Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 356 - 353: Senior Brother’s Gift

After being delayed by an unexpected visit, Lin Wanwan grabbed her backpack and followed Lu Shouyue out the door—it was already close to 9 AM.

The two of them went straight to the basement to get their car. Lu Shouyue asked Lin Wanwan, "Do you want to go shopping for clothes at Times Square? There are a lot of brands there."

Lin Wanwan nodded, "Sure."

Now that money wasn’t an issue, buying a few clothes there was definitely affordable, and Lin Wanwan felt quite relaxed about it.

The car drove out of the residential basement and onto the bustling streets. Lin Wanwan lowered the car window, took a deep breath of the air outside, and laughed, "Finally, a breath of freedom."

Lu Shouyue teased, "Isn’t that car exhaust, not fresh air?"

Lin Wanwan’s excitement about freedom was dampened. She turned to Lu Shouyue and said, "Mr. Lu, you’re such a killjoy!"

After spending half a month together, they had grown closer in their interactions, to the point where Lin Wanwan didn’t mind facing Lu Shouyue without makeup and without washing her hair.

Once they arrived at the square and parked, Lin Wanwan chose the shop that appealed to her the most.

Lin Wanwan’s outfit was quite unique at the moment—she had a ponytail, a touch of makeup, a men’s oversized T-shirt, ripped jeans, sneakers, a jade bracelet on her left hand, and a gold bracelet on her right. In short, she looked disheveled!

But none of the staff in the luxury store underestimated her. They had sharp eyes and quickly noticed that the gold bracelet she wore was no ordinary piece. Even though they couldn’t see the brand, the craftsmanship alone signaled it was extraordinary.

Accompanying her was a tall, handsome guy dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, but the Vacheron Constantin "Ode to Joy" watch on his wrist cost over 17 million!

With the two of them entering, even if they were dressed in burlap sacks, they would still receive enthusiastic service.

Lin Wanwan picked clothes quickly; her well-proportioned figure and pretty face ensured that anything she tried on looked good.

However, she didn’t buy much. She was planning to go on a major shopping spree later, and carrying a lot of clothes would be inconvenient.

"Just this one, please process the bill for me."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

When the salesperson completed the billing, they habitually handed the bill to Lu Shouyue, but Lin Wanwan intervened, "Give the bill to me." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

After paying, Lin Wanwan left the store in her new clothes and bid farewell to Lu Shouyue.

"Aren’t you going back to Yongcheng with me? I’m heading there too."

Lin Wanwan shook her head, "No, I need to go to Gusu to procure some silk for the company and check out the local market."

Lu Shouyue offered, "Do you need a car? I can arrange a driver for you."

"No need! With ride-hailing so convenient these days, you go ahead with your business. Bye, Mr. Lu, and thank you for taking care of me these days."

"Alright then, take care, bye."

After parting ways with Lu Shouyue, Lin Wanwan ordered a ride to head over to Gusu, adjacent to Hai City.

She planned to go to Gusu for a shopping spree; cotton, silk, and satin fabrics needed to be purchased in large quantities. The satin could be charged to the company’s account, and she would buy some colored silk to take back to the Great Tang for embroidery and making Hanfu.

Upon reaching Gusu and entering the national road, she got off and hailed a local taxi in Gusu.

Taxi drivers, being among the most knowledgeable about Suzhou, were perfect for acting as navigators.

As soon as she got in, Lin Wanwan proposed hiring him for a day to accompany her shopping, offering 500 yuan on top of the fare as a navigation fee. Hearing the money offer, the driver had no reason to refuse.

This was a big job, far more lucrative than running back and forth with passengers. An all-day hire in the city is generally between 350-400 yuan, and now he had a 500 yuan navigation fee plus additional travel expenses. It was like money falling from the sky.

To prove he was worth hiring, he even called up his relatives to ask about the best reputable stores.

Riding in the taxi, Lin Wanwan went shopping at Huqiu and Guanqian Street. She and the driver compared prices at different stores and bargained intensely.

Due to her large purchases, the taxi trunk definitely couldn’t hold everything.

The shop owners were willing to use logistics services to deliver the goods since Lin Wanwan was making purchases under the guise of company procurement. Because of the large quantities and immediate payment, she was an excellent customer.

But Lin Wanwan didn’t truly intend to send the goods back to the company; she was planning to take them to the Great Tang. In the end, she hired a truck to transport the fabric and silk along with her car.

In modern times, as long as you have the money, there’s hardly any service you can’t enjoy. Unlike in the Early Tang, where your identity had to be considered before you could enjoy services; without power or status, money couldn’t buy you much.

After purchasing these items, Lin Wanwan planned to buy black pepper at a supermarket. The taxi driver immediately suggested taking her to a wholesale market where it was cheaper.

Lin Wanwan naturally went along with the suggestion.

Last year, she hadn’t thought of bringing black pepper from Qiong State by ship, so she had to fill this gap this time.

In the wholesale market, Lin Wanwan and the taxi driver compared prices at various stalls and eventually purchased a ton of A-grade pepper at 39 yuan per kilogram.

When leaving, Lin Wanwan spotted a fully automatic vermicelli machine. What a pity! She needed a hand-crank one; an automatic one couldn’t be taken to the Great Tang.

But this also reminded Lin Wanwan that in April, everyone in her clan followed her example by planting sweet potatoes, reclaiming a lot of new land in the mountains.

Lin Wanwan had planted two acres herself, and by mid-August, this batch of sweet potatoes could be harvested. A portion could be kept for seeds, and the rest could be made into sweet potato flour and vermicelli.

The batch of seed sweet potatoes Xiao Chong took last year should yield a bountiful harvest this year. The clan might not have enough sweet potatoes for vermicelli, so they could purchase from Xiao Chong and nearby farmers from Xiao Chong’s official fields.

Lin Wanwan estimated that Xiao Chong might covet her sweet potato vermicelli production technique, so she might need to keep it under wraps.

Lin Wanwan could sell sweet potato seeds, but she wasn’t selling the vermicelli production method just yet. She wanted to uplift her clan first.

Having roamed the wholesale market, Lin Wanwan found no sign of a manual sweet potato vermicelli machine; all she saw were automatic ones!

Truly, as technology advances, finding something artisanal becomes harder.

Without other options, Lin Wanwan had to buy a model 30 multifunctional slicer and asked the seller to dismantle the attached pure copper motor and belt; she only needed the hand-crank function.

Because Lin Wanwan didn’t pay less, the seller was more than willing to help dismantle; he ended up with an extra motor to sell, after all.

As for the buyer’s quirks? What did it matter to him? As long as he could make money!

After the shopping spree, Lin Wanwan settled the payment with the taxi driver and gave him an extra 100 yuan as a navigation fee. Today, the money he helped her save through bargaining was worth much more than that.

All these goods, of course, Lin Wanwan transferred directly to her home in Hai City. There’s no safer place than home when it comes to crossing timelines.

She hailed a ride-hailing car, followed by two medium-sized trucks, and Lin Wanwan gleefully headed back to her house in Hai City.