In the Great Tang, where copper coins were bulky and gold items were rare, it was quite normal to use items like silk and black pepper as currency. Black pepper, in particular, was absolute hard currency, welcomed everywhere.
The nobles of the Great Tang showed their status by eating meat, but they struggled with a lack of seasoning to get rid of the meat's odor. Black pepper did the trick, so it was naturally in high demand. Moreover, since pepper was imported, it traveled long distances and was scarce in quantity, making it expensive.
"Are you planning to use black pepper for your purchase, honored guest?" After taking a long enough look, the maid in green reluctantly put down the wooden box. Just the wooden box itself, she liked it.
Lin Wanwan replied, "Yes, the elders at home gave me too much black pepper, more than we can ever use. After paying for the porcelain with this box, convert the remaining amount to gold for me."
"Understood! Please wait a moment, honored guest, while I fetch the shopkeeper."
As Lin Wanwan exited the Treasure House, two attendants humbly carrying her parcels followed her, ensuring she boarded the ox cart before respectfully returning to the Treasure House.
When Lin Wanwan entered, she carried a box of black pepper worth about twenty-some Copper Coins, and when she left, it had transformed into a box of small gold ingots, plus six pieces of porcelain, each worth at least ten million in the modern world!
This transaction was truly a delightful one!
Back at the inn, Lin Wanwan upgraded her room to a suite. With more valuable possessions now in her care, enhanced room security was naturally a must.
The suite was in the rear courtyard. In the whole inn, there were only two suites in the rear courtyard, with the other one empty. Lin Wanwan's room faced east. The daily rate was 1500 coins, or one and a half strings of coins, equivalent to the monthly household expenses for an ordinary Great Tang family, but for Lin Wanwan now, it was a trifle.
When she was ready to move rooms with the little one, the little one groggily opened her eyes. Upon seeing Lin Wanwan, even before she fully woke up, she flashed a sweet smile, showing two adorable dimples.
Lin Wanwan found it absolutely charming and couldn't resist nuzzling her cheek against hers.
"Little one, you're awake? I'll give you a new name, 'Jade Emerging at Dewfall,' so you'll be called Lin Qingyu. Your nickname can be Little Jade. How about it, Little Jade?"
The little one was dazed and naturally took Lin Wanwan's word for it.
Holding her tiny body, Lin Wanwan felt an unexpected satisfaction filling the empty part of her heart.
Holding her was like holding her younger self.
Qingyu had a pair of eyes that looked just like Lin Wanwan's own.
Adorned in the silk clothes Lin Wanwan just bought, Little Jade felt as though she'd entered an Immortal Palace. Lin Wanwan instructed her to call her "Mother," and so she did.
She always dreamed of having a warm, soft, and fragrant mother to hold her, just like other children had, and now that dream had surprisingly come true.
As for Lin Wanwan, she had always loved children but didn't care much for marriage or childbirth. She always felt that giving birth would be very painful, whether natural or by Caesarean would be no good, sometimes wishing she could wake up to a heaven-sent child beside her pillow.
Together, they were a perfect match.
As the mother and daughter gazed tenderly at each other, a sudden "grumble" noise shattered the silence.
Little Jade held her stomach and quickly said, "Little Jade isn't hungry!"
She recalled that every time her stomach rumbled, she would get scolded by her cousins and aunts. Not only would there be no food, but she might even get thrown out.
For a long time, she lived like a stray dog, surviving on discarded seafood and hardly ever getting a proper meal.
Lin Wanwan affectionately rubbed her head and said, "Mother has tasty food for you. From now on, stay with Mother, eat well, stay warm, and learn to read and write. How about that?"
"That sounds great, Little Jade will be good," the little one replied with a sweet smile, dimples deepening on her cheeks.
Lin Wanwan offered the yogurt melts she had bought from a modern supermarket, packed in a glass bottle, to Qingyu. "Here, have some to stave off hunger."
Little Jade cradled the pretty glass bottle, took a deep sniff, and then timidly took out one piece. Once she put it in her mouth, her eyes squinted in bliss. "Mother, it's so good! You should have some too!"
"Mother doesn't like this. It's especially for kids."
***
At night, in the dead silence, a freshly cleaned Little Jade, washed using soap and a new small children's bathtub, was sleeping sweetly in bed. Lin Wanwan lit a mosquito-repellent scented candle by the bedside.
These mosquitoes from a thousand years ago were nothing like the ones that had evolved with drug resistance in modern times. They didn't stand a chance against the repellent candle, ensuring they wouldn't bother the little one.
Then, Lin Wanwan took the newly purchased porcelain, left the inn, found a secluded spot, and immediately returned to the modern world.
It was around seven or eight in the evening during the Tang Dynasty, but in the modern world, it was already five in the morning.
Upon traversing the Space-Time Gate, wherever Lin Wanwan had left, she would return to the same spot. At this time, she found herself back in her small rented apartment in the modern world.
Selling Tang Dynasty Yue Ware was no easy feat since such items only had value if there was a buyer. However, Lin Wanwan urgently needed to convert them into cash, so she sought out the well-known Yong City antique shop, Buzhou Studio.
She knew this shop because, during her university days, she had worked as a ceremonial hostess for their auction events through Chen Jinyu. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had contact with such places.
It must be said that part-time gigs as a hostess or model, although unstable, were quite enlightening. Various locations, from grand openings to celebrity appearances, required hostesses.
Without further ado, Lin Wanwan carried the porcelain in a suitcase. When she arrived, they had just opened for business. Lin Wanwan directly approached the young lady in traditional attire at the counter and explained her purpose.
The lady in traditional attire said, "Tang Dynasty porcelain? Please take out your items and place them on this table. I'll record a video and take photos to consult our appraisal experts before getting back to you."
Lin Wanwan readily agreed, opened the suitcase, and carefully laid out the porcelain pieces. After taking photos, the lady reminded her, "Let me explain, we charge a two-hundred yuan appraisal fee for each item. However, if you sell the items to us, the appraisal fee is waived."
"Sure, go ahead with the appraisal."
After sending the photos, the lady smiled warmly again and said, "You can take your items back with you for now. Once we have an answer, I'll contact you. Could you please leave your..."
Before she could finish, her phone rang, and she gave an apologetic smile. "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
After ending the call, the lady's smile was even more enthusiastic. "It turns out our appraisal expert and the young boss are both here today. Could we invite you to our tea room on the second floor for a more detailed discussion?"
Lin Wanwan preferred a shorter timeframe anyway, so she readily agreed.