Blissful Days After Widowhood

by Usui Takumii

not mine, word drain.

4. 41 to 60

Gu Yin stood up and explained, "Master, listen to me. This eldest brother just came to our stall. First, he shouted in a vicious voice a porridge, and I immediately served a bowl. It was not until he had eaten it all that he complained that it was unpalatable. Our new stall is already struggling to operate, so how can we withstand what he said? He smashed the signboard (not literal but m. obstructed business). My mother indeed beat the table, but this eldest brother made the first move. He knocked it so the legs of the table got crooked, and said that we had no way and our end would be the same as the table. My mother was also afraid of us being bullied, so she hit the table as well."

In a few words, without slowness or hurriedness, she explained the ins and outs.

Sir Li turned his head and glared at Ge Dalong, "I remember that your uncle and aunt also set up a stall on the pier. Are you bullying the women who are new to business?"

"No!" Ge Dalong's voice lowered, "It is really unpalatable! Why didn't people tell me it's unpalatable?"

Sir Li laughed angrily, "It's unpalatable, so you eat a whole bowl and then scold?"

At that time, the people watching the fun also followed.

"I've eaten the porridge from this daughter-in-law's stall! It's delicious!"

"That's right, their wontons were sold out in half a morning yesterday, and there are a lot of customers today. Could it be that everyone's tongues are broken?"

"Ge Dalong is a well-known scumbag in our town. He bullies people!"

Sir Li turned his head to gesture at the yamen, who immediately put the shackles on him.

"I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself," Ge Dalong stretched out his hand and handcuffed himself.

Sir Li pursed his lips in a funny way, turned his face to Gu Yin and nodded slightly, and then left the pier with him.

"Alas, he hasn't given the money yet! The cent for the porridge and one hundred cents for the table!"

Mrs. Wang, who had reacted, went to chase, but was pulled by Gu Yin, "Mother, let me see your hand!"

The back of Mrs. Wang's hand was very red, and it looked like it was about to swell up.

Looking at Gu Yin's caring and slightly reproachful eyes, she said guilty, "It's alright. I'll just go back and dip it in cold water."

Gu Yin rubbed it carefully to make sure she didn't hurt her bones, and then she was relieved.

"I'm really fine. Qingyi could crack rocks with his bare hands when he was a teenager. Although I'm not as good as him, it's still no problem to hit such a small table. It's just that the turtle's son didn't give money!"

After saying that, Mrs. Wang broke from Gu Yin's hand, and then shouted to sell the steamed buns.

The crowd watching the excitement gradually dispersed, but many people still bought something before leaving.

Because of that, Gu Yin sold more than ten bowls of porridge, and there were only twenty or thirty buns left.

After the crowd dispersed, Mrs. Wang was delighted as she counted the coins, and then she thought of the table, and couldn't help feeling pain – the table she hit. She was just trying to scare him.

Was it worn out?

At that moment, Aunt Ge came over, "I'll pay the money for the table and the food."

"Are you that rascal's family?" Mrs. Wang looked at her with a sullen face, "The head arrester said that his family set up a stall on the pier. Could it be you?"

"It's me." Aunt Ge became more embarrassed, and explained, "But I just mentioned something, I didn't expect him to come to trouble you."

"You…" Mrs. Wang was about to scold her again, but Gu Yin pulled her back and said, "Mother, this official was the one this aunt called over just now."

At that time, everyone gathered to watch the fun, and this tall and thin woman was among them, but everyone was crowding forward, but she turned her head and rushed out and left in a hurry. After a while, Sir Li and the others arrived, and the woman came back with them.

"It turns out to be the case." Mrs. Wang's expression became kinder, "But you caused this incident, don't expect us to thank you!"

"No, no," Aunt Ge waved her hands repeatedly. She had been honest and never harmed anyone in her life, but she was really forced by Ge Dalong, and she only said those words at that time.

Lao Liutou next to them listened and said, "Ge Dalong is really not a good person, he eats his uncle and aunt's food, and he even comes out to make trouble. Don't you understand the truth of being too good and being deceived by others? You just let him take advantage of you."

How could Aunt Ge not understand? Although their family had been separated, she had not been able to do anything since her daughter went missing. The old couple would point at Ge Dalong, their nephew, in the future. No matter how unwilling she was, the most she could do was complain.

Seeing the table with a broken leg and a big hole, Aunt Ge felt more guilty. Thanks to this evil mother-in-law being powerful, otherwise she would have to regret it for the rest of her life.

She asked tentatively, "My buns are almost sold out. You should have some left, right? Why don't you put them on our stall and I'll help you sell them."

"Hmph, you still have some good intentions," Mrs. Wang took out the steamer with the steamed buns left over and gave it to her.

Aunt Ge returned to her stall with a steaming tray, and explained the situation to Uncle Ge. In order to make up for their mistakes, they both sold the steamed buns as their own.

Their stalls had a lot of traffic and sold out in no time. And because Gu Yin's buns were delicious, she even sold several bowls of noodles with the buns.

"My dear, this little daughter-in-law's buns are really amazing." Uncle Ge tasted the last one, counted a few copper coins from his money box and put them in the pile of copper plates to be given to Gu Yin, "The people are really not boasting. Thanks to the good location of our stall, we sold porridge and steamed buns, otherwise we really can't compete with her business!"

Aunt Ge was thinking about that. The location of her own stall was good, but they didn't have enough stuff to sell. Their stuff was good, but the location of the stall was poor. If that little daughter-in-law sent the buns to her to sell, her family could sell more and share a portion of the profit from it, wouldn't it be a win-win situation?

After thinking about it, Aunt Ge went to Gu Yin's place to return the steamer, and also gave the money from the sale.

After getting the copper coins, Mrs. Wang did some calculations in her heart. Knowing that the other party was very honest, there was a smile on her face, and she became more talkative, "You look very nice, so why do you have such a nephew? If he comes back next time, I won't spare him!"

"There won't be another time," Aunt Ge quickly assured, and then hesitated to speak to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in front of her.

After all, although she thought of a win-win situation, Ge Dalong provoked them first. If she proposed to cooperate at that moment, she was afraid that they would suspect that her family had ulterior motives from the beginning.

Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin had already started to close the stall, and they were going to leave when they finished packing, but Aunt Ge still stood still.

Gu Yin asked her if she had anything to say.

Aunt Ge closed her eyes, made up her mind, and told them her thoughts about cooperation.

Mrs. Wang turned her head, "Why don't you come with us? Let's sit down and discuss carefully."

Aunt Ge naturally agreed, and the three returned to Jinyi Alley together.

Xiao Wuan greeted them when he heard his mother's voice, holding a mop in his hand.

Seeing that there was a stranger, he quickly hid beside Gu Yin, pulled up the corner of her skirt and stopped talking.

Aunt Ge lost her child when she was about the same age as Xiao Wu'an.

She liked children the most, and hurriedly smiled, "Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."

While talking, Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin went to the stove to put things, and invited Aunt Ge to the main room to speak.

Xiao Wu'an lowered his head and didn't dare to look at her, so he squatted in the corner and began to wipe the floor.

Aunt Ge couldn't take her eyes off him, and said enviously, "This child is too smart. He knows how to help with housework at such a young age."

There was no parent who didn't like to listen to others compliment their children, Mrs. Wang also laughed and said, "He has been diligent and meticulous since he was younger, but he is a little shy."

After the greeting, Aunt Ge talked about the business, and then looked at Mrs. Wang to ask her what she thought. After all, in her mind, Mrs. Wang, the mother-in-law, was so vicious, and she must be in charge of the family's affairs.

Hearing that she wanted to help her sell steamed buns and open up sales, Mrs. Wang was overjoyed at first, and then thought of something, "I don't know much about business, you should discuss it with my daughter-in-law."

When she was talking, she saw that Xiao Wu'an was struggling, so she also found a mop to work with him.

Gu Yin poured a bowl of water for Aunt Ge and smiled, "My mother is really good. She quarreled with me that day as she was in a hurry. She really listens to me when it comes to business. Aunt might as well tell me directly."

Aunt Ge took the water and didn't go around in circles, she said straight to the point, "I won't hide from you, it's about cooperation, my husband and I are both old, and we can make a hundred or so buns at most. Generally, the morning market is more than half full. If they are rushing to work on the wharf like today, customers don't have the time to find other stalls, and our products get sold in more than an hour."

The aunt took a sip of water and continued, "We also tried to invite people to work, but they all set up new stalls within a few months. Our stall is in a good location, and the rent is expensive, plus Ge Dalong is stingy about eating, drinking, and getting what he wants… I'm not afraid of making you laugh, we may not earn as much as you every month now."

Mrs. Wang listened to the side and said, "I heard Lao Liutou say that there are so many people waiting for the sale of the good stall on the pier. If you can't do anything, why don't you transfer the stall?"

Aunt Ge's eyes darkened, and she recounted the loss of her daughter in her early years.

Although many years had passed, she couldn't help but get red-eyed when it came to her sadness, "As long as I don't die, I have to keep this stall for even a day. I'm looking forward to my child's return one day…"

Mrs. Wang was soft-hearted and could not hear these the most, and her eyes were red.

The Ge family still had hope, but her man and eldest son were dead, not even the "what if" existed.

She walked out of the main room with her head sullen, Gu Yin sighed softly, and handed the handkerchief to Aunt Ge, "Don't be sad."

Aunt Ge took the handkerchief, wiped her eyes, and said sternly, "It's better not to mention this. I said that to show the little lady that we're sincere in cooperation."

Gu Yin nodded. She just needed such an opportunity, after all, there were still a few months to prepare for Xiao Wu'an's admission.

She said, "Auntie you are a bright person, and I'll get straight to the point with you. The food we make is low-profit. Auntie, how much can your share be?"

Aunt Ge had been selling food for most of her life. She knew how much money could be earned even if she didn't say it.

But because of her openness and honesty, she couldn't help but glance at Gu Yin and say, "Since your mother-in-law can make you head of the family, it's obvious that you have an idea. What do you think is suitable?"

"Auntie, what do you think about 40%?"

According to Gu Yin's idea, the Ge family had such a convenient stall location, so they didn't have to cooperate with her family. Even if the account was divided into fifty fifty, some people would be willing. But it was true that their own profits were really thin, and the big spenders were close at hand, so they couldn't give up that much.

Aunt Ge's estimate was 30%. What she thought was that although it was easy for her to help other people sell things – two families had come to ask before, but the taste of the first one was poor, and the second one was even more unpleasant. More annoying was that they cut corners, and the ingredients used were not fresh. There were many stalls on the wharf, and there was a lot of competition. If she used the food they made, she wouldn't be able to earn money, let alone smash the signboard of her own stall. It was Gu Yin's skill that gave Aunt Ge confidence that she could achieve a win-win result.

Aunt Ge thought about it and said, "It's 30%."

Gu Yin also didn't want to take advantage of others, and finally decided to give up 40% of the profit, and agreed on the number of buns. After agreeing to make a contract the next day, Aunt Ge was sent out of the house.

At that time, Mrs. Wang also adjusted her emotions, "Have you discussed everything?"

Gu Yin nodded, "I'll give her 40% of the profits. I'll make 100 more and send it to them tomorrow."

Mrs. Wang laughed at first, but then became worried again, "We usually make a hundred or so, and tomorrow we will make a hundred more, adding up it's two hundred or so, so you won't be able to sleep enough at night."

Gu Yin said, "It's enough to get up an hour early. Beside, we only do the morning market, and I can make up for sleep in the afternoon. Doing 100 more a day, deducting the distribution to Aunt Ge, our family can eat more a day!"

"It's my fault, otherwise you wouldn't need to work so hard," Mrs Wang looked at her own pair of hands, which also had five fingers each. It was not a big deal to wrap food in the stall. After thinking about it for a while, Mrs. Wang asked, "Is it because of Wu'an's admission that you are working so hard?"

