"Why are you playing rock-paper-scissors like a primary school student?" Gu Fengyan thought to himself.
But he didn't refuse, rubbing his hands together eagerly, "One game at a time, whoever cheats is a little dog!"
"One, two, three..." Huo Duan put a stone behind his back.
Look again at Gu Fengyan—cloth!
"Pfft... You've worked hard, Mr. Huo. I'll make you something delicious when we get back. Hurry up and call out to everyone." Gu Fengyan patted Huo Duan's shoulder sympathetically.
Huo Duan felt like he was digging a hole for himself to jump into. Gu Fengyan was all smiles, like a lucky koi in the real world. How could he possibly win this game of probability?
"Sigh, when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause problems," Huo Duan resignedly said.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted loudly, "Vegetables for sale! Fresh, wild mountain vegetables, affordable prices, honest and fair to all!"
Gu Fengyan watched from the side, struggling to suppress his laughter, and was met with a few resentful glares from Huo Duan...
It has to be said that the shouts were quite effective. People around were attracted by the clear and melodious voices, and when they saw two handsome young men standing there, even those who didn't want to buy vegetables were happy to take a second look.
“Oh, isn’t this perilla leaf…” A middle-aged woman dressed in a light blue dress and wearing a silver hairpin stopped in front of the stall. “Oh, and there are wild onions here too. I haven’t eaten this in so many years.”
Gu Fengyan hurriedly went to greet her, "Auntie, feel free to take a look. These are all freshly picked from the mountain, and the price is fair. It would be nice to buy some to try."
When the aunt saw Gu Fengyan's gentle smile and good looks, she felt embarrassed not to buy anything. "Okay! How much do you want?"
Seeing that there was a chance, Gu Fengyan smiled brightly, "Wild vegetables are five coins a bunch, and bamboo shoots are ten coins a pound. Auntie, once you've picked them out, I'll calculate the price for you."
After thinking for a moment, the aunt picked a bunch of perilla leaves and a bunch of wild onions.
Gu Fengyan took the ten coins she handed over and praised, "Auntie knows how to pick things. The perilla leaves are perfect for pickling vegetables at home, and the wild scallions are great for frying eggs."
"You have a sweet tongue, sir. I'll come back to you next time I have something good!" Auntie said with a beaming smile.
Gu Fengyan readily agreed and saw the person off.
Ten coins! Gu Fengyan counted them carefully one by one again. This was the first pot of gold he had earned in this world!
“Now that you have money, Mr. Huo,” Gu Fengyan tossed a coin to Huo Duan and laughed, “Take this and buy some candy. Thank you for your hard work.”
Huo Duan caught the money and was amused by him. "What candy can you buy with just one penny... Take it back. Arrogance brings trouble. Keep it safe."
He then gave the money to Gu Fengyan.
"If there's any candy, it should be given to Gu Fengyan... He's smiling so sweetly; he must have grown up surrounded by sweetness." Huo Duan thought to himself.
...
Once you get that first order, things will only get smoother from there.
The stall was surrounded by a huge crowd, and the two of them worked together, selling more than half of the wild vegetables in less than fifteen minutes.
Gu Fengyan counted and found that he had earned a total of 125 coins... There were still 20 catties of bamboo shoots on the side that no one had bought. If he could sell them, he would have 300 coins.
The price of ten coins for spring bamboo shoots is not expensive, but it is not cheap for most people either. They are just trying the taste of spring. After the bamboo shoots are peeled, there is only a small amount left. In comparison, they would rather buy wild vegetables for five coins.
The only option is to try going to a restaurant or eatery. A simple cold dish there can easily cost twenty or thirty coins, and the seasonal delicacies from the mountains would only be more expensive.
Gu Fengyan thought for a moment and said to Huo Duan, "Mr. Huo, what should we do if the bamboo shoots don't sell? Why don't we try other places?"
Huo Duanzai carefully packed the items into the wicker basket. "Let's go to East Street. There are many restaurants and eateries there, and they'll be willing to buy from us."
They were thinking the same thing. Gu Fengyan smiled and helped pack their things.
Huo Duan only told him to follow empty-handed and be careful not to be captured by slave traders, then took the things and headed towards East Street. It was only a few steps away.
Gu Fengyan was somewhat dazzled by the sight of all sorts of signs and banners fluttering in the wind, and people dressed in silk clothes coming and going in twos and threes from the restaurants and eateries.
