Chapter 31: Money is easy to earn and the brother and sister meet
Gu Youan verbally agreed on the deal with Hu Changpu, and then turned around and went to the South City Gate with her elder brother Gu Wenqing to pick someone up. When she got there, she saw a middle-aged man who looked about 60% similar to her mother talking to Uncle Du.
Gu Wenqing pulled his sister forward and said excitedly, "Uncle, look, this is An An. She's recovered from her illness."
Du Qing turned his head to look at Gu Youan, and seeing her brown face, he was a little hesitant to recognize her. Is this... his niece?
The last time Du Qing saw his niece was seven or eight years ago. At that time, his sister Ruoniang turned thirty, and he specially went from Yizhou Prefecture to Luoyang to deliver a gift. At that time, his niece still looked sick and dazed.
She used to be frail, but her skin was very fair. Why is she like this now? Is it because she suffered too much during her exile?
"Niece... her face still looks like Ruoniang's."
Du Qing hesitated and gave a compliment, which made Uncle Du laugh.
Uncle Du pointed at Gu Youan and laughed, "You little monkey, did you put something on your face? You were very fair when I saw you last year. How come you've become so dark in just one year?"
Gu Youan said with a smile: "Anan greets uncle, second uncle, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Gu Wenqing also chuckled and helped explain, "It's not An An's fault. An An is older now, and her parents are worried about her going out, so she tries to hide her appearance and avoid causing trouble."
Du Qing took a closer look at his niece. Apart from the different complexion, his niece looked more charming than his sister when she was young. She was indeed extraordinary and should be kept secret.
"Uncle and Second Uncle must have worked hard on the journey. Let's go home and have a good rest for a few days."
Gu Youan told them that his mother was in the city and was visiting the Su family. She might not be able to finish her business until the afternoon.
It was almost noon, and it would be bad to wait with an empty stomach, so Gu Youan took them to find a place to have lunch.
Du Qing and Second Uncle Du came to Songjiang City with a lot of goods. These goods had not yet found buyers, so Gu Wenqing took a few members of the Gu family to send the goods to the Ping'an Escort Agency for temporary storage.
Gu Youan told her brother: "After you put the goods away, go to Yunlai Inn."
"I understand. You go first. I know the place." Gu Wenqing waved his hand.
Gu Youan led a group of people to Yunlai Inn. There were more than a dozen of them, so it was just right for them to sit at two tables. Gu Youan first ordered two special dishes, braised pork and braised fish, for the two tables, and they could order other vegetables as they wanted.
While waiting for the food to be served, Gu Youan poured tea for his uncle and Uncle Du and asked if their journey had been smooth.
"It went smoothly. We prepared half a shipload of medicinal herbs, several boxes of Shu embroidery, and tea in Yizhou Prefecture, and will take the water route to Jiangnan to sell them."
"After we sold all our goods in Jiangnan, we bought a lot of fine cotton cloth and silk and headed north again. We sold most of them along the way and shipped the rest to Songjiang City."
Du Qing sighed, "To be honest, although business is hard, the profits are huge. The money we earned from this trip far exceeds what our medicine shop earns in two or three years."
Uncle Du laughed and said, "If the profits weren't so great, there wouldn't be so many people risking their lives, being robbed, and being exploited to become traders."
Last year, Uncle Du brought back nearly two thousand taels of medicinal herbs to Yizhou Prefecture. He sold those wild ginseng and deer antlers to wealthy families in Yizhou Prefecture, and made nearly ten thousand taels of silver from this transaction. Together with the profits from selling other medicinal herbs, leaving aside the cost and travel expenses, he made a lot of money on this trip.
Although traveling for business can make money, the risks involved are unpredictable. Uncle Du was determined to make this business a success. For safety reasons, he did not hide this way of making money from the Du family.
Second Uncle Du introduced the Du family members sitting at the same table to Gu Youan. Gu Youan recognized their faces and said, "Second Uncle, you came at the perfect time. The old man of the Han family passed away at the end of last month, and the two Han brothers have had conflicts. The business of the Han family pharmacy has changed. This is our opportunity."
Uncle Du was overjoyed: "Is that true?"
Gu Youan's lips curled up slightly: "I have contacted several large households that supply medicinal materials to the Han family. They still have a lot of medicinal materials on hand and are looking for buyers. I bought some to store, but unfortunately I am short of money and cannot buy them all."
Du Qing said hurriedly, "I just came here to bring all the cash in the house. You can use it."
Gu Youan shook his head: "This is not good. You should keep the money that your uncle brought for business."
My uncle has a wife and children, and the family has to make a living. Even if they are relatives, they still have to maintain proper propriety.
Uncle Du also laughed and said, "Ah Qing, aren't you planning to use the silver you brought with you to buy some medicinal herbs to take back to Yizhou? Keep it for yourself. I haven't paid back the money I borrowed from An An's family yet."
