Qiu Yan was in charge of collecting money and settling accounts, while Gu Qian would sometimes clear the dishes, sometimes serve wontons to the guests, and sometimes collect money with Qiu Yan.
He never dreamed that he would be experiencing life with Qiu Yan today.
When there are more people, some will stand by the roadside with bowls and chopsticks to eat.
Some people didn't want to stand, so they complained a couple of times and left.
It's just that they only had one table, not enough to seat so many people.
There weren't many bowls and chopsticks, which delayed some guests.
In about half an hour, the wontons were almost sold out.
Setting up a stall to sell wontons isn't as difficult as I imagined. I can run my own business and won't have to be at the mercy of others. Thinking this, Qiu Yumei said to Qiu Yan:
"Xiaoyan, we really owe you this idea. We should have started selling wontons ourselves a long time ago."
Qiu Yan sorted through the copper coins in her hand: "It's not too late to sell them now."
Qiu Dafu didn't expect his first day of business to go so smoothly. While cooking wontons, he kept an eye on his surroundings, but the troublemakers he had imagined didn't come.
After his release from prison, he became much more cautious than before.
Thinking that Qiu Dafu hadn't eaten yet, Qiu Yumei said to him, "Second brother, you can have the last bowl."
Qiu Dafu was also hungry. Before he could speak, he saw someone coming from the crowd, and it was Jiang Liu.
Because she had difficulty walking, she came by horse-drawn carriage.
"Are there any wontons left?"
Qiu Dafu scooped out the last wontons, poured on some bone broth, and placed them in front of Jiang Liu, saying, "Please enjoy, Madam."
Jiang Liu nodded to Qiu Dafu and thanked him.
Qiu Yan turned around and said, "Sister Jiang, you're here to eat wontons so early in the morning."
"I heard from your second uncle that your family's wonton stall is opening for business today, so I came to show my support."
After taking a bite, she couldn't help but praise, "Not bad, it tastes better than the new chef at the Tang family's restaurant."
Qiu Yumei felt happy when she heard someone praise her.
For the last bowl, Qiu Yan didn't charge her. Jiang Liu, having eaten and drunk her fill, said she had something to do that day and called Qiu Dafu to leave.
After packing up all their belongings and cleaning up the stall, Qiu Yan and the other two went back.
On the way back, Gu Qian drove the oxcart, while Qiu Yumei sat on it, counting the copper coins she had earned that morning, her face beaming with smiles. "Forty-eight bowls of wontons, a total of two hundred and forty coins. If I had known they would sell so well, I should have made more."
This is much better than her work at the wonton shop.
The three returned to Qiu Yumei's house. Gu Qian had something to do, so he left first, leaving Qiu Yan to wait for him there.
Qiu Yumei handed the copper coins she had earned that day to Qiu Yan, saying, "Xiao Yan, take this money."
My aunt paid for everything yesterday. She spent over eighty coins on meat, vegetables, and seasonings, which meant she made a profit of over one hundred coins. However, after deducting the cost of the stove and stall, there wasn't much left.
Qiu Yan shook her head and said that her aunt had spent just as much money on materials yesterday.
"We'll officially start doing business tomorrow morning, and we'll split the profits equally."
Qiu Yumei nodded. "Aunt will pay for the initial investment first. Starting tomorrow, you, me, and your second uncle will split it equally."
“If we’re going into business together, we can’t let Auntie pay for everything alone,” Qiu Yan said.
Let's start with a small business; it won't cost much. Qiu Yan suggested that she and her aunt each contribute one tael of silver as capital for buying materials.
Once the matter was settled, Qiu Yumei, considering Qiu Yan's current abilities, put her in charge.
She quickly took out one or two taels of silver from her home and gave it to Qiu Yan. The two then went to the market to make some purchases.
When he returned, Gu Qian had been waiting for him at the gate of his aunt's house for a long time.
Upon seeing Gu Qian again, Qiu Yumei's inner world suddenly became rich and colorful.
Because this time, Gu Qian had an extra carriage by his side.
Qiu Yan peeked through the crack in the door into the courtyard, where Gu Qian's horse was staring intently at Uncle Li's donkey.
Where did the carriage come from?
Gu Qian smiled, his charming eyes crinkling. "I bought this for you. How is it? Are you satisfied?"
Qiu Yumei was genuinely startled. She mentally calculated the price of the carriage, which would be at least seventy or eighty taels.
The man was handsome and generous. He seemed like a nice person when he was setting up a stall with them.
I haven't had much contact with them, so I don't know much about them yet.
She needs to ask Sister Ye about this man before she changes his name.
Qiu Yan gave Qiu Yumei a stiff smile and pulled Gu Qian a few steps away.
She can't even afford a donkey now, so she naturally likes the horse-drawn carriage.
However, "Gu Qian, your motives are impure."
Qiu Yan had already noticed that Gu Qian's gaze towards her was strange.
"Uh..." Gu Qian really didn't expect Qiu Yan to be so straightforward.
He laughed heartily and leaned closer to Qiu Yan, "Then tell me, how am I impure in my intentions?"
Qiu Yan took a step back. "Go back. I don't want to."
"It can't be returned." Gu Qian was just trying to please her. He knew that it was inconvenient for Qiu Yan to travel back and forth to Baiyang, so she would definitely like the carriage he gave her.
"You saved Xiao Ran, a great kindness that I can never repay. Please accept this small carriage."
By this time, Qiu Yumei had already opened the courtyard gate.
Gu Qian led out the horse and donkey and tied them to the back of the carriage.
Then, he smiled and said to Qiu Yumei in the courtyard, "Auntie, we're leaving now."
Qiu Yumei nodded blankly, her thoughts already drifting far away.
"Don't think you can bribe me with just a carriage."
"How could that be? I promised to repay your kindness in saving me." Gu Qian invited Qiu Yan into the carriage, then became the coachman and began to drive the horse forward.
"Gu Qian, put away your little schemes." Although Qiu Yan didn't dislike Gu Qian, the thought that he was already married and had children made it impossible for her to like him.
Gu Qianxin paused for a moment, then smiled again, "I was just thinking that since you're coming to your aunt's house to make wontons tomorrow morning, a carriage would make the ride less bumpy."
The horse in front trotted along, and the horse and donkey behind followed in unison. Soon, they arrived at the village.
Upon seeing the carriage, the villagers were curious and couldn't help but peek over. It was another member of the Li family.
When Qiu Ling'er and Gu Xiaoran saw Qiu Yan return in a carriage, they were overjoyed and jumped up and down inside the carriage.
No sooner had Qiu Yan and Gu Qian returned to the courtyard than an uninvited guest appeared – Zhang, the village matchmaker.
Everyone in the village knows that Qiu Dafu used to treat his three children very well, and now that he's back, he certainly won't mistreat them either.
The villagers all knew that Qiu Yan dug up medicinal herbs to sell for money and that she learned how to process them from Old Man Zhao.
Now that Qiu Yan has the money to hire Wang Shi to do things, she must have made a lot of money.
If any family can marry a daughter-in-law like this, their future will definitely be bright.
Zhang, the matchmaker, glanced at the carriage parked in the courtyard, then at Gu Qian, before finally explaining her purpose to Qiu Yan.
"Qiu Yan, I have come to propose marriage to you today on behalf of Zhao Zhengniang."
It just so happens that Qiu Yan and Zhao Zheng had a very good relationship before.
Gu Qian's expression changed; it was Qiu Yan again, his childhood sweetheart.
Qiu Yan's expression turned cold, and she directly rejected the matchmaker. "I don't want to get married right now, Aunt Zhang, please leave."
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