Chapter 8, there is a secluded path in the winding trails

Xue Xiang suppressed the anxiety in his heart. A towering building rises from the ground, and he decided to focus first on the most pressing matter—eating. Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Although he had "robbed" a group of motorcycle gang members and seized over 100 yuan, he had already spent more than half of it in a moment of indulgence. Adding to his original thirty-some yuan, he barely had over 100 yuan left. Next, he still needed to provide for his three younger siblings in terms of food, clothing, and other necessities, which would not last for many days. Although the revolutionary committee provided them with a monthly living allowance of about 60 yuan for the four siblings combined, which was sufficient for meals, it posed a significant problem for maintaining the lifestyle he envisioned. Xue Xiang did not want his entire family to join the ranks of beggars. He had no intention of living a frugal life; after all, he had gained several decades more experience than the current generation. If he could not even support his younger siblings, he might as well find a block of tofu and end it all.

While Xue Xiang thought about the resale of antiques, he also recalled another matter

Sandalwood is one of the most precious types of wood in the world, characterized by its hard and dense texture, extremely heavy weight, and its tendency to sink in water. It is regarded as the top-grade wood for furniture, exclusively used by royalty and nobility, and has long been favored by scholars and high-ranking officials. Sandalwood grows slowly, with a typical diameter of only about 15 centimeters, making it difficult to find robust specimens. Additionally, the trunks are often twisted and rarely straight, with many cavities, making it extremely challenging to produce usable timber. Therefore, there are very few sandalwood artifacts the size of this table. The famous red-roofed merchant Hu Xueyan from the late Qing Dynasty collected a giant table, cherishing it as a treasure. This table changed hands several times over the years, and after a century of circulation, it finally entered the imperial palace in 2000, becoming a piece for displaying the calligraphy of great masters.

On that day, a strong wind was blowing, and the weather was overcast. Tens of thousands of books were piled into a small mountain, and it would take a long time to burn them all. The young soldiers grew somewhat impatient and left first, leaving Xue Xiang and another boy in his teens to watch the fire. After standing for a while, Xue Xiang and the other boy became a bit tired and dragged over a black box they had copied from the old professor's house to sit back to back. The fierce wind made the flames burn brightly, turning half the sky red, and the weather grew increasingly gloomy, with dark clouds hanging very low, as if they were about to fall. After a while, the books were nearly burned, leaving only a small pile of flames. The two of them stood up, lifted the box they were sitting on, and pushed it into the fire. Just then, a heavy rain suddenly poured down, instantly extinguishing the fire. In June, the rain came quickly and left just as fast. Before Xue Xiang and the other boy could find a place to take shelter, the rain had stopped. When they approached the fire, they saw that the box was only slightly charred on the surface. They were already annoyed by the rain and hurried to go home to change clothes. They found a nearby deep pit, casually pushed the box into it, and covered it with a bit of loose soil with their feet to bury it hastily. A few days later, Xue Xiang heard that the old professor had died and was buried in the mass grave where they had burned the books. Later, he heard from Xue Dangkou that the professor taught history at a university in the capital and was an old hardliner who refused to repent, hanging himself in his home on the same day they looted his house.

The rosewood table has concluded its history as a dining table, but a new problem has arisen: what to do about meals in the future? No problem! The great leader has taught us that we should take matters into our own hands and ensure we have enough to eat. Xue Xiang decided to make a dining table himself. Without hesitation, Xue Xiang searched through the storeroom filled with miscellaneous items for a hammer and nails, as well as a few wooden boards and strips, and began to hammer away. After a while, a brand new parallelogram-shaped table was born. However, the newly made table had its four legs slanted in one direction, making it impossible to stand upright; as soon as one let go, the table would collapse. It seems that there is always a gap between theory and practice; taking matters into one's own hands can also lead to shortages, Xue Xiang thought to himself with self-deprecation

Xue Xiang raised his hand to check the time; it was already past 9 o'clock. He got up to tidy the main room and moved the rosewood table into his own room. Such a precious item, how could Xue Xiang bear to use it as a dining table? It would meet the same fate as the tiger-skin wallet, being collected instead.

