However, just as Sophia opened the box, she was dazzled by the whole set of headwear inside.
Compared to the previous box of jewelry, this set of headwear was stored much better.
There were sixteen pieces in total, all made of gold threads and red gemstones.
Sophia glanced at them and then closed the box. She randomly checked the other three boxes. One box was full of gold bars, arranged about four layers deep, each layer holding twelve gold bars. Each gold bar weighed about ten taels.
They were a bit heavy, so Sophia didn't move that box. The other two boxes contained jade and various kinds of jewelry that dazzled the eyes.
Sophia simply pushed them into a corner, stacking them with some miscellaneous items, and took the box with the gold-threaded red gemstone headwear back to her room.
In the afternoon, the noodle and oil delivery arrived first.
Under the strong sun, there were hardly any people walking around in the village at this time. Four hundred boxes of instant noodles, one hundred barrels of oil, and one hundred bags of vermicelli filled most of the yard.
Sophia had just ordered a deluxe takeout from a local shop, ordering her favorite dishes—fatty beef, crab roe shrimp paste, tripe, pork belly—and also some vegetables for balance.
Sophia was picky about food, but conditions here were limited.
She had just finished eating when the noodles and oil were delivered.
Rolling up her sleeves, Sophia said, "Perfect timing to start after the meal!"
She locked the door, dragged the pig trough to a shady spot in the yard, and started stuffing the vermicelli into the trough.
Though the vermicelli came in large bags, they weren't very heavy.
Sophia quickly finished stuffing them in, then moved on to the oil. She could put in three barrels at once, and in less than ten minutes, all the oil was fed.
Finally came the four hundred boxes of instant noodles, which was easy. Sophia could carry four boxes at a time.
The things piled up in the yard disappeared visibly fast.
Sophia was happily feeding them, watching the supplies vanish quickly while the money burned fast. It was oddly relieving. No wonder they said rich people's happiness was unimaginable.
Sophia didn't understand this at first, but now that she truly had the money, she deeply felt it.
She was busy here with joy, but General Yves's place was a mess.
Bags of vermicelli fell like rain, piling into a small mountain on the ground. General Yves sat in front of the chamber pot, looking confused for once.
After a moment, he realized this was another mysterious "god" bestowing gifts.
General Yves frowned and straightened his clothes.
He called someone waiting behind the curtain to come handle the chamber pot. "Go bring General Ulric here!"
As General Yves walked away, the vermicelli kept falling.
Luckily, the mansion had many servants. By the time he returned to the main hall, they had already gathered the fallen vermicelli into piles.
When the one hundred bags of vermicelli finished falling, General Ulric finally arrived, accompanied by Howell.
Just as they stepped in, a yellow stone-like object dropped before them with a "plop." General Ulric leapt forward and caught it, then quickly caught three barrels of oil falling one after another.
The servants rushed forward to help.
Howell took advantage of the busy moment and began inspecting the items.
Soon, he figured out how to open the woven bags. Inside, as expected, was grain—something like vermicelli, but the color was different, and it looked like it could be stored for a long time.
A smile appeared on his face.
Then his eyes turned to the golden flowing liquid in a transparent container, which was really amazing.
General Ulric directed the servants to catch the barrels of peanut oil and arrange them neatly.
They caught one hundred barrels of peanut oil, and Howell also figured out how to open the transparent containers.
He asked for a bowl and smelled it, instantly recognizing the aroma of peanut oil.
General Ulric came closer.
Howell held the bowl and immediately offered it to General Yves, still holding a bundle of vermicelli.
"Commander, see how clear and fragrant this peanut oil is, and this vermicelli can be stored for a long time and is easy to carry. If we can keep receiving supplies like this, it would be better than other grains for our provisions."
Ulric also glanced over, hearing Howell's words, he immediately spoke up, "Howell, you are making assumptions again."
If it is to be used as supplies, it still needs to be tested first.
Seeing the two about to argue again, suddenly something square and flat fell down.
It just dropped right above Howell's head. Since Ulric was closer to General Yves, he reacted quickly, slapping the object away.
With his other hand, he pulled Howell aside.
The nearby servants quickly rushed to pick it up. The weight felt very light.
The entire box of cup noodles dropped; the room was already full, no space left.
General Yves walked straight outside to the courtyard.
As soon as he stood in the open yard, someone brought a chair over for him.
This time, the square boxes were falling faster.
But it lasted quite a while, and soon the courtyard was filled with them.
Ulric took a box, opened it without any tools, tearing the box by hand.
Howell quietly complained, "You're reckless!"
After the box was torn open, many small round cups fell out.
"What is this?"
Looking at the carefully packaged round cups, Ulric was confused.
Howell picked one up and handed some to General Yves.
General Yves examined it and followed the arrow to tear it open. Inside was a noodle cake.
"Go get some hot water!"
"Can these noodles be eaten directly? What are these small packets? Are those carrot pieces?"
Ulric looked on curiously.
Howell also noticed the pictures on the cups.
When the servants brought hot water, General Yves poured it over the noodle cake and added the seasoning packets in order, as shown on the cup. Soon a delicious aroma spread.
Ulric's eyes lit up, "This smells great!"
"This is really suitable as military supplies!"
General Yves, however, was still playing with another unopened cup, looking thoughtfully at the writing on it.
Ulric and Howell prepared the noodles first and gave them to General Yves.
Then they made some for themselves.
"Why are there four different colored boxes? Are the flavors different?"
Without hesitation, they opened another box.
Ulric forgot the tension with Howell for a moment. "What kind of material is this? It looks like wood, but it's not as hard as wood."
"Let's have the craftsmen check it later!"
Howell found a seam in the box and tore it open carefully. The box remained intact.
He threw the blue cup noodles to a servant.
Ulric picked the purple box.
The servants waiting in the courtyard, who had been swallowing their saliva, each got a cup.
The courtyard was suddenly filled with a wonderful smell.