Chen Lan thought about it and quickly let go. Yes! What belongs to the country should be returned to the country! Although no one would complain about having too much money, she really didn't lack it now. Even if she kept these two gold nuggets, they would only be stored in the system warehouse. She would only take them out to look at them occasionally, at most to feast her eyes. Apart from this, these two gold nuggets were of no great use to her at the moment. Having them was merely adding a touch of splendor.
And the country was in an extremely difficult period, currently experiencing three years of natural disasters, followed by a falling out with the Soviet Union, and then the entire nation tightening their belts to repay Soviet national debt. If a gold mine could indeed be discovered here, the country's pressure might be slightly alleviated.
After the small interlude, everyone tidied up their moods and continued their work. Chen Lan and Xu Mingxuan continued to chop firewood for the winter, while Xiang Xi and Er Zhuang also took their crossbows to hunt.
At noon, they ate lunch by the pond. After extinguishing the fire with water and tidying up, they prepared to head back and leave the small pond. The group drove the ox cart, familiar with the route, to the small grove in front of the camp and stopped. Chen Lan took out the winter supplies she had prepared the night before from the system warehouse. They filled an ox cart to the brim. She had Er Zhuang drive the ox cart back to the camp to deliver the message.
Watching Er Zhuang drive the ox cart away, Chen Lan took out the remaining supplies from the system warehouse, along with that gold nugget. She handed it to Xu Mingxuan and said to him, "Brother Mingxuan, see if you need anything else? Let's prepare everything properly this time so we don't have to think of another good excuse next time we want to take something out."
Xu Mingxuan took the gold nugget from Chen Lan, his eyes fixed on her expression. Although he didn't notice anything unusual on Chen Lan's face, Xu Mingxuan knew she was probably not very happy. Xu Mingxuan was very understanding of Chen Lan's reaction! Anyone in this situation would likely be unhappy, after all, it was a false hope.
Now that Chen Lan asked him, Xu Mingxuan immediately shifted his gaze and carefully examined the supplies on the ground. He noticed that the regular medicines were missing from the supplies Chen Lan brought out this time, so he immediately asked, "Lan'er, do you still have those pills that you exchanged at the farm for treating colds, fevers, reducing inflammation, killing bacteria, and treating diarrhea?"
Chen Lan sighed and replied, "I do, Brother Mingxuan. It's not that I don't want to give you these medicines. It's just that using them in the country would involve too many complications and be too troublesome, and the responsibility would be too great. Brother Mingxuan, as I said before, I can give them to you, but you must listen to me. After you go back, you must explain clearly to Battalion Commander Liu and the medic in the camp that these medicines were brought back by (a patriotic wanderer) with great difficulty from the Soviet Union, and they are new foreign drugs that are also very expensive; you haven't used them yourself and don't know their efficacy."
Xu Mingxuan casually asked, "Lan'er, is that necessary? Just say that (a patriotic wanderer) donated them to the camp, wouldn't that be simpler?"
Chen Lan replied very solemnly, "Brother Mingxuan, it is very necessary. Medicine is not something that cures illnesses instantly; it must be appropriate. Perhaps it will work for some people, but not for others. Moreover, there isn't a properly trained doctor in the camp, only a medic who learned on the go. As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if something happens? How can it be explained clearly? Therefore, the best way is for you and Battalion Commander Liu to discuss it with the camp cadres and then decide whether to use these medicines?"
Xu Mingxuan thought about it and realized it was indeed the case. What Lan'er said was right; it's better to be safe than sorry. As the saying goes, caution ensures a safe journey. He would listen to his wife on this matter, especially since Lan'er was looking out for his best interest! Listening to advice makes one full, after all.
Thinking of this, Xu Mingxuan smiled and agreed, "Alright! Lan'er, I'll do as you say! After we get back, I'll call a full meeting in the mess hall during dinner to announce this matter and let the soldiers vote on whether to use these medicines. If they don't want to use them, we'll return them to (a patriotic wanderer)!"
Having said that, he winked at Chen Lan. Chen Lan was disarmed by Xu Mingxuan's action and couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Chen Lan took out the basic medicines she had prepared to exchange for goods in the Soviet Union from the system warehouse. She then said happily, "Brother Mingxuan, now we only have one last task left, which is grain. We just need to find a way to get more grain back. For the remaining time, we can go to the Soviet Union and have a good look around, and exchange for some valuable Soviet items for my father-in-law to sell there."
Speaking of which, Chen Lan suddenly remembered the Russian oil paintings she had asked the system to sell. After such a long time, she wondered if they had been sold. Thinking of this, Chen Lan immediately opened the system with her thoughts to check the sales status of those oil paintings. Good heavens! It was a real shocker! The oil paintings listed for automatic sale in the system had already been sold out;
There were also many buyer messages saying they wanted to purchase oil paintings, lacquer boxes, and tin crafts from the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. Some people even offered thirty million yuan for any landscape painting by the Russian painter Vladimir.
Thirty million? Seeing this, Chen Lan's blood boiled. If she could exchange for any painting by this artist on this trip to the Soviet Union, she would become incredibly rich.
With this in mind, Chen Lan had made up her mind. On this trip to the Soviet Union, she would exchange for more collectible crafts and oil paintings by famous painters of this period in the Soviet Union. She would then sell them directly to the system. Her recent expenses had been too high, almost to the point of not being able to make ends meet. She had to find a way to make some quick money to sustain these enormous expenses and accumulate some capital for herself.
If she could be as lucky as today and find treasures on this trip to the Soviet Union, she hoped her good luck would continue. Thinking this, Chen Lan couldn't help but laugh to herself, making Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi exchange bewildered glances.