Gu Guosheng was somewhat surprised. “A Qian, let our daughter finish speaking first.”
Gu Yanxi said, “Although it’s common to eat steamed buns and wontons in the morning, everyone eats them this way—and has been doing so consistently—so they’re bound to get tired of it. By introducing something new, I can refresh their palate.
Moreover, many people prefer to eat something flavorful in the morning.”
People in this era were accustomed to eating chili peppers, whether it be cayenne, green peppers, bell peppers, or wild chilies—they would add a bit to their dishes.
What’s more, she had created her own special seasoning powder for Tieban Tudou, made by grinding pepper and Sichuan peppercorns into powder and mixing them with chili powder. Both pepper and Sichuan peppercorns were sold in herbal medicine shops, and people hadn’t yet discovered how to use them in cooking.
With this explosive seasoning powder, she was full of confidence in her business.
“You… you…” Zhao Shi grew anxious seeing her daughter speak so convincingly. She looked at her husband, hoping he would talk some sense into their daughter.
After hearing his daughter’s idea, Gu Guosheng felt as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes. “A Yan’s idea is excellent! If it were me, I’d also want to eat something with flavor. Otherwise, just having plain congee and cabbage is too bland.
A Qian, our daughter has always been sensible since she was young. Let’s trust her this once.”
“Thank you, Father and Mother!”
With her father’s support and fearing her mother might change her mind, Gu Yanxi assigned Gu Yu the task of cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks.
She rummaged through the money box for all their savings and hurried to the neighboring carpenter, Ding, to order a stall cart.
“Miss Gu, I happen to have a cart in my shop that matches the style you described. It’s just a bit larger in size and no longer needed by the previous customer. Would you like to take a look?”
“Sure.”
When Gu Yanxi saw the stall cart, its size and height were just right. It had two stove openings for pots, and the bottom was sealed with thick iron sheets, perfect for burning firewood. She was very satisfied.
“Uncle Ding, I’ll take this cart. How much is it?”
“To be honest with you, this cart has been sitting here for three months and hasn’t sold. Just give me the cost price—eight hundred coins—and it’s yours.”
Gu Yanxi counted out eight hundred coins and handed them to Carpenter Ding, then pushed the stall cart away.
Now, she had less than one tael of silver left. She wasn’t sure if it would be enough to make an iron griddle.
She first pushed the stall cart home and, without even stopping for a drink of water, rushed energetically to Lei the blacksmith’s house.
Lei the blacksmith was an old friend of her father’s. Making two iron griddles wasn’t much work—he just needed to create a shallow indentation in the middle—so he only charged Gu Yanxi three hundred coins.
Gu Yanxi also bought two iron spatulas for fifty coins.
Leaving the blacksmith’s shop, she calculated in her mind: the stall cart and pots had cost one tael and one hundred fifty coins in total. If the Tieban Tudou and Liangmian sold well, she could recoup this cost in just a few days.
Gu Yanxi carefully tucked away the remaining eight hundred fifty coins and headed home.
Late at night.
The chorus of cicadas and frogs blended together, creating a lively atmosphere.
Gu Yanxi suddenly sensed something amiss. Opening her eyes, she saw a shadowy figure moving outside the window.
There was a thief in the house!
Frowning tightly, she quietly got out of bed, arranged the blankets to make it look like someone was still sleeping, and picked up the scissors she always kept by her bedside.
Pressing close to the wall, she moved behind the door, ready to fight at any moment.
The shadowy figure held a kitchen knife, using it to slide the door bolt aside through the crack in the door. The bolt was tight, and each movement required great effort. Seemingly frustrated by how long it was taking, the figure spat in irritation.
Gu Yanxi’s frown deepened. Why did that voice sound somewhat familiar…
Before she could ponder further, there came a “click” as the door bolt slid open.
The door was pushed ajar, and a dark figure crouched low, sneaking in furtively. After confirming the person on the bed was still fast asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and began swaggering around the room.
Spotting a small chest on the dressing table, he chuckled to himself—this must be it.
He opened the chest to find a box inside. He muttered under his breath about how well she hid things.
Upon opening the box, he discovered a cloth-wrapped bundle. Of course, valuable items needed to be hidden securely to avoid attracting thieves.
Eagerly, he unwrapped the cloth, only to find… nothing inside!
What the heck!
Disgusted, the dark figure tossed the cloth onto the table and began rummaging through the cabinets, making so much noise that he failed to notice the figure approaching him from behind.
“Where on earth is it hidden?”
After searching for a long time without finding what he was looking for, the dark figure grumbled aloud.
“Are you looking for this?”
Gu Yanxi leaned close to the dark figure, lightly jingling the object in her hand as she asked softly.
Hearing the pleasant clinking sound, the dark figure’s eyes instantly lit up. “Yes, yes, that’s it! How did you… Wait, why are you here?”
“Gu Yu!” Gu Yanxi gritted her teeth in anger, the sound audible, and kicked her younger brother behind the knee. “How dare you! Sneaking in to steal money in the middle of the night! Who taught you these bad habits?”
“Sis, I…” Gu Yu’s knee throbbed with pain as he knelt on the floor, not daring to look up.
He still couldn’t figure out how his sister had discovered him—he had been so careful.
“You couldn’t get money during the day, so you resorted to stealing. Tonight, you’ll kneel here and reflect. You’re not allowed to sleep without my permission!”
Gu Yanxi believed that gambling and stealing were the worst vices. She couldn’t indulge him any longer, or he might even dare to commit murder and arson.
“Sis, I was wrong…” Gu Yu tried to sneak back to his feet.
“Kneel down!”
He shrank back in fear, his mind racing as he tried to think of ways to win his sister’s favor. She used to dote on him so much—she would never have punished him like this before.
“Sis, my dear sister, I promise I’ll never do anything foolish again. If I ever make another mistake, you can hit me, scold me, or punish me however you want. Just forgive me this once, please? My dear sister~”
“No! If you do something wrong, you must face the consequences.”
Just then, a gentle voice chimed in, “What’s going on? A-Yu, have you made your sister angry again?”
Zhao Shi, having heard the commotion and worried about her daughter, had thrown on an outer robe and hurried over, only to find this scene.
Her heart ached to see her son kneeling, so she helped him up. “The floor is cold. Get up and talk.”
“Mom, you’re the best to me. You’re the absolute best mother in the whole world.”
Gu Yu threw himself into his mother’s arms, crying… well, like a delicate flower drenched in rain.
Gu Yanxi rolled her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
She turned to her mother. “Mom, there was a thief in my room.”
Indulgent mothers spoil their sons!
Her younger brother had turned out like this, and their mother had played no small part in it!
“A thief?” Zhao Shi hadn’t expected this and immediately released her son, pulling her daughter aside to check on her. “A-Yan, did the thief hurt you? Are you injured?”
“It was a thief from within the family.” Gu Yanxi fixed her gaze on Gu Yu, her meaning unmistakable. “He wanted to steal silver money.”
“Family thief…”
Zhao Shi understood everything now. Staring at her son with utter disbelief.
“I’m not a thief. I just wanted to borrow some money from you. How can taking things from my own family make me a thief?”