Chapter 80

Sophia didn't think about salt and sugar, and General Yves hadn't mentioned them either. But in ancient times, salt and sugar were very rare and valuable.

After thinking for a bit, Sophia decided to send over those groceries to General Yves as well.

The people on General Yves' side mostly received grains before. This was the first time they got strange items like this.

"This basin is much lighter than a wooden one!"

"This must be refined iron? No, no—it might be even better than refined iron!"

Uncle Zhong and the servants were sorting through the pile of random things, picking through them one by one.

As they kept going, their eyes lit up more and more. When they saw the stainless steel basin, they quickly brought it to General Yves.

They didn't care what shape it was. The material used was so good that even soldiers like them couldn't help but feel tempted.

General Yves was indeed interested.

He had already noticed it before. The large items Sophia had sent over were made with high-quality metal, but it was clear that they must have been expensive to make.

Now, the small everyday things like pots, bowls, and plates were made of the same good metal. Compared to the ceramic bowls and clay pots they usually used, it was the same function.

But to use such fine metal for everyday use meant these materials weren't rare at all.

General Yves was secretly excited too. Still, the most important problem right now was food. Sophia seemed too busy already.

He could mention it to her later, but there was no need to rush.

He asked the steward to take the pots and pans and store them in his warehouse.

As they continued sorting, they found half a bag of flour, half a bag of salt, and half a bag of sugar.

"This sugar…" Uncle Zhong pinched a bit and tasted it. The more he tasted it, the more his face lit up. "This sugar isn't bitter or rough at all!"

It was even sweeter than the white sugar they usually had, and the taste was purer.

Uncle Zhong quickly opened the bag of flour next to it and grabbed a handful. "This flour too—so white and fine!"

General Yves had already seen flour before. He had received a good amount of grains from Sophia, including flour.

But what really caught his attention now was the white sugar.

Only now did General Yves realize that the grains Sophia had been sending all along, both the types and the quality, were far better than anything from his time.

If only he could get more white sugar from Sophia, that would be great.

General Yves was already thinking a lot.

Uncle Zhong, the guards, and the servants continued sorting. Everything they found seemed new and interesting.

"What's this?"

Uncle Zhong picked up a toy car set. It was packed in clear plastic and cardboard. He slid out the cardboard and took out the toy car.

He started playing with it on the ground. "What is this?"

General Yves looked at the small four-wheeled car with batteries. He had only seen remote controls once before.

"Let me see it," he said.

General Yves took the toy and quickly found the spot underneath to put in the batteries.

He had learned about batteries when he studied how a flashlight worked. It was something that provided power.

After putting in the batteries, he placed the toy car on the ground, then picked up the remote and pressed all the buttons, but nothing happened.

He picked up the toy car again and noticed a black switch. He tried flipping it on.

Then he pressed the buttons again, and this time, the car started moving.

Everyone in the courtyard was suddenly drawn to the moving toy car.

They all stared in shock.

General Yves tried each button, making the car move forward, backward, left, and right.

He quickly figured out how to control it.

He first thought, if this thing could be made bigger, maybe it could be used in a war.

…

General Yves had already shown the officials on the southern relief mission how excavators, drilling machines, and farming machines worked over the past few days.

Because of that, they all felt more confident about the trip south.

Two days before the journey, General Yves gave the disaster relief officials their first task:

Go to the homes of the capital's officials and ask for donations to help with the relief efforts.

"It doesn't have to be gold or silver. Famous paintings and calligraphy would be even better. Expensive porcelain and furniture are also welcome."

That night before they left, General Yves sent all the collected antiques over to Sophia.

Sophia was still busy gathering supplies for disaster relief and preparing food and clothes for the soldiers at the border.

She didn't even notice what was happening upstairs.

After more than half a month, Haiwen got in touch with her and said the car for General Yves was about to arrive at customs, and she needed to make a trip to Peng City.

Sophia was so busy her head was spinning.

Luckily, Ronin finally came back.

"Ronin, you're finally back!"

Sophia truly felt there still weren't enough people to help.

While Ronin was away, she had to handle everything by herself. The amount of materials needed was huge, and it was too much for just one person.

Ronin had quit his job and stayed at home for a few months, during which his mother fed him well—he gained twenty to thirty pounds.

But working with Sophia recently, not only had he lost ten pounds, but after this nearly ten-day business trip, he came back even thinner.

Ronin didn't even go home first—he came straight to her.

"Boss, I've found all sixty units of each machine you asked for. I've already arranged everything with the suppliers, and they'll deliver them in batches."

This time, Ronin had to go on a trip because the number of machines Sophia needed was just too big. She wanted sixty excavators, sixty drilling machines, sixty dump trucks, and all kinds of farming machines.

Since these types of machines and equipment needed to be ordered in advance, no factory had that many just sitting in storage.

So Ronin had to run around and look for supplies everywhere.

Being able to get everything done in about ten days showed how capable he was.

After hearing his words, Sophia's eyes lit up. "You got everything?"

Before Ronin came back, he had said that the busy farming season had just ended, so there were no more harvesters or tilling machines in stock. Since it had just passed, most were already sold out, and any leftovers wouldn't be in large quantities.

"Awesome!"

Sophia patted Ronin on the shoulder. She was about to tell him to take a break.

But then she realized if Ronin took a break, there wouldn't be anyone else to help. She still had to pick up the vehicles!

Also, the empty land next to them still needed to be cleared and covered with cement.

Sophia gave a slightly awkward smile. "Take tonight to rest well. I'll treat you to a big meal when we get the chance."

Then she added, "But I still need you to take care of a few things."

She told Ronin about her trip to Peng City and also about stockpiling food and laying cement.

"Fill all three warehouse floors completely. You know how to handle that part. The harder job is that we can't use the town's warehouse anymore. We have to clean up the land next to us."

"Once all the machines arrive, we'll need somewhere to put them."

Ronin listened to all the tasks and didn't complain at all.

With the forty thousand yuan salary he earned this month, he could hire help for most of the work. Since they were doing it locally, he could even find trustworthy people nearby. It was much easier than running around outside.

When Ronin agreed right away, Sophia finally felt relieved.