70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 271: Northbound

Although he was still reluctant, what could Yin Yang do? He couldn’t refuse.

Xu Mumu raised her eyebrows, glanced at her brother. He had followed the convoy to the provincial capital a few times before, so he was somewhat familiar with it, and could even recognize the roads. Who was he trying to fool?

As for why her brother had to come along, it was probably something that just had to be said between a brother-in-law and a brother-in-law.

They went to a state-run restaurant and bought back a lot of food. Xu Mumu, now having money in her hands, was very generous when it came to buying food.

After coming back, Madam Chen naturally wouldn’t miss a chance to nag, thinking that these things were too expensive.

Yin Yang quickly managed to get a second-hand coal stove by the next afternoon. It was still half-new and looked pretty good.

Under Xu Mumu’s teasing gaze, Xu Hai reluctantly paid the money and then went with Yin Yang to fetch a basket of coal, learning where the coal was sold.

With a stove to cook, Xu Mumu and Li Caixia went out to buy a lot of groceries together.

"Daughter, buying groceries like this is really expensive," Li Caixia complained all the way about how pricey the groceries were.

"How about we place a few wooden boxes on the balcony, put some soil in them, and grow some vegetables?" Xu Mumu suggested, looking at Li Caixia.

"Is that even possible?" Li Caixia asked hesitantly.

"I’m not sure, but you guys can give it a try at home. Even if the vegetables don’t grow, only the seeds will be wasted," Xu Mumu said calmly.

"Okay, your grandfather isn’t doing much right now. Once your father starts working, we can get him to bring back some leftover wood from the furniture factory and make one," Li Caixia said through clenched teeth. If they had to buy vegetables like this every day, she couldn’t bear it. Her daughter’s suggestion seemed feasible.

There wasn’t any land for them to plant in the city, and the two flowerbeds downstairs couldn’t be used by them anyway. Mumu’s way seemed more reliable to her.

"Then make it into a rack, with several layers on the balcony. You can put soil on the rack and plant several layers," Xu Mumu thought for a moment and said. There were quite a few people at home, so if they planted too little, it wouldn’t be enough. Given her stingy mother’s nature, they wouldn’t be willing to spend too much on food.

"Daughter, how do we make this rack?" Li Caixia asked carefully, willing to do anything to save money.

Seeing her mother so interested, Xu Mumu shared everything she knew with Li Caixia. If they weren’t on the road, Li Caixia would probably have taken out a small notebook to jot it all down.

Once they got home, Li Caixia started discussing it with Xu Hai.

It was rare to see her parents trying to do something productive, so Xu Mumu decided not to bother with the follow-up. They could figure it out themselves.

"Brother, I’ll be leaving in a few days. You’ll need to take Minglei to enroll when I’m gone," Xu Mumu said to Xu Minghui. She had to go to the Imperial City early, and many things at home needed Xu Minghui’s attention. Fortunately, the place wasn’t far from Xu Minghui’s university, so he didn’t need to stay at school.

"Don’t worry, I know," Xu Minghui nodded. He had already inquired about the middle school here these past few days, and he had brought all the necessary family documents.

Plus, their younger brother’s grades were good, so they didn’t have to worry about passing the entrance exam or anything.

"Sis, when are you leaving?" Xu Minglei asked, feeling reluctant to part with his sister.

"In five days. Even after I leave, your brother will supervise your studies, so you can’t slack, okay? Otherwise, if you fall behind Tiedan and the others, it’ll be embarrassing," Xu Mumu gently ruffled the young boy’s hair.

"Sis, I’ll be diligent," Xu Minglei promised firmly. He was also worried about the gap between himself and the middle school students in the provincial city, so he had been reviewing diligently these past days.

"If you miss me, write me a letter," Xu Mumu said with a smile. There was no phone at home, and even if there were outside, calling was expensive. Writing a letter was better, unless it was something important.

"I will. I’ll write you a letter every week," Xu Minglei said, his eyes lighting up. Yes, he could write letters.

After getting everything ready, Xu Hai started work at the furniture factory.

At the end of a day’s work, Xu Hai came back with a weary body but also carrying a few pieces of scrap wood, not too large and not too small.

"Honey, are you tired?" Li Caixia asked as she took the things from Xu Hai’s hands, watching him intently.

"Not too bad," Xu Hai replied cheerfully. Today was his first time working and he saw a lot of things. It was his first time realizing just how many tasks there were in those basic jobs. It was quite tiring.

He didn’t stay in the dorms, getting a subsidy by the end of the month, and the lunch at the canteen was pretty good.

"Mumu, the designs you gave to Director Wei are already in production," Xu Hai said excitedly, feeling especially proud.

"That’s normal," Xu Mumu replied with a smile. These new furniture styles definitely had a market. Almost everyone getting married in the city would order new furniture. These innovative designs were sure to catch the eye of many young people.

Xu Hai got the job through Director Wei’s connections, so not many people dared to bully him there. Everyone treated him politely.

These were all things Xu Mumu had anticipated. However, seeing her father looking so vibrant after starting work made Xu Mumu smile. This was good. But as for her mother, Xu Mumu hadn’t figured out how to settle that part yet.

The day to leave arrived quickly, and Yin Yang had already bought the train tickets early, securing a sleeper ticket. The journey to the Imperial City would take three days by train, and it wouldn’t be comfortable.

Before leaving, Madam Chen baked several pancakes and boiled some eggs to pack into Xu Mumu’s bag for them to eat along the way.

Xu Hai wanted to see them off to the Imperial City, but it was too far, and he had work to attend, so he couldn’t go. Xu Minghui, on the other hand, only had a few days before school started, going to and back from the Imperial City, he might miss enrollment.

The aging couple couldn’t let Li Caixia travel alone with them. Everyone would worry if she went alone.

In the end, it was only left to Xu Mumu and Yin Yang to go together. Li Caixia and Madam Chen gave Yin Yang lots of instructions.

Boarding the northbound train, Xu Mumu sat on the bed. The sleeper bed wasn’t big, just enough to turn over. The carriage was quite crowded.

Xu Mumu picked up a book to read. It was quite boring on the train.

"Mumu, there’s hot water over there. Would you like some? I can get some for you," Yin Yang asked gently.

"Yes, please," Xu Mumu nodded.

Yin Yang took out a large thermos and went to get the hot water.

"Is that your boyfriend? He’s so considerate," a girl sitting across from Xu Mumu said admiringly. Both of them looked too good-looking, and their clothes weren’t shabby either. They didn’t look like ordinary people.

"Yes, he really is great," Xu Mumu replied with a smile.