Gu Rou thought she had discovered a way to get rich. How had she not thought of it sooner? Fortunately, she hadn’t wasted too much effort before realizing it—otherwise, she would have worked for nothing.
“This poisonous snake also has medicinal value. The hospital should be willing to buy it, right?” Gu Rou said as she picked up the snake. Seeing that it had calmed down, she pinched its head and squeezed its venom into the pool of Poison Spring. After collecting the venom, she plucked a few large leaves, wrapped the snake tightly, and tossed it into her basket.
Eager to know the snake’s value, she immediately stopped gathering herbs and turned her steps toward the county town. Xiangyang Village was about a mountain’s distance from the town. To save time, she collected herbs along the way toward the county, and it would take about twenty minutes to reach the town.
People from nearby villages often used this path for convenience. There was originally no road here, but after frequent use, a path had formed. Today, when Gu Rou walked, she saw no one around, so she pulled a mountain bike out of her spatial storage. Her storage didn’t just contain herbs—she had bicycles, motorcycles, firearms, even helicopters. This wasn’t because she was wealthy in the post-apocalyptic world, but because she had learned to grab things fast. To survive, she had to be skilled.
Gu Rou pedaled quickly, always watching her surroundings. When she saw people in the distance, she quickly put the bike away, and when no one was around, she took it out again. Once she got close to the county, she left the bike and walked into town.
Standing in the street, Gu Rou took in the grayish town. There were no high-rise buildings, no fancy cars or beautiful streets—it was clearly a small, unremarkable county town. People on the streets wore mostly dull colors—gray, blue, or black. Men had either crew cuts or short hair to the ears. Unlike the future she came from, everyone’s hair here was extraordinarily thick and black; finding a bald person was nearly impossible. Clothes were drab, but the people’s faces carried confidence and bright smiles, and their eyes were determined. Coming from the post-apocalyptic world, Gu Rou found this remarkably fascinating.
She watched the passersby for a long while. The feeling of unreality she had experienced lately slowly began to fade. Now, she was Gu Rou, living in the 1970s, and she intended to live well and enjoy life.
After taking in her surroundings, she inquired around and learned that the county hospital had a Traditional Chinese Medicine department. If someone gathered herbs or poisonous snakes from the mountains, they could sell them to the hospital’s procurement department. Gu Rou also learned that a snake like the one in her basket could fetch about seven or eight yuan. Eight yuan could buy a chicken to take home.
Thinking about having meat to eat, she quickened her pace. This trip wasn’t just to earn money—it was also an excuse to take rice, flour, and other supplies from her spatial storage.
At the county hospital, she asked for the procurement department. The doctor there saw the snake in her basket and his eyes lit up.
“Wait here a moment. I’ll send someone to take a look,” he said.
Soon, a male doctor arrived. He glanced at Gu Rou, paused for a couple of seconds, then turned to look at the snake.
“Did you catch this snake in the mountains?” he asked.
Gu Rou nodded.
“Do you have any more snakes there?” the doctor continued.
“No, just this one,” Gu Rou replied.
“You can’t just catch snakes whenever you want, and especially not poisonous ones,” the doctor said.
“I understand,” Gu Rou said.
The doctor immediately regretted asking such a question and told the procurement staff, “This snake is fine. Give this young lady nine yuan.”
That was one yuan more than expected, and Gu Rou was pleased. She quickly said, “Thank you.”
The doctor glanced at her and quickly lowered his head, saying, “No need, no need.”
Selling the snake and herbs brought her a total of thirteen yuan and fifty cents. With money in hand, Gu Rou turned her attention to the general store. She bought some missing household items, snacks, and three chi of fabric to have Li Xiufang make new clothes for the family. Though the family had flaws, they had treated her well, which was rare for a family raising a girl. She didn’t hesitate to spend money on them.
She also planned to buy two sets of ready-made clothes for herself—not out of favoritism, but because she couldn’t wait. Her current clothes were worn, faded, and patched, which made her uncomfortable. How could a girl go without clean, intact clothes?
She went to the ready-made clothing counter. Gu Rou was beautiful, her skin increasingly fair and smooth from the Lingquan, but her simple clothes didn’t match her looks. Most of her clothes were made from scraps by Li Xiufang to save money. In those days, many people made their own clothes to save money. Even for city workers with an average wage of about twenty yuan, a set of ready-made clothes costing ten to twenty yuan was expensive for an ordinary family. Gu Rou, with money in hand and supplies in her storage, could easily buy two sets.
She picked out two sets: a white shirt with black pants, and a light green blouse.
“Serving the people, comrade. Which piece would you like?” the clerk, who was knitting a sweater behind the counter, asked as he sized her up.
“Concern for the people’s livelihood—this one, this one, and that skirt. Can I take a look?” Gu Rou pointed to the clothes and said directly.
The clerk looked at her, paused for two seconds, then went to fetch the clothes.
“You can only look at the sizes. If the size isn’t right, let me know. Don’t touch too much or try it on. If you like it, I’ll wrap it up for you,” the clerk said briefly.
Gu Rou remembered from her past life that clerks in this era served customers like this, so she didn’t argue. She checked the quality and size, confirmed it would fit, and prepared to buy.
“I’ll take this skirt,” a young female voice said from behind her.
Gu Rou turned to look, just as she was about to put the skirt down, a hand reached over.
Someone was trying to snatch it from her? Calmly, she stepped aside, holding her items, and moved back. The hand grabbed empty air and froze. The girl then frowned angrily.
“I said I want this skirt. Didn’t you hear me?”