There are two large restaurants in the county, not far from each other. One is a chain store opened by a wealthy merchant from the prefecture, and the other is opened by a boss in the county surnamed Li.
The two restaurants have been rivals for years, and even the waiters in the rooms look down on each other.
Gu Fengyan and Huo Duanxian entered the chain restaurant. Several tables of customers were seated inside, and the waiters were busy. Behind the counter, a middle-aged man with a thin face and shrewd eyes yawned and fiddled with an abacus.
Hearing footsteps, he first put on a fawning smile, "Oh, how many guests are there? Would you like a private room or the main hall..."
"Greetings, Manager Zhou. We're not here for a meal, but to do some business with you," Gu Fengyan said bluntly.
Shopkeeper Zhou looked up and saw that although the two men were dressed cleanly, they were all wearing coarse cloth clothes, and the young man didn't even have any decorations on his ears. They were obviously poor farmers.
His face immediately fell, and he sneered, "Doing business? You poor beggar, don't you even know where you are! You can't even afford food, what kind of business are you trying to do? Go away, get out of the way! Don't block the doorway, you're bad luck!"
They really know how to treat people differently based on their status.
Gu Fengyan had never been so humiliated in his life. He clenched his back teeth and was about to retort, "You—"
Huo Duan hurriedly grabbed Gu Fengyan and pulled him behind him. "Since that's the case, then we won't do this business with Manager Zhou. But there's one thing..." he said calmly, "Manager Zhou is a forgetful person. I hope you will remember what you did today in the future."
After saying that, he took Gu Fengyan's hand and walked out briskly.
Manager Zhou squinted his eyes and rolled them around disdainfully, letting out a sneer through his teeth, "Anyone can talk... I'll wait and see."
Two poor beggars, do you think I'll ever have to beg them? Manager Zhou listened as the two left with their things, busying himself with his abacus, without even looking up.
...
When Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan came out of the restaurant, they hadn't sold any bamboo shoots and had been inexplicably humiliated.
"How could you resist giving him a couple of slaps?" Gu Fengyan felt itchy all over just thinking about Manager Zhou's face.
“He’s right, we don’t have any money right now. His mistake is that he doesn’t respect others. His parents should be teaching him that, we’re not his parents, why should we teach him?” Huo Duan was carefree and comforted Gu Fengyan with a smile, “Besides, don’t underestimate a young man’s potential. Who knows when he’ll be begging us for help in the future… that’s how it’s written in those wish-fulfillment novels.”
After thinking about it, Gu Fengyan felt that it made a lot of sense, but he still couldn't help wanting to slap someone.
"Puff away, don't get angry." Huo Duan grinned and hooked his arm around Gu Fengyan's shoulder. "Come on, come on, I'll buy you candy when I make some money."
Gu Fengyan was being pressed down by him, swaying from side to side like a drunkard. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
But it has to be said that Huo Duan's words really worked; he was no longer angry.
Huo Duan smiled but remained silent. "Let's go, let's go check out another one."
A note from the author:
Thank you for collecting and reading (the author winks at you with a twitching wink).
Chapter Eight
The Li family's restaurant was a bit smaller, but the hall was full. The waiter at the counter smiled at the two of them and said, "You two have had a long journey. We're out of breakfast food now, but we have rice paddy fish that were just served today. They've been braised in sweet and sour sauce and are simmering over low heat. Would you two like to order something?"
They treated them as if they were there for a meal, and even though they saw that the two were dressed simply, they were not disrespectful in the slightest. On the contrary, this made Gu Fengyan feel a little embarrassed.
"Thank you for your hospitality, but we're not here for a meal. We've just brought a batch of fresh spring bamboo shoots from the mountains and wanted to ask if your shop buys them. There are about twenty catties of them," Gu Fengyan said with a bow to the waiter.
The waiter, surnamed Tian, was a handsome young man with a kind and gentle demeanor. He patiently listened to the two men's purpose without much change in expression. "I see. I can't make the decision on this matter. Please wait here for a moment while I go and ask the manager and the head chef."
Tian Ge'er lifted the curtain of the back room and came out again a moment later. Behind him were two middle-aged men, one in a blue silk shirt, gentle and refined; the other broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, wearing an apron and holding a large ladle.
"I am Mr. Li from Dongfulou. I heard from Brother Tian that you two have some goods to sell?" the middle-aged man in the blue robe said.
Huo Duan opened the sack, revealing the bamboo shoot tips inside. "Manager Li, take a look. These are all freshly picked from the mountain by my wife and me yesterday."
