After the meal, Hu Tianyou patted his round belly in satisfaction. Finally remembering something, he pulled a thick stack of coupons from his pocket. "Sister-in-law, these are all the coupons I have. They're all here."
Jiang Shiyue was a little surprised. "So many?"
Hu Tianyou waved his hand. "It's not that many. Look how much I eat, and you guys don't even mind!"
He knew that meals in the canteen were rationed, and more importantly, the food was terribly unappetizing.
Here at Jiang Shiyue's, not only was the food delicious, but there was also more than enough to go around.
Forget these coupons; even if he were asked to give Jiang Shiyue all the money he had on him, he would do so without hesitation.
Jiang Shiyue was about to say something more, but Gu Yian reached out and took her hand. "It's fine, take them. It's not like he uses them much anyway."
Hu Tianyou nodded vigorously. "That's right, Sister-in-law, just take them. Otherwise, I'll be too embarrassed to come back for more free meals."
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyue took the coupons from Hu Tianyou's hand and placed them on a nearby table. "Alright. In that case, if there's any dish you want to eat, you can tell me in advance. I have to go to town every day, so I can buy the ingredients then."
Hu Tianyou's eyes lit up at her words, but then he seemed to think of something and scratched his head. "Sister-in-law, I'm not picky! I'll eat whatever you make!"
After all, he was already getting to eat such delicious meals every day. If he started making requests, it would be rather ungrateful of him.
Noticing Hu Tianyou's hesitation, Jiang Shiyue said, "You've contributed, after all. You can suggest dishes you want to eat. I can make most things, so don't be shy."
Hu Tianyou licked his lips. "I want to eat braised pork belly."
Jiang Shiyue agreed at once. "Okay."
Meeting Hu Tianyou's sparkling eyes, she added, "But it's probably too late to make it tonight. I'll make it for you for lunch tomorrow."
Hu Tianyou grinned. "No problem, no problem. Anytime is fine. It's not like I have to eat it right now."
The thought of having braised pork belly to eat instantly made him feel energized for work.
Jiang Shiyue stroked her chin. "When I have some free time, I'll make a menu. You guys can order what you want to eat. Otherwise, I have to rack my brain every day thinking about what to cook."
Although she could indeed cook anything, it was precisely because she could cook anything that deciding on the daily menu was a real headache.
If Gu Yian and Hu Tianyou could order from a menu, it would certainly save her a lot of time.
Upon hearing about a menu, Hu Tianyou joked, "Sister-in-law, are you planning on opening a restaurant?"
Jiang Shiyue smiled. "I'm just afraid you don't know what dishes I can make. A menu would make things more convenient."
With that, she stood up. "Alright, you two get back to work. I'm getting ready to go to town."
If she wanted to make money, she had to keep promoting her business, so she needed to go early.
Besides, she had told Lin Xiangmin yesterday that she would come again today, so she could check on how business was doing.
Gu Yian looked at Hu Tianyou. "Go cut down a bamboo stalk. I'm going to make a cage."
Hu Tianyou was puzzled. "What's the cage for?"
"Your sister-in-law wants to raise rabbits. A cage will keep them from running away."
Hu Tianyou felt a little helpless, but he could also understand how Gu Yian had managed to marry Jiang Shiyue.
He was so doting that even a man like him couldn't stand it, let alone a woman.
Still, he obediently said, "Okay," went outside to find a machete, and headed straight for the mountains.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shiyue picked up her suitcase, said goodbye to Gu Yian, strapped the suitcase to the back of her bicycle, and pedaled away.
When she arrived in town, Jiang Shiyue went to the shop directly, using her original appearance.
The once-lifeless shop had been completely transformed. The clothes she had given the owner yesterday were hanging on the wall, and the fabrics were neatly stacked to the side.
There were several customers in the shop, all lined up waiting to have their measurements taken. A middle-aged woman in her forties, likely Lin Xiangmin's wife, was surrounded by the customers.
Lin Xiangmin was pedaling the sewing machine nonstop, so fast it looked like it was about to spit sparks.
Jiang Shiyue had thought before that women's money was easy to earn, but she hadn't expected it to be this easy.
After all, a set of clothes wasn't cheap, yet people were already lining up. It was clear just how popular these clothes were.
However, it seemed she needed to introduce some new styles, as there were middle-aged women and men to consider, not just pretty young girls.
She pretended to browse around the shop before leaving and finding a deserted spot.
She bought a new set of clothes from the system's mall—one of the styles available in the shop—along with a pair of soft-soled flat shoes. After changing into the new outfit and shoes, she redid her makeup.
She hid her bicycle and began to stroll leisurely through the town.
Whether in the seventies or the modern era, the celebrity effect always existed.
When people saw someone else wearing something that looked good, they wanted to buy it too. As more people bought it, business would naturally follow, without even needing promotion.
So, what she needed to do now was to walk around town a few times every day wearing different styles of clothing. After all, just because someone didn't like one outfit didn't mean they wouldn't like another.
She could also scout for areas with high foot traffic, which would be convenient for when she started selling her braised goods.
While romance was important, making money was also important.
Besides, Gu Yian was only home for meals and sleep; the rest of the time, he was out working. Was she supposed to follow him to the fields every day to be romantic?
Sure enough, after changing into the new clothes, many people still came up to ask where she had bought them.
After walking back and forth through town four or five times, she changed into another outfit and redid her makeup.
Lin Xiangmin must have described Jiang Shiyue's appearance to his wife, because as soon as Jiang Shiyue entered the shop again, his wife immediately walked over. "You must be Little Yue, right?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I'm Lao Lin's wife. You can just call me Aunt Yuan."
Jiang Shiyue immediately called out, "Aunt Yuan."
She glanced at the customers still waiting to be measured. "Why don't you go help them with their measurements first? I'm not in a hurry."
Yuan Xia nodded. "You got it!"
Jiang Shiyue walked over to Lin Xiangmin. "Uncle Lin, how's it going?"
Lin Xiangmin looked up at Jiang Shiyue for a moment before continuing to pedal the sewing machine, his face wreathed in smiles. "Oh! It's all thanks to you. Business is incredibly good. I reckon the fabric you left yesterday won't be enough. Too many people have come to order clothes."
Jiang Shiyue smiled sweetly. "Isn't that great?"
Probably mindful of the customers, Lin Xiangmin lowered his voice and said, "I'm even thinking about hiring a few apprentices. I can't keep up by myself. The orders are already scheduled for half a month from now."
Jiang Shiyue stroked her chin. "Hiring is an option, but I'm worried some people might get jealous and cause trouble."