inspire-indiana Chapter 28: He went to buy stocks again.
Chapter 28: He went to buy stocks again.
Shen Wancheng frowned slightly.
She felt that Shen Mei and Guo Tao were getting too close.
Although they have met with Guo Tao these past few days, and Guo Tao has treated them well.
But in Shen Wancheng's view, they and Guo Tao were still just acquaintances, not friends.
Guo Tao, a human trafficker and henchman who mingles in the lower rungs of society, always prioritizes his own interests in everything he does.
If Shen Wancheng hadn't been generous with the money earlier and hadn't allowed Guo Tao to gain enough benefits, Guo Tao definitely wouldn't have paid any attention to Shen Wancheng and her group.
Later, when Guo Tao took them to bet on horse races, he mentioned the childhood voiceover of Chae Rim in the entertainment industry. Shen Yao and Shen Mei didn't understand, but that doesn't mean Shen Wancheng didn't understand either.
Just because they don't need Guo Tao's help now doesn't mean that the three sisters have lost their value in Guo Tao's eyes.
Shen Wancheng knew all about these things, but she couldn't tell Shen Mei directly.
She wasn't sure what Shen Mei thought of Guo Tao. If Shen Wancheng said too much to Shen Mei, and Shen Mei then told Guo Tao what Shen Wancheng had said, then Shen Wancheng would be in a bad situation.
However, although Guo Tao's approach to them may not have pure motives, it is unlikely that he will cause them any harm at present.
So Shen Wancheng nodded and let Shen Mei go with Guo Tao to find a job.
After that, Shen Wancheng started reading financial magazines to understand and compare the current economic situation in Hong Kong with the economic situation in the 80s of her previous life.
However, while she was watching, she still paid some attention to Shen Mei.
Shen Wancheng noticed that Shen Mei only glanced at the entertainment magazines on the table before going to talk to Shen Yao.
This put Shen Wancheng at ease.
Around 4 p.m., Shen Mei suggested to Shen Wancheng that they go buy a pot and some vegetables to cook, saying that they always eat out and it costs a lot of money.
Shen Wancheng said that she knew eating out would cost more, but neither she nor Shen Yao could cook.
Shen Mei then said that she could cook most of the meals, but they might not taste as good as those served outside. They could usually eat at home and occasionally go out to improve their meals.
Since Shen Mei was willing to cook, there was no reason for Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao to disagree.
The three sisters immediately went downstairs to the supermarket to buy groceries.
Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao didn't even go to the food section when they went to the supermarket last time, but this time they came specifically to browse the food section.
Shen Wancheng discovered that the price difference between vegetables on Hong Kong Island and those on the mainland was far greater than the price difference between meat and vegetables.
Upon closer examination, it's understandable. During this period, there were the most farmers in the mainland, and vegetables were the least of their needs.
At that time, most vegetables on Hong Kong Island were priced at around HK$5 per pound, and pork was priced at around HK$10 per pound.
Shen Wancheng wasn't very clear about the price of meat in mainland China, so she asked Shen Mei. Shen Mei said that the price of meat in their town was generally around one yuan per jin (500g), which is about three Hong Kong dollars, less than five times the price in Hong Kong.
Vegetables don't sell very well in town. Most vegetables cost only a few cents per pound and are hard to sell. The price difference for vegetables is almost tenfold.
In the end, Shen Wancheng and her friends bought a small wok for 80 Hong Kong dollars, vegetables and meat for a total of more than 40 Hong Kong dollars, and 10 kilograms of rice for 25 Hong Kong dollars.
In addition, Shen Wancheng thought that the sofa Shen Mei was sleeping on was made of wood and didn't even have a cushion, so it must be uncomfortable to sleep on.
So Shen Wancheng specially bought a sofa cushion and a towel blanket to use as a cover-up.
Although the weather on Hong Kong Island is still hot in September, it can get cool at night if it rains.