Manager Li never concerned himself with the ingredients, so he asked the head chef to come and see, "Old Zhao, take a look... why didn't you even put a spoon in? What kind of impression will this make if the customers see this?"
Master Zhao chuckled, glanced into his pocket, and said hesitantly, "Hmm, quite fresh, and the stuff is rare... What do you think, Madam?"
These two were originally a married couple.
Mr. Li frowned. “It’s not easy to bring this all the way here. If you say it’s fresh, then keep it. Tomorrow is Mr. Zhang’s 70th birthday celebration, so it will be perfect for this… I imagine he’s never seen this kind of food before.”
He then smiled at the two men and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll have my waiter get the money. From now on, feel free to send us any mountain produce you need; our shop will accept it all."
Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan agreed with smiles, and the business deal went extremely smoothly.
Brother Tian took out the money and gave it to the two of them... Twenty catties of bamboo shoots, a total of two hundred coins, plus the one hundred and twenty-five coins from before, for a total of three hundred and twenty-five coins earned today!
Gu Fengyan walked along, counting his money like a miser. This was the first time he had ever truly earned money with his own hands.
Huo Duan was in the same boat, but what made it even more exciting was that the system beeped as soon as the 325 coins arrived—
"Your task progress has reached 0.05%, please keep up the good work!" He read the system's message aloud, bewildered.
Upon hearing this, Gu Fengyan excitedly patted him on the shoulder, "0.05%! You're just 9.9995% away from going home, Mr. Huo!"
"Sigh..." Huo Duan's lips twitched. "999.5%, that'll be a long time coming. But thank you anyway, Young Master Gu. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have this 0.5%."
Gu Fengyan comforted him, "Don't worry, I promised to help you, I definitely have a way. Just trust me..."
Huo Duan nodded with a worried expression.
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Gu Fengyan looked around. "It's getting late. Let's go find something to eat, then get some things for Father, and we can head back soon."
Three hundred coins isn't much, so he had to be careful with his spending, but he couldn't skimp on the essentials. The other day he noticed that the heels of Huo's father's shoes were all worn out, and he didn't have a single good pair... and Huo Duan's undergarments, the coarse cloth had left red marks all over his body, so he must have been really uncomfortable.
The two of them ordered two bowls of plain noodles from the nearest stall. The fresh vegetables were crisp and tender, and the noodles were chewy. When you're hungry, everything tastes delicious.
Huo Duan ordered another bowl, and Gu Fengyan watched him eat after he was full. When they passed a steamed bun vendor, they bought a few more to take with them.
The plain noodles cost twenty-four coins, the six steamed buns cost eighteen coins, and a pair of shoes were bought for Father Huo. He and Huo Duan each received a new set of undergarments, plus several catties of millet and wheat flour... In the end, fifty coins were left over.
Before dark, Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan arrived at their doorstep and happened to meet Huo's father, who was carrying a basket on his back on the edge of the field. The basket was full of goose lettuce, which he chopped up to feed the old hen at home.
"Father!" Gu Fengyan called out from afar, and Huo Duan ran over to take the basket and carried it on his back.
Gu Fengyan gave the things to Huo Duan as well, and helped Huo's father walk back, "Leave this to me and Brother Duan. It's getting dark, and Father, your eyesight isn't good..."
"I can't sit still. It's boring being alone without you guys," Father Huo said with a smile when he saw the two of them empty-handed. "Have you sold everything?"
Gu Fengyan smiled and responded. After entering the courtyard, he took out the shoes he had bought for Uncle Huo. "Thanks to Uncle Huo's help, Duan Ge and I bought you a pair of shoes. Try them on. I think the soles are soft and they'll be comfortable to wear."
“My shoes are perfectly fine, why buy these? I can save the money to buy you other things later…” Father Huo took the shoes, holding them in his hands, at a loss.
Having lived most of my life, this is the first time I've used something this good.
Gu Fengyan said, "Money is meant to be spent, and you can earn more if you lose it. Don't worry, Father."
“Yes, Father, you should give it a try…” Huo Duan chimed in from the side.
Father Huo then smiled and said, "Yan-ge'er is right. It's kind of you to have such filial piety. This old man will accept it."
Gu Fengyan took out the remaining fifty coins to give to Father Huo, but Father Huo refused, saying that the money they earned should be kept by them. He even took out fifty coins from the room and gave them to Gu Fengyan to keep as well.
That's considered handing it over to the family.
With a total of one hundred coins, Gu Fengyan had taken control of the Huo family's finances.