Gu Yin smiled and didn't answer. She turned around and went to the stove and brought out the money box, "Do you want to count the copper coins, mother?"

When Mrs. Wang heard the sound of copper coins, her eyes lit up, and she happily began to count the coins.

They actually earned one hundred silver that day.

When she knew that she had earned fifty silver a day before, she was daydreaming with joy. Although she was happy after counting, she was no longer so enthusiastic.

"Otherwise, let's forget about Wu'an's education. Anyway, he is so smart, let's find a gentleman to teach him," Mrs. Wang held back.

"Mother!" Gu Yin looked at her helplessly, "We've just already agreed."

Mrs. Wang thought that they sold a lot because of the commotion. There would be no dramas to see everyday, but when they start working with the Ge family, they should earn about the same as that day.

In that way, they could earn much after deducting the rent a month.

It was already September, and in the twelfth lunar month, the weather was freezing cold. The canals would freeze, ships would not pass, and there would be no business if there was no one on the dock.

The fifteen taels were still far away.

However, looking at her daughter-in-law's confident appearance, Mrs. Wang didn't say much, but secretly said in her heart that no matter whether it was successful or not, she would remember her efforts.

Gu Yin was making plans in her heart.

There were a lot of steamed buns made. Without Ge Dalong's interruption, one hundred and fifty buns would never be sold. It should be enough to make a total of 200 porridges, but she needed to prepare more porridge, especially when the weather would be cold soon. Then she wouldn't have to worry about selling hot porridge soup.

The first two days were considered trial operations. She bought just enough flour, and other materials. She could prepare more materials that were not easy to put away, such as grain and oil, so as not to have to go out every day.

As soon Mrs. Wang said she agreed, she first put the copper coins in the box, and then went back to the house to get back the pieces of silver left over at the beginning, and returned them all to Gu Yin, "In the future, all the money will be under your control, as your brain is more active than mine, so you can use it as you please."

Gu Yin nodded and said, "Then I will show you the account book every day."

Mrs. Wang waved her hands, "Don't, don't, no, I'll faint when I see the words. We are a family, is it possible to doubt you?"

Gu Yin blinked slyly, "Mother, don't say that. I can steal ten silvers every day without you knowing."

"I let you be the one controlling money, and you only steal ten silvers? You really don't have any prospects!" Mrs. Wang slapped her lightly in a joking manner.

After that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went out to buy things together.

Because they had to prepare ingredients for many days this time, the two split up. Gu Yin went to buy meat and vegetables, while Mrs. Wang was in charge of buying heavier things.

After half an hour, the two met at the agreed place.

When they were separated, Mrs. Wang was fine, but at that moment, her face was full of anger.

Gu Yin asked her what was wrong, and Mrs. Wang said, "I went to buy noodles first, and then went to buy rice. The rice shop was in a mess and I didn't know what was going on. They didn't listen to me, and sent me away to go buy it from another store tomorrow. Isn't this bullying?!"

Mrs. Wang went to Daxing to buy rice not far from Jinyi Alley. It was an old-fashioned shop. It had always been fair in business.

There were other rice shops in the town, but because of the good business of Daxing, similar shops nearby couldn't compete, and they were all open far away, and it took half an hour to come and go.

Even if Mrs. Wang was strong, Gu Yin couldn't bear to let her go so far with a burden on her back.

"I'll accompany you to take a look. If this one is really not selling, let's find a cart and go to a farther place to have a look."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went home first, put things away, and came out.

As Mrs. Wang said, Daxing was in a mess at this time, dozens of bags of rice were piled up at the door, and the guys stood in two rows with their heads drooping like defeated roosters.

A young man who looked like a shopkeeper was pointing at someone and scolding, "You think I'm easy to bully, right? How long have you been in this industry, and now you come and tell me that you can't tell the difference between new rice and old rice? You are taking me as a fool!"

The lead worker hurriedly begged for mercy, "Don't be angry, I am not deliberately fooling you. I do the work of carrying the rice every day. The rest of the work is the responsibility of the former shopkeeper. Today, the former shopkeeper is no longer in charge. As soon as he left, we didn't know why the two kinds of rice were mixed together. But since you can take over the job of the shopkeeper, why don't you…"

The price difference between new rice and old rice was doubled. If one did not distinguish carefully and sell it, it would not only be a loss, but they would lose the name they earned after being in business for many years.

The young shopkeeper had a sullen face.

There were already many people around to watch the excitement, and to see the appearance of this young shopkeeper.

"How dare this guy talk to the shopkeeper like this, he doesn't want his job?"

"You don't know, this Daxing rice shop was originally the property of the second son's household of the Wen family, but this new young shopkeeper is a person from the eldest son's household. This is obviously a family arena!"

At that time, Gu Yin understood after hearing it, no wonder the guy dared to chase the customers out when they came up, as he was busy fighting.

Gu Yin didn't want to get involved in other people's disputes, and was about to call Mrs. Wang to leave.

But the guy in front of the shopkeeper who was angry suddenly turned his head and shouted, "What are you looking at? It's closed today!"

While talking, the guy gestured at the other people, and several tall men stepped forward one after another, reaching out to push and shove the lively pedestrians.

The crowd dispersed like birds and beasts. Gu Yin was thin, and somehow she was squeezed in front of the people.

Seeing that the guy stretched out his hand toward Gu Yin, Mrs. Wang immediately stopped it and scolded, "Just talk with words, what do you mean by manhandling?!"

The guy actually recognized her and scolded, "It's you again! I said that we are not selling today, what are you doing here? Haven't eaten rice in a few lifetimes?!"

Gu Yin got a little angry when she heard that, "It's natural to come to the rice shop to buy rice. If you don't know how to divide it, I will divide it myself."

The guy sneered and said, "You little lady, don't make mad words, the new rice and old rice are similar in appearance, and the old shopkeeper can't tell the difference! You should stay where you can stay!"

Gu Yin was still neither humble nor arrogant, "Then I will only buy what I have divided. I will also give the price of new rice!"

The young shopkeeper, as if receiving an amnesty, waved off his staff and greeted her in person.

After welcoming her, seeing Gu Yin's young and tender face, he hesitated.

It was not that he looked down on people, but the old rice from Daxing was not the kind of old rice that had been put away for many years, moldy, rotten, and easy to distinguish. It was just put away for another year or two and had undergone secondary processing. A layman like him couldn't really see the way out.

Seeing his hesitation, Mrs. Wang knew he was looking down on her daughter-in-law, and immediately said, "I have lived in the countryside for half my life, and now I do some food business, and I also deal with rice. This shopkeeper should not look down on people!"

Seeing that Mrs Wang was so confident (mainly because of her loud voice and looking particularly imposing), the young shopkeeper immediately nodded and said, "Then I will trouble this lady and the little lady."

Gu Yin walked to the pile of rice bags and squatted down, opened a bag, grabbed a handful, and said, "The new rice is whiter, old is the yellowish color in my hand, although there is no musty smell, but it is obviously old rice. Secondly, you can also see whether there are white spots on the head of the rice, which is the germ of the rice. After the second refurbishment, there are almost no white spots in the old rice. Then you can also see whether the rice has cracks and gaps, and the new rice has no cracks or cracks. The surface of old rice may be cracked after secondary processing. The hardness of new rice is higher, while that of old rice is not. If you put it in your mouth and bite it with your teeth, you can also tell the difference."

As she spoke, Gu Yin opened the second bag, "You can also insert your hand into the rice. If there is white flour sticking to your hand, and after blowing lightly with your mouth, the powder is blown off, it is new rice. If it is not easy to blow off, and after rubbing your hands, there is a sludge feeling, that's old. The new rice is not very sticky. It can't be clumped together. In the end, it can be judged by smell. If you smell new rice carefully, you can smell the fragrance of rice, but this bag of old rice doesn't have that smell."

She explained while distinguishing, and every time a bag was divided, Mrs. Wang helped her to get the bag of rice.

After opening five bags of rice, Gu Yin divided the two bags of new rice that she wanted to buy.

The young shopkeeper nodded, and did as she said, and it didn't take long for dozens of bags of rice to be distributed.

The guy who made trouble had a weird face, but he didn't smile and said, "I had eyes but can't see Mount Tai. I didn't know the little lady is actually a middle-class expert."

The young shopkeeper also showed a look of surprise, and quickly apologized, "It's my clumsy eyes, thank you little lady for taking care of me."

Gu Yin didn't even look at that guy. She just chuckled at the young shopkeeper, "You don't need to thank me."

She did not take credit. Although she knew how to distinguish ingredients from a young age in her previous life, she owed more to the convenience of the Internet in later generations. This industry knowledge that was kept secret in the era was available online in modern times.

And when she saw the guy's weird look, she guessed that he did it just to embarrass the new shopkeeper on purpose.

As she said before, Gu Yin bought two big bags of new rice that she had divided.

When paying the bill, the shopkeeper insisted on giving a 20% discount, and said that as long as she came in the future, it would be calculated at that price.

20% was almost the profit from selling rice.

Gu Yin was about to decline, but she heard the other party lower his voice and say, "The little lady knows what's going on today, the matter of profit is small. Just on the first day I took office, the rice shop was unable to do business and I lost face. I'm not the owner, but I can still do this. Letting this little bit of profit be regarded as the little lady's hard work, and it is also to let these guys know that I am a person who rewards and punishes right. So, little lady, don't worry, just keep it."

Gu Yin didn't say more, and after thanking him, she left with Mrs. Wang.

The young shopkeeper sent them off in person, but when he turned back to the shop, he was stopped by a young man wearing a brocade blue round neck silk shirt.

The young shopkeeper hurriedly saluted, "Why did the eldest young master come here in person?"

The person who came was Sun Wenlang, the eldest son of the Wen family's eldest son.

Wen Lang stretched out his hand to hold him up, and a folding fan in his hand rattled, "After I received your message, I went to invite the old shopkeeper from the other rice shop. Let the old gentleman separate the rice first, and then take care of those dogs that dared to embarrass you!"

Wen Lang entered the shop after speaking, but the scene inside was different from what he thought. Although there were indeed dozens of bags of rice, they were divided into two batches, which were obviously already divided.

Wen Peifeng followed him into the shop and explained, "Before you came, there was a little lady who helped me."

"What little lady? Does a layman know this?"

In order to make sure nothing went wrong, Wen Lang asked the old gentleman who he invited to check it again.

The result was really right.

After the results came out, Wen Lang and Wen Peifeng looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

In the past, the eldest son's household of the Wen family followed Mr. Wen as an official in the capital, while the second son's household operated ancestral property in the original place.

In the past, when Mr. Wen was in Beijing, he never checked the accounts of his second son, and said to his eldest son in private, "The second son has no brain for reading, but he can do some small business and make a living with my official place. It stands to reason that you should also share the inheritance of the family ancestors. But your brother only knows this, so don't care much."

The eldest son of the Wen family was also a serious second-ranked scholar. He had been famous in Hanlin Academy for a lifetime, and naturally he would not care about such a matter.

However, a month ago, Mr. Wen and the eunuch had a big fight in the courtroom and he resigned in anger. He directly released Mr. Wen's officials, and also exempted the eldest son's officials of the Wen family

Mr. Wen brought his eldest son back to Hanshan Town. Naturally, he had to find some livelihood for the big family, so he let the second son's household divide some of the property.

The second son was no longer willing. He used to rely on his father and elder brother's shadows to do well for so many years, and they never encountered any hardships. Now that the big tree in the family had fallen, and they had offended someone, he didn't know how their business would go in the future.

But the head of the Wen family was still Mr. Wen. The second son picked and chose the few rice and noodle shops with the thinnest profit and gave it to them.

The elder son of the Wen family didn't care about the advantages and disadvantages, and quickly let his confidant go over to take over.