The sofa cushions and towel blankets cost HK$210 in total, and the total cost of this shopping trip was HK$365.
The price, regardless of the unit, gave Shen Wancheng the feeling of shopping in a supermarket in a future era.
After arriving home, Shen Mei took out 122 yuan and gave it to Shen Wancheng, but Shen Wancheng refused to accept it.
Shen Wancheng said that she bought the sofa cushions and towel blankets for Shen Mei voluntarily, as gifts from Shen Wancheng to Shen Mei.
As for the cost of the food, Shen Wancheng didn't charge her either. She and Shen Yao couldn't cook, so they paid for the ingredients.
The cooking was all done by Shen Mei, so it's fair to say that Shen Mei contributed her efforts, and this can be considered as sharing the burden equally.
Seeing that Shen Wancheng insisted, Shen Mei took the money back.
The smile on his face was impossible to suppress.
Shen Wancheng bought her sofa cushions and a towel blanket, which made her feel Shen Wancheng's attention and care for her, and this made her very happy.
Shen Mei smiled and went to the kitchen to cook. Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao discussed their upcoming plans.
In less than an hour, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of hot food.
Shen Wancheng went into the kitchen and glanced at the braised pork in the pot. Her eyes lit up.
She couldn't help but praise, "Shen Mei, you're amazing!"
Shen Mei's eyes crinkled with laughter when she heard Shen Wancheng's praise.
"Sister Wancheng, would you like to try some?"
"I want to try everything."
Shen Yao had somehow slipped into the kitchen, and after Shen Wancheng ate a piece of braised pork, she took the chopsticks and picked up a piece for herself.
"It's so delicious, Shen Mei, you're amazing!"
"Yes, it's been so long since I've had such hot and steaming food. It's amazing."
Shen Mei was so embarrassed by the constant praise from Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao that she became quite shy.
"I'm glad you like it."
Shen Yao climbed onto Shen Mei's shoulder, "Of course I like it, Shen Mei, you're too easily embarrassed, you get shy after just a few compliments."
Shen Wancheng rolled her eyes at her, "Do you think everyone is like you?"
"The dishes are all ready, let's take them out to eat."
Shen Mei prepared two dishes and a soup: braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, and tomato and egg soup.
Shen Yao ate three large bowls of rice with the braised pork.
She lay on the sofa with her belly bulging out.
"This is so delicious! Well done, Shen Mei! You guys enjoy your meal, I'm going to lie down for a bit, I'll wash the dishes later."
Shen Yao took the initiative to take over the task of washing the dishes.
Shen Wancheng secretly rejoiced; she really hated washing dishes.
She's grateful to have a sister who understands her.
In the following days, Shen Mei went out to look for work on her own during the day.
Shen Wancheng first studied the current economic situation and stock market trends at home. On the third day, she took Shen Yao to the stock exchange.
At that time, securities trading had not yet entered the computer age; information was transmitted from the trading room to the individual stockholders via broadcast.
In one of the shareholders' rooms, many shareholders held pens and paper, analyzing the news that had just been broadcast. Shen Wancheng, with her strong mental arithmetic and memory, had memorized the information and was now quietly sitting in a corner of a sofa, her eyes downcast as she analyzed the data.
Beside Shen Wancheng, Shen Yao, who knew nothing, looked around listlessly.
Shen Yao's gaze was suddenly drawn to a young man.
The man, dressed in a neat white suit and wearing round black sunglasses, stood out conspicuously in the stock trading room.
He attracted Shen Yao's attention not only because of his flamboyant attire, but also because, like Shen Yao, he looked around as if he knew nothing.
The man in the white suit, who was standing next to him like a follower, was whispering something in his ear. The man in the white suit waved his hand impatiently.
He seemed to sense Shen Yao's gaze on him. He was speaking impatiently, but suddenly turned his head and his eyes met Shen Yao's.
Shen Yao was caught red-handed while peeping at the scene as if she were watching a spectacle.