"Excuse me, how many sets of those monkey zodiac stamps do you have here?" Luo Shu asked as she walked back to the window.
The staff member was stunned for a moment. "I have about a hundred sets left, young lady. How many would you like to buy?" Although the young lady was well-dressed, who would spend money on such useless things in this day and age? Stamps are for mailing letters when there is no other choice.
"I really like those stamps. Can you sell them all to me?" Luo Shu naturally wouldn't care about the money. A set of stamps was 80 pieces, 8 cents each, which meant a hundred sets would only be 640 yuan. Moreover, once she purchased these stamps, their future value could be immeasurable.
"What?!" The staff member looked at Luo Shu in disbelief. She hadn't misheard, had she?
"I would like to buy all those zodiac stamps. Is that okay?" Luo Shu touched her nose and asked again. She understood her request might be shocking, after all, in this era when having enough to eat was a problem, who would spend so much money on stamp collecting?
The staff member swallowed hard and slowly said, "Young lady, you must be joking with me, right?" She felt sure the young lady was teasing. Those stamps couldn't be eaten—what use was it to buy so many and take them home? Even for mailing letters, there was no need for so many.
"I'm not joking. I really want to buy them," Luo Shu said with a smile, her face serious. If the other person knew the future value of the monkey stamp, they would probably borrow money to buy them.
"Well then, please wait a moment. I'll sort out those stamps for you." Seeing how serious Luo Shu was, the staff member stopped doubting. She was still incredibly excited deep down; this was the first time she had encountered such a situation, and it was truly unbelievable. Whose child was this young lady? If her parents knew she was buying so many stamps, wouldn't they be furious?
After paying for the stamps and completing the mailing process, Luo Shu walked out of the post office with a radiant smile on her face. Today was a big gain. She might not be short of money, but who would complain about having too much?
Li Chunhua returned to the village and went directly to Luo Jiansen's home to tell Luo Daya and Luo Erya about her encounter with Luo Shu.
"What are you saying? Not only did Luo Shu wear new clothes, but she also bought meat to eat? Chunhua, you must be lying to us," Luo Daya and Luo Erya said in disbelief as they looked at Li Chunhua. Since the time they had eaten meat during the New Year, they hadn't tasted meat at all. How could that wretched girl Luo Shu afford to buy meat? And new clothes, too?
"I saw it with my own eyes, and I even spoke to Luo Shu. If it weren't for my mom rushing to the latrine, I would have followed her." Now that she thought about it, Li Chunhua still felt it was a pity.
"Impossible, how could that wretched girl Luo Shu have money?" Even though Li Chunhua was so sure, Luo Erya still found it hard to believe. Chunhua must have mistaken someone else for her.
"Wait a minute!" Luo Daya suddenly remembered. Yesterday she saw someone on the street who looked very much like Luo Shu. Could it be that she hadn't misidentified the person, and that it really was Luo Shu?
"Sis, what's up?" Luo Erya looked at Luo Daya with surprise.
"I think I saw Luo Shu yesterday, but I didn't dare to recognize her because she was wearing new clothes," Luo Daya said uncertainly.
"Where did you see her?" Anxiously, Luo Erya asked.
"It was in the town. I'm not familiar with the place, I'd have to go there to know where it is." At the time she was too preoccupied with looking at the delicious food on either side of the street to remember exactly where it was.
"Sis, let's go tell Mom. That wretched Luo Shu is living so leisurely; she must have stolen money from home," Luo Erya stated confidently. Their mother had already spoken with Second Fool's Home, agreeing to inform them as soon as there was news about Luo Shu, so they could come to take her away themselves.
"Alright! Let's go find Mom at the team headquarters," Luo Daya agreed with a nod. Why should Luo Shu get to wear new clothes and eat meat? She wouldn't let that wretched girl lead a comfortable life.
Wang Liying, with her injured hand hanging in front of her chest, was neatly arranging the vegetable seedlings with her other hand. The team leader, knowing that her hand was injured, had specially assigned her some simpler tasks.
Seeing Luo Daya and Luo Erya approaching, Wang Liying was somewhat surprised, "Daya, Erya, what brings you here?"
"Mom, we have news about Luo Shu and the others," Luo Erya said as she ran up and whispered in Wang Liying's ear.
Upon hearing this, Wang Liying was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Where are they?" She would go to Second Fool's Home later to share the news.
"In town, Chunhua and her mom went to sell vegetables there today and ran into Luo Shu. Not only did Luo Shu buy new clothes, but she also bought a lot of meat. Mom, did she steal the money from our house?" The more Luo Erya thought about it, the more she believed it was possible.
Wang Liying was taken aback for a moment, then with an anxious expression, she said, "Wait for me a moment." How could she not have thought of that possibility? She would go home now and check; if Luo Shu really had stolen her money, she was prepared to fight with that cursed girl.
After asking the leader of the production team for leave, Wang Liying hurriedly rushed back home.
"You two wait outside," Wang Liying said to Luo Daya and her companion before entering her room.
Closing the door behind her, Wang Liying opened the wardrobe, reached under a pile of clothes, and dug out a handkerchief. She unfolded the handkerchief, which contained a stack of money, and meticulously counted it. After confirming no money was missing, she heaved a sigh of relief.
After putting the money away, Wang Liying walked out of the room and said to Luo Erya, "Erya, go to Second Fool's Home and tell them the news about Luo Shu." Luo Jiansen had been furious these past few days; she didn't want to provoke his anger, but she was absolutely not going to let that cursed Luo Shu off the hook. The Second Fool's Home had many relatives; they were sure to find Luo Shu.
"Big sister, you seem to be in a really good mood today, did something happen?" Seeing Luo Shu occasionally smiling, Luo Zheng couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing; you continue teaching your Second Sister her writing. I'm going out for a walk," Luo Shu said, putting down her pen, glancing at Luo Shan, who was taking her writing practice seriously, and standing up to leave the room.
Arriving in the courtyard, Luo Shu sat down beside the stone platform, looked up at the sky, and noticed the moon was especially bright tonight. She thought back to a previous life when she and Lu Hanmo used to watch the moon together, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, "What are you doing right now?"
Lu Hanmo had just returned to his dormitory area when a comrade from the same base called out to him, "Lu Hanmo, there's a call for you."
"Okay," Lu Hanmo nodded and stepped into the office.
"This is Lu Hanmo," he said in a calm voice, picking up the phone on the desk.
"Hanmo, the Ginseng has been received. Your grandfather has eaten the Ginseng, and he's feeling much better," came the voice of Lu Hanmo's mother, Zhu Huizhen, with a tinge of joy.
"I understand," said Lu Hanmo with a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. He was relieved that his grandfather's health had improved.
"Old Master Xu mentioned that you know the young lady who sold the Ginseng. When you have time, ask her where she found the Ginseng. Your grandfather's health will not suffice with just one Ginseng root," said the voice on the other end of the line.
"I know, Mom," Lu Hanmo responded, then chatted with his mother for a few more moments before hanging up. Thinking of the day he had met Luo Shu, a slight smile formed on his lips. He wondered how the wound on her arm was healing?