The couple walked and chatted in low voices, heading towards the Soviet stalls. More and more people were now visiting the border market. People from both countries bartered directly, and soon the place was crowded, with the sound of "qian qian" (exchange) almost filling every stall. In no time, "qian qian" (exchange) became the most frequently used word among people, and the border market was bustling with noise and a sea of people.
Chen Lan and Xu Mingxuan followed the flow of people past stall after stall, but found no stalls selling Soviet food like Borodinsky bread near the Soviet side.
Chen Lan thought to herself that this was probably related to the planned economy system currently implemented in the Soviet Union. Moreover, they hadn't yet submitted their grain quotas, and the surplus hadn't been distributed yet. Their household grain reserves were probably not much, so it was understandable that no one was selling food items at this time. Perhaps they had already been bought by earlier arrivals from the border, as it had been a year of drought and grain was scarce everywhere.
Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that if she couldn't exchange for grain, she could exchange for other Soviet items from this era to sell to the system, which would fetch a good price. Then she could use the money to buy grain from the system, which would be the same. Although modern grain wasn't cheap, it was pocket change compared to the money earned from selling antiques! Heh heh! Just thinking about it made her happy, it was hard not to get rich.
With this thought, Chen Lan's mood inexplicably improved. Xu Mingxuan looked at her in surprise, his expression shifting back and forth, leaving him puzzled for a moment.
As they neared the end, Chen Lan spotted a stall selling stones and pulled Xu Mingxuan towards the deserted stall. Xu Mingxuan took a closer look and saw that the stall was selling stones, or more precisely, ores. He pulled Chen Lan aside in surprise and asked in a low voice, "Lan'er, do you know how to identify gems?"
Chen Lan shook her head and whispered, "No, but my luck has always been very good! I have a strong premonition that I will find treasure again today!"
Chen Lan thought to herself that in her previous life, she had heard that Russia's gemstone deposits were extremely rich. In Russia, jade, gemstones, and strange stones were everywhere. A stone you casually threw away might be the raw material for a diamond or a gemstone, each worth a fortune. While this might be an exaggeration, it indicated the abundant gemstone reserves in Russia. For example, in the 1970s, a diamond mine was discovered in a huge meteorite crater in Siberia, Russia. It was said that the diamond reserves in this mine exceeded one trillion carats. Based on the global diamond consumption rate at the time, it could satisfy the world's consumption for over three thousand years. It sounded unbelievable and exciting.
Xu Mingxuan didn't know what to say after hearing Chen Lan's confident words! However, in his heart, he thought, "Lan'er's good luck since childhood is undeniable!"
So, without much dissuasion, he followed Chen Lan to the stone stall. A pile of stones was stacked on the stall, but there were no customers. The seller was an elderly Russian woman. Xu Mingxuan and Chen Lan greeted her together: "Madam."
The old lady also smiled and replied happily in Russian. Chen Lan couldn't understand! But it was clear that she was very happy that Chen Lan and Xu Mingxuan had stopped at her stall!
Xu Mingxuan started chatting with the old lady in Russian, while Chen Lan lowered her head, searching for stones that interested her. At this moment, Xu Mingxuan turned back and whispered to Chen Lan, "The old lady said these stones were collected by her husband and sons from various places. She herself doesn't know if they are real gems. She said if you like them, you can pick whatever you want. She just wants to exchange them for some sugar and salt."
Chen Lan nodded and continued to carefully pick through the stones with her head lowered. She carefully sifted through the ordinary jade stones in front of her, wondering if she would find anything different underneath. Because in her previous life, she had heard that the collection value of ordinary jade from Russia was not high, so it would definitely not sell for a good price in the system!
At this moment, a ray of sunlight shone on a stone, and the stone immediately reflected a green light. Chen Lan reached out and picked up the duck-egg-sized stone. It didn't look like green jade, and besides, what could be done with such a small piece? Just as she was about to put it down, she noticed that the stone was brilliantly green, much brighter than ordinary gemstones.
So, she stopped hesitating and immediately used the system's scan function with her mind. The system screen immediately displayed: "Uvarovite."
Chen Lan's heart pounded as she read the four characters. Green "Uvarovite" is demantoid, the most prized variety of garnet.
The luster of demantoid is only slightly inferior to that of diamonds, so it appears much brighter than ordinary gemstones. Most importantly, Russia is the sole producer of gem-quality demantoid, indicating how rare it is. A demantoid the size of a duck egg in her hand was even rarer.
After a while, Chen Lan finally calmed her nerves, took a few deep breaths, picked up the duck-egg-sized stone, held it tightly in her hand, and then, pretending to be indifferent, continued to lower her head and search.
Chen Lan picked up one stone after another, carefully selecting them. She discovered that among the pile of stones, there were quite a few raw jade stones and amber raw stones of good quality. In addition, there were quite a few small diamond raw stones. Although they had not been cut by a cutting machine, they still emitted light of various colors. There were purple-pink diamond raw stones, as well as green and yellow colored diamond raw stones. Su Dan Novel Network.
Chen Lan knew that these Russian jade and pink diamonds were valuable gemstones in her previous life, and she believed they would sell for a good price in the system.
Chen Lan decided to buy all the stones from the Russian old lady. So, she tugged at Xu Mingxuan, who was happily chatting with the old lady, and whispered, "Mingxuan Ge, I want all these stones. Ask the old lady what she wants to exchange for. Let her name her price."
Hearing Chen Lan's words, Xu Mingxuan's eyes widened in astonishment, his mouth unintentionally fell open. After a long moment, he asked, "Lan'er, are you sure? You want all these stones?"
Chen Lan nodded at him very seriously and said, "Yes! All of them, I'll take everything."
After confirming with Chen Lan, Xu Mingxuan did not hesitate. He turned back and started chatting with the Russian old lady again. In the end, besides sugar and salt, the old lady exchanged for each of her five sons and her husband a long cotton coat, and for each of them a pair of snow boots. For each of her five daughters-in-law, she exchanged a floral scarf, and for her grandchildren, she got toy car models, and for her granddaughters, she got hair clips and hair flowers. She herself didn't ask for anything.
Finally, Chen Lan took out the items one by one from the two super large backpacks she and Xu Mingxuan were carrying. She also gave the Russian old lady an extra pair of snow boots and a pair of cotton gloves. The Russian old lady naturally expressed her repeated thanks.
Thus, everyone got what they needed, was satisfied, and returned with full loads.