Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 74: Money Brings Confidence

Gao Xiangming’s aunts, in particular, were cowards in front of outsiders but absolute terrors at home. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Don’t be fooled by their looks—his second aunt was blind in one eye and his third aunt had a limp—but they were ferocious at home, classic bullies who only dared to throw their weight around in their own den.

His uncles were useless at any kind of work but would eat everything in sight. All year long, Gao Xiangming even had to use his own money to subsidize their work points, which meant they never earned a share of the grain!

He only took care of his uncles and cousins because his grandfather had entrusted him with the family’s assets.

He just had to make sure they didn’t starve; there was no way they were getting any good food. Giving them too much would only cause trouble.

That’s why Gao Xiangming always looked so grimy and down-and-out in the village, despite being quite wealthy.

No girl in the village was willing to marry him, and frankly, he had no desire to get married either.

If anyone from Dashan Village were here now, they would never recognize this dapper, well-dressed man as the same slovenly Gao Xiangming from back home.

Gu Jiaojiao was worldly enough to see through his act but didn’t expose him, simply saying with a grin,

"Young Gao, your car isn’t bad either. It must be the best one in Feng’en County, right?"

"Not at all, not at all! Compared to your car, Ma’am, mine is nothing. The difference is like night and day!"

"Our boss’s car *is* the most impressive one in Feng’en, just like you said, Ma’am, but it’s no match for yours,"

one of the underlings said dejectedly. His previous sense of superiority had vanished in an instant.

His dad was the director of a textile factory, so he’d grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and came from a good family.

But his mother died young. After his father remarried and had a daughter and son with his new wife, they couldn’t wait for him to die.

They had framed him multiple times, but Gao Xiangming had saved him. Gao Xiangming needed his social standing to get things done, and he, in turn, needed Gao Xiangming’s help.

The two had known each other since they were thirteen. Later, they rescued a few other guys who joined their crew, and they had all been through thick and thin together.

Now, they had all bought houses and cars in Feng’en County and were living better than the average person.

Before meeting Su Shuochi and his wife, they thought they were hot stuff. After meeting the couple, they finally understood that no matter how good you are, there’s always someone better.

Just when they were starting to get full of themselves, this served as a rude awakening that doused their sense of superiority.

In front of truly wealthy people, they were nothing. The couple’s car completely blew all of theirs out of the water.

Judging by the sheer respect their boss showed the Ma’am, they could tell this couple was completely out of their league.

"Brother Su, Ma’am, how about I show you around the county town?"

Gao Xiangming was a shrewd operator. He knew the couple had a taste for rare and unusual items, and he happened to have some he hadn’t sold yet.

He was determined to stick close to them and ride their coattails to wealth. It was precisely this keen intuition that had allowed him to get ahead of the average person.

Su Shuochi said coolly, "Since you’re here, take my wife and me to check out the black market in Feng’en County."

"Brother Su, are you going there to buy or to sell?" Gao Xiangming asked cautiously.

"Selling rice, noodles, flour, and rapeseed oil."

"You can sell to us! We can still check out the black market, though. Sometimes you can find some interesting curiosities there."

"Selling to you isn’t out of the question. But this is premium-grade rice. We wholesale it in Qing City for thirty-five cents a jin. Can you accept that price?"

"No matter how premium it is, the most we can sell it for around here is just over thirty cents. If you give it to us at thirty-five cents, it’ll be nearly impossible to move."

"Have a look at the rice first, then we’ll talk," Gu Jiaojiao chimed in. ’I only wholesale it to Houzi for twenty-five cents a jin.’

’She didn’t know how much prices in the county differed from those in Qing City, which is why she said it.’

Gao Xiangming’s second-in-command eagerly trotted over to open the trunk, then turned to Gao Xiangming, blushing.

"Boss, I can’t get the trunk open."

Not believing him, Gao Xiangming walked over. Just as he reached out his hand, Su Shuochi pressed a button in the front, popping the trunk.