Unexpectedly, on the first day of taking over Daxing, the people below would dare to deliberately stumble on them like that.

He didn't want to keep the people in the shop, but if they didn't, people would say that he couldn't tolerate people trained by his brother.

A little layman could tell the difference between new rice and old rice. Couldn't the guys who had worked in the rice shop for many years do that? Then it was better to switch careers as early as possible and do something else.

Wen Peifeng nodded to indicate that he already understood, and Wen Lang stayed no longer.

Wen Peifeng sent him out, and Wen Lang exhaled a long breath when he reached the door, "Grandfather is also afraid that my father would be depressed, so he thought of finding something for us to do earlier, but I didn't expect the second uncle to be so unwilling. You have to tell my grandfather, and don't be wronged in vain."

Although Wen Peifeng and Wen Lang were nominally master and servant, his father was Mr. Wen's studying partner, and Mr. Wen regarded him as a half son, so he still knew the stakes and persuaded, "It's just a small matter, better not disturb the old man."

Speaking of that, Wen Lang also sighed.

Grandpa Wen had been an official all his life, and he had also been a teacher of the late Emperor. Unexpectedly, Yi Yifeng began to indulge in pleasure, delegating power to the eunuch, and completely ignored him.

Having worked hard for the royal family all his life, he ended up like that, one could imagine how angry he was in his heart.

The old man was in a bad mood and didn't abuse the people around him, he only abused himself – since he returned to Hanshan Town, he hadn't had a good meal, saying it was not fitting his appetite.

Although they all knew that the so-called "no appetite" was a problem regarding the old man's heart, the children and grandchildren still invited famous chefs for that matter from everywhere so Mr. Wen could eat more.

"My grandfather has lost weight again in the past few days. My parents are anxious at home but they can do nothing. Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming in a few months, I don't know where to go to invite a chief," Wen Lang sighed and left.

For some reason, Wen Peifeng suddenly thought that the little lady's mother just said that they were selling food. That little lady already had this kind of ability at such a young age, so her cooking skills shouldn't be bad, right?

Thinking of that, Wen Peifeng shook his head again. Although the old man's refusal to eat was a mental issue, his tongue was also really picky. After all, he was used to eating in the palace. That little lady was from a poor family, and she was not very old, so she didn't seem to have that kind of ability.

He sighed again, and then went into the shop to deal with other affairs.

…

Gu Yin had a simple lunch after returning home, and was driven back to the room to sleep by Mrs. Wang.

She had been busy all morning, and she fell asleep shortly after lying down.

She slept until midnight, and it was so dark outside that she could not see her fingers, so she quickly got up and went to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Wang and Xiao Wu'an were sitting in front of the stove talking.

While burning the fire, Mrs. Wang spoke vividly about what happened on the pier for the past two days. First, she talked about how everyone liked the food Gu Yin made, and then she talked about how she smashed the table with one punch.

Xiao Wu'an rested his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands, listening with relish.

Seeing that scene, Gu Yin couldn't help smiling and said, "Why didn't you call me, mother?"

Mrs. Wang turned, and smiled, "I was going to call you after I finish."

Gu Yin started to work, and Mrs. Wang and Xiao Wu'an also got up from the small bench to help.

"Did you sleep or were you awake all this while?"

"I slept not long after you fell asleep. It's just that this stinky boy pulled me to ask about our stall, and tried to sleep with me. I told him that this old lady had to get up to clean up, and he refused to sleep."

Xiao Wu'an blushed with embarrassment, and quickly lowered his head.

Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang often gossiped, and they didn't feel bored when they worked.

When the morning light was dim, Gu Yin's steamed buns were all ready.

Aunt Ge was afraid that they wouldn't be able to handle so many things, so she came to pick up the goods early.

Xiao Wu'an followed them like a small tail, and walked to the gate and watched them eagerly.

Gu Yin looked at him and couldn't bear it. She and Mrs. Wang was busy early in the morning to noon every day, and when they came back in the afternoon, they were so tired that they would rest without saying a word. Such an older child did some housework at home every day, also was staying in an empty room with no one to speak to. He must be lonely, and he, who had always been well-behaved, would sleep with Mrs. Wang, and also get up together.

Seeing her son following her line of sight, Mrs. Wang asked him if he wanted to go with them.

Xiao Wu'an's eyes suddenly lit up, and just as he was about to nod his head in a hurry, he heard his mother say, "No, it's not safe on the pier, so you should stay at home."

As she spoke, she glanced at Aunt Ge, apparently thinking of the abducted daughter of the Ge family.

Aunt Ge said, "It doesn't matter, you can take the child if you want. Since the officials arrived at our place, there is no need to worry about the security in the town. Many people on the dock take their children, and I have never heard of wny child missing."

Seeing her son's pitiful appearance, Mrs Wang nodded and told him, "Then you are not allowed to run around, you must follow your mother and your sister-in-law."

Xiao Wu'an smiled until his eyes turned into two little crescent moons, turned around and closed the door of the house, and followed them to the pier.

The two families also separated and went to work at their own stall.

At the beginning of the morning market, people began to come to Gu Yin's stall, one after another. Mrs. Wang was in charge of selling steamed buns and porridge soup. Wu'an took the empty bowls, and the three of them cooperated more with less effort.

An hour later, a large group of people in the morning market passed by. Mrs. Wang asked Gu Yin to sit to rest, and she began to sell the rest of the food.

Suddenly, they heard a sudden scream from Xiao Wu'an outside!

"What's the matter?!" Mrs. Wang quickly picked up the long-handled wooden spoon for scooping porridge and rushed out, and Gu Yin also quickly stood up.

Xiao Wu'an blushed with anxiety, and stretched out his little finger to point in one direction, "I was collecting the bowl just now, and then… that thing jumped out of nowhere, grabbed the bowl, hid under the table and started eating."

"Why are you so surprised? There are too many wild cats and dogs on the dock!" Mrs. Wang hurriedly pulled Xiao Wu'an to her side and hit him on the head, "I thought you met a kidnapper!"

Xiao Wu'an touched the head that was beaten in pain, and said, "It seems… it is not a kitten or a puppy."

Only then did Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin took a closer look, and saw that under the low table, a black figure was crawling on the ground, gobbling their food.

It wasn't a wild cat or dog, it was clearly a child.

The boy's hair was disheveled. He was wearing a dirty cloak, and a pair of ripped straw sandals. His face and hands were so dirty that they couldn't see him. At that moment, he was kneeling under the table, gobbling down the porridge. When he realized that someone was watching, he raised his face, with dark eyes, sharp chin, and made a whimpering and threatening sound from his mouth, like a ruthless little beast.

"Whose child is this? So scary!" Mrs. Wang was startled, and quickly stood up and asked the people around her.

Lao Liutou next to them heard the movement and came over to explain, "Don't shout, don't shout, this is not someone's child, he's an orphan on our pier."

Hearing that, Mrs. Wang became more angry, "This world is not easy, but it's too much to leave a child like a cat here. Does no one care?"

Lao Liutou put his index finger to his lips again, and made a silent gesture, "It's not that no one cares, it's that it's not in our control."

Afraid that Mrs. Wang would continue to shout, Lao Liutou talked about the ins and outs.

"We have all kinds of ships on the dock, and there are more ships. There is an ocean-going ship, I don't know if you have heard of it."

Mrs. Wang felt that it was strangely familiar, but for a while she couldn't remember where she had heard it.

She didn't remember it, but Gu Yin did. Wasn't that the boat company that recruited female workers before? Mrs. Wang's two sisters-in-law wanted her to apply for that job.

Lao Liutou continued, "The ocean-going ship passed by here a few months ago, and hired coolies to carry the goods. The coolies all looked strange when they came back, saying that some of the boxes were heavy and some were light, and there was also a cry inside. It didn't look like goods, but like people."

Mrs. Wang was so shocked that she felt cold.

Lao Liutou also sighed, "Anyway, the day after that trip, this child appeared out of thin air. The guy from the shipping company came back to inquire and said they missed a piece of 'goods' and asked us if we had seen it. At that time, everyone didn't know that he was asking about the child. An official just patrolled here and heard that they had lost something so he kindly wanted to help them find it. That man ran away in a hurry, and then we found out. People can't just watch this child starve to death in our place. Usually he doesn't show up in the morning, and only comes out in the evening. I think he is starving today."

Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang felt sad when they heard it. Gu Yin turned around and went to the pot and got the porridge again. Mrs. Wang then asked Lao Liutou, "Since the people from the ocean-going ship line have been scared away, why didn't you send this child to the yamen? It's better than living like a wild cat on this pier."

At that time, Aunt Ge came over to deliver the steamer, and when she heard what they were talking about, she took over and said, "It would be nice if it was as simple as that, but this child can't speak and didn't seem to understand people. He also has a temperament like a small animal, biting every person he encounters. The last time an official wanted to take him away, he was so panicked that he almost jumped into the river. Since then, no one dared to take him away forcibly, for fear that he would arm himself."

Mrs. Wang may not believe what others said, but she had to believe it when it came from someone like Aunt Ge who liked children.

Although she could not see the face of the child under the table clearly, he was only two or three years old by looking at the size of his hands and feet. Such a child should be able to speak and understand. Growing up like this, and being so afraid of people, one could imagine how he lived in the past. He must not be treated as good as a pig or a dog.

While they were talking, Gu Yin got another bowl and a steamed bun.

She blew it cold first, and then put the two items on the tray and passed them under the low table.

The child suddenly saw her approaching, and instinctively wanted to back away, but when he smelled the tempting aroma of food in her hands, he hesitated again instinctively.

Gu Yin handed it over and left immediately, the child retracted his little feet that wanted to escape, and started eating hard while holding the bowl.

After the adults finished speaking, they looked under the table. There were only two empty bowls left under the table, and no one was there.

Because of that incident, after returning home, even when Mrs. Wang learned that she had earned more than 100 silver, there was no smile on her face.

Gu Yin's heart was also gloomy. Although she had long guessed that the ocean-going shipping line was doing dirty business of human trafficking, she had a different mood when she heard it in reality.

It was run by the god-son of the imperial eunuch. The formalities were complete, and it was backed by a big tree. Not to mention ordinary people like them, even the local county magistrate would not dare to speak up. Otherwise, the one in charge should have investigated and dealt with that business long ago, so that they would not have dared to recruit female workers in an open way.

"In the past, when your father and Qingyi first went to the battlefield, I always hoped that they would win the battle and return home early." Wang Shi laughed, "But what kind of life do we ordinary people have? Everyone knows it in their hearts. It's better that they are gone now than to be the lackey of a foolish Emperor!"

Gu Yin quickly got up and closed the door of the house, "Don't say such a thing. We weren't willing to help in the fight, but because of the situation, they were forced to go."

Mrs. Wang wiped away tears and choked, "I just saw that child and felt uncomfortable. Child, I want to discuss something with you. We will have some leftovers every day. From now on, can it be left to that child?"

Gu Yin nodded and said, "I want to do it even if you didn't mention it."

Mrs. Wang didn't eat a few bites for lunch that day. In the afternoon, when Gu Yin was cooking lard, she specially fried a plate of lard residue.

Even though they had been in the food business for a few days, in fact, eating at home was basically just casual, and there was not much oil used.

The aroma of lard pierced people's noses, making them greedy, and Mrs. Wang couldn't care about it.

When the lard residue was placed by Gu Yin, both Mrs. Wang and Wu'an's eyes lit up.

Gu Yin looked at them, and hurriedly said, "Let it cool before eating, be careful not to burn your mouth."

Mrs. Wang and Xiao Wu'an nodded hurriedly. They didn't rush to open their mouths after hearing her words, but their eyes were not willing to leave the plate for a moment.

After a while, Mrs. Wang picked up a piece and tasted it.

