books44 Chapter 39 Eat your fill, grow tall, work hard, and earn money.
Chapter 39 Eat your fill, grow tall, work hard, and earn money.
Lin Chang'er shook her head and smiled, "Mother, in this world, nothing is ever smooth sailing."
Every village has its share of local thugs and ruffians! Not to mention the bustling markets, a place teeming with all sorts of people.
Besides, that person is just jealous of my good business. Why should we change locations? And we can't guarantee that we won't run into him at another market, right?
If you ask me, I'd rather she watch me make a fortune, so that even though she hates me, she can't do anything about it and can only suffer in silence.
Mother Gu smiled. After spending the last two days together, she had come to understand that Lin Chang'er was not the type to be afraid of trouble.
But this girl didn't have many good days after coming to their family. Sanlang passed away, leaving her with the title of widow for nothing.
How can she feel at ease earning money to support her family while still taking such risks?
After thinking for a while, he discussed with Lin Chang'er, "Chang'er, how about starting tomorrow, we let the eldest son's wife go with us to help?" Although the little goldfish is clever, it is still a bit too small.
Lin Chang'er chuckled, "Mother, I originally wanted to find a job for my sister-in-law too, so we could all set up a stall together and keep each other company."
But right now, my second sister-in-law is pregnant. If she comes with me to the market, who will take care of all the big and small things at home?
Besides, although my sister-in-law is very strong, she's never seen anything like that before. Let me smooth things out over there first, then I'll let her go with me!
Gu's mother fell silent. She wanted to say that she would take care of things at home herself, but with her weak health, it was good enough if she didn't become a burden to them.
But I was still worried. "If we hadn't met before, it would have been fine, but now that we have, if I still ask you to take a child with you, I..." How could I be at ease?
Lin Chang'er pursed her lips. "Mother, this is what I think: Xu Gun'er is destined to be with the goldfish. He is honest, skilled, and familiar with the area."
If he's willing, we'll bring him back tomorrow and raise him as our own child. With another child in the family, he won't have to live a life of hardship and will have a place to stay.
To outsiders, just say that you are a distant relative's child who came to seek refuge with you because their hometown suffered misfortune.
Lin Quede knows everything about Lin Chang'er's current identity and who her ancestors were.
However, the Gu family were outsiders, and even the Gu family's sons couldn't clearly explain the origins of Gu's mother's family, let alone outsiders.
Lin Chang'er came up with this idea to avoid trouble.
Mother Gu naturally had no objections. Judging from Chang'er's words, the child was clever and skilled, and she could rest assured that he would travel to and from town with her in the future.
However, she had heard Sanlang mention before that if a man was skilled, he could earn a considerable amount of money a month working as a guard for a wealthy household.
Given their circumstances, even if they raised the child as their own, the child would still have to work alongside them, and without any wages.
Gu's mother pursed her lips. "What if he doesn't want to?"
Lin Chang'er's eyes flickered. "If you don't want to, we won't force you. We'll just take care of you when we go to town."
Zuo You hadn't originally planned to hire bodyguards; she could handle a few thugs herself, and she didn't want to mention it to Gu's mother.
But it was only after Little Goldfish mentioned wanting to bring Xu Gun'er back that she came up with this excuse.
Mother Gu nodded and said, "Okay, then you can make the decision yourself. I'll let the eldest, second, and fourth sons know first."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mother."
"It's just a matter of talking," Madam Gu shook her head, then added, "If you encounter something like this again in the future, the money is a small matter, you can give it away, but your safety comes first, understand?"
He then spat out a "pui" sound, contradicting himself, "What a jinx! I guess I'll never run into him again."
Lin Chang'er quickly pressed her hand down, "Mother, I know." If you can't beat someone, run away; that's what she taught the little goldfish too.
Mother Gu's expression softened and she smiled. Then, as if remembering something, she asked her, "We caught quite a few fish with the traps today, two big buckets of all sizes. My eldest daughter-in-law asked if we should take some to the market to sell?"
