Chapter 95: Shortcut to Wealth

The neighbor’s boys, Da Huzi and Er Huzi, loved to dig small holes and build little dirt mounds on the ground, using glass marbles to play a game.  

They would compete to see who could aim and shoot their marble into the target.  

Anyone who didn’t have marbles couldn’t participate in the game.  

Da Huzi and Er Huzi had even tried to tempt him with glass marbles, attempting to trade them in exchange for a chance to get closer to Zhou Xiaohua.  

But Zhou Xiaochuan had coldly refused them.  

“They’re just glass marbles.” he had thought firmly to himself. “I don’t care for them.”  

Little wolf cub had once convinced himself so.  

But Jiang Rou…  

She had placed in front of him the very thing he had once rejected yet secretly longed for—and had even given it to him as a gift.  

They were his.  

All of these glass marbles belonged to him.  

Zhou Xiaochuan held the marbles in his hands, his small face taut, his expression complicated.  

For a long time, he remained silent.

He lifted his eyes and looked at Jiang Rou.  

The boy’s gaze was still clear and bright, but it was now completely different from the coldness and wariness it had held before.  

And yet…  

Thank you.

The two words rolled in his throat, but still, he couldn’t say them out loud.  

Jiang Rou didn’t mind. She simply smiled gently.  

“Xiaochuan, now that you have glass marbles, you should play well with the other children.”  

Her true intention was to help Zhou Xiaochuan become less withdrawn.  

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaochuan nodded firmly. “Mm.”  

He worked hard to swallow the lump in his throat.  

Then—  

It was Zhou Xiaohua’s turn to receive her gift.  

Unlike little wolf cub, the young girl’s thoughts were much simpler.  

She was overjoyed, her bright eyes sparkling as she eagerly tore open the paper box.  

Inside was—a silver harmonica.  

The harmonica had a shiny metallic exterior, with green plastic in the middle.  

There were two rows of small holes.  

Zhou Xiaohua had never seen such a thing before. She turned it over and over in her small hands, examining it curiously.  

But… how was it supposed to be used?

Was it something to eat?  

A big question mark appeared in her little head.  

Jiang Rou took Zhou Xiaohua’s hands and guided the harmonica to her lips, positioning it properly.  

She said: “Xiaohua, blow into it.”  

Zhou Xiaohua immediately obeyed, taking a deep breath and blowing as hard as she could.  

In an instant—  

“Dee—”  

A musical note rang out.  

Zhou Xiaohua’s small face filled with wonder.  

Her dark, round eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Jiang Rou.

【It makes a sound!】  

【This thing can actually make a sound!】  

Jiang Rou adjusted the harmonica’s position and had Zhou Xiaohua blow into it again.  

“Dee-dee-dee—”  

“Dee-dee—”  

“Dee—”  

The different positions and the varying strength of her breath produced different tones.  

It was just like the small bowls she had tapped before, creating a melody with high and low notes.  

This was the first time Zhou Xiaohua had learned that such an instrument existed.  

The sound was light and cheerful.  

More importantly…  

“Now that Xiaohua has a harmonica, she can ‘speak.’ These melodies will be your voice.”  

Zhou Xiaohua gripped the harmonica tightly and nodded enthusiastically.  

Then, she took a deep breath and blew hard again.  

“Dee—”  

【Yes!】  

She could speak now!  

---

Jiang Rou’s gifts had truly touched the hearts of the two children.  

Their smiles, already full of joy, became even sweeter.  

Zhou Xiaochuan carefully tucked the glass marbles into his pocket. His small hand remained firmly in place, gripping the fabric of his pants as he walked, afraid they might accidentally fall out.  

Zhou Xiaohua, on the other hand, kept her harmonica in hand, occasionally blowing into it as they walked.  

Between the four of them, a lively and cheerful melody now accompanied their steps.  

As they made their way toward the dock—  

Jiang Rou’s gaze landed on a green sign by the roadside.  

It was… the Post Office.  

At first, she passed by without much thought.  

But in the very next second—  

A familiar scene suddenly flashed through her mind.  

Her steps came to an abrupt halt as she turned to look at the Post Office again.  

Those flashes weren’t memories.  

They were fragments of a novel’s plot.  

In similar era novels, one of the golden-fingered female protagonists’ best shortcuts to wealth was—  

Postage stamps!  

Stamps!  

How could she have forgotten about this?  

In this era, aside from rare antiques that were difficult to authenticate, the most valuable items were undoubtedly stamps.  

Small, easy to store, and incredibly valuable.  

Jiang Rou stared at the Post Office, her eyes growing brighter with excitement.

The golden glimmers sparkled brightly.

At the same time.

Noticing that Jiang Rou was momentarily distracted, Zhou Zhongshan and the two children also stopped walking.

Zhou Zhongshan followed Jiang Rou’s gaze.

He, too, saw the post office.

“Wife, do you want to write a letter or send a telegram?”

“Huh? A letter? Yes, yes! I want to write a letter! Zhongshan, wait for me here. I’ll go into the post office and buy a few stamps so I can use them later. You guys wait for me, okay?”

As she spoke, Jiang Rou had already strode toward the post office.

Along the way, she couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips, as if she were walking toward a bright future.

A few minutes later.

Jiang Rou came out of the post office with a few stamps in her hand.

“All right, I’ve got them. Let’s continue to the dock.”

She patted her pocket.

Her expression was as joyful as Zhou Xiaohua’s when receiving a gift—her eyes curved into crescents, filled with happiness.

Zhou Zhongshan didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed a little too easy for her to be this happy over just a few stamps.

Should he ask someone about this?

Was there something special about these stamps?

A rough man like him probably wouldn’t know, but He Donglai might have some idea.

Zhou Zhongshan silently made a mental note of it.

---

Inside the cabin on the return journey.

After two days and one night, everyone’s mood had changed from when they departed.

Looking out through the glass window at the vast, endless sea.

Their hearts were filled with the weight of a rewarding journey and the joy of returning home.

No matter how good the city was, it could never compare to their own home.

Rocked by the motion of the ship, Jiang Rou leaned against Zhou Zhongshan’s shoulder and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

Zhou Zhongshan gently covered Zhou Xiaohua’s harmonica and made a shushing gesture.

“Shh—”

Zhou Xiaohua slowly lowered the harmonica.

She turned her head and glanced at Jiang Rou, who was already asleep.

Immediately, she became quiet and well-behaved.

Zhou Xiaochuan was also silent.

However, his hand, hanging by his side, would occasionally reach into his pocket to touch something.

Inside the cabin.

A warm silence filled the air.

Only the sound of the ship’s whistle could be heard as it moved forward.

However—

Jiang Rou was not actually asleep.

She had entered the System space and was in the middle of something big.

【Dear Master, welcome to the System space. Your Tao Duoduo Mall is now open and running stably. You can use it at any time…】

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Harmonica