The yellow lard residue was fragrant and crunchy. It squeaked in the mouth, and the lips and teeth would be fragrant, and one bite was not enough.

She ate two pieces in a row with a look of contentment and enjoyment on her face.

Xiao Wu'an was in a panic beside her, shaking his hand and telling her to put down the plate.

"Look at how anxious you are," Mrs. Wang laughed and handed him the plate.

Xiao Wu'an picked up and ate two pieces, and the contented expression on his little face was exactly the same as his mother's.

However, after the two of them ate two pieces each, they stopped moving and handed the plate to Gu Yin to eat.

She didn't want to eat it. In the past few days, she smelled the smell of oily vegetables for half a day, and she had no appetite at all. If it wasn't for the fear of Mrs. Wang worrying about her body, she might not even eat.

At that time, Mrs. Xu's voice came from outside.

"What kind of delicious food is this?" Mr. Xu said, and she had already entered the door.

"Do you have a dog's nose?" Mrs. Wang went out with the plate, "My daughter-in-law's fried lard residue, smell it!"

Mrs. Xu's took a deep breath, and nodded, "Fragrant!"

When she was about to reach out, Mrs. Wang suddenly put the plate back again, looked at Mrs. Xu's darkened face and said with a smile, "Really? I also think it's fragrant."

After the two had bickered with each other the previous time, they ignored each other. Mrs. Xu finally came, and Gu Yin naturally wanted to be a peacemaker.

She took out a small bowl from the stove, put the lard residue left in the pot, and went after Mrs. Wang, "Mother, don't joke with my aunt. Didn't you specifically ask me to set aside a small bowl for my aunt before?!"

Mrs Wang pouted, not dismantling her daughter-in-law's performance.

Mrs. Xu's expression also calmed down, and smiled, "Good girl, don't try to make up for your mother, I know it's your intention, not your mother."

She also gave Mrs. Wang a mocking look.

"Can't eating block your mouth?" Mrs. Wang said, and reached out to grab the bowl in her hand, "If you don't want to eat, give it back!"

Mrs Xu didn't give in either, and walked to her house, "Why should I give it back to you? Your daughter-in-law kindly gave it to me!"

Mrs. Wang went to chase again, and the two of them were like when they were fifteen or sixteen years old, arguing for a flower.

Gu Yin looked at their funny behavior, and just as she was trying to persuade them, she saw a burly middle-aged man walking by the entrance of the alley.

He was in his early forties, with dark skin, strong facial features, broad shoulders, and a straight back. He was wearing an ironed catching fast jacket and a black scabbard hanging from his waist. Although he didn't say a word, with one hand behind his back and the other on the scabbard, he had the aura of still waters run deep.

(People who are calm and tranquil on the outside, often have a strong, deep personality)

Although it was the first time she saw him, Gu Yin guessed that he was the famous Officer Caotou in the town.

When Officer Caotou saw Mrs Xu, he paused and said, "Mrs. Xu, you're here. I want to give you this year's rent."

Just now, Mrs. Xu was still fighting with Mrs. Wang, but at this moment, she suddenly became quiet, and said in a voice like a mosquito, "Officer Caotou, you must be tired of running all the way back from outside, right? Don't be in such a hurry. I'll let Qingchuan go to your house to get it."

Officer Caotou nodded slightly, turned to see Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin.

Gu Yin said, "We just moved here a few days ago, and we haven't had time to greet you."

Officer Caotou nodded and said, "It's okay, I had something to do and I only returned today. You will live in the neighborhood in the future, so you don't have to be so formal."

After he finished speaking, Officer Caotou didn't stay any longer and went back to his yard.

As soon as he left, Mrs. Wang stroked her chest and exhaled a long breath, "This head official is so imposing, I can barely breathe because of the pressure."

Mrs. Xu immediately retorted, "Officer Caotou doesn't put on air at all, why do you accuse him like that?"

"What did I accuse? I said he is imposing, which is obviously a compliment!"

Mrs. Xu glared at her and went back with the bowl.

Mrs. Wang looked at her back suspiciously, and didn't recover until Gu Yin called her into the room.

In the afternoon, Aunt Ge came, and Gu Yin shared the money with her, signed the contract, and went to rest after she was done.

In the middle of the night, she woke up as usual, but suddenly found someone sitting on the bedside!

Gu Yin almost screamed, but Mrs. Wang hurriedly reached out and covered her mouth, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's me."

Gu Yin exhaled, "Mother, you came to call to get me up, so shout directly. Why did you sit here without saying a word? It scared me a lot."

Mrs. Wang hurriedly held the lamp, brought her a bowl of water, and explained, "I was going to come in to call you, but when I came in, I saw that you were sleeping soundly. I thought of letting you sleep a little longer, so I sat down thinking about something."

Gu Yin asked her while drinking water, "What matter is troubling you?"

Mrs. Wang lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "Your Aunt Xu seems to be interested in Officer Caotou."

Gu Yin almost spat out a sip of water from her mouth, "Why did you say this for no reason?!"

Mrs. Wang hurriedly gave her relief, "I didn't say it for nothing, you were there during the day. Before Officer Caotou came, your Aunt Xu was yelling at me. When he appeared, she suddenly held her temper, didn't you see that?"

Gu Yin got up and dressed, "Didn't you say that Officer Caotou was threatening? You were so frightened that you didn't dare to say a word, so you wouldn't let Aunt Xu be the same?"

"Hey, that's different!"

As for the difference, Mrs. Wang couldn't tell for a while.

The two entered the kitchen and started to work, Gu Yin had to tell her, "Aunt Xu had been a widow for many years, and Young Master Xu is going to take the imperial examination. Even if you have this conjecture, you can't reveal it."

Mrs. Wang hurriedly said, "I know even if you didn't tell me!"

At that time, Xiao Wu'an also got up and came over, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law immediately stopped talking about it.

It was busy until dawn again. The family and Aunt Ge, who came to pick up the goods, went to the pier.

Gu Yin was surprised to find that there was a large potato in the open space of her stall.

"Would potatoes grow on their own in this open space?" Mrs. Wang picked up the potato and looked suspiciously at the bluestone floor.

Aunt Ge looked at it with a smile and said, "It was sent by the child. Usually when he eats here, he always brings something the next day. Sometimes it's a little sparrow, sometimes it's a rag head he picked up… He brought all kinds of strange things."

After Gu Yin watched people feed stray cats on the news, the cat would try to bring something in return.

Unexpectedly, this child not only looked like a cat, but also acted like one.

They laughed, and started a busy day. They were busy until noon when Aunt Ge came with an empty steamer.

In the past two days, because of Gu Yin's buns, her family's business had improved a lot. In the past, because of not much profit, the couple could not rest after finishing the morning market, and they had to sell noodles for the afternoon.

When people rushed to the ship, it was usually in the morning. The difference between the passenger flow in the afternoon and the morning was huge.

Since the agreement, the old couple could finally rest for half a day.

And after two days of cooperation, Gu Yin could share as much as she should, and she didn't even hide the fact that she got rice that was 20% cheaper than the market price. Although Aunt Ge insisted that the part of the profit belonged to her and was unwilling to overcharge, she still accepted her love in the end.

She took Gu Yin's hand and complimented her until the stall was closed, and then reluctantly left.

The progress in the past two days had been really good, and when she heard someone compliment her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wang was also very happy. When the stall was closed, she hummed a little song.

Gu Yin smiled and turned to Xiao Wu'an who was supposed to put away the empty bowl on the table, only to see that little guy sitting at the low table and he was tinkering with something.

She put the things down and walked over, and saw Xiao Wu'an taking something from his small pouch and handing it to the table.

"What are you doing?" Gu Yinte lowered her voice for fear of frightening him.

Xiao Wu'an's body suddenly stiffened, and he turned his head slowly. His face was full of guilt, "I didn't, didn't do anything."

"Huh?" Gu Yin raised her eyebrows to look at him, "Good boy, don't lie."

Xiao Wu'an still hesitated to speak, but at that time, a small hand stuck out from under the table.

When the matter was revealed, Xiao Wu'an was so anxious that he almost cried.

He just saw the kid coming again, looking at the leftovers on the table. He felt uncomfortable. He remembered that he still had the lard residue in his pouch that he didn't want to eat, so he took it out and handed one to him.

But after the kid ate one, he stretched out his hand. He gave one again, and then gave a half of it.

He knew that the lard residue was a very expensive thing, and his sister-in-law was not willing to eat it. Although his mother was as greedy as him, she only ate a few pieces with restraint, and left the rest for him to eat slowly.

Gu Yin rubbed Xiao Wu'an's head, afraid of scaring the child away again. She didn't squat down to look at him, but asked him across the table, "Do you want to eat buns? I kept some."

She heard Lao Liutou and the others say that this child didn't seem to understand human language, so she didn't expect the child to respond.

Unexpectedly, after asking, the child's little hand shook twice eagerly.

Gu Yin smiled, bent over to get the buns, and Xiao Wu'an followed her like a small tail.

Mrs. Wang was still behind the stall, and when she saw her young son's attentive appearance, she smiled, "What kind of bad thing did you do, boy? You almost wrote the word 'guilty' on your forehead."

Xiao Wu'an held Gu Yin's skirt without saying a word.

"It's nothing, just that the kid from yesterday came again. Wu'an gave him the lard residue to eat."

Xiao Wu'an lowered his head lower, rested his chin on his chest, waiting for his mother to hit him on the head.

But Mrs. Wang didn't hit him, and instead patted him on the back lightly, "Straighten your back, you didn't do anything bad. Why are you so dazed?!"

Xiao Wu'an looked at her in surprise, "Mother, won't you scold me?"

"Why would I scold you? It is your snack, you can share it if you want. Is your mother so stingy in your heart?"

Xiao Wu'an pursed his lips and then smiled.

Gu Yin took out two buns, one wrapped in paper, the other held in her hand, and placed them on the table.

Two little black hands stretched out and took the buns away.

Gu Yin couldn't help smiling, walked away two steps and said softly, "One for you to eat now, and the other that is wrapped for you to eat later. If you are still hungry tomorrow, come here at this time, okay?"

There was no response this time. Gu Yin turned around and Mrs. Wang continued to close the stall, and when she turned around again, there was no one under the table.

…

After October, the weather was cold. In November, it was winter all of a sudden. A few days ago, one could still see pedestrians wearing light clothes on the road. Those days, even the coolies had to wear jackets.

Gu Yin and the others fled from their house without much stuff before, so they had to buy winter clothes at this time.

Fortunately, their stall business had been getting better in the past two months, so there was no need to worry about that small amount of money.

Of course, first of all, their cooperation with the Ge family was going good, and then after that period of time, the number of repeat customers on their stalls had increased, and the signboard had become louder – there were many stalls on the pier, except for the extreme ones like the Ge family one with a good location, their stall got famous as the "wicked mother-in-law's stall" on the pier, and that was almost known to everyone.

Gu Yin was going to buy ready-made clothes directly, but Mrs. Wang went to inquire about the price and dragged her away.

Afterward, she bought the cloths and sewed them. The three of them wore new clothes, and they spent less than half a tael together.

Later, there were some cotton and rags left, and Mrs. Wang took up the needle and thread to sew a small cotton robe.

Naturally, that was for the kid on the pier.

Since Gu Yin told him to, the child came to their stall almost every day.

Although he still hid under the table silently as usual, he was no longer frightened by them.

On the same day, there would be a return gift in the open space of their stall. As Aunt Ge said, there were all kinds of strange things.

Lao Liutou felt very strange, saying that there were too many people on the pier sending him food, but the boy wasn't close to anyone. Gu Yin and the others had just come to the pier, but they were familiar with him.

Mrs. Wang righteously said, "That's because my daughter-in-law is good at cooking. This little brat has a picky mouth, so he naturally recognizes good food."

