"Thank you everyone, uncles, please come and buy some tomorrow too!" Xingxing said, looking directly into the eyes of the people.
The burly men, meeting her big, round eyes, couldn't bring themselves to refuse and readily agreed. After all, the pancakes and buns sold here were the same price as other places, but the quantity and taste were better. Even if the little girl didn't say so, they would still come back to buy them.
Today was our first day of business, and business was pretty good. Later, five brothers from Fu came to help out, and we sold out everything they brought. It's a good start.
Back home, Zhao Guihua and Zhao Guizhi sat in the main room, counting their money together. They had collected only copper coins, totaling 260 coins. After deducting 100 coins for buying flour, oil, pork, and vegetables, they made a net profit of 160 coins.
"You're making a lot of money, more than you could earn carrying sacks outside. The docks haven't fully resumed operations yet, but if nothing unexpected happens, the flow of people will increase in a few days, and business will be even better." Zhao Guihua was happy for her sister, but also a little worried.
Today, she and the children were working together and were quite overwhelmed, almost unable to keep up. If her older sister were alone, wouldn't she be even more overwhelmed?
"Don't worry, we didn't check today, which is why things got so chaotic. Tomorrow I'll get up early and make the pancakes and buns. Then we can put the buns on the steamer and steam them directly, and keep the pancakes warm in the pan over low heat. When customers come, we can just sell them and collect the money."
If there were no set rules before, Zhao Guizhi had gained experience after selling the goods today. She was adaptable and quick-witted, and soon found a solution.
"Sister is so smart. I couldn't think of anything to do at the moment. Now I feel relieved. You need to be careful when you're alone. If anyone tries to cause trouble, run away as soon as possible. People are the most important thing. The stall is a small matter." Zhao Guihua was worried endlessly.
“I know, I’m a year older than you. You used to think I was more capable than you and that I could handle things. At worst, I’d keep a kitchen knife in my cart every day, and if anyone dared to cause me trouble, I’d chop them up.”
Zhao Guizhi said it half-truthfully, but she wasn't joking. She had escaped from disaster and had blood on her hands before, so she had long since developed a ruthless streak.
As the sun began to set, Zhao Guihua didn't delay any longer. She had to drive the oxcart back to the village because she would start transplanting rice seedlings and planting sweet potatoes tomorrow; there was a lot of work to be done in the fields.
The quintuplets, Xingxing, and Ruru officially began studying under Master Gu. The private school originally had only five students, but with the addition of these seven, there were twelve.
The five children who arrived first had already studied for a year, so the five Fu brothers and Xingxing were not in the same class as the other five students. Master Gu's courtyard was quite large, and when it wasn't raining, the students would study under the shed built in the courtyard.
When it rains, they move the desks and chairs into the room, and the five students sit on one side, while the seven students from Xingxing sit on the other side of the room with their backs to the five students.
After Gu Fuzi finished teaching five students, he would have them write or recite on their own, and then he would come over to teach the seven students named Xingxing.
Xingxing learns very quickly. She can recite the Three Character Classic after the teacher teaches her once. She also seems to be able to recite the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, but she didn't say so because she was wondering when she had learned these things.
You haven't studied it, have you? The reason she could immediately connect the dots is because she had something in her head to guide her; that must be it.
Xingxing gets a headache whenever she calms down and thinks about the past, so she quickly puts the problem out of her mind. What's there to think about? If she keeps thinking, her head will go numb.
"Zhou Xingxing, repeat what the teacher just said about the fleshy appearance." Teacher Gu had been staring at Xingxing for a long time. This girl had been daydreaming throughout the entire class and hadn't been paying attention to his lecture at all.
But after Xingxing stood up, he repeated exactly what he had just said, which was very puzzling. It seemed that someone who hadn't been listening to the lecture remembered what the teacher had said, while someone who seemed to be listening attentively didn't seem to have absorbed anything.
For example, Zhou Erfu and Zhou Sifu, those two rascals are either drowsy or suddenly sit up straight, seemingly listening very attentively, but every time the teacher asks them to stand up and answer questions, they can't answer anything.
Zhou Wufu was fine; he listened to what the teacher said and behaved normally. Zhou Dafu and Zhou Sanfu clearly loved reading, and the teacher liked them very much.
...
Zhao Guizhi's food stall has gradually stabilized, and her daily income is now maintained at 180 coins. So far, she hasn't encountered any trouble, and things are going smoothly.
A month later, the seven members of Xingxing finally got a three-day holiday. Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua had planted everything they needed to in the fields, and on this day, they drove an oxcart to town to pick up the children and take them home.
At noon, I helped Zhao Guizhi sell pancakes and steamed buns at the dock. After chatting with them for a while, Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua took their six children back to the village.
Zhao Guizhi and Chen Yueru couldn't go back because Chen Shunping was in poor health and the journey would be too much of a hassle. She had to stay and take care of Chen Shunping.
Back home, Xingxing burst into the yard like a little cannonball, shouting, "Where's my little duck?"
Looking around, she didn't see any ducklings, only Ash and Blackie circling around her, wagging their tails frantically. Xingxing squatted down and petted their heads, making Ash and Blackie squint their eyes.
“The little ducklings have grown into big ducks now. In the morning, Mom drives the ducks to the stream to play in the water and catch fish to eat. If the ducks haven’t come back by sunset, we have to go and chase them back,” Zhao Guihua said with a smile.
"Ash and Blackie have grown so much, they even recognize me." At this moment, Xingxing petted the two fluffy creatures until they were lying down.
Zhou Erfu and Zhou Sifu exchanged a glance, their thoughts aligned: in a few more months they would grow into big dogs, and then they could take Ah Hui and Ah Hei into the mountains to hunt.
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