered a bit of energy and, enduring a splitting headache, sent this item over.

The Goddess even made clothes for him; he could not be ungrateful.

……

"What is this?"

As soon as Bai Wei got up, she saw a small Celadon Lotus Pot sitting in the wardrobe.

Yesterday, she saw that Xiao Moting had quite a few things there, but he hadn't sent them over. Bai Wei guessed that it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he likely encountered the same problem of insufficient Mental Power.

Recently, she had also gradually figured out the rules for the Teleportation of items.

The items sent could not exceed the technological productivity of the era too much.

For instance, she tried to send a mobile phone to the ancient times, but it wouldn't go through at all, and she ended up with a headache as if her head were about to split open.

But when she sent the most basic daily necessities like grain, vegetables, and clothes, they could be sent over very easily, though the energy consumed increased with the quantity.

Yesterday, she sent a Flashlight over; although it was the oldest type of aluminum-cased Battery Flashlight, and it did go through, the energy consumed was equivalent to sending over a dozen tons of rice and flour.

Bai Wei guessed this might be a space-time limitation.

But she could try to focus her spirit and improve her concentration; perhaps in the future, once she reached a certain level, she would be able to send modernized items over.

Bai Wei put the Celadon pot into her pocket and prepared to go to town.

She needed to buy coal, as well as rice and flour...

Right now, she was the logistics chief for the thirty thousand troops of Daliang, making sure they were well-fed so they could head to the battlefield in three days!

She had settled the bill for all the vegetables and fruits the villagers sent over yesterday, spending a total of over two hundred thousand.

The villagers were all beaming with joy and asked her if she was still buying today.

Bai Wei refused no one, taking as much as they had.

Her own energy was limited, and it was impossible for her to grow that many vegetables and fruits, but by mobilizing the whole village to grow vegetables and grain, it was much more convenient for her to just provide the money.

Passing by the entrance of the village, Bai Wei saw a "Winery for Sale" notice posted on the winery next door and couldn't help but walk over.

"Li Bo, is your winery for sale?"

Li Bo was shirtless, shoveling wine dregs in the winery with his son. Hearing this, he looked up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and sighed as he spoke.

"Business at the winery isn't good; I can't keep it going."

"Isn't the grain wine you brew always quite good?" Bai Wei asked, puzzled.

Li Bo's son said in a muffled voice, "What's the use of good wine? People in the city now like to drink high-end spirits like Wuliangye and Moutai... The grain wine we brew in the countryside isn't considered high-class, restaurants don't want it, and it won't sell."

Li Bo looked at Bai Wei, "Xiao Wei, I heard you were buying vegetables from the whole village yesterday. I still have several tons of good brewed wine in the Warehouse; this wine... are you buying?"

"This..." Bai Wei hesitated for a moment.

Li Bo was an honest man in the village; he knew how to brew wine and fix houses. Usually, when people in the village needed to build a pigsty or patch a wall, they would ask him for help.

But alcohol was prohibited in the Daliang army, and Xiao Moting had also issued an order strictly forbidding soldiers from drinking.

Even if Bai Wei wanted to buy his wine, it wouldn't be of any use for the time being.

A trace of exhaustion appeared in Li Bo's eyes, and he sighed, saying.

"I've brewed wine my whole life, and I've brewed enough. Now this wine won't sell. Next month, I plan to go to the city with my son to find work at a construction site, but I don't know if anyone will still want an old man like me to shovel mortar, plaster lime, or fix houses..."

Bai Wei said, "Li Bo, I'm going to Pingle Town; I'll help you ask around and see which restaurant wants to buy wine."

"Alright! Thank you, Xiao Wei!"

Before long, Bai Wei arrived at Pingle Town.

The only antique auction house in town was called "Tianbao" Auction House, a branch of the largest auction house in the city.

The auction house was very deserted, and the clerk was lying on the table playing with a mobile phone.

Bai Wei walked up, "Hello, do you buy antiques?"

"What kind of antiques?" The clerk stared at the phone without even lifting his eyelids, "Take any old junk to a street stall to sell; we only accept high-quality items at our auction."

Bai Wei took the Celadon Vase out of her bag and placed it on the table.

The shop assistant glanced over impatiently, then suddenly dropped their phone, eyes widening.

"Did you bring this?"

Bai Wei nodded.

The assistant stood up at once, "Manager, come take a look at this quickly. Is this something from the Wei and Jin periods? I couldn't be mistaken, could I?"

The manager quickly walked out from the inner office, and upon seeing the vase on the table, immediately became excited.

He stepped forward in two or three strides, put on Surgical Gloves, carefully lifted the vase, and examined it closely with a magnifying glass.

"It really is a Celadon Lotus Pot from the Wei and Jin periods, and it's preserved like new; this is truly rare!"

Seeing the manager's excited expression, Bai Wei felt relieved, "About how much can this sell for? I can't wait for an auction; I need cash."

Besides helping customers auction antiques and taking a commission, auction houses would also buy rare, high-quality items themselves if they encountered them.

"This item is too valuable; I cannot make the decision alone." The manager's expression was grave, "I will call the boss in the city and ask him to come over personally to discuss this deal. He should arrive in about half an hour."

After speaking, he hurriedly invited Bai Wei to rest in the VIP lounge.

"No need." Bai Wei put the Celadon Vase away, "I still need to go to town to buy things. Call me when your boss arrives."

She left a mobile number and turned to walk out of the auction house.

As soon as Bai Wei stepped outside, she secretly took out her phone, took a photo of the Celadon Vase, and sent it to Zhou Yuchuan.

"Professor Zhou, could you please help me take a look? How much is a vase like this worth?"

Although she did not want to seek out Zhou Yuchuan, judging by the extent of the manager's excitement, she knew this vase was extremely valuable.

She had to find someone to vet it, so she wouldn't sell it at a loss.

Although Chen Yeye understood antiques, it was only superficial; for "big-ticket items" like this, he could not determine their value.