That was still true. When the other vendors on the dock knew that the child was often there with Gu Yin, they would distribute some of the leftovers and send them over every day.

But the kid really only recognized what Gu Yin made, and he didn't touch what others made.

Later, those people simply didn't give him food, and directly gave the food to Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin, so that they didn't need to prepare another lunch after closing the stall, which was another way to help the child.

On that day, Mrs. Wang specially brought the newly sewn cotton robe to the dock and waited for the child to come over so that she could put it on.

When it was almost noon, the child didn't come, but Mrs. Xu came over. She told Mrs. Wang that there was a new opera troupe in the town. As soon as the chorus came out, she asked her if she would go.

Mrs. Wang used to love listening to operas when she was at home. When Father Wu was still at home, he took her to the county town market every month to listen to operas.

Her first reaction was to follow Mrs. Xu, but when she turned around and saw that the stall was still there, she stopped and said, "I won't go. You can listen to it yourself, and don't forget to tell me everything when you come back."

Gu Yin was amused, so she grabbed a few coins from the money box and gave them to her, "If you want to, go see it, mother. Take Wu'an along, buy some snacks and watch it while you eat. Anyway, there are fewer people at this time, so I can handle it alone."

Mrs. Wang was pushed out, took the copper coins in one hand and pulled Xiao Wu'an in the other, and before leaving, she told her, "I kept the cotton robe on the bench, remember to give it to the child when he comes. Don't work, wait for me, I'll clean up when I get back. I'll just be gone for a while."

Not long after they left, the faint sound of gongs and drums reached the pier.

Most of the people in the town did not have any entertainment activities, and when they heard the news, they scrambled to watch the excitement.

The pier, which had already passed the morning market, suddenly lost more than half of the people. Other vendors saw that there were not many people, and they closed their stalls to join in the fun.

Gu Yin didn't want to watch the fun, and thought about giving the robe to the child, so she stayed for a while.

Fortunately, when it was almost time to close, the child came silently again.

She had long been looking at the table where he used to hide, and she saw him as soon as he came.

Just as she was about to stand up and pick up the small cotton robe, someone came to the stall. A dark-brown-haired, white-skinned, dark-eyed boy just sat at another table.

"Bring whatever you want over!" The young man was wearing only a thin jacket

His face was pale and his lips were blue, and he couldn't stop rubbing his hands.

Gu Yin had to put down the robe first, then turned around and put down a bowl of wontons.

When the hot wontons were brought to the table, the young man took the soup bowl and gulped down a big mouthful, exhaled a breath of hot air, and finished a bowl of wontons in seven or eight mouthfuls.

After eating, he didn't rush to leave, but said, "Storekeeper, I heard that your pier is usually very lively. Why are there only so few people here today?"

His accent sounded a bit strange, not like the dialects of that area, nor like Mandarin.

It was the first time that Gu Yin had seen a mixed-race child since she had transmigrated and she couldn't help but glance at him more.

Who knew that the young man suddenly became impatient and slapped the table, "I asked you something, why are you staring at me?"

Gu Yin was not frightened by him, but she was afraid that he might frighten the child under the other table, so she immediately replied, "Usually there are indeed many people, but today there is a play in the town, so everyone went to see the excitement."

After hearing that, the other party didn't embarrass her any more, but continued, "As per what you said, you should have been setting up a stall here for a long time, right?"

"It's been a few months."

"Then have you seen a three or four-year-old child on this pier?"

"It's strange to ask me. There are people coming and going on the pier, some are on the road with their children, and some are bringing their children to the stall. I naturally have seen three or four-year-old children every day, but I don't know what you're looking for. What does he look like?"

The boy scratched his head and muttered to himself, "I haven't seen him before, how do I know what he looks like?" Then he added, "Of course I am not asking about a kid accompanied by his parents, but alone…"

The child who was alone on the dock was close to her, but people treated him as cargo by an ocean-going ship. The man even came to ask. The person in front of her was clueless, so Gu Yin naturally shouldn't tell him anything.

It was also at that time that the child under the table jumped out silently like a dexterous cat.

"What?!" Although the young man didn't look in that direction, out of the corner of his eye he still saw a black shadow passing by, subconsciously pressing toward his waist. But there was nothing on his waist, so he put his hand in the air.

Gu Yin looked solemn and stepped forward to block his vision, "There's nothing, just wild cats and dogs on the dock."

The boy pushed her away and stood up and began to examine his surroundings carefully.

Gu Yin was also worried, but fortunately, he walked around the stall for a long time and found nothing.

He looked at her suspiciously, and felt more that his actions just now went too far, and his right hand touched his waist unconsciously.

"What are you doing?!" Mrs Wang rushed over from the intersection, stood in front of Gu Yin, and said viciously, "In broad daylight, you are molesting a woman from a good family, isn't there law on the land?!"

The young man was startled by her, and after hearing what she said, a blush appeared on his white cheeks, "What molesting a good woman? What did I do?"

Mrs. Wang turned her back on the customer and grabbed his arm, "Don't deny it, I just saw with my own eyes that you looked at my daughter-in-law from head to toe with malicious intentions, were you not flirting? Let's to the yamen!"

The young man's face changed when he heard the word "yamen", but he couldn't break free from Mrs. Wang's iron pincer-like hand, and finally he could only reluctantly twist his arm.

Mrs. Wang was also horrified when she heard the crackling sound, and quickly let go of him.

The boy clutched his arm and lifted it again, putting the dislocated joint back in again. Then there was a thud without looking back, as the fierce man jumped into the river.

"Are you all right?" Mrs. Wang asked Gu Yin, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

Gu Yin helped her to sit down and said, "It's okay, you have misunderstood. That person didn't do anything to me."

Mrs. Wang patted her chest and said with lingering fear, "I didn't misunderstand, I said that on purpose. When I came, I saw him sizing you up and touching his waist. We had only seen Officer Caotou earlier, and like him that man should have a sword."

"Then you knew that but you still came forward? You were not afraid…"

"How can I be afraid?" Mrs Wang raised her hand and patted her chest, but her hand was still trembling uncontrollably. She was ashamed and said, "Okay, I'm still a little bit afraid. But what can I do if I'm afraid? Can I just leave you alone? Oh, let's not talk about that, how can that person treat you like that?"

Gu Yin thought for a while and said, "He asked if there was any child alone on the dock…"

Mrs. Wang slapped her thigh, "No wonder he changed his attitude when he heard me mentioning the yamen, it must be the person from the boat that abducted and sold people, for fear that they lost the 'goods' and spread the word. If I knew this, even if he cuts off his arm, I won't let him go!"

Gu Yin felt something was wrong.

The tone of the other person was full of anxiety and concern. It seemed that he was not just concerned about a single item of goods.

But it was useless to think too much. The other person had already run away. She simply didn't want to think about it much. She turned her head and asked why Mrs. Wang came back suddenly, and if the show ended.

Mrs. Wang said that it wasn't over so fast, and added, "I saw more people gathering, so I thought that there must be no business on the pier, and came back to pick you up. It's my fault, otherwise I wouldn't know what would happen. "

After speaking, she lowered her voice and asked, "Has the child been here? Did you give him the cotton robe?"

Gu Yin sighed and said, "He came, but I didn't have time to give it. That child was timid when he saw the stranger and slipped away after a while."

Mrs. Wang said again, "It's good that they didn't meet at all! It's okay, as long as the child is not taken away by the people, we could give it to him tomorrow."

After talking, the two took away the stall and left the pier with a pole.

Not long after they left, a string of bubbles appeared on the water on the river bank. The boy was soaked all over and climbed ashore in a very embarrassed manner.

After going ashore, he didn't dare to stay for long, clutching his aching arm and ran wild.

He walked all the way through the houses and the allies, choosing places with few people to walk, and went around to the door of an inconspicuous small house.

The door was knocked three times loud and two soft ones, and the person inside opened a gap, and he hurried in.

Seeing him like that, a fellow shouted, "Xiao Lu, didn't you go to the pier to check the news? How did you make yourself look like this?"

"Did you meet the court's dog? Are you injured?"

Everyone asked in a row, and the boy called Xiao Lu found a blanket and wrapped it around him, and drank a cup of hot tea before he said, "Don't mention it, I went to the pier to inquire about the child, but today an opera troupe came up in the town to sing, and the pier was empty except for a wonton stall. I sat down and ate a bowl of wontons, and asked the little lady who set up the stall."

When everyone heard him say that he hadn't met anyone from the imperial court, their expressions loosened and they began to make fun of him.

"If you ask carefully, would you be like this now?"

"That's right, did the little lady think you had malicious intentions, so she pushed you into the river?"

Xiao Lu's white face flushed red, and he retorted, "I didn't do anything! I just saw something running away under my feet. The little lady said there were wild cats or dogs on the pier. I was questioning her. Her mother-in-law suddenly rushed over and said that I molested a woman of a good family in broad daylight, and she also said that she wanted to drag me to the yamen. Of course I have to run!"

Speaking of that, he felt a dull pain in his arm again, so he simply took off half of his clothes to reveal his arm.

There were incomparably clear five-fingerprints printed on his fair-skinned arm.

He said with a sad face, "That woman was too scary, maybe she is stronger than our boss."

"What kind of woman?" The man sitting at the head position suddenly asked.

His voice was not loud, but as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone fell silent, and the room was so silent that needles could be heard falling.

Xiao Lu also put away his joking look and said sternly, "It's a middle-aged woman of about forty years old, tall and thin, very ordinary, but she is very strong. When she twisted my arm, I tried my best and didn't have the strength. I broke free, and in the end I twisted my joints to get out of her grip."

The man lowered his eyes and stopped talking, he just murmured the words "extremely strong" repeatedly.

Everyone waited for a long time, and seeing that he had no other orders, they gathered together to joke again.

Xiao Lu became more ashamed, and twisted his red neck to retort, "I'm not completely at a loss, that little lady's wontons are delicious! I haven't given money yet, and I saved a little silver!"

He twisted one of his arms, was almost sent to an official, was forced to jump into the river, and even dared to twist his joints but said that he "did not suffer".

The crowd laughed again.

And the man sitting at the head raised his eyes again when he heard that, sighed and shook his head.

Finally, he stood up and said solemnly, "On the way, we only found out that the child seemed to have fallen into the hands of the ocean-going ship, and was accidentally lost by them. Now we have inquired from all the piers, but they have found nothing. No matter how late, I am afraid that the court will be alarmed. Now the time given by King Yi has come, we should go back."

Everyone put away their smiles, and quickly packed up their luggage.

When night fell, the group quietly left Hanshan Town.

After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law returned home, Gu Yin asked Mrs. Wang to go to the theatre.

Mrs. Wang refused, saying that she would stay with her at home, and said, "I didn't look after you at all, and you were almost bullied. I dare not let you out of my sight again."

She said she didn't want to go, but her eyes kept looking out, obviously a heart that wanted to listen to the play had already flown out of the house.

There was no other way, so Gu Yin could only go with Mrs. Wang.

The stage was right next to the largest teahouse in the town. Dozens of benches were placed in front of the stage, and for three cents, one could sit down and drink a bowl of tea. Two people could generally sit on that bench. There were even benches close to the stage which cost five silver. If a person was short of money, then they could spend one silver to stand and listen.

As soon as the stage was set up, Mrs. Xu hurried to call Mrs. Wang. Therefore, the two took the lead, and each took a bench in the front and connected them together.

At that time, the stage was already surrounded by people. Fortunately, Mrs. Wang had the strength to let Gu Yin hide behind her.

Mrs. Xu was helping her reserve the bench, and when she saw her coming, she immediately got up and sat back in her seat.

"What are they going to perform?!" Mrs. Wang sat down and asked Mrs. Xu.

