Chapter 248 - 243: Monkey Stamp, Third Geng
On February 15, 1980, two days before Chinese New Year, the country issued Monkey Stamps with a face value of eight fen, releasing only five million of them.
Early in the morning, Qin Xi rode a bike with Li Xianglu, who was bundled up in heavy clothes, and Qin Zhen to several different Post Offices, and they did not stop until they had purchased fifty thousand stamps. They also bought five hundred first day covers of the Monkey Stamp for their collection.
Qin Zhen couldn’t comprehend why the two were buying stamps with such fervor, but seeing Li Xianglu’s sly expression, he believed these items would definitely become valuable in the future. He might not understand much about his sister-in-law, but he knew very well her obsession with money, so he took out his own savings of one hundred yuan and bought some stamps for Li Xianglu to keep for him.
Li Xianglu had wanted to purchase as many as possible, ideally sweeping up the entire stock from Post Offices around the capital — it was all about money, money, money in the future.
However, Qin Xi pointed out that they couldn’t do that, as it would disrupt the market. They had already bought enough; buying more would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. Besides, he had privately acquired another batch, so as not to be overly conspicuous.
On February 16, New Year’s Eve, Qin Xi took Qin Zhen and Li Xianglu back to the Qin Family in the afternoon after having lunch with Mr. Qin. They decided to celebrate the New Year there in the courtyard house.
On New Year’s Eve, Li Xianglu prepared two pounds of minced meat, some meatballs and chunks, a fried fish, and a twenty-pound bag of rice for Sister Xing, so she could go home early for the New Year celebration and return on the eighth day of the new year.
This was Sister Xing’s second New Year with the Li Family, a more abundant one than the last. Mr. Li would also give her some meat, rice, and flour from time to time; her two children had grown taller and plumper over the past year, for which she was very grateful.
Everything was ready, so Li Xianglu’s food preparations on New Year’s Eve were quite simple, with all the dishes being semi-prepared, making frying, stir-frying, and stewing quite convenient. Two hours later, at a little after seven o’clock, the family dining table was set with nine dishes and one soup.
The piping hot steamed rolls were placed at the edge in a basket, accompanied by a bottle of Moutai. Mr. Li was in a good mood today, allowing everyone to have a drink, with Xiangxiang allowed a maximum of half a glass.