When Uncle Du borrowed the money, he had already made up his mind to pay it back with interest and would never let An An's family suffer any loss.
As they were talking, Gu Wenqing came over with a few clansmen, and the dishes were served.
Gu Wenqing sat down and said, "The caravan from Songjiang City left not long ago. You arrived earlier than the others. Cloth is in hot demand in Songjiang City right now. Master Guo has a wide network of contacts. If Second Uncle doesn't mind, could Master Guo introduce me to a few shopkeepers who can handle the goods?"
Second Uncle Du was just hoping for this, so he quickly said, "Master Guo knows a lot of people. We'll go to the Ping An Escort Agency and ask for his help."
"Okay, then let's go in the afternoon and sell the goods early, so Uncle Er can save some time."
Gu Wenqing then told his sister, "Brother Zhang and I are going to practice horseback riding and archery outside the city this afternoon, so we won't be home. You can take your uncle and second uncle to their homes."
Gu Wenqing's voice was bright and resonant. Du Qing said to his uncle, "This child used to be like his father, a scholar, very refined. But now he speaks and acts so swiftly, he really looks like a martial artist."
"Your brother-in-law is smart. If it were another family, they would have been implicated and exiled, and several generations of their family would have been ruined. But his family fell and got up so quickly."
Gu Wenqing picked up some food for Uncle Du and said with a smile, "You may not know this yet, but at the end of last month, my father became an official."
"What?" Uncle Du couldn't believe it. "He really became an official? How did he become one?"
"Haha, of course it was thanks to my father's ability that he got the position." Gu Wenqing briefly talked about his father's canal construction.
Uncle Du was extremely impressed: "Your family is really on the rise."
Gu Wen was an official, even if his position was not high, he was still an official. It was easier to get things done with someone in his family, and with the Gu family around, they would definitely have fewer obstacles in doing business in Songjiang City.
Not only Uncle Du, but other members of the Du family at the table also smiled. This time, he was here.
Du Qing was worried: "Business is not a stable business after all. Now that your father is an official, it would be better for him to buy more land. That way, if something happens in the future, the family will have a way out."
"Uncle, that's not possible. The land in Songjiang City was distributed by the government to each family. You can only cultivate it and not sell it. Take the Han family, for example, which my second uncle knows. The Han family is considered wealthy and powerful in Songjiang City. They have so many people in their family, but they only have a little over a hundred acres of land."
“Land can’t be bought and sold?”
Gu Youan nodded silently. She knew that this land was very fertile. If she could buy a large piece of land and become a big landlord, she would definitely be willing to do so. However, the policy did not allow it, at least not now.
Uncle Du: "It makes sense that buying and selling are not allowed. It's not like the inside of the Great Wall. The winter outside the Great Wall is freezing. If the people don't have land and food, they will have nowhere to make a living in the winter."
"That's right. Even in Songjiang City, during the coldest time of winter, most shops are closed. It's impossible to find odd jobs to make a living."
For the sake of the people and the food security of the troops stationed near Songjiang City, it is estimated that the land policy of Songjiang City will be unlikely to change.
While eating and chatting, Gu Wenqing asked about his aunt and cousins how they had been doing over the years. After lunch, they chatted for a while. Gu Wenqing said goodbye to his uncle and took Uncle Du to Ping'an Escort Agency to meet Master Guo.
Gu Youan brought his clansmen to the inn where they had stayed this morning to rest. Seeing that it was almost time, Gu Youan took his uncle to wait for her mother outside the Su family's door.
When Mrs. Du and Mrs. Bai came out of the Su family's house, Gu Youan called out "Mom", but Mrs. Du ignored her. Mrs. Du's eyes instantly turned red, and she hurried towards Du Qing, staggering twice. Du Qing hurried over to support her.
"Sister, how are you these days?"
"elder brother!"
Mrs. Du burst into tears: "Brother, I'm fine, everything about me is fine, are you okay? How is my sister-in-law?"
Du Qing's eyes were filled with tears, and he smiled and nodded: "Everyone in the family is fine, but I am thinking about you."
He had never known about the exile of his sister and brother-in-law's family in the autumn of the previous year. It was not until last spring when Du Er's family returned to Yizhou Prefecture that he learned about it from Du Er's wife.
Du Qing is seven or eight years older than his sister Du Ruoniang. His mother died a few years after his sister was born, and his father was busy seeing patients and running the pharmacy. It can almost be said that he raised his sister. Du Qing's concern for his sister cannot be expressed in a few words.
As soon as Du Qing learned that something had happened to his sister's family, he panicked and even ignored the business of his family's medicine shop. He immediately wanted to pack his luggage and come to Songjiang City.
Unfortunately, his wife was seriously ill during that period, and his daughter, who was about to give birth, was not feeling well in her pregnancy, which made him worried. As the pillar of the family, he could not leave. When he heard that Du Er had gone to Songjiang City, he endured it and waited anxiously for news from Du Er.
