The next day, Paige woke up feeling refreshed.
"Oh right, this is for you all." Paige suddenly remembered she hadn't given the money to Uziel and the others yet.
Yesterday, the restaurant gave her over 600 yuan. After a big shopping trip, she spent several dozen yuan, and now there was only a bit over 500 left.
"I'll give you 200, then I'll give your brother 200 too. I'll keep the remaining hundred or so for myself."
With money in hand, she could buy whatever she wanted.
"How about we go to the city today and look around?" Paige said as the idea popped into her mind.
Although they bought fabric yesterday, they didn't get any ready-made clothes, and making clothes would take time.
Now that she had money, of course she wanted to eat well and dress well.
Last night's leftovers were tasty, but nothing compared to the food at a restaurant.
With money in hand, Paige just wanted to enjoy spending it.
Living in the moment was the way to go.
"I'm going to wake them up." As soon as she thought of it, Paige quickly got dressed and went out.
Uziel also hurried to get dressed and went out.
Ely, rubbing his eyes, instantly perked up when he heard they could go to the city.
He quickly put on his jacket and ran to brush his teeth.
"For you, spend it however you want." While Ely was away, Paige slipped 200 yuan to Winn.
"Where did you get so much money?" Winn asked in surprise.
"Don't worry, I didn't steal or rob. Just spend it. Uziel got 200 too. You each get the same." Paige replied.
She was always fair.
"Thanks." Winn had been about to refuse, but hearing Uziel got the same amount made him accept without hesitation.
"What are you guys doing?" Ely asked curiously, looking at the two of them.
"Your big brother Winn said he'd give you one yuan to spend however you want." Paige pulled a one-yuan note from her pocket and handed it to Ely.
"Wow, it's for me?" Ely quickly wiped the water off his hands and excitedly took the note.
It was the first time in his life he had his own money.
"Then I'm going to save it and keep it as a souvenir." Ely affectionately rubbed the note against his cheek.
"As long as you're happy." Paige didn't plan to tell Ely that during wartime, currency could lose its value anytime.
Saving money was the dumbest move.
Anyway, it was only one yuan. Even if it ended up being a lesson, it wouldn't be a big loss.
The four of them got ready and headed down the mountain. Uziel even pushed the wooden cart.
Since all four were going shopping, bringing a cart would help avoid the trouble of having nowhere to put things.
It wasn't convenient bringing people along—they had to walk slowly to keep pace—but Paige treated it like enjoying the scenery.
In the past, if the snow was this thick, every step had to be taken with caution.
No one knew what deadly thing might be hiding underneath.
After walking for over three hours, they finally reached the city.
Paige led them straight to the same restaurant they'd eaten at before.
Small vendors couldn't operate anymore. Only big restaurants still had supplies.
"Miss, you're here! Please, all four of you, come inside." The waiter immediately recognized this generous customer and warmly welcomed them.
"You can leave the cart at the entrance. I'll move it to the backyard for you. When you're ready to leave, I'll bring it out again."
"Alright, give us the same private room as last time." Paige told Uziel to set down the cart, then led them inside.
The other three had never been to such a high-end restaurant before. They even walked a bit awkwardly.
The hall was spacious and bright, with dark red wooden flooring polished over time, giving off a warm glow.
Several square dining tables were set in the center, each adorned with delicate tableware and fresh flowers.
The four followed the waiter directly upstairs.
Private rooms were neatly arranged on both sides.
The doors were made of solid wood, fitted with brass handles and locks.
As the door opened, a strong vintage atmosphere greeted them.
"Salted duck, squirrel fish, beauty liver, braised meatballs. And a pound of shrimp," Paige said to the waiter.
"Also, bring me some pastries or snacks first. I need something to fill my stomach."
"Alright, I'll get right to it. Miss, we also have beef today. Would you like some?" the waiter asked.
"Beef? Sure. Make it a large portion," Paige nodded.
"Okay, I'll go prepare it. Um, miss, about the payment..." the waiter hesitated.
"Is this enough?" Paige tossed him a small piece of gold she had picked out yesterday.
The waiter caught it instantly, beaming with joy as he hurried out. "More than enough. I'll go arrange the dishes now."
As the door closed, the other three breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Sis, what did you just throw him?" Ely asked quietly.
"A pebble," Paige replied.
"You can buy food with a pebble? What kind of pebble is that valuable?" Ely asked in shock.
"The shiny golden kind. Do you have any? If you do, we could eat here every day," Paige said.
"Wow, how much is this meal going to cost?" Ely looked worried.
He didn't have any shiny pebbles. In fact, he only had one yuan, and that was from this morning.
"Live in the moment. Who cares how much it costs? As long as we're happy while eating," Paige said, lightly tapping his forehead.
If gold nuggets could be used as money, then her space had plenty.
She had dug them out from trash heaps in her past life, and they were still stored along with all sorts of random junk.
If her space wasn't big enough, she wouldn't have thrown in every piece of trash she found.
Ely was just about to argue when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Paige said.
"Guests, these are the shop's special pastries and snacks. Please try them first. The dishes are on the way," the waiter said as he placed the tray of food on the table and stepped out.
"Don't just stare at them. Try some," Paige said, picking up a piece of sweet osmanthus lotus root and popping it into her mouth.
Seeing her use her chopsticks, the others also reached for the snacks closest to them.
Besides the lotus root, there were plum blossom cakes, chestnut cakes, and red date cakes.
Each person also had a bowl of sweet fermented rice with red bean dumplings in front of them.
"Sis, this is so good!" Ely said, eyes squinting in delight.
"If you like it, eat more. We'll come often," Paige said.
"How can we come often? This stuff must be expensive. Just coming once is already enough for me," Ely said happily.
"Alright then, next time we come, we won't bring you. Since once is enough," Paige replied.
"No way! I still want to come if you're coming. I just meant that you don't have to come here just for me. But if you're already coming, I'd love to tag along," Ely quickly said, afraid she'd really leave him behind next time.
"Don't worry. You're always just tagging along anyway," Paige said with a laugh.
Ely scratched his head. As happy as he was to have a free meal, something about her words sounded off.
Forget it. The food's here. Time to dig in.