C12 One Catch One Is Right

You know, back in the day when she first traveled to the modern world, electricity was only fifty cents per kilowatt-hour.

And here, in '91, the average factory worker's salary was just a hundred bucks.

It looks like there's still a long way to go to improve the standard of living, especially since she's still struggling to afford electricity.

Lim Fuqing noticed the disappointment in Shen Shuling's eyes and, upon returning home, he instinctively took out his wallet and emptied it.

"This is the money I earned from selling goods," Lim Fuqing said, pulling out a box from behind him. When he opened it, it revealed the gold jewelry she had sold. Shen Shuling couldn't help but smile.

This guy is pretty thoughtful, knowing to redeem his mom's belongings.

She counted the money in the wallet—exactly a thousand dollars.

Lim Shan's hospital stay cost over two hundred, and redeeming the jewelry was six hundred, so he must have made about two thousand on his trip.

That's quite a profitable business; Lim Fuqing definitely has a knack for commerce.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

Lim Fuqing smiled and said, "My dad always gave his money to my mom. It's a family tradition."

"Now that we have electricity, let's buy an appliance for the house."

Shen Shuling shook her head. "What appliance? For now, let's just get a few light bulbs."

Let's see how much the electric bill is for a month first. If it's not too much, we can consider buying appliances later.

Lim Fuqing became the first person in the village to install a light bulb in his home, and his bulb was unlike any sold in stores. Not only was it more energy-efficient, but it was also much more attractive, with a unique shape and color. After all, Fuqing had been traveling around the country for years. Some people were envious, while others gossiped behind his back. The truth was, they just didn't have the courage Fuqing did. He dared to travel nationwide right after high school—would you?

Shen Shuling was unaware of the gossip outside, but she loved the star-shaped bulb in her room. It emitted a warm, cozy white light instead of a dim yellow one.

The Lim family went through a lot in just two weeks, and word finally reached Shuling's family. Her father, Shen Dazhuang, had heard about his son-in-law's troubles. However, at that time, his younger son's wife, Ma Mei, had just gotten pregnant, and he didn't want to bring bad luck home. After all, once a daughter is married off, what more can a father do? Find her another husband? Who would want a pregnant widow?

But now, the son-in-law was alive and had even made some money. His father-in-law had spent several days in the hospital in the city and was discharged safely. So, Shen Dazhuang and his wife packed up twenty farm-fresh eggs and rode over on their tricycle.

When they arrived, Shuling was crouched in the garden, digging holes and covering them with soil. She had sneaked out under the guise of taking a walk and knew she had at most ten minutes before Fuqing would come looking for her. And then there was Tianyang, the little shadow who seemed to have a radar for her whereabouts, always finding her no matter where she hid. Even crouching behind the back wall wasn't enough to escape his notice.

She just wanted a quick peek at how the vegetables were doing, but it felt like everyone at home was guarding her like she was up to no good. The leeks had grown another batch, likely ready for harvest in a few days. Thanks to her special touch, the rest of the garden was also thriving, with tomatoes so big and red that the branches were nearly touching the ground. The peppers and eggplants were equally abundant, with each plant yielding enough to fill a small bowl. The melons and watermelons were growing rapidly, changing almost daily.

Just as she was about to tap a watermelon to see if it was ripe, her little nephew suddenly popped up behind her. "Auntie, you're sneaking into the garden again."

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