Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 92: Strapped for Cash

Sheng Shijing first went to his second uncle’s home to say goodbye to his grandfather. They talked for an hour.

’He was leaving now, and he didn’t know when he’d see his grandfather again.’

He carried an empty duffel bag. He had no luggage of his own; his mother poured all her affection onto his biological sister, with no time to spare for him.

Even though she knew he was going to the Southern Border, she hadn’t prepared a single thing for him. His spare clothes were back at his dorm.

The empty bag was meant for bringing back gifts for his family. Sheng Shijing first went to the co-op to buy a gift before heading to the Su family’s home to see Jiaojiao.

But he was short on cash. Since he started working, he had given most of his salary to his family, and he had spent what little he had left on Jiaojiao.

He figured he’d get a paycheck every month, so whenever he had money, he would take Jiaojiao to the co-op to buy her things she liked.

Later, when his biological sister, Sheng Yueyue, returned home, his entire family felt they owed her.

Sheng Shijing, in particular, ended up spending all his pocket money on Sheng Yueyue.

He stood in the co-op, clutching ten yuan, torn. ’Should I spend it all on gifts, or should I save five yuan to give to Jiaojiao privately?’

This was the personal money he had managed to save over the last three months, which he had planned to give Jiaojiao when she returned home.

But last night, he’d learned from Old Three that Jiaojiao was earning her own money now. ’In that case, I’ll just buy gifts with all of it.’

Especially since Old Three had described the Gu Family’s situation in great detail, he bought two jars of malted milk powder and some other nutritional supplements.

Ten yuan bought him half a bagful. That was only because his duffel bag was so large; a smaller one would have been completely full.

When he arrived at the Su family home, he saw Old Sir Gu, another old man, and Gu Jinghua all struggling to snip the tips off of river snails.

The veins on Gu Jinghua’s hands, which were as thin as chicken’s feet, bulged prominently, and he looked completely drained of strength.

He stepped forward, greeted them, introduced himself, and handed the gifts to Mrs. Gu. Then, he deftly took the clippers from Gu Jinghua’s hands.

"Eldest Brother Sheng, just having you here is wonderful. You’re too kind, bringing so many things."

Mrs. Gu said with compassion as she took the items and placed them on the sideboard in the living room.

"Jiaojiao told us you’re going to the Southern Border. You should take these things with you to eat on the way."

Sheng Shijing was touched by Mrs. Gu’s words again. "Jiaojiao said she prepared some things for me to take with me."

"Haha! No wonder Su Shuochi went out with Jiaojiao so early this morning."

Grandpa Gu burst out laughing. He looked even a bit more spirited than Eldest Brother Gu.

Sheng Shijing had heard about the Gu Family since he was a child. Both Grandpa Gu and Uncle Gu were said to be very talented men.

But just as fate had lifted them high and they were preparing to make their mark and realize their ambitions, they were thrown back down just as hard.

"Grandpa Gu, and you, sir, please sit and rest. I can handle this by myself."

Grandpa Gu roared with laughter, but Geng Ruixian looked rather glum. He was only two years older than Gu Chengzhou, after all.

"Alright. Jiaojiao told this old man not to overwork himself. She said we just need to snip enough snails for one bowl for you to try at lunch."

Without a hint of false modesty, Grandpa Gu put down the clippers. He had only managed to snip ten little snails, and he was already tired and out of breath.

"Jiaojiao said she’s making it for me to try?" Sheng Shijing was so moved his eyes welled up with tears.

"That’s right. Jiaojiao said you’re leaving this afternoon, so we’ll wait for Su Shuochi to come back and snip the rest. He’s very strong."

Mrs. Gu added with a beaming smile. She had been sitting to the side, trimming green beans and cleaning scallions, and had only washed her hands to greet Sheng Shijing when he came in.

"Yue Hua, go make a cup of tea for Eldest Brother Sheng and bring out some snacks," Old Sir Gu instructed happily.

"I don’t need any tea, Auntie. Please don’t trouble yourself. I’ll just sit here and snip the snail tails," Sheng Shijing said earnestly.

