Gu Nanjiao waved at Lu Yanzhao: "I'm here."

Lu Yanzhao slowly walked towards Gu Nanjiao. His handsome appearance and extraordinary temperament immediately attracted the attention of many people.

The young women and wives blushed with embarrassment; they had never seen such a handsome man before.

Lu Yanzhao remained unmoved, glanced at Gu Nanjiao, and asked in a gentle tone, "Are you done with your work?"

Gu Nanjiao said calmly, "Just finished. How's it going with Mother? Is everything sold out?"

"The rolled pastries are very popular, they're sold out!"

...

Thanks to the popularity of the Pear Blossom Festival, many people learned about Jiaoniang Pavilion and wanted to place orders. Lü Siniang led a large group of people to the stall. Liu helped take measurements, and the two little adults took notes, looking quite professional.

Finally, unable to keep up, Lu Yanzhao joined the recording team. The three of them, one adult and two children, sat upright, becoming a striking sight. Passersby gathered around to watch.

Gu Nanjiao seized the opportunity to shout, "Don't miss out! Jiaoniang Pavilion is having a promotion today. Anyone who places an order today will receive a complimentary 'Imperial Concubine Soup' for beauty and health."

What is "Imperial Concubine Soup"? It's actually kudzu root powder. Bai Luochen felt that calling it kudzu root powder didn't sound good, so he changed it to "Imperial Concubine Soup." It sounds more elegant and classy, ​​and the word "soup" immediately tells people that it's something to eat.

I heard they were giving away gifts, and with such an expensive name at that. People who were still hesitant started placing orders. Luckily, there were plenty of helpers; gifts of all sizes arrived.

They were busy until the afternoon before they finally had a chance to catch their breath.

After helping to tidy up the stall, Gu Nanjiao said goodbye to Lü Siniang. Lü Siniang's forehead was covered in sweat, her hair was disheveled, and she looked very disheveled, but she couldn't hide the excitement on her lips, and her eyes were frighteningly bright. Gu Nanjiao wiped the sweat from her head and said, "I know, I know, you can go back now."

By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. Gu Nanjiao prepared a simple dinner, and Lu Yanzhao went to the village chief's house to return the oxcart.

The village chief's wife couldn't help but ask, "Yanzhao, where did you go to make your fortune? I saw you taking something to sell early this morning. What were you selling?"

"Auntie, it's nothing. My mother and wife are just thinking of making some snacks to sell so they can earn some money to buy groceries."

Lu Yanzhao didn't keep it a secret and casually mentioned it, but he never mentioned how much money he had made.

In Lu Yanzhao's mind, one should always be careful in both dealing with people and doing things. No matter how much money one makes, one should never tell others casually, even if that person seems like a good person.

That's human nature; people despise you for being poor and fear you for being rich.

After Lu Yanzhao left, the village chief's wife couldn't help but ask the village chief, "Tell me, how much money must the Lu family make? They lease land to grow kudzu and do business."

The village chief glanced at his wife and said, "What does it have to do with you how much money someone makes? You're always asking around."

The village chief's wife pursed her lips: "I was just asking, wasn't I?"

The village chief sighed and said, "From now on, stop asking around like the women in the village. Remember, your words and actions represent me."

The village chief's wife quickly replied, "I know, I know. You are a good village chief, upright, hardworking, and dedicated to serving the people."

When Lu Yanzhao returned, dinner was not yet ready.

Lu's mother and younger sister were overjoyed. They took the money bag and counted it, and were surprised to find that they had actually made a profit of one or two taels.

The pear blossom festival lasted for three days, and Lu's mother and her family earned three taels of silver.

We packed up our stall early in the morning, and the family planned to stroll around in the afternoon to admire the King of Pear Trees in Luoshui County. We heard that the King of Pear Trees is over a hundred years old, with lush branches and leaves, and clusters of snow-white pear blossoms, which is quite spectacular.

