70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 99: Want to Buy a Watch

"Mom, except for the meat and lard, which I bought, these things were given to us. These vegetables were given by my brother-in-law, leftovers from the state-owned restaurant." Xu Hai quickly explained after being slapped by his mother.

"Who gave them?" Madam Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was just a bit of meat and lard purchased, even if it’s a little expensive, it’s worth it. Without some fat at home, it’s hard to get the strength to work.

"Mom, we sold the snake gall and venom pouch to Huichun Pharmacy. They took our good stuff, so naturally, they gave us these. These vegetables were acquired thanks to my brother-in-law’s connection with the manager of the state-owned restaurant. He’s really a good person, he took all of our snake meat directly." Xu Hai said excitedly.

"Jiaojiao, Minglei, take the candy and eat it outside." Madam Chen took out a few pieces of candy, distributed them to the children, and then hurried them out. They were about to discuss money, and the children were too young to know. If they went out and inadvertently revealed the secret, it wouldn’t be good.

"Grandma, I want to listen." Xu Minglei, with a candy in hand, popped one into his mouth, still reluctant to go out. He also wanted to know how much the snake was sold for.

"Off you go, you little rascal. Go out and play, but don’t talk nonsense outside. If anyone spills the beans, no meat for them." Li Caixia sternly drove out the little rascals.

"Hurry and tell, how much did it sell for?" As soon as the little rascals were out the door, Li Caixia couldn’t help but inquire about the price of the snakes sold.

"Just the venom pouch, snake gall, and the big snake head sold for over three hundred. You wouldn’t believe how excited the guy was when he saw us bringing the snake." Xu Hai said, beaming.

Saying so, he also presented the receipt. Nowadays, those pharmacies are state-owned and they do take these herbs and such, mostly collecting the rarer and precious herbs.

The snake gall and venom pouch of this venomous snake are valuable items. Guoshan Peak, after all, is a king cobra, which is usually rare, so its price is naturally higher; one could say it’s a rare catch.

Had Xu Hai not insisted on selling the snake meat too, they might have kept the whole snake themselves.

As for the state-owned restaurant collecting this snake meat, its manager was forbidden from selling it; he was planning to use it for gifts. These are rare commodities, hard to come by, and bringing such gifts up the ladder would certainly please those above, as he was seeking favors.

Snake meat is uncommon, so the price offered by the manager was a bit higher than pork.

In total, they earned a little more than four hundred, which was indeed a substantial amount. Adding the promise to buy meat for his daughter, Xu Hai was particularly generous this time, buying ten pounds of meat directly.

"All this money was earned by our Mumu." Li Caixia watched as Xu Hai presented the pile of cash and tickets; those fresh, crisp large denominations emitted an enticing aroma.

Li Caixia spoke, not wanting the fourth household to get any ideas. So much money, and the fourth household didn’t do anything, why should they share?

"Mumu will decide on this money." Old Xu looked at Xu Mumu; with so much money, it’s hard to manage, and watching his two sons, they were both very tempted.

"Mom can keep it. Tonight, when Uncle Four and Aunt Four come over, Dad’s bought meat, and our family can’t finish it all." Xu Mumu smiled, without any intention of splitting the money, but the meat could be shared with everyone.

"Alright, then we’ll eat more tonight." Xu Po said with a smile, though eager for money, he knew his place. He only helped with carrying the snake to the county, enjoying a good meal with meat made him quite happy, as it had been a while since their family had a taste of meat.

"Eat to your heart’s content, Uncle Four." Xu Mumu also smiled, fortunately, this uncle was different from Third Uncle, worth getting along with.

Uncle Four and his wife were quite good people; they raised Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Tao well.

Li Caixia gave Xu Po a knowing look and swiftly secured the money. Adding the one hundred or so they’d saved, they could even afford a small house in the county. She never imagined her family would have its day of prosperity.

After Li Caixia returned to her room, she tirelessly counted the money.

"Mom, you’ve counted over ten times already." Xu Mumu said, feeling a headache; her mother’s tendency had gained a new dimension—greed for money.

"Counting money is such a delightful task, of course, it should be done many times. My daughter is truly amazing." Li Caixia said excitedly, forgetting where she’d counted to, starting fresh again.

"Mom, since we have the money, I’d like to buy a watch. Do you know how to get a watch ticket?" Xu Mumu asked; she’d wanted a watch for a long time, not expecting to save enough so soon.

"Daughter, what did you say? Buy what?" Li Caixia stopped counting, suspecting she’d misheard.

"Watch, it’s inconvenient to know the time without it, so I want to buy a watch." Xu Mumu said seriously, watching her mother’s expression change, showing a great reluctance.

A watch, even a regular one, is something usually costing over a hundred; such an expensive item, she couldn’t bear to buy.

"Daughter, maybe don’t buy the watch, it’s too expensive. We don’t have a watch ticket, and there’s no chance to get one." Li Caixia was nearly in tears, hoping her daughter would soon abandon the idea.

"Buying a watch is necessary, Mom, you’re not reluctant about the money, are you? I can earn more in the future." Xu Mumu painted a rosy picture for Li Caixia.

"If you can find a watch ticket, I’ll buy it for you." Seeing her daughter wasn’t joking, Li Caixia said, albeit reluctantly. A watch is among the three valuable items ("three turns and one sound"), buying it could serve as part of a dowry; having a watch would give a good standing in the husband’s family.

Thus, after a bit of reluctance, Li Caixia decided if they had the ticket, it would be fine to buy it.

"Alright, I’ll figure it out." Xu Mumu nodded, pondering where to get a watch ticket.

The evening’s meal was very sumptuous; only the first and fourth households knew about the snake sale, so they didn’t invite the second household over for dinner.

Nonetheless, Madam Chen had Xu Minglei send some cold dishes to the second household. Those cold dishes were brought back from the state-owned restaurant by Xu Hai and his group.

The remaining cold dishes, given the hot weather, couldn’t be stored, so they were shared with the fourth household.

In the evening, Madam Chen personally cooked a dish of braised pork, which Xu Mumu enjoyed to her heart’s content. Dishes with enough oil, salt, spices tasted so good; perhaps in the upcoming days, they wouldn’t have to eat those bland dishes anymore.

At night, Xu Mumu slept lying on her stomach, as her back was still hurting; sleeping like that wasn’t comfortable at all.