After a dreamless night, Gu Yi got up early.
Although the Ye Family has bicycles, Gu Yi doesn't know how to ride them, so she has to walk back.
Even though the two families are not far apart, it still takes an hour at Gu Yi's pace.
With the weather so hot, she needs to hurry up before the sun comes out.
Gu Yi tidied herself up and went to the kitchen. She tasted the peanuts and found them quite nice.
A bit spicy, with a five-spice aftertaste. Gu Yi was quite confident in her culinary skills.
She found a ceramic jar that Ye Hao had brought back, filled it halfway with peanuts, and found a soup bowl to fill with the remaining peanuts from the pot.
Ye's mother walked in at that moment.
"I have five yuan here. When you head back, go through the town and buy something to show respect to your parents. It's hard on you since Hao Hao is not home."
As she spoke, she stuffed the five yuan in Gu Yi's hand.
Ye's mother's gesture greatly moved Gu Yi. After she married Ye Hao, the Ye Family's savings were nearly depleted.
Back in the day, it was customary to have "three turns and one sound," and not only did the Ye Family have these, but they also had 200 yuan in cash.
When Gu Yi got married, other girls were envious.
Gu Yi herself was not short on money either. The Ye Family's 200 yuan was supplemented with 300 yuan from her parents, and Gu Yi brought it to the Ye Family.
On the wedding night, Ye Hao also gave her 50 yuan. This showed that Ye Hao was a responsible person.
Although he wasn't her favorite, he didn't shirk his responsibilities.
"Mom, keep the money. I have money on me." Gu Yi pushed the money back.
"You have yours. This is a little token from your father and me."
Ye's mother wanted to treat Gu Yi well, not for any other reason but for her son Ye Hao, so she had to treat Gu Yi kindly.
In the end, Gu Yi didn't win against Ye's mother and took the money given by Ye's mother, grabbed something from the wardrobe, and headed out with the peanuts.
She went through the town, planning to buy some wine, two pounds of peach pastries for Gu's mother, some candies for her two nieces, and look around to see if there was any small business she could do at this stage.
Gu Yi carried the ceramic jar into the wine shop in town.
The owner was an elderly man in his fifties, thin but energetic, and he looked very shrewd.
"Owner, give me two pounds of wine."
"Sure, miss. You didn't bring a wine bottle, right? Here, a bottle of two pounds is 2.6 yuan. The wine is 1.2 yuan per pound, and the bottle is 0.2 yuan. Do you want to get it?"
"Give me two pounds."
"Alright, hang on for a bit, I'll get it." The owner said as he went to get the wine bottle for the wine.
Gu Yi was holding the jar, looking around the store, when suddenly a 7 or 8-year-old boy ran out from a room and bumped into her.
Gu Yi quickly grabbed the handle of the ceramic jar, which was fine, but the lid fell to the ground, spilling some peanuts.
The owner heard the noise, rushed over, and helped pick up the lid.
Seeing the peanuts on the ground, he apologized to Gu Yi, "I'm sorry, miss. This is my grandson. How about this, I'll give you the wine bottle for free. Xiao Cheng, come here and apologize."
Gu Yi hadn't reacted yet. She saw the owner's grandson picking up a few peanuts, wiping them briefly, and about to pop them into his mouth.
Gu Yi hurried over to hold his hand, gave him some clean ones from the jar, which he promptly stuffed into his mouth, and the owner couldn't stop him. The boy, while eating, didn't forget to say thank you.
"Grandpa, it's really delicious. You should try one."
He said, handing one to the owner. It was slightly spicy, with an aromatic aftertaste that, if paired with some wine, would surely make one feel blissful.
Being a businessman, the owner's mind was quick, "Miss, could you tell me where you bought these peanuts?"
Gu Yi could see the owner was impressed with the peanuts, "These aren't bought. I made them at home. The owner enjoys this taste, right? It's made using a secret recipe from my in-laws' family; I was taking some home for my father."
The owner observed Gu Yi's calm and orderly speaking manner, straightening his posture. Hearing her mention a secret recipe, he understood that the young lady likely came prepared.
If Gu Yi knew what the owner was thinking, she would surely say, "I can't just pass up business that came knocking."
"Miss, I'm straightforward. So I'll get to the point. Can you make some to sell to me? I'll sell them in my shop and see how they do. If they sell well, I'll purchase regularly from you. How does that sound?"
Gu Yi thought a bit, "The fields aren't busy now, so there's time to do this. But I'm not sure what price you're willing to offer?"
"How about 0.25 yuan?"
"Owner, you seem like a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush either. How about 0.3 yuan? This secret recipe involves more than a dozen ingredients; you have to let me make some profit on the ingredients."
The owner thought for a moment, "Alright, it's settled. When can you deliver? Start with a small batch, about ten pounds; the weather's hot so it won't keep long."
"I can deliver tomorrow. But owner, we have an agreement: you'll pay for the goods promptly once received. We're new to this and not knowledgeable about the rules, but my family are straightforward people who prefer honest dealings, so we ask for your understanding."
"Of course."
The owner thought it was a reasonable request and agreed, and the two had essentially made a deal. Gu Yi prepared to pay and leave.
"Miss, you can just pay 2 yuan. I'll charge you the cost price; here's to future cooperation."
Gu Yi thanked the owner, paid, and left. The young boy seemed spoiled, and from afar, Gu Yi could still hear the owner's comforting words.
"You can enjoy these slowly. Tomorrow that sister will come again, and grandpa will keep a big handful for you, okay?"
Gu Yi bought two pounds of peach pastries and a pound of fruit candies, spending 1.3 yuan. She found it a bit tricky buying things and getting change in smaller denominations like 1 cent and 2 cents.
Carrying loads of items, she headed toward her parents' place.
Since Gu Yi had two older brothers, she was the youngest at home; Gu's father and mother didn't have the usual rural preference for sons over daughters and had always spoiled her.
Her eldest brother was eight years older than her, and the other five years.
When she was young, her parents didn't have time to take care of her, so her two brothers would take her along wherever they went, fostering an especially close sibling relationship.
Gu's parents were also quite open-minded; after each son's marriage, they lived independently.
The eldest brother's daughter was six years old this year, and the second brother's daughter was four. During the day, both children were cared for by Gu's mother, returning home to sleep with their parents at night.
Gu's mother had chosen her daughters-in-law who were both good-tempered and skilled at managing the household, making the family quite harmonious.
In her past life, every time Gu Yi returned, she'd be reluctant to leave. She would often wonder back then, if she hadn't married Ye Hao but someone else from the village, would she also enjoy the same harmonious family life like her parents and siblings.