"Don’t underestimate these little snails. Their shells are incredibly hard, like armor—practically impenetrable.

A snail also has two tentacles on its head, which it uses to sense danger and protect itself.

When it’s quiet, it will poke its head out of its shell to have a look at the world."

Grandpa Gu truly couldn’t snip anymore, so he sat to the side, sipping his tea and chatting away, looking utterly content.

This was the scene Gu Jiaojiao walked in on when she returned: several people chatting and laughing merrily.

While Gu Jiaojiao went to stir-fry the snails, Su Shuochi sat in the living room talking with Sheng Shijing.

He took out the hemostatic medicine, painkillers, and various other medications that Jiaojiao had prepared for Sheng Shijing, and patiently explained how to use each one.

There was also a large bag of food, which they packed into Sheng Shijing’s empty duffel bag, pressing and squeezing it until it was completely full.

During their chat, Su Shuochi realized Sheng Shijing was still in the dark about something. He decided not to tell him, since it would only add to his worries.

Gu Jiaojiao brought out a large platter of stir-fried snails and showed Grandpa Gu and the others how to eat them.

She had also packed a separate aluminum box full of snails for him, along with a large, pre-cut portion of braised pig’s trotters and braised pork, all placed in a mesh bag for Sheng Shijing to share with his comrades on the journey.

Gu Jiaojiao placed the large platter on the table, picked up a small snail with her fair, delicate fingers, and said to everyone.

"Grandpa, Uncle Geng, you two brothers, Su Shuochi, watch carefully now.

First, you suck on the snipped-off tail, then you slurp from this end, and the meat will pop right out.

Ah! When you get a mouthful of that sweet, slightly spicy, tender, and savory snail meat... good food is a dime a dozen, but a snail this delicious is one in a million!"

"Let me try! Just listening to you describe it is making this old man’s mouth water, Jiaojiao."

Whether Grandpa Gu used too much force or not enough, he couldn’t get the meat out!

"I couldn’t get the meat out, but just tasting the sauce is incredibly delicious. It’s really good."

Grandpa Gu wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, and even said so proudly.

Gu Jiaojiao gently pried out a piece of snail meat with a toothpick and put it in Grandpa Gu’s mouth. "You can also eat it like this, Grandpa."

"Haha... Thank you, Jiaojiao."

Everyone began slurping the delicious snail meat and savoring the fragrant sauce. The snails were truly delicious; a dish best eaten slowly, as the flavor grew with each one.

Gu Jiaojiao went back to prepare the other dishes while the men in the living room slurped snails. Su Shuochi managed to get the meat out of every single one.

Everyone watched him with envy. Fortunately, they had toothpicks, so if they really couldn’t get one out, they could just pry it out and not let a single one go to waste.

Gu Jiaojiao also made a fish with pickled greens. The pig’s trotters and pork belly had been braised the night before.

Mrs. Gu had already prepared the pork rib and winter melon stew. So even though there were about ten dishes in total, it didn’t take Gu Jiaojiao very long.

Just as the ten dishes were being served, the family members who ran the street stall returned. Second Brother Gu washed his hands and immediately grabbed a stir-fried snail upon reaching the table.

"Wow, these stir-fried snails are delicious! I’ve been wondering all day what they would be like!"

"Slow down, Second Brother, there’s plenty more," Gu Jiaojiao said, seeing Gu Jingtai stuffing his face with both hands.

"Jiaojiao, didn’t you say you were packing some for Eldest Brother Sheng to eat on the road? I’d better eat a few more then."

Gu Jingtai was a little jealous of Sheng Shijing, but he also knew how dangerous this journey was for him, so he wasn’t about to hog all the food.

"You little rascal, all you think about is eating. Jiaojiao already packed up Sheng Shijing’s things. Everything on the table is for all of us, and there’s still more in the kitchen."

Mrs. Gu said in a gentle, soft voice, a kind smile on her careworn face.

Su’s mother felt a great deal of sympathy for Sheng Shijing and kept piling food onto his plate. It wasn’t because she pitied him, but because he was heading to the front lines.