Mrs. Xu said, "Singing about that evil mother-in-law forcing her daughter-in-law to remarry and become a concubine in the palace!"

Mrs. Wang patted her thigh and said, "Isn't the daughter-in-law still doing needlework to support the family? Why did she suddenly jump to force her to remarry? Where did the Emperor come from?"

Mrs. Xu kept her eyes from the stage and spat out the peel of the melon seeds, "It was the embroidery made by that daughter-in-law that the Emperor took a fancy to, and then he took a fancy to her."

On the stage, they sang. The two of them gathered together to listen and chat. Gu Yin didn't understand the script very well, so she started looking for Xiao Wu'an.

She was looking around when Xiao Wu'an stuck his head out from behind Mrs. Xu, "Is my sister-in-law looking for me?"

It turned out that the little guy was sitting on Mrs. Xu's side.

Gu Yin smiled, and Xiao Wu'an handed the melon seeds in his hand to her, but his hand was too short, and it was still a short distance away.

When Mrs. Xu saw it out of the corner of her eye, she simply stood up and waved at Gu Yin. The two changed seats. She and Mrs. Wang sat on a bench, while Gu Yin sat next to Xiao Wu'an.

Only after Gu Yin changed her seat, did she find that Xu Qingchuan was actually there, and in such a place he carried his books.

Gu Yin guessed that he probably didn't like watching opera, and was forced to come over by Mrs. Xu, so she couldn't help smiling.

Xu Qingchuan felt her gaze, raised his head, and the two nodded across Xiao Wu'an as a greeting.

"Sister-in-law, eat quickly. Brother Qingchuan gave it to me, it's delicious!"

Without waiting for Gu Yin to refuse, Xiao Wu'an stuffed the melon seeds into her hand.

Gu Yin had to catch it, and then thank Xu Qingchuan.

Xu Qingchuan opened his purse, which was full of melon seeds.

He put the pouch on Wu'an's hand, and smiled with his lips curved, "Don't be so polite, it's fried in my house. It's a waste to leave it if one can't finish it."

The melon seeds were fragrant and crunchy in the mouth, and she could still taste a tea aroma.

Gu Yin sincerely praised, "Aunt Mrs. Xu's craftsmanship is really good! No melon seeds sold on the street are as delicious as this fried one!"

Hearing that, Xu Qingchuan turned his eyes away in a panic, and a faint pink appeared on his fair cheeks.

"It's not aunt who fried, it's…"

Xiao Wu'an was halfway through speaking, when Xu Qingchuan covered his mouth, "Don't you want to listen to me recite 'Three Character Classic'?"

Wu'an nodded hurriedly, turned around obediently, and snuggled gently beside him.

Xu Qingchuan stretched out his arms and embraced him. His thin lips slightly parted, and his words were clear, "In the beginning of humanity, their nature was good. Their nature was similar, but their habits were far apart."

His voice was as clear as a symphony of jewels, and his tone was gentle and soft.

Gu Yin listened to the opera that she didn't understand in one ear, and listened to his reading in the other ear. Her eyelids fell straight down, and she fell asleep unconsciously on the other side of Mrs. Wang.

When Xu Qingchuan raised his eyes again, she was already asleep, and he couldn't help smiling.

When she opened her eyes again, the sound of gongs, drums, and the people around pointing at the stage and yelling came.

As soon as she woke up, Mrs. Wang helped her sit up and moved forward.

"What's wrong?" Gu Yin rubbed her eyes, her voice still laced with drowsiness.

Xiao Wu'an shook his head and said, "I don't know, they sang it well just now. I don't know why an old grandpa came, and started to quarrel."

The matter was a little complicated, and the little guy couldn't explain it clearly, so Xu Qingchuan explained, "They just sang on the stage that the evil mother-in-law repeatedly forced her daughter-in-law to enter the palace, and the woman would rather die. A civil servant felt injustice after knowing that, but just when the Emperor came, he ordered the scholar who was famous to take off the black gauze cap of a high official (removed him), and even had his wife tied into the palace. Afterward, the ministers persuaded him, but the Emperor, indulging in beauty, completely refused to listen. Then the old gentleman came out angrily and interrupted, saying that the play was 'humiliating the royal family'."

After listening to him say a few words, Gu Yin couldn't help but wonder, "Even someone like me who doesn't listen to such a thing knows that the dynasty in this story is fabricated. Why was this old gentleman so angry?"

Xu Qingchuan shook his head and said he didn't know either.

On the stage, an old man in a leather robe with a stand-up collar was confronting the troupe.

The leader came out from backstage and begged for mercy, saying, "It's not easy for us to set up a show team once, old man. If you are old-fashioned, go to other places, don't interrupt our livelihood!"

The old man was thin and small, but his voice was not small, and said, "You are not allowed to sing indiscriminately! You must correct this paragraph for me. After you correct it, I will cover your entire troupe singing for a month for everyone in town to see!"

Both Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu came to the front of the stage, and they were going to join forces to drag the troublemaker down. But hearing that, the two of them stood on their feet at the same time. That old man sounded like he was rich. If they could listen to the opera for a month for free, it didn't seem like a bad thing, right?

Although the leader had a smile on his face at first, he was somewhat angry in his heart. Hearing that, he really smiled and said quickly, "Okay, I will listen to you. After this song is over, I will change it, and I will change it as you want."

That farce should have ended there.

But the old man was still unwilling and insisted, "No, you have to change it now. Change it to the Emperor who obeyed the advice of the civil servant, and changed himself and became a wise monarch from then on!"

The leader of troupe didn't dare to respond– after all, that stupid civil servant was an important supporting role in the play. If he wasn't stupid, how could he seem pitiful to his wife? And according to the meaning of the old man, the protagonist of the play had also changed to the Emperor.

They were just an ordinary troupe, and they didn't have the ability to say that the play after a temporary big change would still be good.

"Do you understand opera?!" Mrs. Wang couldn't stand it any longer, "How will they sing after they change it like this?"

The old man said, "Just sing about a peaceful and prosperous world, can't he do that?"

"Who wants to watch that? I won't watch it if you ask me!" Mrs. Xu followed.

Afterward, Mrs. Wang gestured to Mrs. Xu, and the two climbed onto the stage, each holding the old man's arm.

The short old man was immediately suspended, and his two short legs volleyed back and forth.

"Where did you come from? Put me down!"

Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Wang turned a deaf ear, got off the stage, and they kept him out of the crowd.

Seeing that, Gu Yin, Xiao Wu'an and Xu Qingchuan quickly followed.

Fortunately, neither Mrs. Xu nor Mrs. Wang did embarrass the old man, and put him down after they brought him out.

The old man straightened the leather hat that was knocked on his head, "What are you two old ladies doing? I haven't finished talking to the leader!"

Mrs. Xu said, "Master, I think you are getting old, so don't toss around. If you have money, you can write a book of your own and let people sing how you like. But we ordinary people work all year round. It is not easy to see the trope for us, at least let us hear one."

Mrs. Wang just followed, "That is, please ask someone to do it yourself, don't embarrass others, and don't embarrass us."

The old man said angrily, "What's the matter with you people? This play is insinuating the Emperor, and if passed on, it will be a big deal!"

Both Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu were confused. Although the play was made up, it really couldn't be a crime. There was an angry scholar who wrote a book in the past, saying that the obscure Emperor favored the eunuch and disturbed laws and discipline of the imperial court. When they were discharged, they let someone inform the government, and a bunch of people had their heads down. But that play was about the Emperor marrying a little widow of a good family, and it didn't talk about any important court events.

"Could it be that that person had really robbed the civilian girl recently?" Mrs. Wang asked Mrs. Xu in a low voice.

Mrs. Xu said that she had not heard of it, and turned to look at Xu Qingchuan.

Xu Qingchuan pondered for a while, and said, "This old gentleman should be talking about the Emperor and Old Master Wen, right?"

The old man snorted.

Xu Qingchuan told them about the grievances between the Emperor and Mr. Wen a month ago. But that was what happened in the capital, and he also heard his classmates mention it by chance, so he didn't know much, only probably knew that there was such a thing.

After a few people listened to it, Mrs. Xu said, "It's not too new for the Emperor to take off the black gauze cap of a high official, also Old Master Wen was indeed at the age of resignation. Since he had proposed to resign, he should be allowed to leave. You are too sensitive, old man!"

The gongs and drums on the stage over there were beating again, and Mrs. Wang's mind was no longer there, so she continued, "That's right, the situation of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in that play is similar to my family, and I didn't think it's me they are performing about. You don't think too much about it. Besides, this play won't reach the ears of the scholars and all. Even if it did, maybe people wouldn't be as anxious as you, old man!"

The old man wanted to say more, but suddenly his body swayed and fell down.

Both Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu were startled, and immediately said in unison, "I didn't do anything!"

They immediately went to lift the person up.

The old man was lifted up into the air, all the way to the nearby hospital.

And just after they left, Wen Lang came over with a big bag of food.

He "tricked" his grandfather to watch the play, thinking that the old man might have an appetite when he was happy.

Grandpa Wen also gave face to his eldest grandson. He didn't dislike the simplicity of the stand, so the grandfather and grandson picked up a place to sit.

Halfway through the aftermath, there were some vendors selling snacks nearby.

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Wen Lang secretly thought about how to persuade his grandfather to eat more. But he didn't expect that when he came back after less than a quarter of an hour, his grandfather was gone.

…

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu put the old man in the hospital to see the doctor.

After the doctor's diagnosis and treatment, he said, "It's not a big problem, the spleen and stomach are out of balance. He is hungry. Feed him two meals, and he will be fine."

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu let out another long breath together. Although they really didn't do anything, if something happened to this old man, they wouldn't be able to explain.

He wasn't awake yet, and they couldn't leave him alone, so they had to bring him back to Jinyi Alley together.

The two carried the old man back to Mrs. Wang's house, and Mrs. Xu sent Xu Qingchuan back to the house to study.

Since the money for the doctor was given by the Xu family before, it was not good for Mrs. Wang to do nothing, so she could only bite the bullet and say to Gu Yin? "I have to trouble you to make him something to eat."

Gu Yin nodded and said, "It's okay, the materials are all ready-made anyway. I'll go and cook a bowl of porridge without much effort."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and went to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, in addition to the ingredients they used every day, there were also some ingredients that they needed.

Gu Yin thought that the doctor said that the old man had a bad spleen and stomach, so she didn't make ordinary white porridge. She grabbed a handful of millet, cut a piece of pumpkin, and prepared to make pumpkin millet porridge on the small casserole at home.

She first washed the pumpkin, cut it into pieces and removed the seeds, then put the skin into the steamer, and then boiled water to wash the rice. She steamed the pumpkin for more than a quarter of an hour. After peeling it, she smashed it into a puree with a spoon. Then poured the pumpkin puree into the casserole and stirred it together with the millet. After the rice oil was boiled, it could be taken out of the pot.

When Old Master Wen opened his eyes again, it was already dusk outside.

He propped himself up and thought for a while before he remembered what happened before. His five senses slowly recovered, and he smelled a sweet fragrance.

The fragrance was sweet but not greasy, making Old Master Wen, who hadn't eaten much for many days, hungry.

He followed the scent to the door of the house, and Gu Yin just came over holding the casserole.

"Are you awake?" Gu Yin smiled and put the casserole on the table, "I made some porridge, do you want to eat some?"

Grandpa Wen was about to refuse when his stomach growled again.

He was indeed still dizzy, so he reluctantly said, "Then I'll take two bites."

Gu Yin lifted the lid of the pot, and the sweet fragrance filled the whole room.

Old Master Wen took a sip with a spoon. The sweetness of the pumpkin filled the whole mouth, and even the whole spoonful of porridge soup became sweet. Although the grains of millet were blooming, the grains were distinct when eaten in the mouth, and it was not as rotten as the average person made.

