70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 66: Double Standards

Even though Xu Mumu said that, it didn’t diminish the enthusiasm of the kids to go and gather more mushrooms. They’ve collected quite a lot in half a day.

The main issue is that many of the mushrooms are unknown, and most people aren’t sure if they’re poisonous, so they don’t dare to pick them to eat.

Back home, Xu Mumu picked out the mushrooms that were slightly damaged, then instructed the kids to wash them clean, lay out a mat on the woodpile, and sun-dry the mushrooms there.

"Big sis, is this okay?" Xu Jiaojiao asked excitedly.

"It should be. Just don’t let these mushrooms get dirty, and watch them to keep the birds away." Xu Mumu wasn’t sure about the sun-drying technique either, so she just followed the most basic method to try. If it doesn’t work, at most, it’s just a bit of wasted effort.

"Big sis, I’ll make sure to watch them. No birds will peck at them." Xu Tao promised, thumping his chest.

"Good kid, now, take these back to your place. They should make for a nice soup at noon." Xu Mumu divided the slightly damaged mushrooms into three parts, one for her own family, one for Jiaojiao’s, and the rest for Tiedan.

"Sis, let’s go collect more mushrooms this afternoon." Tiedan said excitedly.

They had all agreed that these collected mushrooms would be sold, and they’d split the profits once sold.

Perhaps all kids are especially interested in doing business and making money. The kids are really into it.

"No, this afternoon my classmates are coming to fish by the river. Let’s go play there instead." Xu Mumu said with a smile. She was quite interested in fishing after spearing some fish a few days ago. If they could catch some more fish, even if there wasn’t extra oil for frying, fish soup would be nice.

"I remember my uncle has a fishing net. I’ll bring it along this afternoon." Tiedan’s eyes lit up. His uncle did have a fishing net, not very big, which he kept. A few days ago, after a flood, they used it to catch quite a lot of fish; his family even benefited a bit from it.

"Tiedan, let me play with it for a bit, will you?" Xu Minglei said, envious. His family didn’t have a fishing net, and most of the fish they ate were caught by his brother with his bare hands. A lot of the fish at home recently were caught by Xu Mumu using her wooden spear.

"I’m saving it for Sis to use." Tiedan looked at Xu Mumu with a flattering smile.

"You use the fishing net; I’ll use the spear. The spear is quite handy." Xu Mumu said with a cheerful smile.

At noon, seeing the pile of mushrooms Xu Mumu and the others brought back, they cleaned and set them out to dry, while the slightly damaged ones were placed in the kitchen. Madam Chen used those mushrooms to make a large bowl of egg soup.

"Mumu, why did you pick so many mushrooms? There’s no way we’ll finish them all." Madam Chen said helplessly. Her main worry was that her granddaughter would get worn out. As soon as the holidays started, she went running up the mountain, and now it’s getting hot; it must be sweltering on the mountain under this blazing sun.

"Grandma, we’re planning to dry them and sell them, not just to eat." Xu Minglei said proudly.

"Tsk tsk, you little rascals are learning to speculate and profiteer now, huh? What’s wrong with you, craving a spanking?" Xu Hai glanced at his kid.

"Dad, you’re such a hypocrite. You and brother both go sell things— that’s profiteering too. Why can you do it and we can’t?" Xu Minglei had learned quite a bit from Xu Mumu and even knew about double standards now.

"You brat, looking for a spanking, aren’t you? I’m an adult; I can, but you can’t." Xu Hai pretended to give his kid a couple of swats to teach him some respect for daring to talk back.

"Alright, alright. You didn’t set a good example yourself. Look at what you’ve taught the kids." Old Xu said, troubled.

Watching his son and grandson, each one more crafty than the other, what on earth would become of them later? The thought of it gave him a headache. It was his fault for not raising his son right.

"Oh my dear, mommy supports you. Gather more and sell them; I’ll save the money for you." Li Caixia said excitedly.

"Mom~" Xu Minglei looked at his mother resentfully. He wouldn’t tell his mom how much he sold it for; he wanted to save it himself. His brother had secret savings, and his sister did too— though everyone knew about hers and didn’t mind. He wanted to learn from his sister and openly save secret money.

"Alright, let’s drink the soup now. The mushroom soup is so fresh today." Xu Mumu said with a smile. After splitting the family, there were no more conflicts at home. Their home was harmonious, and this made Xu Mumu quite happy inside, too.

Meanwhile, the second household was also having lunch, with dishes still mostly composed of various wild vegetables, without oil and just a bit of salt for flavor.

Xu Xue looked at the mushrooms drying outside. She had been busy sorting medicinal herbs and hadn’t noticed the mushrooms; Xu Mumu and the others managed to gather quite a lot.

"Sis, let’s have mushroom soup tonight. This afternoon, let’s go gather some; it smells so good." Xu Wan swallowed hard, suggesting softly to Xu Xue.

"No problem, do you know which part of the mountain they usually go to?" Xu Xue asked curiously. She had been busy recently, had no money, and couldn’t even get decent school supplies. She had been sorting out medicinal herbs, waiting for Huo Qingze to confirm things so that she could sell them through him.

This way, she could save some money for supplies. She wanted to make more money, as her parents didn’t want to use their money, so she had to find a way on her own.

With materials, she could make delicious pastries to sell, which would make money quicker than sorting ordinary herbs.

After lunch, Tiedan ran over early, holding a fishing net about the same size as the one Yin Yang used earlier, and brought along two pieces of peach crisps for Xu Mumu.

"Sis, this is from my mom’s secret stash. You should eat it; it’s really tasty." Tiedan offered the peach crisps to Xu Mumu like a treasure.

"You eat it. Did you secretly take your mom’s peach crisps from her stash?" Xu Mumu raised an eyebrow.

"No way, I never find the stuff my mom hides. She gave it to me to bring to you." Tiedan said with a beaming smile.

"Then you and Minglei eat it." Xu Mumu’s mouth twitched. She thought Aunty Cuihua was imitating her own mom, trying to take advantage of everything and stash away all the good stuff.

"Sis, why aren’t you eating? Peach crisps are delicious." Tiedan swallowed; although he also really wanted to eat them, what he brought for Sis should go to her, as Sis had given him so many goodies.