There was also a pear blossom cake vendor nearby. It looked sweet and sticky, so Gu Nanjiao couldn't resist buying some and sharing some with Lu Xiaomei. Lu's mother and Lu Yanzhao didn't eat any sweets.

There were also vendors selling pear syrup. I heard that drinking it can prevent coughs, so Lu's mother couldn't resist buying two jars, saying that she would keep them so that anyone in the family could drink them if they had a cough.

Lu Yanzhao had never been so tired in his life, especially shopping with a woman. The waiting process was long and agonizing; he wanted to find a chair to sit on the whole time. He looked around but couldn't find a place to sit. He couldn't very well sit on the floor, could he?

He really didn't have much to buy, but Gu Nanjiao bought a whole bunch of things, and Lu's mother also bought quite a lot. Lu Yanzhao followed behind, carrying the bags. Lu Xiaomei was thinking about food and didn't want to buy anything to take home.

After they had seen enough of the sights, the four of them rested for a while on the oxcart before heading home.

By the time they got home, it was already dark, and there was no one on the street. No one would have seen what they had bought.

Lu Yanzhao returned the oxcart, and Gu Nanjiao had already prepared dinner.

I was tired from shopping in the afternoon, so I made a simple dinner: oil-splashed noodles.

The family was very happy; they had not only made money these past few days but also enjoyed the scenery. They felt incredibly content.

...

Gu Family Courtyard

Mr. Gu was unusually diligent and cleaned the house thoroughly, tidying up everything that needed cleaning and wiping every spot that needed wiping.

A table full of delicious dishes was laid out on the table. He couldn't cook, so he bought all the food from nearby eateries.

I straightened my collar and waited quietly, glancing outside every now and then.

Today, the parents of his student are coming to thank him for helping take care of their child a while ago.

The parent was a woman who, I heard, was raising her child alone while running her business. She was quite attractive, and although she was past her prime, she still retained her charm.

For some reason, Gu Xiucai was always reserved and uneasy whenever he saw her, as if he was afraid of being disliked.

Lü Siniang led the article to the teacher's house, carrying a bamboo basket on her arm containing a pot of fine wine and a newly made dress.

Master Gu is a kind and gentle man, and he is very considerate of her writing. She happened to have some free time today, so she came to thank Master Gu.

Lu Siniang knocked on the door, and a gentle voice came from inside: "Come in, the door isn't locked."

Lu Siniang walked in and found that Master Gu's courtyard was tidy and orderly.

Wen Zhang bowed respectfully to Scholar Gu: "Greetings, Master!"

Gu Xiucai gave a faint "hmm," sat up straight, and when he saw Lü Siniang arrive, he gestured for her to enter: "The food is ready, please don't stand on ceremony."

Lu Siniang said apologetically, "Oh, Master Gu, you're too kind. I've already troubled you enough, and you've even prepared a meal to entertain me. This... is really too much trouble for you."

He then took out the wine from the bamboo basket: "Knowing that you love to drink, Wen Zhang specially asked me to prepare this. Please accept it."

Scholar Gu waved his hands repeatedly in refusal: "No, you mustn't. Wen Zhang is my student. A teacher for a day is a father for life. It is only right that I take care of him."

Upon hearing the phrase "a father for life," Lü Siniang's ears flushed slightly. "This is Wenzhang's heartfelt wish; how can you disregard it?" She then turned and took out the newly made clothes, handing them to Gu Xiucai.

“I heard from the article that your clothes were torn and no one sewed them for you. So, I made you a new set of clothes. Please take a look and see if they fit.”

Gu Xiucai's heart suddenly burst into a burst of joy: "This...you made clothes for me again?" Could it be that Lü Siniang had a little bit of a crush on him? He had heard that when a woman gave a man clothes she had made herself, it meant that the woman had feelings for the man.

Lu Siniang nodded shyly: "Mm!"

Gu Xiucai was a little nervous and said incomparably, "Thank you... thank you. I'll try on the clothes later. Come on, you guys eat first."

Seeing that Master Gu had accepted the clothes, Lü Siniang was delighted and led Wenzhang to sit down without any ceremony.