After a few mouthfuls of hot porridge, Old Master Wen felt his whole body warm up.

"There's no sugar in the porridge, but it's sweet. The added water didn't dilute the flavor of the pumpkin. Your porridge is really good. Who is your teacher?"

He asked for Gu Yin's apprenticeship, obviously he was a connoisseur of food.

To outsiders, Gu Yin couldn't talk about the immortal in her dreams, so she pretended not to know, "My family does some small food business every day. It's not difficult to cook porridge. Where do I need to learn from others?"

Old Master Wen frowned and wondered if it was because he was too old, or because he had been hungry for too long, and his sense of taste was out of whack, so he felt that the porridge cooked by this farmer's daughter-in-law was extremely accurate, not worse than the imperial chef.

Without waiting for him to ask more, Gu Yin found an excuse to hide.

Old Master Wen finished the whole pot of porridge in a gentle manner, and went out of the house with strength.

Although the two old ladies were unpleasant, Old Master Wen knew that his fainting had nothing to do with them. He was not their relative, but they brought him home and cooked a bowl of porridge for him, which was considered a favor to him.

Should he give them money directly? That approach seemed a bit too vulgar.

He remembered that the family seemed to have a scholar, so what about sending two famous paintings or a book?

Old Master Wen walked outside the main room, thinking about how to repay.

At that time, in the main room, Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu were nibbling melon seeds and grinding their teeth.

Mrs. Xu blamed Mrs. Wang, "Why did you gesture to me at that time? The leader didn't care much, so we shouldn't have too. It's a shame that the old man was just starving. If he really wanted to do something wrong, we couldn't do anything."

"What did you say? How could I know he was so easily dizzy? Besides, weren't you in a hurry to watch the play at that time?"

In the end, it was still her own choice, and Mrs. Wang was also guilty, so she quickly changed the subject and said, "Do you think this old man…has a problem here?" She pointed to her own head.

Mrs. Xu nodded and said, "He must be crazy. He dressed brightly in front of us, and spoke with confidence. When he said that he would cover up the expenses of the troupe to sing for us for a month, I really thought he was rich and powerful. But he fainted from hunger, how could a rich person not be able to eat?"

Mrs. Wang nodded, "No wonder he said that the Emperor's relegation of civil servants was a taboo in the play. What did it have to do with him? He was crazy to worry about it at first."

"Haha, did you hear that crazy old man say he wanted to repay us when he woke up? He was talking about giving money and famous paintings."

"Well, we don't care. Anyway, we should do whatever he says for a while. It's not good to confront him again."

Old Master Wen was talented and intelligent. At the age of twenty, he was recognized by the Emperor as a champion. Before the age of thirty, he entered Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion and served as the Prince's Master. He became a minister of real power in the three dynasties. Even when he was allowed to resign, he had to do a lot of superficial work and was personally sent out of the capital.

Right now, when Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Wang were talking about the "crazy old man", Old Master Wen who heard it almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

With a dark face, he turned and walked toward the door.

Gu Yin met him at the door and hurriedly said, "Slow down, it's getting dark and the roads in the alley are not simple to walk. Let me get you a lantern."

As soon as he walked to the door, he tripped over a stone and staggered and almost fell.

Gu Yin was startled, and quickly said, "How can you get out without lighting the lantern? Just hold the lantern!"

The old man said without turning his head, "I don't want it! I'm crazy. Will I be afraid to walk at night?"

Gu Yin didn't know why he was so angry all of a sudden, so she could only watch him go away in confusion.

…

There was traffic on the narrow Jinyi Alley. When Old Master Wen came out, he was dizzy and went around in circles. It took a lot of time to find the road to his home.

It was already dark when he returned to his house.

At that time, the door of the house was open, and all the family members were holding torches. His eldest son was assigning someone to find him.

Seeing him appear suddenly, he immediately ran down the steps and said anxiously, "Where did you go? I couldn't find you!"

Seeing the old man's face ashen again, he immediately said, "Father, don't worry. I've sent Wen Lang to the ancestral hall. He is kneeling in front of his ancestors to reflect, waiting for you to come back."

Old Master Wen said angrily, "Why did you lock him up?"

Although Eldest Master Wen was middle-aged, he was still quite afraid of his father, and his voice suddenly dropped, "Didn't he lose you?"

Mrs. Wen laughed angrily, "How can such a big man be lost?"

Eldest Master Wen asked tentatively again, "Then you are…"

Mrs. Wen couldn't say that he was so embarrassed that he went to the stage and was carried by two women, and he was more embarrassed to say that he fainted from hunger when arguing with others.

Looking at his eldest son's inquiring and caring gaze, he held it back for a long time, and finally said something—

"It's up to you! I'm crazy!"

Eldest Master Wen was so stunned that he fell silent, and did not dare to ask any more questions.

Seeing that Old Master Wen entered the house with his hands behind his back, Eldest Master Wen quickly followed.

Going around the wall, Old Master Wen suddenly stopped and ordered, "Take some silver taels, two famous paintings and two books in the private library of my study room, I want to give them away."

"Where?"

"Send to…"

Old Master Wen was speechless. D*mn, he didn't take the lantern! Where did those two families live?!

After Gu Yin and Old Master Wen finished talking at the door, Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xu heard the sound and came out.

Mrs. Wang asked, "The person is gone?"

Gu Yin nodded, "I don't know why the old man was angry. When he left, I told him to take a lantern, but he didn't want it either."

"He didn't want that, the old man was not normal anyway," Mrs. Wang took Gu Yin's hand, said goodbye to Mrs. Xu, and urged Gu Yin to rest quickly.

The family washed and rested separately, as they had to set up a stall the next day.

Mrs. Wang still remembered to give the little cotton robe to the child, and Aunt Ge specially sent a pair of small cotton shoes, and asked them to help hand it over.

But the strange thing was that for several days, the child did not come again. It was freezing cold, and no one knew how the child would live after leaving the pier.

Several people were worried, and Mrs. Wang went to the officer next door to ask for help.

Officer Caotou paid attention to it during his daily patrols, but after searching for several days, he never saw the child again.

…

By the end of November, the weather became more freezing. Although it hadn't snowed yet, the surface of the canal had begun to freeze.

There were fewer boats on the dock, and fewer people accordingly.

After a winter rain that day, like the street vendor Lao Liutou, they simply closed their stalls and hurried home to celebrate the New Year.

Mrs. Wang had already prepared a large umbrella, which was firmly propped above her stall.

That umbrella could block the rain and snow, but not the wind, plus there were few people, the cold wind in winter was like a knife.

Mrs. Wang didn't feel anything, but seeing that Gu Yin's face flushed from the cold every day, and her hands were swollen into small steamed buns, she went to buy cotton and cloth, and made a large cotton robe for Gu Yin.

That cotton robe was really not good-looking. It was thicker and simpler than the military coats of later generations. It could cover Gu Yin from head to toe, and the sleeves were specially made to be very long. The cuffs were large and round and could be gathered together.

That was not enough. Perhaps inspired by the old man she met in front of the stage that day, Mrs. Wang even made her a leather hat.

Of course, it was not as thin and warm as the leather ones which were smooth, more like a big leather case.

Needless to say, other cotton pants, cotton shoes, and cotton gloves were prepared for her in the winter.

Gu Yin really didn't feel very cold – the clothes on her body were made by Mrs. Wang, and the cotton was fully stuffed. Usually, Mrs. Wang also pressed her to rest on the small bench behind the stall. The daily chores that required cold water were all done by Mrs. Wang. The fact that she had frostbite was purely a physical problem.

But Mrs. Wang made it especially for her, and she could only wear it from head to toe.

Because Mrs. Wang's thinking was to be clean and resistant to dirt, all cotton robes and hats were black.

On that day, she got up and dressed herself, mocking herself as "the one in a cover", and Xiao Wu'an came over sleepily.

It was still in the middle of the night, and the room was pitch-dark. When the little guy came in, and saw her, his eyes widened suddenly, and then he did three moves, and said with a trembling voice, "Mother, help! There's a bear in the house! "

Hearing the sound, Mrs. Wang rushed in, and she jumped when she saw the dark shadow beside the bed, and even when she called Gu Yin's name, her voice changed.

"Don't shout, it's me!" Gu Yin said helplessly, then dragged her heavy body to light the oil lamp on the table.

"You child…" Mrs. Wang was about to say a few words, but when she saw that she was putting on her own outfit, she stopped abruptly, turned her head and knocked on Xiao Wu'an's head, and continued, "What are you doing in such a shock? You think your sister-in-law is a big bear, I think you are a bear!"

Xiao Wu'an rubbed his eyes and made sure that the person standing in front of him was his sister-in-law, not some big man-eating bear, so he smiled embarrassingly, "I haven't woken up, I saw it wrong."

After speaking, Mrs. Wang sent Xiao Wu'an to wash up, and Gu Yin took off the cotton robe first and went to the kitchen. When she was done, she put on the cotton robe again.

Because of that robe, the customers who patronized the stall these days couldn't help but take a second look.

Some more daring acquaintances stepped up to chat and said, "The little lady is so beautiful, why is she dressed in such a funny way?"

The person next to him said, "That's right, even with the beauty of the little lady, I can eat an extra bowl of wontons! Isn't it a pity that I can't see it now?"

Hearing that, Mrs. Wang stopped, and immediately stood up and said, "You rough men scream of bitterness of cold on the dock every day. How can my daughter-in-law's thin skin and tender meat stand up to this cold wind? We sell porridge, not beauty!"

Being scolded by her like that, the two who were teasing immediately fell silent.

Her reputation as a wicked mother-in-law was getting louder, and they heard that she caught a rascal who was trying to molest her daughter-in-law, twisted his arm, and threw him into the river. If it wasn't for the fact that their food was really delicious, they really didn't want to provoke this wicked woman.

When the teasers were gone, the vicious look on Mrs. Wang's face faded, and she asked Gu Yin with a guilty conscience, "Otherwise, I'll make another one for you. It doesn't seem to fit well."

It made Xiao Wu'an call her bear, and then it made people laugh at her. Mrs. Wang thought that even if she was so cheeky, she would be embarrassed.

Gu Yin said no.

Although the family was a little richer than before, they were not rich enough to have enough food and clothing. Since that was made, it must be put to good use. And she didn't know since she didn't try it. But when she wore that robe, she felt so comfortable from head to toe.

"It's just a little bit worse, but it's really warm. Mother, you said it yourself, we sell buns and porridge, not anything else. If they want to laugh, they can laugh."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, and Aunt Ge came with the steamer. Seeing Gu Yin's robe, she couldn't help curling the corners of her mouth, and then she held back and started talking about business, "It's really been too cold these two days, and it might snow at night. My old man started coughing, so it's better to have a holiday tomorrow."

In the past, because the stall did not make much money, the Ge family was busy from the beginning to the end of the year. After so many years of hard work, there were many small problems in their body. In the past two months, Aunt Ge and Gu Yin had been working together, and they could earn dozens more a day. Although not much, at least they didn't have to work so hard.

Gu Yin took the steamer in her hand and said with a smile, "Then I'll wish my uncle and aunt a happy New Year in advance."

After seeing off Aunt Ge, Mrs. Wang looked at the deserted and empty pier and said, "Then let's rest tomorrow."

She knew that her daughter-in-law attached great importance to Wu'an's schooling. Although the business had been getting better in the past two months, Gu Yin would report the bill to her every day. In addition to the food and clothing expenses at home, she had saved up to six taels. That fifteen was still a long way off.

She was afraid that Gu Yin would not take a break in order to earn a little more.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she said that, Gu Yin nodded and said, "Mother, you're right. When the snow falls, we won't come, We will come again when spring begins."

Mrs. Wang was overjoyed.

The next few days were gloomy days, the snow fell, and the pier became more deserted. After the Ge family closed their stall, more people chose to rest.

