Chronicle of the 70s

In the afternoon, Qin Xi did not return, which worried Li Xianglu somewhat, but she also knew that overthinking wouldn’t solve anything. She was fairly familiar with the county town, so she first went to the big cafeteria and had a bowl of wonton soup, then bought ten meat buns to take back.

It was past eight o’clock when Li Xianglu finally heard footsteps. She quickly ran to open the door and saw Qin Xi striding toward her room. The guest house in the county was a large courtyard with brick buildings front and back; their rooms were neighboring each other. Qin Xi, behind him, carried a large black cloth bag, and he was covered in dirt.

Seeing this, Li Xianglu hurriedly welcomed him in but dared not close the door; she left it wide open and then poured some hot water into the basin of cold water.

Qin Xi, feeling extremely hot, took off his outer short-sleeved shirt and began to wash. Meanwhile, Li Xianglu took the buns to the front of the guest house. She had already arranged to have them heated for 50 cents, and casually cooked a bowl of corn rare rice.

When Li Xianglu returned with the rare rice and buns, Qin Xi had already cleaned and neatly arranged the items on the table and the floor.

Seeing this, Li Xianglu quickly urged him to eat while she wiped everything down with a towel. The items were covered in a layer of yellow soil, prompting Li Xianglu to ask curiously, "Did you bury them?"

Swallowing a mouthful of bun, Qin Xi replied, "Yes, buried next to a tomb."

What! Li Xianglu felt a chill as she looked at the items spread on the table and floor. These couldn’t possibly be dug out directly from a tomb! Two pairs of Meiping vases were exceptionally well-preserved. With such condition, they were either tomb artifacts or collectors’ items. But in this era, who would dare to collect them? Anyone who owned such things was either dead or sent to labor reform.

Qin Xi knew this girl’s wild thoughts and said impatiently, "What are you thinking? These are just unclaimed collector’s items. I found them by chance and hid them next to a graveyard to avoid discovery."

Alright then, Li Xianglu continued wiping. As she did, she realized how valuable these items were. A pair of Meiping vases from the Kangxi Era of the official kiln. Though not very famous, they were excellently preserved. There was also a large Yuan Blue and White plate with a story of figures, exquisitely detailed—a rare official kiln artifact.