Xue Xiangsi pondered for a long time without finding a solution, to the point of a headache. Suddenly, he kicked the edge of the table with force, causing it to crash to the ground with a loud noise. Xue Xiang hurriedly got up to help, as this was one of the few tables in the house, and breaking it would make mealtime troublesome. He gently lifted the table with his hands, but surprisingly, it did not budge. Only after exerting more strength was he able to raise it. Curiously, Xue Xiang grasped one corner of the table with his left hand and lifted it, estimating it to weigh around two hundred pounds. What kind of wood is this so heavy? It was then that Xue Xiang carefully examined the table. The table was approximately fifteen centimeters long and about ten centimeters wide, with its surface and four legs coated in yellow paint, obscuring any visible grain. Xue Xiang flipped the table over to inspect its underside, where he noticed a purple-black color and extremely long grain, resembling twisted strands, much like the hair on a cow's back. He leaned in closely and faintly detected a fragrant aroma. Isn't this the famous rosewood of later generations? Xue Xiang was overjoyed.

After finishing the "Reunion" dinner, the three of them went to school. Xue Xiang moved the purchased grains and vegetables to the kitchen and polished off the leftover buns and fried dough sticks, devouring about more than 3 jin. Xue Xiang made himself a cup of tea, leaned back on the sofa with his legs resting on the dining table, and began to contemplate his future path. He was uncertain about where to go in the future; although he had set his ambition to make a name for himself in the world, he did not know where to settle down. Perhaps it was better to take things slowly. Xue Xiang made himself a cup of tea, leaned back on the sofa with his legs resting on the dining table, and began to contemplate his future path. He was uncertain about where to go in the future; although he had set his ambition to make a name for himself in the world, he did not know where to settle down. Perhaps it was better to take things slowly.

In his previous life, Xue Xiang was not a professional in the field of antique collection and appraisal, but he was indeed a fervent enthusiast of collecting. He never missed a single episode of the popular CCTV program "Treasure Hunt." Xue Xiang had a profound love for rosewood and was well aware of its basic characteristics, having complete confidence in determining that this was a rosewood table. If it were porcelain or paintings, he might have been less certain, as the techniques for aging and counterfeiting such antiques had been perfected over thousands of years, reaching an extraordinary level. Even the Palace Museum in later generations had collected fakes. However, with rosewood, one can generally identify it at a glance by its grain and color, and weighing it would confirm its authenticity. Moreover, this table was coated in yellow lacquer, clearly an attempt to conceal its true nature; a counterfeit would not go to such lengths. Xue Xiang carefully scraped off a small patch of paint from the table leg, revealing a section that exhibited a satin-like luster, confirming beyond doubt that it was indeed rosewood

Xue Xiangzheng was troubled by the newly made disabled table when Lei Xiaotian and the other six arrived together

At this time, although rosewood is precious, it has not yet reached the point where every inch is worth its weight in gold as it would in later generations. Xue Xiang knows how terrifying the future price of rosewood will be, with an increase of more than ten thousand times compared to now. Xue Xiang never considered selling this rosewood table; firstly, he loves rosewood immensely, having never owned it in his previous life, how could he bear to part with it in this life; secondly, the emergence of rosewood has opened a pathway for him to make money -- reselling antiques.

That was still eight years ago, when the calamity had just reached its peak. The young generals in the capital were raiding homes and capturing people everywhere. At that time, his uncle had not yet been affected, and his uncle's elder brother, Xue Dangkou, was also the leader of a rebel squad. Eight-year-old Xue Xiang, seeing the commotion, followed closely behind Xue Dangkou, and when they were raiding homes and capturing people, he stood by waving flags and shouting.

The dusty memories stirred Xue Xiang's curiosity; he vaguely felt that the contents of the black box must be extraordinary, and decided to explore the mass grave tonight

At this time, although private enterprises are not allowed, it does not prohibit you from selling your own belongings, as long as you bring your household registration book to the entrusted agency to conduct transactions. Xue Xiang's plan is to "sneak into the village, avoid any trouble," to search for old houses in various alleys and villages on the outskirts of the city, purchase them at a low price, and then distribute them to various entrusted agencies in the capital for sale. Although there are suspicions of speculation and profiteering, as long as one is a little cautious, the likelihood of encountering problems is still very low. Xue Xiang's plan is to "sneak into the village, avoid any trouble," to search for old houses in various alleys and villages on the outskirts of the city, purchase them at a low price, and then distribute them to various entrusted agencies in the capital for sale. Although there are suspicions of speculation and profiteering, as long as one is a little cautious, the likelihood of encountering problems is still very low.

In recent years, there have been very few avenues for making money. Relying on modern commercial methods is simply not feasible. Even an elderly woman selling eggs has to go to a collection station, and she can only raise a few chickens, accumulating only about thirty eggs in a month. Continuing to rob motorcycle gangs does bring in quick money, but they are not fools either; they won't just crash into you every day, and it is unreasonable to specifically go after them.