When they arrived at the little restaurant, the proprietress came over to greet them warmly. "You're here, dear! Come, sit down. What would you like to eat?"
Shen Moxi smiled in greeting. "I brought my family over for a meal. Our clothing store opens tomorrow."
"Really? Congratulations, dear! May wealth come pouring in! We'll come support you when we have time after you open." At the news, the proprietress poured out one pleasant remark after another as though they cost nothing.
"Thank you. Please bring the menu over so they can order a few dishes." Once everyone was seated, the proprietress brought the menu and handed it to Shen Moxi.
"Sister-in-law, you order first. Don't worry about spending money on food. Think of this as our celebration before the opening." Shen Moxi passed the menu to Wang Xiaoxia and took Xiao Xuan into her arms.
Wang Xiaoxia shook her head. "You should order. I don't know what's good and what isn't. I'll just eat whatever you order. It would be a shame to waste money by ordering the wrong things." With that, she gave the menu to Shen Tao to order.
Shen Moxi saw this but said nothing. Most rural women were like this, accustomed to being frugal and having rarely gone out to see the world, much less eaten at a little restaurant like this.
Once she had lived here longer, seen more of the world, handled more money, and could earn more herself, she would gradually change. It was not something that could change overnight.
Shen Tao did not say much either. He took the menu and ordered several vegetable dishes everyone could eat, then let Song Qi order. Song Qi chose a few dishes and even asked Shen Moxi what she thought and whether she liked them. Shen Moxi looked them over and found them all fine. Only then did Song Qi hand the menu to the proprietress.
A flicker of approval crossed the proprietress's eyes as she watched what Song Qi had just done. Men these days were generally chauvinistic. Few brought their wives along when eating out, and fewer still asked their wives' opinions before finishing their orders.
After ordering, everyone chatted as they waited. Shen Moxi took the three watches she had bought out of her shoulder bag.
"Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, Second Brother, I bought these watches for you, one each. It'll be much easier to check the time once you're wearing them." With that, she handed one to each of them.
The three were stunned by Shen Moxi's sudden extravagance. Shen Tao looked at his watch. It was a Shanghai-brand watch! He had previously seen the boss at the supply and marketing cooperative wearing one and had specifically asked about its price. It cost 130 yuan at the department store.
Wang Xiaoxia was even more dumbfounded. Was this... was this really a watch to wear on her wrist? It was layer upon layer of ten-yuan notes! Her heart pounded furiously.
She immediately pushed the watch back into Shen Moxi's hand. "Little Sister, this is too expensive. I can't accept it. Hurry and return it. We can't waste money like this."
Only then did Shen Yuan recover. He swallowed and said nervously, "Little Sister, we appreciate your kindness toward us, but these watches are too expensive. Where did you get so much money? And the purchase coupons aren't easy to get either. We don't need anything this nice. Let's go return them in a bit."
Smiling, Shen Moxi took the watch and put it on Wang Xiaoxia's wrist, refusing to let her take it off. "Listen to me. These watches may be a little expensive, but they're gifts from me. You're not allowed to refuse."
"That friend of mine gave me the coupons. Their family has powerful connections, so a few coupons mean nothing to them. As soon as I mentioned it, they gave them to me and even took me to buy the watches. We have an ongoing business relationship. They don't think anything of something like this."
Song Qi nodded at an appropriate moment and said, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, since we've already bought them, we certainly can't return them. It may be a lot of money, but the two of us can still afford it. Don't worry."
Shen Tao's and Shen Yuan's eyes reddened as they looked at the watches in their hands. Their little sister really had grown up.
"All right. Since these are gifts from our little sister and brother-in-law, we won't keep refusing and act like outsiders." Shen Tao held out his wrist and put his watch on.
Shen Yuan put his on too, stroking it with great fondness. The look in his eyes was just like someone gazing at his young wife.
Wang Xiaoxia carefully hid her watch inside her sleeve, afraid she might knock it against something and damage it.
Just then, the dishes were ready, and the proprietress brought them over, smiling. "I'm giving you an extra cold dish today to congratulate you on your store opening."
Shen Moxi stood to take it. "Thank you! When you come tomorrow, I'll give you an extra discount."
"Ha-ha! Thank you, dear!" The proprietress laughed as she set the dish down.
They ate and chatted. Little Xiao Xuan had quite an appetite too. Wang Xiaoxia kept feeding him without taking a single bite herself.
Shen Moxi quickly ate her fill, then took him into her arms to feed him so Wang Xiaoxia could eat. "Sister-in-law, I'll feed him. Hurry and eat. The dishes are getting cold."
"You eat first. I'm not hungry yet. I can eat once Xiao Xuan's full." Wang Xiaoxia could hardly let her sister-in-law hold her son while she ate.
"I'm full. We had lunch late today, so I wasn't that hungry. Hurry and eat. Cold food isn't good for your stomach." Shen Moxi waved a hand, picked up Xiao Xuan's spoon, and fed him.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaoxia nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating.
After everyone finished eating, Shen Moxi asked Shen Tao to take Xiao Xuan and the others for a stroll while she and Song Qi went back to paint the wall. Xiao Xuan had never explored the town before. The moment he came out, he was dazzled by everything, wanting to go here and there.
Seeing that he would be no help even if he went back, Shen Tao took Shen Yuan and the others shopping.
Shen Moxi and Song Qi returned to the store, unlocked the door, and went inside first. She bought the painting tools and paints she needed from the system. She planned to paint a landscape—Wealth Comes from All Directions—hoping that wealth would come pouring in from then on.
Once she had bought all the painting supplies, she asked Song Qi to fetch a ladder from the little storeroom they had used earlier. They would need it shortly.
After they came out, Shen Moxi locked the door. This spot was some distance from that wall, so they would not see anyone going inside.
"I know a little about landscape painting too. It'll be faster if we paint together," Song Qi said, looking up at her when he heard she wanted to paint a landscape.
Shen Moxi slapped her forehead. "Right! I completely forgot about an expert like you. You people from ancient times love painting mountains, rivers, flowers, and plants. You'll definitely have no trouble painting this. Here, let me show you the picture we're going to paint."
With that, she bought a reference picture of Wealth Comes from All Directions from the system. "Take a look. It's this kind. It has such an auspicious meaning—wealth from every direction. Hopefully, it'll help us make a fortune."
Song Qi looked at it and nodded. "No problem. Let's mark out the dimensions first and decide what goes where. Then I'll paint the upper part, and you can paint the lower part."
"All right. Let's measure the wall first, then divide it into sections." Shen Moxi bought a tape measure, paper, and pens from the system, and the two measured everything and marked out the sections one by one.
"All done. I've roughly marked it out in pencil. When we paint, let's make sure to take breaks and stay within the lines, or the upper and lower parts won't match up." Once Song Qi had finished everything, he climbed down the ladder.
"Mm, got it. Be careful up there." Shen Moxi picked up the tools and paints she needed and began painting the lower section.
Song Qi took the tools and paints he needed, climbed the ladder, and began painting from the top.