It popped open automatically with a CLICK. Gao Xiangming was so startled he almost jumped back, but he stopped himself, not wanting to lose face. His hand remained awkwardly outstretched.

"Wow, Boss, you’re amazing! Heh heh. I was fumbling with it forever and couldn’t get it open, but you did it instantly."

Gao Xiangming: "..."

’I didn’t even touch the damn trunk!’

But he had excellent composure. "Get over here and open a bag of rice. Let’s have a look."

Gu Jiaojiao secretly shot Su Shuochi an appreciative look. ’You’re amazing.’

Su Shuochi returned her gaze. ’It’s all because my wife taught me well. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen a trunk open like this myself.’

"Ma’am, for rice this good, we should be able to sell it for fifty cents a jin. We can accept your price of thirty-five cents."

Gu Jiaojiao: "..."

’Whoa! This little county is actually that wealthy?’

In truth, Gu Jiaojiao had forgotten that Houzi once told her it could sell for fifty cents a jin in Qing City as well.

It was just that Su Shuochi, worried that selling it at too high a price would attract unwanted attention and lead people back to them, had decided to sell it for less.

"Alright. Count it yourselves. Each bag is fifty jin. Tally up the bags of rice and flour and load them straight onto your vehicle."

Su Shuochi was resolute, making the decision on the spot without giving Gu Jiaojiao a chance to hesitate.

Hearing Su Shuochi, Gu Jiaojiao realized it too. ’We won’t have many chances to come to Feng’en County.’

’No matter how high we set the price, no one will be able to trace it back to us. You’d have to be an idiot not to make money when you can.’

Her eyes crinkling with a smile, Gu Jiaojiao glanced at Su Shuochi with adoration. "This trip was definitely worth it."

That adoring look from his wife made Su Shuochi’s heart pound, filling him with a sweetness greater than honey.

Gu Jiaojiao took out 1,500 jin of rice, which would sell for five hundred twenty-five yuan, and 500 jin of flour for one hundred thirty yuan.

Two hundred jin of rapeseed oil at forty-five cents a jin came to ninety yuan, and on top of that, there were noodles and ham sausages.

All together, the total came to nearly one thousand yuan.

With money to back her up, she felt bold. She gave a magnanimous wave of her hand. "Your car can’t fit all of this. We’ll go on ahead to the county town and wait for you."

Gu Jiaojiao got back in the car, opened the glove compartment, and took out two pairs of sunglasses.

"Here, wear these." She handed a pair to Su Shuochi, put her own on, and started the car.

Gao Xiangming had only brought two men with him, but once they got to the county town, a few more of his underlings showed up to help move everything.

They finished moving everything quickly. One of his men tallied the bill in a notebook: the total was nine hundred eighty-six yuan.

It was close to Gu Jiaojiao’s mental calculation, so she rounded it down and took an even nine hundred eighty yuan.

Gao Xiangming paid readily. He expertly held the stack of bills between his left index and middle fingers, secured with his thumb, and counted out the cash with his right hand in a blur of motion.

Unlike Su Shuochi, who would take forever to count a thousand yuan, Gu Jiaojiao accepted the cash without recounting it and stuffed it right into her bag.

"Shuo Ci, you wait in the car. I’m going to look around, and if I buy anything, I’ll just have them bring it here."

"Mm-hmm," Su Shuochi readily agreed.

He watched his wife, her face half-hidden by oversized sunglasses. ’Even his own mother wouldn’t recognize her,’ he thought.

Gao Xiangming eyed Gu Jiaojiao’s sunglasses with envy. "Ma’am, where did you buy those? They look even better than the sunglasses the bosses wear on Shanghai Beach."

"Let’s go check out the black market first," Gu Jiaojiao said. "If I end up in a good mood, maybe I’ll even give you a pair."

’Gu Jiaojiao felt a pang of regret. ’If only I’d known I was going to transmigrate, I would have stuffed so many more things into my space!’’