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Yin got up as usual, and before she got out of bed, Mrs. Wang happily came in and held her down.

Seeing her happy, Gu Yin couldn't help smiling, and asked, "What are you happy about?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "It's snowing! It's still a small snow, but it's going to be big in a while."

Gu Yin knew that Mrs. Wang was in a hurry to let herself rest, so she was ready to get out of bed to see it.

Mrs. Wang held her down and helped her to tuck her four corners tightly, "Am I lying to you about this? It's really snowing! You sleep, I'll make the morning meal and call you then."

She kept watching her, so Gu Yin could only close her eyes again, and fell asleep with even breathing after a while.

After Mrs. Wang made sure that she was asleep, she took the oil lamp out of the room.

She didn't know it was going to snow, so she didn't stock ingredients at home.

But fortunately, the weather was cold, and the things prepared wouldn't get bad easily.

Mrs. Wang took out the minced meat prepared by Gu Yin, clumsily made a dozen buns, and put them on the steamer.

Gu Yin took less than a quarter of an hour to do that work, but she spent more than half an hour.

Later, Wu'an also got up, and Mrs. Wang let him watch the fire, and took the big broom and went outside to sweep the snow.

After a while, Xu Qingchuan next door also came out with a broom, but before he swept the ice, Mr. Xu grabbed the broom and dragged him into the house.

After Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Wang had seen a play together, they didn't quarrel like before.

The two of them chatted while sweeping the snow together. After chatting, they made an appointment to buy New Year's goods together in the morning.

When the sky was bright, Mrs. Wang was sweating profusely, and the steamed buns were also hot on the pot.

Xiao Wu'an was already hungry and said he wanted to eat breakfast.

"It's rare for your sister-in-law to sleep till late. If you're hungry, you can go to bed for a while. Let's eat together when your sister-in-law gets up."

The mother and son were talking, and Gu Yin got dressed and came out.

Seeing her neatly dressed, Mrs. Wang smiled, "You are a seer, how do you know that I have made an appointment with your Aunt Xu to buy New Year's goods? But I don't need you to come. You say what you want, I will buy it for you."

Gu Yin smiled but didn't respond. After eating the meal, she said, "I have other things to do and I will go out for a while. You can buy new year's goods. The money is in the small cabinet by my bed."

Mrs. Wang naturally wanted to ask her what she was doing, but Gu Yin was not going to hide it from her, "In the twelfth lunar month, many restaurants look for helpers. I'll go there and have a look."

"That's so tiring. We can still have a rest for half a day when we set up the stall, but working as a cook, you always get busy in the middle of the night. Can you go and cook so well? Have you already thought about it?"

That was indeed what Gu Yin had long thought of.

The small stall on the wharf had to be closed in winter, and no matter how talented she was, she couldn't earn enough for Wu'an's studies in more than two months.

But fortunately, when the Chinese New Year was approaching, anyone with certain conditions would choose to go to a restaurant. The business of various restaurants was in a rush and there was a shortage of people – just like when she opened a restaurant in her previous life. At the end of the year, not only did she have to pay five times the salary, residential employees worked overtime, and she had to spend a lot of money to hire temporary workers.

Afraid of Mrs. Wang's nagging, Gu Yin was ready to go out.

During that period of time, Mrs. Wang also knew that once the girl had made a decision, she would not change it easily, and it was not good to lock her at home. So she could only chase her out with the umbrella and big robe, put it on her and button it carefully, "Take your umbrella with you, just go out for a walk, and if it snows again, come back immediately."

Mrs. Wang dropped her off out of the alley before returning.

Not long after, Mrs. Xu came over to find Mrs. Wang and they went out together.

"Why haven't I seen your daughter-in-law? Do you feel sorry for her and let her rest at home?"

Speaking of that, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but sigh, "I thought so, but she got up and told me she wanted to go out to help the cook. I can't argue with her. I'll tell you, raising a daughter is just like that."

Mrs. Xu snorted softly, "Don't be in the midst of happiness and not know happiness. Such a good daughter-in-law is hard, how dare you complain? If you don't want her, give her to…"

"How am I complaining? I feel sorry for her!" Mrs. Wang said worriedly, "She set up a stall outside where the wind was blowing and the sun was steaming. You didn't see her hands. They were white and clean and so beautiful. Now they are swollen like small steamed buns. I asked her if it was itchy or painful. She smiled and told me that it wasn't uncomfortable at all, and when I turned around, I found out that not only her hands, but also her feet were like that. I couldn't sleep at night. She finally gained a little weight in the autumn, but recently has lost weight again… Now when she can finally rest, she…"

Speaking of that, Mrs. Wang slapped herself on the mouth hard, "Ah, I had this mouth, and I should have promised her to save money for the New Year!"

Mrs. Xu sighed.

In the past, the two of them wouldn't worry about that little money, but at the moment a few taels of silver could make a difference. If things were good in the past, she would have supported Xiao Wu'an's studies financially.

…

After Gu Yin came out of Jinyi Alley, she asked people about the big restaurants in the town that were recruiting workers – she thought about being a cook. She could learn the operation method of restaurants in that era and prepare to open her own restaurant in the future.

After asking around, Gu Yin learned that a restaurant called Full Moon Hall was recruiting workers.

That restaurant was open in the town for more than ten years, and its reputation had been very good. The daily traffic was also very large, not to mention the holidays.

However, that restaurant had high requirements. The shopkeeper was a master chef of the state restaurant. Even if the job was of a helper, one must have their own skills and get his approval.

When Gu Yin found Full Moon Hall, it happened to be the morning market.

It was snowing outside that day, and there were fewer pedestrians on the road, but that was it, half of the customers at Full Moon Hall were on the way, which showed how popular its business was.

As soon as Gu Yin entered the door, Xiao Er (staff) immediately greeted her.

She went straight to the point and said that she was there to apply.

Xiao Er smiled, "Little lady, wait a moment, I'll go to invite our shopkeeper."

After a while, a middle-aged man wearing a round neck silk robe came over.

He looked at Gu Yin first. He didn't judge her strange big cotton robe, but he was a little hesitant about her age.

"I would tell the little lady in advance. Although we are looking for a cook helper, our requirements are no lower than that of a small shop outside asking for a chef."

Gu Yin nodded and said, "I just want a chance to be assessed. If what I do is not to your liking, you don't need to say more, I would just leave."

The shopkeeper nodded slightly and asked Gu Yin to follow him to the back kitchen.

This Full Moon Hall was indeed a large-scale restaurant. There were more than ten light stoves in the back kitchen, and the counters for cutting vegetables and the sinks for washing vegetables were all ten feet long. And all the places that the eyes could see were clean and spotless, with plenty of light.

It was Gu Yin's dream kitchen in that era.

The shopkeeper asked Gu Yin and learned that she was good at making porridge, so he said, "Laba Festival is in a few days, so the little lady can make Laba porridge."

Cooking porridge was one of Gu Yin's long-term priorities, so she should naturally do it.

All kinds of materials were ready. Red beans, mung beans, kidney beans and other things were soaked in advance. Gu Yin took off the cotton robe, washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves to her forearms, and started to work.

The cooks in Full Moon Hall were all men with big arms and round waists, just like the shopkeeper. When they saw a young girl suddenly, they didn't even notice anything else.

The shopkeeper glared at them one by one, and let them be honest.

The chef in charge of the kitchen helped the shopkeeper beat a few people, and then smiled and whispered to him, "They are usually surrounded by men, and it is rare to see a woman, and still such a beautiful little lady. It is impossible to look at something else."

The chef smiled. Although the shopkeeper didn't say anything about him, his face turned even darker.

He had long disliked this slick chef, but the person did have some skills. Although he did not have a particularly commendable craftsmanship, he had known many dishes. Second, the most difficult thing to do was that. The person was a distant relative of the owner's wife.

While they were talking, Gu Yin had already put a few kinds of beans into the pot.

She only put half a pot of water in the pot, and added water while cooking. After adding cold water five times, she closed the lid of the pot.

Then she switched to another stove to cook kidney beans.

The chef didn't notice the shopkeeper's distaste for him, and continued, "Isn't this Laba porridge cooked in one pot? Why did this little lady separate several kinds of beans? The shopkeeper, please don't let her spoil our things."

The shopkeeper suppressed his anger and said, "Kidney beans are the least likely to be rotten and need to be cooked separately. Cooking porridge is not just a matter of simmering in a pot. Since you don't understand, don't make a sound."

When the pot boiled, Gu Yin then boiled water, put in chicken head rice, red dates, and quinoa, then covered the pot, then took the chestnuts from the bamboo basket on the table and put them on another pot to cook. When the beans in the pot were ready, she poured in peanut rice and sorghum rice.

Covering the pot again, she took a bamboo stick to remove the lotus seeds.

It was such a delicate job that an ordinary kitchen worker would have to spend a lot of time.

But when the bamboo stick came into her hands, it was as if it was alive, and every stroke could be inserted into the small hole accurately and pushed out the grass-green core.

After removing them, the chestnuts on the pot were also softened. Gu Yin flipped her fingers and quickly peeled off the chestnut.

Then she put the lotus seeds and chestnut kernels into the pot together, and then boiled it, then put the rice, longan, millet, and soft boiled kidney beans, adjusted the fire again, and waited for the porridge in the pot to tumble several times, then it was ready.

She didn't put sugar, but the aroma of the food itself was stimulated by the precise heat, and the whole back kitchen was filled with a sweet and mellow atmosphere.

Since transmigrating, Gu Yin had never cooked as happily as she did that day. So she didn't feel tired either. She wiped the sweat on her forehead while smiling and invited the shopkeeper to taste it.

The shopkeeper saw that her process was smooth, and the time and methods needed to cook various ingredients were even more perfect. He wanted to say that there was no need to try the taste, and she was hired.

Coincidentally, before he spoke, Xiao Er came in to report, "Shopkeeper, the owner's wife is here."

Because of the pickiness of the shopkeeper, it was a big problem to hire people in Full Moon Hall every New Year's Day.

The owner's wife was quite critical of him, and felt that it was because of his pickiness that the family did not do a lot of business during the holidays, so she came for that.

The shopkeeper thought about letting the owner's wife come and try it in person to let her know that his persistence was right. Wasn't he waiting for the right person? Moreover, the shopkeeper also cherished talents.

If the owner's wife tasted her craftsmanship, he could directly hire Gu Yin as a chef, and her wages would naturally be doubled.

"Invite the owner's wife to come over and say that I have recruited a new person and ask her to help Full Moon Hall."

Xiao Er left in response, and after a while, two women, one tall and one short, came over slowly.

The taller woman was young, supporting another older, shorter old woman.

The young woman anxiously said, "Mother, the children of the second son's household are going to study at Old Master Wen's house. We can't be left behind!"

The old woman said angrily, "Some of our children have failed Wu Juren's school test several times. What can I do? Do you want me and your father to force the Master to accept students?"

"Then if not Wu Juren, isn't there Elder Master Wen in our town?!"

The old woman became more embarrassed, "That's the eldest master from the Hanlin Academy. Our children can't even get in the door of Master Wu Juren, and you still want them to be students of such an immortal? You really dare to think!"

The young woman was embarrassed by what she said, "Eldest Master Wen doesn't care about fame and fortune, but the Wen family is not necessarily like that. Isn't the Second Master Wen worried that the Wen family's eldest brother's household would take away his fortune and is anxious to find another way out? We might as well get…"

After speaking, the two entered the back kitchen, and the young woman didn't continue to talk because she was worried that there were outsiders.

The shopkeeper was about to recommend Gu Yin and say something nice for her, but she suddenly took off her apron, picked up her big cotton robe, and said, "Sorry, I can't do this job."

Hearing the voice, the two women looked up at her, and their expressions also changed.

"Why you?!"