Luo Xi frowned. “What are you saying? A single wool coat of mine cost more than a hundred yuan. What kind of neighbors exchange gifts like that?”
There was nothing wrong with what she said. Everyone looked at Yuan Jiansi with contempt.
Yuan Jiansi really wanted to argue. He and Luo Xi weren’t ordinary neighbors—they were engaged!
But he didn’t dare say it.
When his mother had brought up their engagement before, Luo Xi had clearly been surprised. She had immediately refused, saying it was merely a joke made by the older generation and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
But how could he not take it seriously?
Song Xingui couldn’t even compare to her.
Luo Xi helplessly spread her hands. “I used to think that borrowing meant borrowing. We’re neighbors, so helping each other out is normal. I never expected the Yuan family to borrow things without ever returning them. Isn’t that just being a deadbeat?”
Everyone turned to look at Yuan Jiansi, their expressions strange and contemptuous.
No one had expected that someone who usually appeared refined and well-mannered could behave like this behind closed doors.
Yuan Jiansi gritted his teeth.
“I never said I wouldn’t return them. How much is it? I’ll pay you.”
He couldn’t let her continue talking. If she said any more, he would never be able to show his face at the educated youth compound again.
Having achieved her goal, Luo Xi didn’t press him further. She began counting on her fingers, item by item.
“The wool coat was brand new. I paid 121 yuan for it. The dacron fabric was 9 yuan and 20 cents… Altogether, that’s 137 yuan and 60 cents.”
Luo Xi wasn’t worried that he couldn’t afford it.
Anyone who had been neighbors with the Luo family had to come from a fairly well-off household. Even after the Yuan family’s decline, they were still much better off than ordinary people.
Yuan Jiansi’s vision went dark.
That was almost all the money he had brought with him.
He shot Song Xingui a vicious glare before turning around and going back into the house to get the money.
Song Xingui: “……”
Her face was full of grievance as she called softly, “Brother Yuan…”
Yuan Jiansi ignored her.
A short while later, he came out holding a thick stack of bills. His voice sounded as though every word had been forced through clenched teeth.
“Here!”
Luo Xi smiled and reached for the money.
“Comrade Yuan is certainly straightforward.”
But when she pulled, the money didn’t move.
She couldn’t help looking up at Yuan Jiansi.
Yuan Jiansi tightened his grip.
He hadn’t expected Luo Xi to actually have the nerve to demand the money. He was so aggrieved he felt like he could spit blood.
But under Luo Xi’s steady gaze, he eventually loosened his hand.
Luo Xi tucked the money into her pocket. Then she shook the hand holding the watch, revealing the watch already on her own wrist, and muttered quietly,
“Too bad it’s a men’s watch. I can’t wear it myself.”
The corner of Chu Yan’s mouth twitched.
Was she trying to sell something again?
Sure enough, several educated youths from relatively well-off families immediately showed interest.
Luo Xi returned to the most dilapidated room in the educated youth compound. As soon as she put down her basket, she saw Shi Yanlan looking at her strangely.
Luo Xi touched her face.
“What is it?”
Shi Yanlan shook her head.
For the first time in half a month, she had realized just how eloquent Luo Zhiqing could be.
Thinking about Yuan Jiansi’s character, she sighed.
“I really couldn’t tell that Comrade Yuan was this kind of person.”
Luo Xi sighed.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover. I didn’t see through him either, which is why I got taken advantage of.”
Thinking about how Yuan Jiansi had worn her watch for so long made her feel disgusted. She decided that she would find an opportunity to beat him up someday.
Shi Yanlan nodded.
“Your family must have been really well-off.”
Luo Xi gave a bitter smile, her mood suddenly turning gloomy.
“What good is that? It’s all gone.”
Shi Yanlan immediately understood.
She opened her mouth, but didn’t know how to comfort her.
In the end, she managed to say, “If you ever need help with anything, just ask me. As long as it’s something I can help with, I’ll do my best.”
Just then, Qi Le quietly approached.
“Luo Zhiqing, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can you come outside for a moment?”
Luo Xi’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Of course.”
The two of them soon arrived at the vegetable plot behind the educated youth compound.
The area was open and spacious, so they didn’t have to worry about anyone eavesdropping. Anyone else could see them from a distance, so there was no risk of people gossiping about them being alone together.
Qi Le looked a little embarrassed.
“Hehe… It’s about that watch. Are you considering selling it?”
The corners of Luo Xi’s lips lifted.
“I’m selling it.”
Private buying and selling wasn’t allowed openly in this era, which was why she hadn’t made her intentions too obvious earlier.
But there were plenty of smart people around.
She turned slightly away and handed the watch to him.
Qi Le quickly took it.
He didn’t even need to inspect it carefully. He knew that the watch was practically new.
