In this era, there was a specialized occupation of scavengers.
Moreover, with the current employment market, and the pitifully low garbage disposal and recycling rate, anyone who did this on a large scale would most likely suffer a loss.
Wu Ming walked away from the garbage that Neville had worked hard to sort out, and went to another pile of things.
These were the 'slightly interesting' trinkets that Neville had found from the huge garbage mountain according to Wu Ming's request.
Although 99% of them were real trash, there were still one or two that had decent value.
"Hmm?"
For example, after walking around, Wu Ming found a few broken pieces of gray plaster. After combining them, he got a mermaid statue.
"Look at the lines and the scale of the mermaid. It should be 300 years ago, in the style of Luo Kai's era. It can barely be considered a work of art. Although it's not the work of a famous artist, if I stick it together, it's still worth collecting …"
Encyclopedic Knowledge, coupled with his eagerness to learn, made Wu Ming's appreciation knowledge improve by leaps and bounds.
In particular, his mental strength exceeded that of ordinary people. He could clearly sense the traces of the vicissitudes of history on real antiques. Within a small range, nothing could escape his senses.
If he found old objects in the garbage mountain and used his appraisal knowledge to identify their origins, these originally worthless things might become antiques and works of art!
After all, how many people would care about these things during the previous war period, which was filled with all sorts of turmoil and chaos? Coupled with the war, many good things must have been spread out, and then thrown away by ignorant people as garbage. However, with the arrival of peace, the value of antiques would still rise.
Wu Ming's plan was to find a few items of value. When the time came, he could take them home directly and let James sell them.
He did not need any priceless treasures, just some ordinary things would be enough to improve the economic conditions of the whole family.
Of course, for this purpose, he still had to continue to cover up the recycling of waste paper and steel.
Moreover, Wu Ming was a little looking forward to it.
In the novels in his previous life, weren't there stories about finding treasures while picking up garbage? Perhaps he could pick up a few extraordinary items by doing this. Although the probability was small, it did not mean that it would not happen, right?
…
"I'm back!"
That night, after disposing of the waste paper, steel, and iron, Wu Ming returned home with a 5 cent guilder note in his hand, a bitter smile on his face.
"Hey, Steven, how's your 'business' today?"
James and Madam Sterling looked at each other, feeling proud of discovering their son's secret.
"It's alright! We'll continue tomorrow. "
If the mermaid statue was included, Wu Ming was quite satisfied with the return.
"Uh …"
James and Madam Sterling looked at each other. They had thought that Steven would have suffered a huge blow. Why was he still so spirited?
"Steven!"
Jamu's expression turned serious, "If you want to help your classmate, there are many ways. You don't have to do this!"
"Is he treating me like a good guy and purposely giving Neville money?"
Wu Ming rolled his eyes inwardly. After some thought, he still took out the mermaid statue. "Brandon, Angelina, go out for a bit!"
When Wu Ming spoke with a straight face, he naturally had a dignified air about him. Even though James and Madam Sterling valued their son's opinion, Brandon grumbled a few times before running back to his room and slamming the door shut.
"What's this? A toy? It looks pretty good … "
Jaime said casually.
"This is a mermaid statue from Luo Kai's era. There aren't many of them left, so I think it should be worth between 100 to 300 gold pieces. Of course, if it wasn't broken, the price would be even higher!"
"Pfft!"
James spat out a mouthful of saliva. "What did you say?"
Even when he was at his peak, 300 gold pieces was still a huge sum of money.
"This is what I got from picking up garbage today. Do you understand? Sell it tomorrow. But be careful, this is a collection passed down in our family, not something you picked up from the streets! "
Wu Ming emphasized.
"Dear, this looks like the real deal!"
Unexpectedly, Madam Sterling recalled, "I've seen a statue similar to this before. It was priced at 3000 gold pieces, of course, and that was in perfect condition!"
"Haha … We're rich!"
James cheered, "That's right, this is passed down in our family. Hmph! No one can doubt it. After all, your mother has a quarter of a viscount's bloodline! "
"Hmm?"
Wu Ming stared at Madam Sterling. He really didn't know about this.
"If that's the case, that place is practically a mountain of treasures …"
James chuckled, "Why don't I skip work tomorrow and let's go look through it together?"
"You?"
