Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties
Chapter 137 - 136 Give it a try

Chapter 137: Chapter 136 Give it a try

Lin Qiu asked cautiously, "Sis! Do you still have money left after restocking the goods?"

Lin Xia laughed lightly, "Of course, there is! Enough for us to spend for a long time! You two don’t worry about these things, just focus on studying and learning your skills!"

Her response gave Lin Qiu and Lin Dong some confidence, and they were temporarily relieved, but the worry in their hearts lingered.

After dinner, once everything was tidied up and they lay on the kang to sleep with the lights off, Lin Xia dared to show the worried expression on her face in the darkness.

She only had ten yuan in her pocket. If she didn’t have to sell at the stall for a few days, and there were no other expenses at home, it would be fine. They had stocked up on rice, flour, oil, and vegetables at home and could hold out for a few days.

But what if they needed money for something else? Their rent was almost due, and this time the timing was really inconvenient and she had not anticipated it.

Lin Xia pondered in secret. If selling at the stall was not allowed, there shouldn’t be any issues at the factory gates, right?

Even if they were checking, could they really spare people for every factory area? That was simply impossible. However, she still hesitated;

What if she was out of luck? If she got caught selling goods, it wouldn’t just be a matter of what they would do to her, but a fine or the confiscation of her goods would be enough to choke her.

Even though she had the "Jade" room, she couldn’t just make all her goods disappear in front of everyone, could she?

The next day, after Lin Qiu and Lin Dong had left home, Lin Xia cleaned the inside and outside of the house.

There was hot water in the stove and the pot. She washed the clothes she wore on the train and then started knitting a sweater. When it was about time, she started cooking again.

Lin Dong was relieved to see Lin Xia at home when he returned from school. He was really afraid his sister would insist on going out to sell goods.

Lin Qiu also returned home later, and she thought the same as Lin Dong. Seeing her sister at home put her at ease.

After the two of them ate their meal and left on time, Lin Xia sat at the head of the kang, knitting the sweater.

At that moment, she suddenly heard someone knock on the front door.

A bad premonition rose in Lin Xia’s heart. Who could it be?

She put on her shoes and stepped outside the room. When she heard that the person knocking at the door was the landlord, Lin Xia felt like crying but found no tears.

But since he was already here, she couldn’t just pretend not to be home, could she?

Nowadays, doors were locked with padlocks, making it obvious that someone was inside.

Lin Xia opened the door and the landlord, all smiles, went straight to the point, "Young lady! You plan to keep staying, right?"

"Keep staying," Lin Xia forced a laugh, "But, uncle, isn’t it not yet time? What brings you here so early?"

She could tell why he was there, but she still wanted to struggle a bit.

The landlord laughed, "I know! Three days left! I just happened to be passing by and thought it’d be better to collect the rent now! Saves me from making another trip in a few days!"

"You rest assured and keep staying here. With Teacher Hao’s connection, I won’t cause any trouble! We’re good for it in our household!"

He said it in such a way, and mentioned Teacher Hao, so Lin Xia, even if she wanted to say she’d pay in a few days, couldn’t bring herself to do it.

So, she grudgingly paid the landlord eight yuan for the rent.

After the landlord left, chuckling happily, Lin Xia closed the front door and leaned against it, scratching her hair in frustration. It was indeed raining harder on an already leaky roof; now she only had two yuan left!

That was even less than when she had just started out; she remembered having more than seven yuan back then!

But she immediately cheered up again. What of it if she only had two yuan? She still had the "monkey stamp." Though it was not valuable now, she had hope!

Besides, she just needed to sell some goods to make money. Tomorrow, she would still have to go out and try the factory gates. If she encountered the patrol for black market selling, she would just run.

She couldn’t afford to be without a single cent before thinking of a solution.

That evening, Lin Qiu returned with Lin Dong, and Lin Xia didn’t mention anything to them.

Because she knew that if she did, her younger brother and sister would definitely object;

by the time they knew there were only two dollars left at home, they, being children with heavy hearts, would surely become anxious and agitated;

Delaying their studies or apprenticeship was one thing, but she was afraid that if either of them fell ill, it would be a complete disaster.

The next day, after Lin Xia waited for them to leave, she tidied up the house, simmered some pickled vegetables again, and put both the pickles and the pancakes from the morning in the pot to keep warm.

After that, she grabbed her shoulder bag and went out to sell goods.

She had decided to put out less merchandise outside in case she really did run into a crackdown so she could minimize her losses.

Besides, fortune favors the bold, and now she really had no choice but to risk everything.

Lin Xia found a factory gate to wait at until the end of the shift, meanwhile scouting the surrounding terrain and choosing an escape route before standing at the gate to constantly watch for any suspicious people.

When it was time for the workers to leave, the factory gates opened and the employees poured out en masse.

Lin Xia quickly spread out a red cloth on the ground and started selling her goods.

The female workers, spotting her stall, gathered in small groups, showing great interest in the accessories displayed by Lin Xia.

Upon hearing that Lin Xia had brought these items back from the provincial capital, they became even more interested, as an outsider monk might appear more devout, and some began to take out money to buy.

While Lin Xia was busy selling goods and collecting money, she kept an eye and ear out for anything unusual around her, quickly moving the collected cash to Jade’s room.

Gradually, a crowd formed around her stall, and since people are always curious, regardless of how many were actually buying, there were plenty who were just looking.

Lin Xia was surrounded in the middle as she discussed prices and explained items to those who were picking them up while remaining vigilant for any sign of the authorities, her nerves on high alert.

Just as her sales were booming, she suddenly noticed two men in coats riding bicycles appear abruptly.

Lin Xia immediately sensed something was wrong. In a panic, she swept up the red cloth, ignoring the complaints of the surrounding onlookers and the person holding a hairpin, and took off running without a second thought.

"Stop right there!"

"Don’t run!"

Lin Xia dashed away, and as she heard the chase behind her, she realized her suspicions were correct—these were indeed the people who arrested street vendors.

As she ran, she managed to stash some of the items from the red cloth into Jade’s room, not daring to hide everything in case she got caught—it would be difficult to explain.

Lin Xia felt her throat turn dry, her mouth parched, the same sensation she’d had the last time she ran with Sister He;

fortunately, she had scouted the terrain beforehand and adeptly dodged and weaved her way through, or else she would never have been able to outrun two grown men!

She vaguely sensed that there was only one person left chasing her now, and this person was persistent, not making a sound, just silently pursuing her.

Gradually, Lin Xia felt she couldn’t run any longer; her legs felt as heavy as lead, and she was gasping for air, her heart giving slight stabs of pain.

At that moment, she heard footsteps behind her that seemed closer!

Damn! The pursuer was speeding up!

Panic rose in Lin Xia’s heart, and she, too, picked up her pace, thinking she absolutely could not get caught!

Otherwise, she truly didn’t know what awaited her!

However, before the person behind her could catch her, she suddenly slipped and fell backward onto the ground.