Chapter 17 – Goods Inspection
Upon hearing the boss’s words, the group took out their sacks and started inspecting the goods. They were even meticulous in checking the bottom to avoid any tampering.
This made Lu Xia happy because they poured her grains directly into their sacks, leaving behind the sacks originally used for the rice.
Lu Xia was overjoyed. She had worried before about where to buy more sacks once she ran out of the hundred she had in her storage space. This way, she could save quite a bit.
Meanwhile, the boss examined the quality of the first sack of rice and finally nodded in satisfaction.
This batch of grains was truly exceptional. He had already tasted a small portion they brought back yesterday, and it was indeed high-quality. The taste was superior, even when cooked into porridge, it had a natural sweetness. It surpassed the rice available on the market by several grades and was even better than the premium rice he had encountered before.
The reason the premium rice was called premium was because it was rare and only supplied to a select few.
Now, Lu Xia could present so much better-quality grain than the premium rice. It inevitably made him curious about the origin of this product.
However, it was just curiosity. He was a businessman and knew when to ask and when not to. Moreover, based on what Lu Xia had just said, there were still people waiting for her nearby. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to come alone for the trade. If she could bring out so much high-quality grain all at once, there must be some backing.
So he decided to focus on the trade. After all, if all the grain was of this quality, it would bring him a lot of benefits.
Thinking this way, the boss couldn’t help but test Lu Xia. “Do you still have more goods with you, big sister?”
Luo Xia’s expression froze as she heard him ask, “There’s nothing left, why?”
The boss’s disappointment flashed for a moment, “It’s nothing. It’s just that big sister has good quality goods. If there’s more next time, remember to come find me. I’m called Jin Ming. I’m in charge of the black market in this area. Big sister, rest assured, I can handle any amount.”
Luo Xia nodded, “Okay, if there’s anything next time, I’ll definitely come to you.”
Although she said so, Luo Xia knew in her heart that there probably wouldn’t be a next time.
She thought to herself that she should sell less of the food in the space in the future. The quality was too good and it was easy for people to notice the difference. It was also easy to attract attention. It was too risky.
Soon, the people from Jin Ming’s side finished inspecting the goods.
There were no problems at all, and Jin Ming was very satisfied.
Since the goods were already weighed during the inspection, the money was settled at this moment. According to the price previously agreed upon by Luo Xia, rice was fifty cents per catty, flour was forty cents per catty, and coarse cornmeal was thirty cents per catty. It was more expensive than the refined rice in the black market, but the quality of this batch justified the price. So Jin Ming handed over the money without hesitation.
A total of 1650 yuan. It was surprising that so much food was sold for such a small amount of money. Luo Xia felt a bit distressed, but there was nothing she could do. In an era where a worker’s monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan, this was already a large sum of money.
After Luo Xia received the money, she exchanged some bills with him and also placed an order to buy some things from him. They agreed to pick them up tomorrow, and then she hurriedly left carrying the sack.
Watching her quickly disappear in the alley, Jin Ming looked around for a moment. He vaguely seemed to hear footsteps of someone leaving and his gaze flickered. He speculated that it was her accomplice and felt relieved that he didn’t have any other intentions.
Then he quickly instructed the people around him to start moving the food carefully.
Meanwhile, Luo Xia had no idea that her casual excuse had actually scared Jin Ming.
After quickly leaving the area and finding a secluded place without anyone following her, Luo Xia let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the stones in the space were not needed after all.
*
Chapter 18 – Department Store
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Luo Xia was still feeling a bit scared. She admired her previous courage. If they had any ill intentions, it would have been difficult for her to escape. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
However, she decided that she should increase her combat strength in the future. Being a girl was still too dangerous, especially when going to rural areas. She needed to be more cautious.
But when she thought about her own body, she sighed. The original owner of this body was weak and lacked strength due to long-term insufficient food. She felt a bit frail and empty.
Fortunately, she had started drinking the spiritual spring water from the space well since yesterday. Today, she felt much stronger.
She assumed that she would gradually recover in the future.
Lost in thought, she quickly left, placed the sack in a safe spot, and as soon as she turned the corner, Luo Xia saw several people quickly walking past her. They were carrying a person, followed by a group of others, probably rushing to the hospital.
Luo Xia didn’t pay much attention and, after leaving, she realized it was already noon. Not wanting to go home, she headed to a nearby state-owned restaurant.
Director Wang had given her some tickets, mostly consisting of food and industrial tickets. She had also exchanged some rare soap and pastry tickets with Jin Ming.
She planned to buy as much as possible in the capital city for future use, as it was uncertain whether she could buy those items in the countryside.
Arriving at the state-owned restaurant, it was mealtime, and there were already quite a few people inside.
Upon entering, she saw a blackboard with today’s menu written on it. Luo Xia carefully read through it but hadn’t made up her mind about what to eat when the waiter urged, “Hurry up and place your order! We’re out of meat, and the vegetables are running low!”
Hearing this, Luo Xia became anxious. She had intended to order braised pork, but it was already sold out. So she quickly said, “Comrade, I’ll have a portion of pork and cabbage dumplings!”
The waiter glanced at her, not judging her ability to afford it based on her appearance, and said expressionlessly, “Two liang of meat tickets and sixty cents.”
So expensive!
However, Luo Xia paid directly and found a seat.
Soon, the dumplings were served—a large plate full of them!
After enduring the taste of the boiled vegetables for the past couple of days, she couldn’t resist the sight of the dumplings.
She picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Mmm! As she put a dumpling in her mouth, Luo Xia almost cried. It was so delicious! The master’s culinary skills were outstanding. No wonder chefs were in high demand these days. Without such skills, one couldn’t survive.
Luo Xia didn’t stop eating until she finished all the dumplings and her stomach finally felt full. Satisfied, she walked out.
Finally, she had eaten enough. It felt great!
After leaving, she headed straight to the department store.
With money and tickets in hand, she planned to start hoarding goods for her preparations in the countryside.
The department store was a landmark building in the capital city, with five floors in total.
Luo Xia came carrying the basket she had bought yesterday.
As soon as she arrived, she began browsing through the store.
Aside from grains, she lacked everything. She first used her cloth tickets and bought thirty feet of ordinary cotton fabric in various colors. Although it seemed like a lot, it could only make a little over three sets of adult clothing.
She wanted to buy more, but she had run out of cloth tickets. She could only consider it later.
She went to the shoe section and bought several pairs of sturdy Huangbang shoes for work. She also saw rain boots being sold for only 10 yuan a pair and bought a pair.
She bought two sets of the plainest ready-to-wear clothes, not focusing on aesthetics but rather trying not to stand out.
Using her industrial tickets, she bought a thermos, a kettle, a tea caddy, an aluminum lunchbox, and two locks—one large and one small. She also bought two basins, one for washing her face and the other for washing her feet.
Thanks for the chapter (-ㅂ-)/ ♥ ♥ ♥
Thank you for the chapter!
I really like how practical this novel is, Luo Xia is very sensible which is lowkey a blessing. I’ve been getting tired of silly female MC’s that just do whatever they want and have no further thoughts about it or the consequences it could have.
It’s always crazy seeing how controlled everything was when reading this type of Chinese stories, vhina just sucks hu? At least here you have the illusion of freedom nowdays.