Ji Xia went back to the kitchen and checked the cabinet. The rice bucket on the top shelf contained five or six pounds of rice, and in the corner there was more than a pound of noodles, half a pound of soybeans, half a can of lard, a handful of sweet potato starch, and seven or eight eggs.
The lower level contains several large and small bowls, soup bowls, chopsticks, etc.
There was some bulk soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and sugar on the counter.
Half a piece of cured meat was hanging from the beam above the kitchen cabinet.
Ji Xia glanced at the supplies, knew what to do, and grabbed a few pieces of firewood and a handful of leaves to start a fire.
Having grown accustomed to gas stoves and various small appliances of later generations, it feels quite strange to start a fire with matches and firewood again.
Boil water over a fire to cook noodles, top with a poached egg, two bok choy leaves, half a tomato sliced, pour over seasoned broth, and add a spoonful of lard.
Just as a large bowl of noodles was placed on the table, Chen Jing returned from his shower.
He changed into Ji Xiangjun's clean military green shirt, his hair still dripping wet, and sat down next to her, bringing with him a refreshing mist.
The ordinary plain noodles were pleasing to the eye with their red, yellow, and green color combination, and Chen Jing's eyes lit up.
"It smells so good, Xia! I never knew you could cook such delicious food!"
"It's just so-so, it's just ordinary plain noodles."
After her divorce in her previous life, she sold boxed lunches, rice balls, and cold noodles outside the school gate for a period of time to support her daughter.
Because the initial cost is not high, but the return on investment is fast.
In order to sell well, she spent a considerable amount of time learning cooking skills.
Chen Jing was also hungry, so he couldn't wait to take a big bite and then gave her a thumbs up.
My praise earlier was just flattery, but this time I'm truly amazed by this bowl of noodles.
The Chen family was not poor either. Chen Jing had been shrewd since childhood and could earn a little money. He often ate noodles, but the meat noodles he usually ate were not as delicious as the vegetarian noodles he made tonight.
He ate most of the bowl of noodles in a few gulps, and his forehead was covered in sweat again.
Ji Xia casually wiped her forehead and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him: "I just took a shower, what are you doing? Using this."
She handed me a clean cotton handkerchief: "You can only absorb sweat with a handkerchief, and you won't smell bad."
Overjoyed, Chen Jing took the handkerchief and wiped his face. He felt a faint fragrance waft towards him, and his spirits lifted instantly.
He wiped his sweat, subtly slipped the handkerchief into his pocket, his heart pounding as if he had done something wrong.
She made up her mind that if Ji Xia asked, she would say that she had washed it and returned it to her, and that she would buy an identical one to return to her another day.
Ji Xia didn't notice this little incident and casually asked while eating noodles, "Third Brother, where are you planning to go tonight?"
"I got some mountain goods from the black market."
Chen Jing lowered his voice and chuckled softly, "What do you want? I'll go check tonight and see if I can get it for you?"
Ji Xia couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
In her past life, in order to earn money to treat Lin's mother's illness and provide her with good food and drink, she set up a street stall, sold fashion, and even sold fast food after her divorce. Later, she gradually built up her business and opened a chain store.
Having escaped that hellhole in this lifetime, my desire for money isn't as strong anymore.
However, having gotten used to living in bright and clean apartment buildings, I feel uncomfortable looking at these low bungalows and the houses in my hometown.
So, making money is a must, but she wants to take the college entrance exam and doesn't want to waste time on it. So, is it possible to find some collectibles with quick returns?
She remembered that there were several things that yielded great returns when collected in later generations: stamps, Moutai liquor, gold, jade, and other precious stones.
Which stamps are the most valuable? She wasn't sure; Moutai requires liquor coupons and isn't easy to collect.
However, gold and jade, especially jadeite, were driven to astronomical prices in the 1980s and 90s. If you can get a few good sets now, you can easily exchange them for several houses later.
If she had all these good things, even if she didn't get into university, she could still live a comfortable life as a landlady by acquiring a few houses.
Thinking of this, she lowered her voice and asked, "I'd like to collect some old items. Is it possible to get them? Gold and jade would be best, but other stones are also acceptable."
Chen Jing frowned slightly: "An old item? If someone finds it, we'll be in deep trouble."
"Of course I know, that's why I asked you for help to do it secretly."
Chen Jing thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you. How many do you want?"
"Take as much as you can. We just got two hundred yuan back last night. If possible, it's fine to exchange it all for old items."
Chen Jing agreed, and Ji Xia immediately beamed, her smile as radiant as a flower: "Jing, I knew you were the kindest person, thank you."
"Just a simple thank you? Your thank you is really worth a lot of money."
Chen Jing was captivated by her smile, and suddenly remembered what had happened that afternoon, so he tentatively asked, "I heard that Lin Haodong came to see you this afternoon?"
"Yeah, they won't give up until they've reached the Yellow River, and they won't shed a tear until they see the coffin!"
"Really, you didn't fall for his sweet talk again, did you?"
Ji Xia glanced at him: "Don't worry, when I'm not out of my mind, he can't fool me."
"So you do realize you were out of your mind before?!"
Ji Xia just rolled her eyes at him, which made Chen Jing burst into laughter.
After eating a large bowl of noodles, Chen Jing lay contentedly on a rocking chair under a tree in the yard, gently rubbing his belly.
Ji Xia gestured for him to do as he pleased, and then went back to her room.
The rooms in the old houses are not big, only about ten square meters. Besides a bed, there is a wardrobe and a table.
The newspapers pasted on the wall have turned yellow, and there are several old one-inch black and white photos under the glass on the table.
Seeing these familiar old photos evoked mixed feelings in Ji Xia.
After closing the door, she took out a brick from a hidden compartment under the side of the table and retrieved a palm-sized iron box from it.
She opened the tin box, counted her money, and found that there was still more than 170 yuan inside. Adding the 200 yuan she received yesterday, she had 300 to 400 yuan.
This was her private savings. Before marriage, Ji Xia was never short of money because, in addition to her own salary, she also received pocket money from her second and third brothers and her biological mother.
She wasn't a spendthrift; aside from necessary expenses, she saved all her extra money. In recent years, her biggest expenses were almost entirely for Lin Haodong.
Fortunately, Lin Haodong returned all the money he had spent yesterday.
Besides the money, she also saw a gold ring with a red jade cabochon and a gourd-shaped red jade pendant.
Ji Xia was stunned for a moment before she remembered that her second brother had brought it back to her from a mission. She heard that he had bought a raw stone and made it while on a mission at the border.
After marrying Lin Haodong in her previous life, she brought this iron box to the Lin family, but Lin Haodong later took it away.
I never saw it again, and when I got divorced, I completely forgot about it, even forgetting that I had ever owned these things.
Recalling the past, Ji Xia smiled coldly, thinking that simply locking him and Liu Pianran up wasn't enough.
He kept only five yuan on him for emergencies, and put the rest of the money back into the tin box and hid it.
However, seeing this red jade reminded her of her second brother; at this time, the ore from Myanmar was still cheap.
Besides old items, could you also ask your second brother to help you find some high-quality jadeite rough stones?
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