Madam Sterling rolled her eyes, "Even if I put an antique in front of you, you probably wouldn't be able to tell! Our Little Steven is still the best! "
She kissed Wu Ming's cheek, "How did you think of this?"
"I didn't go to the auction houses and exhibition halls in the city for nothing …"
Wu Ming had already thought of an excuse, "After knowing that those things are valuable, I used my status as a warden to get an entry card to the library and borrowed many books on the subject …"
"Steven, you really are a genius!"
James picked up Wu Ming and tossed him into the air. He only stopped when Wu Ming protested strongly, "Haha … You have the talent of an antique appraiser! No! You're a very good appraiser, my god! If not for your young age, you could have already tried to get a job as an appraiser … "
James swallowed his saliva, "Even the lowest appraiser in the auction house has a salary several times that of mine …"
"Hmm … I'm going to do that this holiday. Also, I think these things will increase in value as time passes, so don't sell them too early. Also …"
Wu Ming pointed out a few more things, and James and Madam Sterling nodded repeatedly.
…
Many changes took place during the summer holidays.
Brandon and Angelina felt it the most. Firstly, the food at home had improved. There was butter, white bread, fried chicken, and roasted meat every day.
Shortly after, they moved out of the noisy apartment building and moved to a middle-class area in the city. They rented a villa that was similar to the one they had before.
After receiving a large sum of money, James could finally start his own business. Riding on the economic recovery, he quickly made a name for himself.
At this time, the secondary school of St. George School started its term.
"You can drop me off here. Goodbye!"
Wu Ming nimbly jumped off the steam car and waved his hand at James who was inside.
For a businessman, driving a steam car was more dignified than riding a bicycle or taking a public bus. It was also easier to gain the trust of business partners.
James naturally understood this. Under Wu Ming's persuasion, he finally sold a few antiques and bought a steam car with decent performance from the second-hand car market.
From then on, the Sterling family's life seemed to have returned to its previous track. Even Madam Sterling's smile had increased recently, and she seemed much younger.
St. George Middle School wasn't in the same direction as the primary school. It was located on the outskirts of the city, far away from the industrial area. The scenery was rather nice.
"Hi!"
At this moment, a group of new students were going through the procedures. Weidi was with his parents, and beside him were Philip, Alice, and a few other close friends. They waved their hands vigorously when they saw him.
"Hey, how was your holiday?"
"It was alright. You, on the other hand, must have had a good time!"
Weidi sized up Wu Ming's outfit, and immediately knew that his friend's family conditions had improved greatly.
"Yes, my family has started a small business. Thanks to the kingdom, it's finally picking up a little! I'll go through the procedures myself. Where's the registration point? "
Wu Ming replied with a smile.
"I'll bring you there!"
Weidi volunteered to lead the way for Wu Ming, "The secondary school's rules are much looser than the primary school. Apart from the daily lessons, there's still a lot of free time …"
He seemed very excited.
"Oh?"
Wu Ming blinked his eyes, "The school is willing to do this?"
"Yes, we can have some fun for a while!"
Weidi laughed out loud, very happy.
"Steven, don't listen to Weidi's nonsense!"
Alice, who was beside him, suddenly interrupted. This girl seemed to have matured a lot during this time, and she had also become more concerned about her appearance, "In the secondary school, apart from the lessons, you must also join a club!"
"Detective Club, Kendo Club, Chamber of Commerce Club, Wisdom Club, Physics Club, Chemistry Club … You must choose one to join. This is very important!"
Alice's tone became heavier, "According to the information I've heard, the secondary school's studies are only for us to consolidate our foundation, and these clubs will determine your future focus and direction of development … For example, if you want to enter the Royal Police Academy, it's best to join the Detective Club. For the military school, it's the Combat Club and Wisdom Club. If you want to become a scientific researcher in the future, it's best to join the Physics Club and Chemistry Club …"
She moved closer and lowered her voice, "These clubs not only organize targeted learning and examination training regularly, I've also heard that the presidents are key targets on the recommendation list! What about you, what do you want to do in the future? "
"This … I don't know …"
Wu Ming shrugged his shoulders, "Let's see first …"
But in his heart, he thought to himself, After the force-feeding education, it's about targeted training? Then university is to further your studies? That sounds quite reasonable! '
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