Lv Yang’s days are quite difficult now. Ever since he was poisoned and made mute last ti, his leg was beaten to the point of being sowhat crippled. He always struggled to find work when going out, and even porter jobs were rare. Now, he relies on the family’s farmland to get by.
Gu Chengyu instructed Yu Tuanzi and Ming Mo to send so grain and silver coin to the two elders every now and then. This was a filial duty to Mrs. Lv, even though they had long since sold her off.
As for how it was distributed, that was not his concern.
Gu Chengyu made a list of items needed for the eighteenth and handed it to Yu Tuanzi, asking him to prepare in the next couple of days.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly rembered that Gu Xi’s shop hadn’t been settled yet, which was a perfect task for Yu Tuanzi to handle.
"Find a shop to rent in town; it doesn’t need to be large. My eldest sister will use it to sell soybean products. If later on, it cos with a small yard, even better. If you can’t find a rental, then just buy it."
"Yes! I’ll check the brokerage. It’s for tofu business, right? Then I’ll look for a spot around West Street near South Street." West Street is filled with comrcial shops, and the south side is a residential area. From Yu Tuanzi’s impression, the tofu business doesn’t earn much; it’s cheap to sell, so that place should be decent enough.
"It’s soybean products, not tofu, and is several tis more expensive than tofu, so that place won’t do. Look for sothing in the western area! The average folks can’t buy it frequently." Yu Tuanzi had never tasted soybean products before, but Gu Chengyu didn’t bla him.
Whether rented or bought, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t waive Gu Xi’s rent. A gift of a few asures of grain leads to an enemy for your gourt grain. Giving away the recipe for soybean products was already generous, considering their blood relation.
After giving instructions, Gu Chengyu left the courtyard. He still needed to visit Manager Zhou, who had helped his family a lot before, and he felt that going personally would show sincerity. The other invitations were given to Ming Yan, who drove the carriage to deliver them to various households.
Gu Chengyu entered Manager Zhou’s fabric store, and coincidentally, Manager Zhou was there.
"Ah, Chengyu is here, co in and sit! Oh my! Nowadays, even inviting you over isn’t easy, Scholar!" The two were acquainted and often joked around; there was no other implication in these words.
"Uncle Zhou, you’re teasing . How’s business lately at the fabric store?" Gu Chengyu, led into the inner room by Manager Zhou, was handed a cup of tea as Manager Zhou poured from the kettle.
"It’s going well! Tell , you must have a purpose for coming, right?" Manager Zhou didn’t believe that Gu Chengyu would co for no reason; how could a scholar have so much free ti?
"The family is holding a banquet; I ca to deliver an invitation and request Uncle Zhou’s gracious presence." Gu Chengyu placed the invitation on the table before taking a sip of tea.
"What gracious or not gracious, this is a grand celebration. Of course, I want to attend and share in the joy. As long as nothing pressing cos up, I’ll definitely be there." Manager Zhou opened the invitation, glanced at the date and hour, and, after so thought, figured he should be free that day.
"Then I’ll be waiting for you at ho!" Gu Chengyu chatted a bit more with Manager Zhou before leaving the fabric shop. When he left, he had two bolts of fabric in hand.
Ming Yan and Ming Mo were already waiting at the door. The three got into the carriage and headed towards Sun Xian’s ho, stopping to pick up so pastries at First-class House along the way and buying so brown sugar midway.
In the Dayan Dynasty, brown sugar was an essential gift for rural visits, a prized food item that wasn’t cheap.
Recalling Sun’s mother’s illness, Gu Chengyu took a decade-old ginseng from his space and placed it in a brocade box. In the space, ginseng was abundant; this one was of a short age, just suitable for supplenting Sun’s mother without overburdening her.
Sun Xian’s house was in Xiasang Village, which wasn’t far from the town. As Gu Chengyu admired the roadside scenery, he thought of Manager Pan at the Xiwu Bookstore. Last ti his mother ntioned that after four days, Gu Chenglian was to et Manager Pan’s second cousin’s daughter. If successful, Manager Pan would definitely be invited to the banquet.
The carriage soon arrived at Xiasang Village. The Sun family lived deeper in, so the carriage continued forward. Gu Chengyu had been there three tis, and Ming Mo and the others often ca to deliver goods, so they were quite familiar with the route.
Before the carriage even reached the Sun family’s gate, curious children at the entrance were already calling out.
"Fifth Brother! You have guests, it’s that carriage again." Gu Chengyu found it amusing. Most of these children were from Sun family’s clan, and calling him Fifth Brother referred to Sun Xian’s ranking in the clan.
Hearing the cries, Sun Xian hurried out of the house. Indeed, it was the Gu family’s carriage; Sun’s mother followed him out of the house, too.
Gu Chengyu got off the carriage and skillfully pulled a small pack of pine nut candy from his pocket, giving it to a nearby child. The kids took the candy, thanked him, and then cheered as they dashed aside to divide it up.
"Chengyu! It’s really you! Don’t spoil them; they might throw a tantrum next ti if you forget!"
Actually, the first ti Gu Chengyu didn’t know the way, he gave them candy as a thank-you for guiding him. He took a pack from his space, a habit inspired by Gu Wanhua’s son, who often teased him with candies.
"It’s just candy, and they’re good kids. They’ve never asked for it and always traded sothing in exchange."
The children never took his candy for nothing. Sotis they would give him grass-crafted crickets and such in return, seeing him as just another young kid to share sweets and fun with. Gu Chengyu liked those crafted items, finding them quite realistic, so it was a fair exchange.
"Oh! This must be the fifth of the Gu family? Co in quickly, Brother Xian, why aren’t you inviting him in?" Sun’s mother, despite her poor eyesight, had to focus for a while to recognize Gu Chengyu.
"Auntie, I’ve co to see you. How have you been feeling lately?" Gu Chengyu signaled Ming Mo to bring in the gifts while entering the Sun family yard.
"Much better, co in and sit!" Sun’s mother always felt less confident when facing the Gu family.
The Sun family’s courtyard wasn’t large, and the house was made of mud bricks, but Gu Chengyu noticed that the thatched roof had been replaced with tiles.
Sun Xian noticed Gu Chengyu’s glance and quickly understood.
"The clan replaced it. They said since I passed the scholar exam, the house shouldn’t be too shabby, so so funds were pooled together to replace the tiles." Sun Xian didn’t feel embarrassed; Gu Chengyu already knew their situation, so there was no need to hide.
Hearing this, Gu Chengyu frowned. It seed the Sun family needed to find a livelihood. Gu Wan’s dowry wouldn’t be small, but it was hers and shouldn’t always subsidize her husband’s family.
In the Dayan Dynasty, a woman’s dowry was typically managed by herself. It was rare for a household to live off it, as relying on a wife’s dowry would subject them to scorn.
"Brother Sun, I’m here with an invitation for the banquet on the eighteenth. I’ll be coming to pick up you and Auntie. Will you be free that day?"
"Haha! If you’re hosting a banquet, I’ll definitely make ti! Have you invited your classmates? Did you invite Ye Zhiqiu?" Sun Xian continued his regular concern for Gu Chengyu. Even though Gu Chengyu, at a young age, handled matters well, Sun Xian couldn’t help but worry about him.
"Everyone is invited. I had Ming Yan deliver Ye Zhiqiu’s gift and the invitation as well." After speaking, Gu Chengyu pulled a pocket from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"My second sister asked to bring this for you. Please take it. I must be going now; the day isn’t early. Will you stay at our house for a few days?" Gu Chengyu stood to take his leave.
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