Chapter 005: There Are So Many Things Here, So Expensive

Xiaomei looked at a few people; some had one box of rice and one box of dishes, some had one box of rice and two boxes of dishes.

The boxes for rice were filled to the brim, and the boxes for dishes basically contained meat, eggs, and vegetables.

These people really didn’t hold back when it came to eating. Xiaomei swallowed her saliva.

When she heard the price, Xiaomei was even more shocked. This—this—this food is way too expensive, right?

Could this be a rip-off shop?

But looking around, everyone seemed to take it for granted, and no one was bargaining. Xiaomei really didn’t understand.

Thinking of herself having not a penny on her, Xiaomei steeled her heart and continued walking forward.

This street runs north-south. Xiaomei was on the east side of the street at this time. Most of the shops she passed were food stores, such as Wang’s Lin Ji Biscuit Shop, Ziyan, Tibetan Lamb Shop, etc. Since it was just after lunch time, the business inside was relatively quiet, but the aroma was very strong.

Xiaomei didn’t dare linger, endured hunger, and continued walking south. On the way, she passed two schools and two residential communities, finally arriving at the end of the road, where she found another street running east-west.

The street was very wide. Looking forward, beyond it was a big river.

Xiaomei had been awake all day without resting and was now tired, hungry, and thirsty. She wanted to go home.

But how to get home?

Xiaomei felt a bit panicked.

She stood there dumbfounded for a while and then decided to return to the place she had come from. Her intuition told her there was a way home there.

Thinking this, Xiaomei crossed from the east side of the road to the west side and continued walking while looking at the small shops along the roadside.

Obviously, the boxed meal shop she had passed before was the busiest place on this street. Xiaomei entered shops like Laiyifen and Aivier Cake, and also stood at the doors of shops such as Dumb Shengjian (pan-fried buns), Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, Spicy Hot Pot, Feifei Stir-fry, and was almost shocked by the prices.

Wow, there really are so many things here, but why are the prices so high?!

Xiaomei also went into a shop called “One Family Supermarket.” It was strange—people took things freely, and the shop owner didn’t seem afraid of theft.

Everything in this shop had a price tag, all of which Xiaomei thought were surprisingly expensive.

After leaving the supermarket, Xiaomei entered the “Baodaiqiao Vegetable Market.”

Xiaomei knew Baodaiqiao, so it felt quite familiar.

This vegetable market and the shops just now gave Xiaomei a huge shock: first, the prices were really expensive; second, all the shops were run by the shop owners themselves. Xiaomei knew that in her hometown, Yangchenghu Town, the supply and marketing cooperative and the fried dough stick and pancake shop were all state-owned.

Here, people would ask, “Boss, how much is this?” While in her hometown, people would say, “Comrade, how much is this?”

Xiaomei understood the word “boss.” Her grandmother had told her about pre-liberation Shanghai, where the “boss” was the evil capitalist.

Xiaomei was full of question marks. She wandered around the vegetable market, and wherever she went, the stall owners smiled and greeted her: “Little girl, want to buy something?”

Xiaomei shyly shook her head, smiled timidly, and quickly walked on.

After leaving the vegetable market, Xiaomei sighed with relief. There were so many vegetables, many of which could only be eaten in winter, and many vegetables at her home had just sprouted, but here they were already for sale. The market also had fish, shrimp, meat, eggs, fruits, noodles, and many others that Xiaomei had never seen before.

Thinking of this, Xiaomei felt even hungrier.

Opposite the vegetable market was the boxed meal shop, and Xiaomei unknowingly walked there again.

Zhou Huifang’s family was the “locals” around here. Over ten years ago, when the village was demolished, many families got a house and some cash.

When she was young, Zhou Huifang watched a Taiwanese TV drama called “Shy Grass” and liked the second female lead. Later, she subscribed to books about movies and TV and learned some information about the actress, who had retired from acting to open a small shop and live a peaceful life. At that time, she thought that she would open a shop someday too.

So, when the village was demolished, besides getting a three-bedroom house, Zhou Huifang didn’t take the cash but applied for a storefront with the village leaders.

Back then, farmers were very happy to get demolition compensation. The money was not small; everyone thought they could eat and drink for the rest of their lives. No one thought about the future.

So, it was quite easy to get a storefront, and she was given two small shops at once.

The neighboring shops were larger; hers was at the very edge, right by the bridge pier.

Zhou Huifang didn’t mind and happily completed the paperwork.

The small shop was right next to the demolished residential area, which had many buildings for sale. Many teachers, civil servants, and enterprise staff bought there. With more people moving in, vegetable markets and small shops opened, making the entire street lively.

The small shop was about 200 meters south of the community gate, facing west. Once inside the community, there was a main road.

Zhou Huifang was lucky: when drawing lots back then, she got the first row on the north side of the main road on the third floor. The garage was on the first floor; it wasn’t tall but was next to the main road and had good water flow. She rented it to a couple from out of town who opened a clothing store.

For the two shops, she hired three helpers and opened a boxed meal shop, which did well. The neighboring shop was also rented out, becoming a repair shop.

Her husband worked in the village, at the community property management, earning little but knowing everything about village affairs.

Zhou Huifang believed she couldn’t just make money; she also needed to know the village situation; otherwise, she’d be like a blind person.

The couple had only one son, who worked in Shanghai after graduating from university.

Most of their parents and relatives’ families had received demolition compensation.

Some had become big business owners; some younger family members wasted the demolition money and houses; others suffered heavy losses due to serious illness. It was quite sad.

Zhou Huifang was quite satisfied with her family. Their son was a doctor at a big hospital, her husband had a government job, and her small business was low-profile but brought in a decent income.

In fact, they had already bought three houses in the park area: one storefront and two residences. One residence was a villa, the other an apartment, both currently rented out at high rents.

Buying property is a matter of luck; Zhou Huifang always felt she was lucky.

At first, the money was just saved in the bank for interest. Later, a friend introduced her to a friend of a friend who knew Carina Lau.

Carina Lau was from Su City and a beloved actress there. It was said Carina Lau told her classmates, “If you have money, buy a house, and make sure it’s in a good location.”

The best location in Su City was in the park area.

Zhou Huifang’s first purchase was a villa. Why? Because rural people have a gene for wanting a big house. If conditions don’t allow, fine; if they do, they have to realize the dream.

When she bought the villa, the park area was just starting; not many people bought houses, and the price was not much higher than other areas. She borrowed some, took a loan, and added her savings to buy a 300-plus square meter detached villa for over one million yuan.

At first, she just held on to it, but two years later, it became a foreign-related community. Then, a property company called asking if she wanted to rent to foreigners.

Of course, she rented it out. After simple renovations, it was quickly rented at over ten thousand yuan per month. The renovation cost was recovered in less than two years.

Rent hasn’t increased much in recent years, around twenty thousand per month, but housing prices skyrocketed.

They were not planning to buy houses in Su City now, saving money to help their son buy a house in Shanghai.

Housing in Shanghai is expensive, requires full social security contributions, and a few years of waiting.

Life was comfortable. Although Zhou Huifang was busy every day in the shop, she looked young.

Her only hobby now was going out with the village women to burn incense from time to time, which was basically disguised tourism.

And, the more times she went, the more she became more Buddhist in nature.