70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 118: Taking My Little Brother to the County Town

"Let’s go, be good and listen when we’re in the county, or else I won’t take you next time." Xu Mumu couldn’t resist the hopeful look in the little one’s eyes, hesitated for a moment, and brought him along.

Xu Minglei hasn’t gone to the county town much as he’s grown up. Whenever the family needs to sell something, they do it secretly and never take him along.

The siblings headed towards the county town. This time, Xu Mumu went straight to the national restaurant. With Qin Liang, her uncle, there, it would be much easier to handle these things.

Chanterelle mushrooms are best eaten fresh around this season. If kept too long, they spoil and don’t taste as good.

"Sis, where are we going?" Xu Minglei felt like his eyes weren’t enough to see everything. The county town was much like he remembered, but there were more things for sale, many of which he’d never seen before.

"We’re going to the national restaurant to find uncle, to see if they will accept our goods. If they don’t, we’ll go to the black market." Xu Mumu, carrying a basket, had covered its contents with an old piece of clothing lent by Madam Chen, so others couldn’t see what was inside.

"Wow, the black market! I’ve never been there." Xu Minglei was even more excited. The black market was something he’d only heard of, never seen.

"I’ve never been either, but I know the person in charge of the black market. We can go directly to him," Xu Mumu said with a smile.

"Let’s hurry and find uncle. I haven’t been to the national restaurant, but I’ve heard their braised pork is particularly delicious." Xu Minglei licked his lips, feeling a bit hungry.

The siblings arrived at the national restaurant, and Xu Mumu had Xu Minglei call Qin Liang over in advance.

Knowing their intention, Qin Liang led them to the back door, into the kitchen area.

"Master Yang, my niece and nephew gathered some chanterelle mushrooms this morning. They’re still very fresh. Does our restaurant accept them?" Qin Liang carefully eyed the slightly chubby man in front of him. This man was the head chef of the national restaurant and also the manager’s uncle.

"Let me have a look. If they’re not good, I won’t take them," Master Yang said calmly. Qin Liang was just an ordinary worker doing odd jobs. Had it not been for Qin Liang’s brother-in-law selling a big snake here previously, Master Yang wouldn’t even remember him.

"Master Yang, please look. We cleaned these mushrooms well at home, without damaging them much," Xu Mumu said as she put down her basket, removing the cover to show Master Yang.

The chanterelle mushrooms they gathered were quite good and those brought to sell were of the better quality. Any that were too damaged had been cooked and eaten at lunch.

After negotiating the price, Master Yang had someone weigh them.

"Are there many of these mushrooms in the countryside?" Master Yang asked, glancing at Xu Mumu. These chanterelle mushrooms were indeed good stuff, great for cooking in the restaurant or giving as gifts.

"There are quite a few. Many in our brigade don’t recognize them," Xu Mumu nodded. She was unaware of the market price, but when she saw Qin Liang subtly nodding at her, she agreed to the price. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Bring them over in the future, too. Don’t wash them; just get rid of most of the dirt. I’ll give you an extra penny," Master Yang said to Xu Mumu. Even though they hadn’t ruined these mushrooms in washing, they’re naturally not as good as freshly dug ones after getting wet.

"No problem, I’ll come to deliver them every afternoon from now on." Xu Mumu’s eyes lit up. This was essentially a stable business for now. The little ones would surely be thrilled. Xu Minglei’s eyes were already sparkling, and when Master Yang paid them, his eyes glimmered even more.

Leaving the national restaurant, the little one was overjoyed, "Sis, we made money! These are much more expensive than dried mushrooms."

"Keep it down, we’ll talk when we’re back. What if someone catches on?" Xu Mumu said helplessly. Master Yang did pay quite a lot for the chanterelle mushrooms. If the little ones found out how much money they made, they’d surely want to go to the mountains every day to gather mushrooms.

"You’re right, sis. I won’t say another word," Xu Minglei immediately covered his mouth, though the excitement in his eyes didn’t lessen a bit.

"Come on, let’s go to the co-op to buy some things. What do you want to eat?" Xu Mumu asked with a smile.

"I want some fruit candy and some peach crisps." Having earned a little money, Xu Minglei felt rich and listed his cravings outright.

"Let’s go buy them," Xu Mumu said spiritedly. If her little brother wanted to eat, then they’d buy it. But she didn’t plan on spending the money from selling the chanterelle mushrooms, choosing to divide it up at home instead.

Xu Mumu herself had already saved over a hundred yuan, so she could easily afford to buy some treats for the little ones.

Arriving at the co-op, Xu Mumu first bought the fruit candy and peach crisps that Xu Minglei liked. She also bought a bag of sugar and a new kettle.

The family’s kettle had been used for many years, with a damaged outer shell patched up by Old Xu with a bamboo cover. The co-op happened to have a spare thermos, and Xu Mumu bought it outright.

After placing some purchases in the basket, Xu Mumu covered them again with the old clothes.

"Sis, ice pops, I want some," Xu Minglei’s gaze was drawn to a small shop not far away.

"Let’s go buy some," Xu Mumu also wanted one. They’d been out for a while, and the sun was fierce, making it a perfect time to cool off with an ice pop.

Xu Mumu bought two ice pops, and the siblings headed back home as they enjoyed them.

"Sis, when we get back, I still want to find some chanterelle mushrooms," Xu Minglei said while enjoying his ice pop. With the amount they made from just one sale, he could save up a lot during this summer vacation.

"Let’s go tomorrow morning. Master Yang wants them fresh. Tomorrow we’ll search through several mountains, trying to find more. If we pick them today and keep them, they won’t be fresh by tomorrow," Xu Mumu said, immediately discouraging the little one from wanting to go search for more mushrooms in the mountains.

"True, fresh ones do make an extra penny," Xu Minglei nodded.

By the time they got home, the ice pops were long finished. Xu Mumu called all the little ones to her room.

"Big sis, you should take a share of the money too," Xu Jiaojiao said earnestly.

"Yes, sis has to get a share. It was sis who took us to find them," Tiedan, Xu Mumu’s little admirer, was the first to agree.

Xu Tao and Xu Minglei also agreed. Xu Mumu had no objection. She wasn’t after this small amount of money, but she was happy that the little ones were considerate about such things.

This time, they made over ten yuan, with Xu Mumu getting more than three. She put it away, and the little ones already wanted her to help them save it. Xu Mumu took out a notebook and made a note of it on the last page.