Yuan Jiansi had often shown it off before, and he had taken excellent care of it.
Qi Le really liked this particular brand of watch. Unfortunately, foreign goods like this weren’t something you could simply buy even if you had money.
That’s why he had hurried over. He was afraid someone else would snatch it up first.
“How much?” he asked quietly.
Luo Xi immediately quoted the price she had already decided on.
“It’s been worn, but it’s still at least ninety percent new. I won’t overcharge you. Two hundred and fifty yuan, no ticket required.”
It wasn’t that she wanted to sell it cheaply.
The problem was that very few people could afford a price like this.
Qi Le’s smile froze.
He had a feeling that Luo Zhiqing was insulting him, but he had no proof.
“How about… two hundred and fifty yuan and one mao?”
Qi Le awkwardly tried to bargain.
Luo Xi: “……”
“All right.”
That was quite the bargain.
Qi Le secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he looked a little embarrassed.
“I didn’t bring much money when I came down to the countryside. Could I give you two hundred yuan first? I’ll write home immediately and ask my family to send me the rest. You can keep the watch here for now. The two hundred yuan can count as a deposit.”
He had brought nearly four hundred yuan with him when he was sent down to the countryside.
However, he wasn’t used to living in the collective dormitory at the educated youth compound, so he had asked the village to build him a house. He had also bought quite a few daily necessities, leaving him with only a little over two hundred yuan.
Luo Xi waved her hand.
“Sure. Give me the two hundred first. You can use the watch for now.”
Toward evening, Luo Xi carried a little under half a jin of brown sugar to the village brigade leader’s house.
“You want to build a house too?”
Brigade Leader Guo Jiandang glanced at Luo Xi.
He had already heard about Luo Xi suddenly coming into a considerable amount of money.
He hadn’t expected her to be another person who couldn’t keep money in her hands. She was already planning to build a house.
Luo Xi nodded.
“Yes. I’d like a two-room house. Ideally, I’d also like to have a well dug.”
Guo Jiandang: “……”
Was she planning to spend every last cent?
After thinking for a moment, he said, “There isn’t much land left behind the educated youth compound. If you want to build something larger, we’ll have to move the location farther back, almost all the way to the foot of the mountain.”
Luo Xi had no objection.
“That’s fine. How much will it cost?”
Guo Jiandang asked, “Do you want an adobe house or a brick-and-tile house?”
Luo Xi didn’t hesitate.
“A brick-and-tile house.”
Guo Jiandang thought for a moment.
“Two rooms, plus digging a well… It should cost around 150 yuan.”
Without hesitation, Luo Xi took out ten ten-yuan bills and handed them over.
“I’ll give you a hundred yuan first. Can I pay the rest later?”
Guo Jiandang was stunned.
This girl was really a little too trusting and straightforward.
He shook his head.
“Just give me fifty yuan first. You can pay the rest as we go.”
Luo Xi smiled sweetly.
“It’s fine. I’ll give you a hundred. I’m living in the educated youth compound right now, and it’s not exactly safe or convenient to keep my money there. Besides, surely I can trust you, right?”
Guo Jiandang unconsciously straightened his chest.
He stopped refusing.
“All right. I’ll give you a receipt.”
What he was thinking was that this girl was simply too honest. They couldn’t take advantage of her. They had to build the house for her as quickly as possible.
After all, it wasn’t the busy farming season right now.
Luo Xi thanked him repeatedly after receiving the receipt before leaving.
Zhou Xuehua, who had listened to the entire conversation from inside the courtyard, shook her head.
“Kids these days are so wasteful. They can’t save a penny. She already has a place to live in the educated youth compound. Why does she need to build another house?”
“Besides, once she leaves, she can’t take the house with her. What’s the point of building such a nice one? Surely she doesn’t really intend to stay here for the rest of her life, does she?”
Guo Jiandang took a puff of his cigarette and said nothing.
As far as he knew, Luo Xi had been assigned the most dilapidated room in the educated youth compound. It was obvious that she had been ostracized.
Now that she had suddenly come into a considerable amount of money, she would probably face even more hostility and might even become a target for people who wanted to take advantage of her.
In that case, she might as well spend the money on herself.
She could live comfortably and enjoy some peace and quiet.
In fact, it was the smart thing to do.
Luo Xi slipped the receipt into her pocket, then secretly put it into her spatial storage.
Speaking of which, her space was practically empty right now.
It contained only the paper and pens she had bought that day, along with a little over two hundred yuan. There was nothing else.
Even the several watches she had brought back from overseas had been left behind by the original owner in that house instead of being brought to the countryside.
They were hidden somewhere inside the house, together with some belongings left behind by the original owner’s parents.
It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to go back there.
Although those things had been hidden in a very secure place, nowhere was safer than her spatial storage.
Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly heard a faint, mournful sigh.