Lin Chang'er pondered for a moment. Stream fish were indeed a good thing, but fish were different from crabs. Crabs could be kept in refrigerated containers, but fish…
In this era, without oxygen pumps, death on the road is extremely easy.
Besides, she couldn't carry that much stuff by herself. If she had a car, it wouldn't be a big problem. She could collect the traps in the morning and make it to town in time.
I wonder if the oxcart from the next village would be willing to take a detour for a few coins.
Lin Chang'er shared her thoughts, and Gu's mother said, "It's because I didn't think things through enough; I was only thinking about adding another source of income."
Li Ge'er's mother married into the family from the next village, and it's unclear whether she's familiar with the oxcart driver.
If someone I know could help make the connection, they might be willing to go the extra mile.
Lin Chang'er nodded, "I'll ask Aunt Zhou later."
As they were talking, Gu's sister-in-law's voice came from the kitchen, "Mother, Third Sister-in-law, dinner is ready."
Lin Chang'er responded, "Coming." She helped Gu's mother to her feet.
At noon, Aunt Gu cooked a big pot of potato rice. The small potatoes had been cooked early in the morning, peeled and flattened, then stir-fried with freshly rendered lard until golden brown, and then cooked with the rice.
As soon as the pot lid was opened, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of rice and potatoes. The rice was cooked to perfection, and even the crispy rice crust was golden brown, crispy and fragrant, making it look very appetizing.
Gu Xiaoman swallowed hard. "It smells so good!"
Gu Xiaolu scratched her face and said, "Little brother, you little glutton, so shameful."
Gu Xiaoman chuckled, not minding at all. Seeing Lin Chang'er and Gu's mother come in, she smiled and called out, "Grandma, Auntie, let's eat!"
Lin Chang'er gently tapped his nose, "Our Xiaoman should eat more."
Gu Xiaoman nodded, "Eat your fill, grow tall, work hard, earn money, and buy meat..."
Lin Chang'er: "..." It even rhymes.
Lin Chang'er was amused, and Gu Ersao, who was helping to serve rice, also laughed when she heard her son speak.
Besides potato rice, Sister-in-law Gu also stewed pork bone soup, made braised fish following Lin Chang'er's recipe for braised pork yesterday, and added a green leafy vegetable.
With one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup, the family chatted and laughed, enjoying a satisfying meal.
Gu's mother had mentioned learning to read and do arithmetic earlier that morning, and Lin Chang'er mentioned a time before the banquet ended.
After taking a short nap inside, when I woke up, the sun had already risen over half the yard, and the Gu family members were all awake and waiting in the yard.
In Shatin, Gu Dalang and Gu Erlang had already laid out the mats early in the morning, following their mother's instructions.
The family sat down around the sandbar, and Lin Chang'er picked up a twig and wrote the contents of the Three Character Classic that she had taught the little goldfish that morning on the sandbar.
He taught the Gu family word by word, and also explained the annotations.
The family, young and old, of varying ages, all studied diligently.
At first, I read it awkwardly, but gradually it became easier.
Lin Chang'er got tired of talking, so she beckoned to the little goldfish, "Little goldfish, you lead the reading."
The little goldfish, though tiny, wasn't shy at all. Holding a small stick, it pointed to the words on the sandy field and said, "Everyone, repeat after me..."
At first, everyone was very proper, but as time went on, the younger ones became impatient, and the goldfish were also spoiled.
"Xiaoman, sit still and don't move around..."
"Little deer, look at your brother, don't look at the birds..."
"Uncle, this is good, it's about doing good..."
He was so serious and methodical, just like a little scholar. When Gu Xiaoman and Gu Xiaolu were called on, they immediately sat up straight.
Although Gu Dalang was an elder, he showed no dissatisfaction, only smiling sheepishly as he repeated after the little goldfish.
The atmosphere in the courtyard was pleasant, and Lin Chang'er took a rare break to sit down and relax for a while.
Suddenly, a soft shout came from outside the courtyard, "Who are you? What are you doing here, you sneaky cat?"