Old Su sighed softly, “An old friend said he was coming to visit me, but I haven’t seen any sign of him yet. Little girl, did you happen to see a carriage pass by with an orchid carved on the lintel?”
An orchid?
Gu Yanxi thought carefully and shook her head, “I haven’t seen one.”
Seeing Old Su sweating profusely from the heat, Gu Yanxi smiled and said, “It’s really hot today, Grandpa. Why don’t you go home and wait? I’ll deliver these three portions of potatoes to you once they’re ready.”
Old Su glanced around once more. The street was nearly empty, with no carriages in sight.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Alright, then I’ll trouble you with that.”
Old Su left his address before departing.
As he walked away, he muttered to himself, ‘Xiao Shengzi promised that kid would come see me, but there’s not even a shadow of him. Hmph! I won’t let you off easy next time I see you!’
The day went remarkably smoothly. By mid-morning, all the ingredients had sold out.
The weather was growing increasingly hot.
Gu Yanxi delivered the final three portions of potatoes to the address Old Su had given her—a residence directly across from Yunchang Academy.
Noon.
Gu Yanxi finally arrived home.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, her parents came forward to greet her.
Gu Guosheng took the items from his daughter’s hands, his heart aching for her. “It’s so hot out. Come inside and cool off.”
Zhao Shi took out a blue handkerchief to wipe her daughter’s sweat. “Look at you, drenched in sweat. You must be exhausted.”
“Not at all.”
A warm feeling flowed through Gu Yanxi’s heart.
In her previous life, she had been an orphan, independent from childhood.
To protect herself, she had learned martial arts.
To save money on food, she never ordered takeout and prepared all her meals herself.
No one had ever asked her if she was tired.
“Mom, I’ve been pushing the cart all this way. Why aren’t you asking if I’m hot or tired?”
Gu Yu voiced his strong protest.
After parking the cart, he looked up to see the three of them happily heading toward the main hall together, having completely forgotten about him.
Zhao Shi glanced back at him briefly. “You’ve always been tough since you were little. Can’t a man handle a little hardship like this?”
Since the theft incident, she had stopped indulging him in everything and left his discipline entirely to her daughter.
Her daughter had some effective methods, managing to keep this unruly fellow thoroughly in line.
She had been much more at ease lately.
“Hmph!”
Although Gu Yu felt quite neglected, he still poured a cup of cool tea for himself and his sister.
After drinking the tea, he felt much refreshed.
Thinking of today’s earnings, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Dad, Mom, guess how much money Sister and I made today?”
Seeing his son being deliberately mysterious, Gu Guosheng said impatiently, “Stop dawdling and spit it out.”
“Sister, you tell them.” Gu Yu nudged closer, bumping his sister’s arm.
Gu Yanxi rolled her eyes at him. He loved showing off but pushed the task onto her.
She leisurely finished her tea before speaking calmly, “We sold one hundred portions of potatoes and sixty-four portions of Liangmian. After deducting all costs, we made about one tael and four mace of silver.”
“Additionally… we received a ten-tael silver reward.”
Hearing these numbers,
Gu Guosheng and Zhao Shi both gasped, exchanging glances of utter disbelief.
Including yesterday’s earnings, they had made almost two taels of silver in just two days… no, twelve taels!
Was money this easy to earn now?
Gu Yanxi counted out one hundred copper coins for her younger brother. “You’ve performed very well these past two days. This is your reward.”
For the past two days, my younger brother had been leaving early and returning late with her, busy with business, and hadn’t mentioned going to Caiyun Guan at all.
It seemed he had changed somewhat.
This was just as well—I could use this money to test him and see if he had truly changed.
When Gu Yu saw so much money, his eyes instantly lit up, and he reached out to pull the coins toward himself.
Wow, in just two days, there was this much! Following my sister really has a promising future!
Just as he was about to stash the coins into his own pouch, he felt several pairs of eyes fixed on him.
“Um… Sis, it’s only right to help the family. I can’t take this money.”
So, under the watchful gazes of his parents and sister, he sheepishly pushed the money back.
He clearly saw his father already reaching for the club as thick as a bowl’s rim beside him—one hit from that, and he’d lose half his life!
No wonder, when he came home earlier, he saw his father chopping firewood but had kept one piece aside like a treasure.
Wah, it was prepared for him after all…
To show his sincerity, Gu Yu said with utmost seriousness, “Sis, our business has just started, and there are still many places where we need money. You keep this for now—consider it my small contribution to the business. Let money make money, so we can earn even more!
You’ve got to work hard and strive to grow bigger and stronger as soon as possible!”
Gu Yanxi: “?”
She never expected that her brother, who usually only ate, drank, and had fun all day, would suddenly become so cunning?
Was he even giving her a reverse pep talk now?
It seemed he did have a clever streak.
He knew how to give up some immediate gains for long-term benefits.
Hearing the siblings’ conversation, Gu Guosheng felt deeply relieved and withdrew his hand.
“You’re both good children, but you must take care of your health and not overwork yourselves,” Zhao Shi expressed her concern for the siblings.
“Mom, don’t worry, we know our limits.”
As they spoke.
Gu Yanxi pushed the loose change beside her toward her mother, “Take this. You and Dad can buy whatever you need.”
“This…”
Zhao Shi felt a warmth in her heart.
“Mom has money. You should keep more cash on you for business—it’ll make things easier. Don’t worry about the family.”
“A Qian, if our children want to provide for us, just accept it.”
“Alright, I’ll keep it safe for you. If you need money, just ask me.” Zhao Shi carefully put the money away, smiling from ear to ear.
Gu Yu slumped into a chair, hugging his arms and sighing, “I’m so tired, Mom. Please massage my shoulders—they’re so sore.”
Seeing his son starting to order his parents around, Gu Guosheng said sternly, “All you know is how to slack off.”
“I’m not slacking off, I’m really tired!
Business is so good every day, customers are rushing us, the scene is chaotic, and there are so many people cutting in line. I have to take orders, collect money, and maintain order all at once. Is there anyone who can save me?!!”
Gu Yu complained from the side.
This reminded Gu Yanxi.
Several people had complained to her today that even though they arrived first, they had to wait forever. With tight class schedules, they were almost late.
It seemed… she needed to find a way to streamline the process.
Got it!
“A Yu, go cut some bamboo.”
“Sis!”
Gu Yu, called out by name, immediately protested, “Please, spare me!”
“Get moving now.” Gu Guosheng kicked his son, “What’s a little hardship? If you want a better life in the future, you can’t avoid hard work now!”
After lunch.
Gu Yu was dragged by his father to cut bamboo.
Gu Yanxi, having rested enough, went into the kitchen to tinker around.
As the weather grows increasingly hot, everyone’s appetite tends to wane, making it the perfect time for some appetizing dishes.
Pea Jelly is an excellent choice!
Making Pea Jelly requires pea starch.
Although people in this era consume peas, no one has yet explored alternative ways of preparing them. Without ready-made pea starch available, one must make it from scratch.