books44 Chapter 255 is optional, but it's essential.
Chapter 255 is optional, but it's essential.
"Please sit down, would you like some soy milk or some tofu?" Sister-in-law Gu greeted her with a smile.
Since they started their business, the Gu family's meals have always been quite good.
However, Sister-in-law Gu and Lin Chang'er usually leave home very early, so they rarely have time to eat breakfast at home.
The floodwaters have just receded, and everyone is still resting, which is why we can stay at home for a few days.
With Wu Qingfeng and Li Er, along with several other guests, breakfast this morning was much more lavish than usual.
Besides the usual steamed buns, mantou, and soy milk, Aunt Gu also made small tofu.
"Little tofu" is a kind of food similar to corn porridge, made by cooking soybean juice. It was Lin Chang'er who told Aunt Gu about it.
Add some dried wild vegetables while cooking, and mix with lard and soy sauce when eating; it tastes amazing.
In addition, I also stir-fried handmade noodles, made pancakes and fried dumplings, and laid out a whole table full of food.
Upon seeing Lin Chang'er, Li Xun and Li Er immediately stood up.
"Sit down, make yourself at home." Lin Chang'er gestured to the two of them before replying, "Little Tofu, please!"
"Okay!" Sister-in-law Gu hurriedly went to serve the tofu.
"Mother, sit here."
Gu Xiaolu shifted her position, making room between herself and her brother.
This made Wu Qingfeng, who had been thinking of having Lin Chang'er sit next to him, give up his idea.
Lin Chang'er smiled at him to reassure him, and Wu Qingfeng felt pleased and stopped caring.
The children can eat by themselves without having to chase after them to feed them, so the adults can eat with peace of mind.
Lin Chang'er was eating a small plate of fried noodles with some tofu when she vaguely heard creaking sounds coming from the second bedroom.
She then asked, "Mother, has Second Sister-in-law's breakfast been delivered?"
Aunt Gu nodded, "It was sent by Erlang. Erlang's wife finished eating before Erlang came over."
Gu Erlang laughed and said, "Don't worry, Third Sister-in-law. If I could forget about my wife's food, I might as well not be a man."
Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
Gu Xiaoman scooped up a spoonful of tofu and put it in her mouth, juice still dripping from the corner of her lips, and asked innocently, "Then what is Daddy going to do?"
Lin Chang'er had been holding back, but after hearing his question, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Gu Erlang tapped his son on the head with his chopsticks, "That's just what I said, you still won't eat properly."
"Brother-in-law!"
"Brother-in-law!"
Li Er and Li Xun felt sorry for each other and spoke up at the same time.
Gu Erlang smiled somewhat embarrassedly at the two of them, knowing that they doted on Xiaoman, and naturally did not think they were being nosy.
With someone backing her up, Gu Xiaoman became even bolder.
He rubbed his head, looking completely bewildered. Wasn't that what his father said?
He just asked that question, and his father started blaming him.
Gu Xiaoman turned to look at the goldfish, "Brother, what else can a man do if he doesn't act like a man?"
The little goldfish shook its head; this wasn't part of its knowledge.
Lin Yanqing did know that he had met palace eunuchs when he was in the capital, but he was also aware that he couldn't say such things carelessly.
Lin Yanqing buried his head in his food.
Gu Xiaoman saw him and asked, "Uncle, do you know?"
Lin Yanqing shook his head. "Is this something I can talk about? If I don't, Xiaoman will want to eat stir-fried pork with bamboo sticks."
Seeing that Gu Erlang was about to strike again with his chopsticks, Lin Chang'er was afraid that Gu Xiaoman's little head would be hurt, so she quickly came to her rescue, saying, "Xiaoman, your father is just using an analogy. An analogy doesn't necessarily have an answer, do you understand?"
Gu Xiaoman only had a vague understanding, but in his memory, his third aunt had always been very knowledgeable and capable, so what his third aunt said was naturally correct.
So, she nodded and said, "Xiaoman understands."
Breakfast ended amidst laughter and conversation. Li Xun was about to return to the academy, while Lin Chang'er needed to go to the county town to inquire about the resumption of supplies.
Sister-in-law Gu then led people to town to tidy up the shop and see when they could set up their stall at the market.
Fortunately, Wu Qingfeng had sent a carriage over beforehand, and Liu Zi drove the carriage to take Lin Chang'er, Li Xun, and Wu Qingfeng to the county town.
Ah Qi drove the donkey cart to take Sister-in-law Gu, Aunt Zhou, Sister-in-law Zhou, Sister-in-law Xiao Hua, and Niu Xiao Mei to town.
The academy was also flooded and is still under repair today, so there are no classes.
Since Li Xun wasn't in a hurry, Lin Chang'er had Liu Zi escort Wu Qingfeng back to the county government office first.
Then they turned towards the academy. When they reached the street corner in front of the academy, Li Xun said, "Third sister-in-law, let's stop here! I'll walk back from here and buy a pen on the way."
Lin Chang'er assumed that he didn't want other students to see him riding back in a carriage, so she didn't insist.
He simply took out a money pouch from his sleeve and gave it to him, saying, "Pen, ink, paper, and inkstones are used up quickly. Take these. You can continue copying books during the day to supplement your household income, but don't copy them at night."
"No, Third Sister-in-law, I can't accept this money." Li Xun refused to accept it. If he did, wouldn't he be just like his mother, trying to curry favor with her?
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "I know what you're thinking. In fact, officials and businessmen are mutually beneficial. My financial assistance to you is also a form of investment."
"You may not understand what investment means? It means that I am doing business now and making some money, but I want to expand my business in the future."
"Then I need to find a powerful backer to protect me in order to continue to grow. Either I need to build good relationships with the local officials in office, or I need to cultivate my own people."
After a pause, he said, "How should we cultivate them? One way is to select talented individuals from our own family and guide them to higher positions. Another way is to select some students from poor families who are exceptionally talented and support them. Once they achieve success, they can then give back to me."
"The children in my family are either too young or started learning too late, so none of them are ready to compete yet."
“You have been willing to help the weak since you were a child, and I think you should also have the ambition to protect the people in the future.”
"Of course, my business is all conducted normally. I will never touch anything I shouldn't, and I will pay every penny of the taxes due. However, as you know, honest people can't always get the right to reason with others." So, having connections is something you don't have to talk about, or even need to use, but you absolutely must have them.
Li Xun looked at her, not expecting her to be so frank. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then realized that this was just an excuse to persuade him to accept the money. She needed protection; she had Lord Wu for civil affairs and the coastal defense team for military matters.
He had heard from his teacher that Lord Wu came from a prominent family in the capital. Wasn't such a powerful backing enough?
Moreover, although his grades were excellent, they were not the best. Meishan Academy also had many outstanding students from poor families, so she had many choices.
Furthermore, "How can my third sister-in-law be so sure that I will repay you when I achieve success in the future?"
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Whether or not to give back depends entirely on one's character. I'm a businesswoman, and I won't put all my eggs in one basket."
"However, if you accept my money, you'll have to put in twelve times the effort."
She looked at him with a smile, "So, cousin, will you accept my financial assistance?"