A few months later in the autumn, Du Er brought back good news, saying that his sister and her family were doing well. He also said that it was too late to rush to Songjiang City in the autumn. Before he could reach Shanhaiguan, the road outside the pass had been blocked by heavy snow, making the journey impossible.
Du Qing could only continue to wait and wait until after the Chinese New Year, and then he and Du Er and a dozen or so members of the Du family would travel day and night to Songjiang Prefecture.
Du Qing looked at his sister. Although she was wearing silk and satin, her face had become darker and her hands had become rougher. She must have suffered a lot in the past year or two.
Du Qing felt sorry for the suffering his sister had endured and wished he could take her place. What was going on?
The brother and sister held each other's hands tightly, sighing at the hardships of life.
Bai wiped her tears quietly and said to Gu Youan, "Your uncle and your mother have a really good relationship as siblings."
Bai's family and Tian's family have not sent them even a word since they were exiled. It's really incomparable.
Look at the Su family, then look at their Tian family, and other exiled families. It is normal for monkeys to scatter when the tree falls. Once they fall into poverty, all relatives will stay away from them.
Now seeing the Du brothers and sisters like this, it is particularly regrettable.
Mrs. Du wiped away her tears and said with a joyful smile, "You are still crying in front of someone else's house, making people laugh at you. Brother, let's go home."
"Hey, I'll listen to you."
Mrs. Du and Mrs. Bai went to the inn to change into clothes for meeting guests, and then changed back into the linen clothes they wore for daily work. Du Qing felt very uncomfortable when he saw his sister dressed like a peasant woman.
When the group arrived at the neighboring mountain village, Du Qing's eyes turned red again when he saw the dilapidated house half underground. When he heard that the dilapidated house was rented from the government and not their own, Du Qing immediately felt sorry for his sister and was angry.
"What's wrong with Gu Wen? He and his family don't even have their own house? In Yizhou Prefecture, even unmarried bachelors in the countryside have thatched huts. Gu Wen is really outrageous!"
Ah Xuan didn't know Du Qing. When she saw Du Qing scolding her father, she bent her hips and puffed out her belly. "Who are you? What gives you the right to say my father is bad? My father is good!"
Mrs. Du hurriedly picked up her little daughter and said, "Don't talk to your uncle like that! Hurry up and call someone."
"Uncle..." A Xuan scratched her chin and thought for a moment before saying, "Uncle is my mother's brother?"
"It's my mother's brother, why don't you call someone?"
Ah Xuan snorted softly, her chin slightly raised: "Uncle can't say my father is bad."
The Du family members who were watching laughed immediately, saying that this girl was not raised in vain, as she knew how to protect her father at such a young age.
Du Qing was no longer angry and reached out for a hug: "Give uncle a hug, and uncle won't say anything about your father."
"Okay."
A Xuan smiled and stretched out her hand: "Good uncle, please hug me."
Du Qing picked up A Xuan and sighed with satisfaction, "This girl is sweet-talking and good at speaking. She's just like Ruoniang when she was little. She's such a clever little girl."
Du Ruoniang thought about her childhood and how she did seem to love to be naughty. Seeing her two daughters present, Du Ruoniang said a little embarrassedly, "I'm going to have a daughter-in-law soon and will be a mother-in-law soon. Why should I talk about those old stories?"
"No matter how old you are, you are still my sister."
Du Ruoniang couldn't help it and almost burst into tears again.
"Stop crying, Xuan will make you laugh soon."
Du Ruoniang glared at Axuan, who covered her mouth and laughed, then asked her sister to hug her again.
"Mom, please talk to uncle. I'll take Xuan out to play."
Gu Youan took Axuan away and refused to let her play. The two sisters went to the vegetable garden to pick a lot of vegetables, soaked the dried fish in the cupboard, and cooked bacon in the pot.
Gu Youan was busy in the kitchen and asked Axuan to go to Luo's house to buy a chicken. It took almost an hour to cook for more than a dozen people.
In the evening, Gu Wen returned home and the two sides exchanged pleasantries. Gu Wen, Du Qing and Uncle Du drank and talked until midnight.
The next morning, Gu Youan got up early and knocked on Uncle Du's door. Uncle Du handed her the money he had lent her family, including the principal and interest, and Gu Youan did not refuse.
"Uncle, I'll take you to buy some herbs. Let's go today. The sooner the better."
"Let's buy some ginseng first?"
Gu Youan nodded: "The profit from selling one ginseng is much greater than the profit from selling a whole truck of other medicinal herbs. If the Han family hadn't encountered any problems this year, it wouldn't be our turn."
Uncle Du knew what was going on. He said, "Wait for me a moment. We'll set off soon."
The whole family quickly finished their breakfast, called other members of the Du family, and set off up the mountain.
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