Chapter 3: I Have Money

After searching in the kitchen for a while, Mei Xue found rice and flour. She didn't know if this was the south or the north, but she really wasn't very skilled at making flour-based dishes.

However, cooking rice and stir-frying dishes was no challenge for her.

Even though it was just for two people, Mei Xue cooked quite a bit, because she had confidence in herself—she was sure her appetite would increase significantly.

She measured out a level bowl of rice with a porcelain bowl. They used a wood-burning stove here, and that, she knew how to do.

She wasn't the daughter of some high-ranking official or wealthy family; she had grown up in the countryside, so these tasks were second nature to her.

There were three pots: one for cooking rice, one for stir-frying, and one for boiling pig feed.

Seeing how clean the stove was, Mei Xue felt wonderful.

Being poor wasn't scary, but being both poor and dirty was a bit frightening.

Rice in the pot, fire lit—it was truly a seamless process.

However, when it came to stir-frying, Mei Xue encountered a problem. Why?

It was simply because she had brought back too many crabs, which would require a lot of oil, and she discovered that all the oil in the house combined wouldn't be enough to deep-fry even a fifth of them.

Mei Xue slapped her forehead hard. "Ouch." She hit her wound again; it was truly a dull, aching sorrow.

"Right, this is the eighties. This era isn't wealthy. If I keep squandering things like this, I'm afraid this family won't be able to afford me," Mei Xue said with annoyance.

"Forget it." With that, she put all the crabs into her space and went to the field to pick some vegetables the old lady had grown herself—two cucumbers and some chives. "Let's just have a simple lunch."

The cucumbers would be pickled; no oil was needed, just salt was enough.

The chives were even simpler. Just a tiny bit of oil, add some water, and the soup would be fragrant. There, the chive soup was ready.

"It seems that in every world and every era, money is the most important thing. I wonder if the original owner had any money for emergencies." After finishing the meal, Mei Xue sat under the eaves and sighed.

Recalling the original owner's memories, heh, don't you know, she actually found some money.

Returning to the room, Mei Xue hurriedly took a small handkerchief out of a cloth bag. There was clearly something inside.

She opened it to look.

"Haha, love you, love you to death." She kissed the money heavily.

She took it out and counted it. Well, it was quite a lot.

"Oh my god, the original owner was truly a rich woman. So much money, haha, I can eat meat now. My braised pork, my sweet and sour spare ribs."

Mei Xue was drooling just thinking about it.

Before she could put the money away, the door to her room was pushed open, and the old lady's surprised face appeared before her.

"Grandma, you're back." Mei Xue wasn't angry; she hadn't intended to hide the money anyway.

The old lady was only surprised for a moment, then she pulled a long face. "You silly girl, what are you doing? Why take the money out? Aren't you afraid of being seen?" As she spoke, she walked in, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

Looking at the money on the table, the old lady sighed: "It's our He family that has failed you. Over the years, most of the good things in the house were traded for grain by me. Now, the family can't even give you a decent wedding gift."

Hearing the old lady's words, Mei Xue felt a pang in her heart for some reason. "Grandma." Even with so much money, she was worried about her own safety.

"What are you calling me for? Hurry up and put the money away. I really don't know if you're thick-headed or just empty-headed—is there nothing in that brain of yours, just urine?" The old lady hurriedly helped Mei Xue put the money away.

"Where are you keeping this?" The old lady wasn't just tense in her face; her body was tense too. "Forget it, put it away yourself. I'll go out first. Money is something you can't just show off to people."

Although you didn't need ration coupons to buy things anymore, money was a good thing, and she was afraid of others finding out. That would truly be a disaster.

Junqi wasn't home, and it was just the two of them. "Sigh, this girl, why is she so careless?"

The old lady hurried out, leaving Mei Xue between laughter and tears. However, who would dare to come and rob her money?

Heh, come one and I'll rob one, come two and I'll rob both. She was actually hoping those people wouldn't come.

When it came to fighting, she had never been afraid of anyone.

Putting the money into her space, Mei Xue hurried out, afraid of scaring the old lady.

As soon as she came out, Mei Xue saw the old lady pumping water at the well in the courtyard. "Grandma." She walked up with a smile and called out.

Seeing her smiling face, the old lady finally showed the first smile since she had returned home.

"Smile, what are you smiling at? Like a big fool." That's what she said, but there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes—what did that mean?

"Grandma, this is our own home, and no one is coming. When I was cooking at noon, I found there wasn't much rice or oil left, so I went into the room to look. Let's see when the market day is so we can go to town and buy some things back."

Mei Xue was very adaptable to her current life; she was getting the hang of things quite smoothly.

Hearing her granddaughter-in-law's words, the old lady was even more satisfied. "There's money in the house, you don't need to use yours. Just save it for yourself; you'll need money to raise children later."

Hearing the old lady's shocking words, Mei Xue's mouth twitched, but forget it, don't argue with the old lady. "Alright, I'll listen to Grandma."

But that man—hmm, he was alright. At least he looked good, though his sense of responsibility was a bit lacking. Who disappears right after getting a marriage certificate?

"Let's go, let's eat. I'm starving to death."

The two women got along very well.

At the dinner table, seeing the meal Mei Xue had prepared, the old lady was very satisfied. "In the future, when Grandma goes out to work, you can help me by cooking and washing clothes at home."

Seeing the old lady's satisfaction, Mei Xue was also very happy. "Grandma, I have a lot of strength. Let me go to the fields and work with you." Being supported by an old woman wasn't her style.

"What strength could you have? You'd probably tip over a bucket of water!" The old lady's teasing didn't hold back at all.

"Grandma, that's just because I was still sick." Talking to the old lady was just like when her master was still around; it was very comforting.

And warm.

She.

Really liked it.

"Suit yourself. If you aren't afraid of those gossiping women in the village, then come with me. It just so happens that the rice needs fertilizer now," the old lady said helplessly.

She wanted to let Mei Xue rest more, but she knew that being too polite would only make her feel more uncomfortable.

This wasn't like the Jiangnan region with two harvests a year; here, there was only one harvest a year. Their entire year's food supply depended on what they grew themselves, and they still had to pay grain taxes.

Mei Xue didn't know about these things, but she was happy to be able to do something for Grandma.

"I'm not afraid of them." Mei Xue rolled her eyes. "I wasn't familiar with this place before, so I was shy. Now that I know Grandma truly accepts me, why should I be afraid of them? I'm not eating their rice."

Whether it was a battle of words or a battle of fists, who was Mei Xue afraid of?

Seeking to be kept!!!