Maybe because it was full of old things, the secondhand market always felt dull and quiet. Even the air smelled like dust mixed with the passage of time.
Celine parked the car casually in a fairly spacious spot near the market entrance, then walked along a narrow alleyway lined with all kinds of secondhand goods.
The alley twisted and turned, the light dim, adding to the feeling of emptiness.
At the end of the alley, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a fairly large secondhand bicycle shop.
All kinds of bicycles were stacked against the wall, from old rusty ones to almost new mountain bikes.
The prices were indeed fair, much cheaper than new bikes.
"Boss, these ones that still look good, give me twenty," Celine said clearly, pointing to several bicycles that seemed well maintained and fully functional.
The boss didn't expect such a big order right away. He paused for a moment, then smiled widely and quickly started counting.
After finishing with the bicycles, Celine kept walking and soon stopped in front of a small shop with a "Secondhand Electronics" sign.
Her eyes scanned the dusty but still shiny tablets.
Since there was no internet in Qin, buying new ones would be a waste.
These used iPads, as long as their batteries lasted and they could store enough movies and data, would be enough.
Whether it was for Hogan to understand modern society or to entertain the kids in the post-apocalyptic world, they were more than enough.
"I want a hundred of these," she said, pointing to one that still worked well.
The shop owner, a middle-aged man with glasses, was very enthusiastic seeing her order. He tested them while packing.
When paying, Celine's eyes accidentally caught a pile of colorful scented candles in the corner of the counter, and next to them were several simple solar-powered night lights.
A thought flashed through her mind—
Candles!
Solar lamps!
And… matches!
Her eyes suddenly brightened.
Whether it was the collapsed modern world or the power-scarce Qin dynasty, these were hard currency for lighting!
"Boss, I want some of all these scented candles. Let's make it... a hundred boxes."
Celine pointed at the pile of candles.
"And these solar lamps look useful. Give me fifty of those. Oh, do you sell matches? The big moisture-proof kind."
The shop owner was surprised by her sudden large order, but business was business.
"Yes, yes! Moisture-proof matches. My wife just got a batch in the store. I'll get you ten boxes. Is that enough?"
"That's enough."
Celine nodded and quickly scanned to pay.
Then she asked the shop owner to help load everything onto the truck.
After finishing shopping, Celine didn't waste time. She drove to a quiet park near the market.
After making sure no one was around, she activated her power. With a thought, she and the full truckload of supplies entered her space.
Looking at the corner of the space filled with all kinds of supplies again, a tired but satisfied smile appeared on Celine's face.
The intense shopping that day had drained her energy, leaving her feeling empty.
But it was all worth it.
Once this deal with Hogan and Red was done, she could finally relax for a few days, focus on taking care of her big brother Shenan, and wait for his leg surgery.
Of course, there was a very real problem ahead—after these crazy days of buying, her bank account was almost empty.
When she first got that unexpected fortune, she immediately sent each of her five brothers 200,000 for emergencies.
She gave Mother Zhou 1 million—partly to improve her life, but mainly to start a small supermarket as seed money.
The rest of the money had almost all been spent on this big shopping plan in the last few days.
Looks like after Shenan's surgery went well, she'd have to find a way to sell the batch of antiques from the Qin Dynasty stored in her space quickly.
Thinking this through, Celine calmed herself and pushed the rest of her plans aside for now.
She stepped out of the space and got back into the driver's seat.
This time, the car started smoothly and truly headed toward the city hospital.