Xu An, acting decisively, took out small furniture like tables and chairs from her space and rubbed them on the ground, intentionally creating scratches.
Once they looked less new, she also put the office chairs back into her space.
There was another office at the very back. Xu An pushed the door open and took away the computers, hosts, and executive chairs from the desks.
Behind the desks was a full wall of bookshelves, filled with professional books on equipment manufacturing, as well as certificates and trophies.
Xu An took all the books, then opened the cabinets of the desk and took out the keys. She said to Xu Yan, "Mom, let's look around, maybe there's a safe."
"Okay."
Afterward, the two began searching the room. Finally, they found a gray and white metal box in a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf.
"This thing is hidden so well, there must be something inside."
As Xu An spoke, she inserted the key into the lock. With a "clank" of the gears, the metal door opened. Inside were two gold bars, as well as some stock certificates and patent contracts.
Xu Yan's face lit up with joy, "This trip has been quite rewarding."
Xu An also showed a smile. Although the price of gold on the lighthouse had depreciated significantly, every little bit counted.
She put the gold bars into her space. After they had gathered most of what they needed, she called for Gou Dan and left the factory, heading towards the next one.
...
By the time it got dark, Xu An and her mother finally left. Both were exhausted. Xu Yan fell into a deep sleep as soon as she got into the car.
Xu An covered her mother with a blanket and pushed the dozing Gou Dan to the back seat. Don't ask why she didn't carry him; she simply couldn't.
Xu An drove, heading towards that patch of woods again. After parking in the same spot, she got out and brought out the RV, then woke her mother and Gou Dan, and they returned to the RV.
All three were utterly exhausted. They ate a quick meal and then collapsed onto their beds, falling asleep within ten minutes.
Despite their fatigue, the haul from this expedition was truly substantial. They found nearly 150 computer monitors and hosts alone, along with countless mobile phone parts, computer accessories, many metal panels and products, and machine lubricant.
The next morning.
Xu An woke up. After a night of rest, her tired body had recovered. Fortunately, her daily training had accustomed her to this high-intensity lifestyle.
Xu An glanced at her watch. It was six in the morning.
Since coming to the lighthouse, Xu An had put her phone away. To easily check the time, she wore her old watch.
She took out two bowls of savory tofu pudding, two fried dough sticks, and two tea eggs from her space. She also found a bag of Wujiang pickled mustard and put it into a small dish. Once everything was ready, she went inside to call her mother for breakfast.
After they finished eating and tidied up, Xu An found a handcart from her space. This handcart, however, was quite "vintage."
She had bought it when she went to the farm to buy fruits. She thought it might be useful and bought it then.
She never expected it to be of use now.
However, the cart looked precarious. The wheels were barely attached to the sides, and the metal parts had already rusted, as if it would fall apart at any moment.
Xu Yan looked at the cart with a grimace. "Can this cart even make it back to the lighthouse? What if it falls apart halfway?"
"No, I had someone reinforce it before. It just looks worn, but it's actually quite sturdy."
Xu Yan looked skeptical, but they had no other choice. They needed a way to carry supplies.
If they had brought a new cart, it would have drawn suspicion. But this old, rickety cart could be explained away as something they found by the roadside.
They didn't dwell on it further. Xu An took the items out of her space and placed them directly into the cart's bed. She then took out four ropes, a large oilcloth, and a towing rope.
After covering all the items with the oilcloth, she secured them with the ropes. Finally, she used the towing rope to firmly attach the handcart to the back of their vehicle.
Unlike their swift arrival, Xu An drove slowly to accommodate the "vintage car" they were towing. It took them four hours to return to B City. Fortunately, the area was quite remote, and they encountered no issues along the way.
Upon returning to B City, they were met with constant stares. Many envious eyes lingered on the handcart behind Xu An's vehicle. Some people even deliberately blocked her path, trying to force her to stop, but she scared them off by accelerating sharply.
B City was still under military jurisdiction, so these individuals dared not act too recklessly.
Once they returned to the lighthouse, even if these people had intentions, they wouldn't dare to do anything to her.
It was lunchtime, and the construction crews were starting their meal breaks. A thin, astute auntie with streaks of white in her hair was yelling at a staff member.
"Why can't I have an advance on my afternoon meal?"
"Auntie, our food is calculated based on work hours. Your work hours and completion rate are not up to standard. Providing you with a lunch is already an exception."
The staff member was a young girl who was likely too shy to confront the older woman. The last time, this auntie had previously received an advance on food from her male colleague, but that afternoon, the auntie didn't show up for work.
Her colleague was scolded by the leader for a full half hour and eventually used his own lunch portion to cover the deficit.
She never expected to encounter this woman again today. The auntie, far from showing any remorse, questioned the girl fiercely.
"Why was it okay last time but not this time?"
"I told you I'd work this afternoon, and I definitely will. My son is waiting for me to bring him food. You young girl, how can you be so unreasonable? Auntie was a respectable person before. It's just one meal, why would I lie to you?"
The girl thought to herself, "You've already lied once!"
Most of the surrounding people remained indifferent; they were already accustomed to it. This woman, relying on her age, not only slacked off but also frequently ordered around a shy young boy in the team, calling it good for the young people to do more work.
The mining team was voluntary. Since she was old, she could choose not to come; no one was forcing her. But since she chose to work here, she had the audacity to boss others around. After one or two incidents, many people had conflicts with this auntie.
However, the construction team was located directly below the lighthouse, where the guards were most numerous. Even with their complaints about this auntie, they could only curse her mildly. No one would actually dare to kill her here.
This auntie relied on precisely this point to be so arrogant. But she was also quite clever, knowing she had offended too many people, so she immediately returned to the lighthouse as quickly as possible after work, not lingering for a second.
The auntie's name was Wang Guixiang, the same one who had spoken to Xu An and tried to introduce her son to Xu An.
Seeing that her wheedling was useless, Wang Guixiang was about to sit on the ground and throw a tantrum when her sharp eyes caught a familiar figure.
She instantly became angry. "Damn it! These bastards took my money and dare not do my bidding?!"
She immediately abandoned the food and ran back to the lighthouse to settle accounts with those men!