Yes, little Bodhisattva.
Before the two of them went down the mountain, Song Tiaotiao suggested to Bo Shuang that they should use the money from selling the mushrooms to buy some emergency supplies.
Now that Bo Shuang got the job, he felt relieved. He smiled and took out two hundred coins, saying that he would use them to purchase things.
Now, the ten pounds of mushrooms were sold for a total of ninety-seven coins, plus the two hundred coins donated by Bo Shuang, the family's working funds have reached nearly three hundred coins.
If we continue to purchase according to what Qin Xing said, not only will the goods be of good quality and low price, but we can also save a lot of money.
Qin Xing said that there are three things you shouldn't buy at this market: don't buy from shops with the surname Jin in their names, don't buy from shops with no one setting up stalls in front of them, and don't buy from branches opened by local people commissioned by Northern Dynasty merchants.
There is a science to buying goods.
The Li family at the head of the village has the best dishes, the Yao family in the city has the freshest meat, and the Zhang family at the end of the street has the best value for money groceries.
Most of the vendors in their own yards sell their own goods. Although they sell mostly useless items that they can't use themselves, they are all neatly arranged. Although the quality is average, the price is very negotiable. When the market is about to end, the price will drop again.
However, seasonal products like cabbage and potatoes are often in oversupply. Although every family wants to stock up on food, there are always families that cannot afford it and want to ship some out.
Song Tiaotiao and Bo Shuang first went to Zhang's grocery store to buy a few candles and some seasonings, and then went to Li's vegetable shop to buy ten kilograms of potatoes and four large cabbages.
By the time they were sent home, it was already noon. Gu Chengjue was hauling lumber into the yard. Seeing them return home, he unloaded the lumber and quickly stepped forward to take over the goods from them.
Just then, the porridge in the pot was warmed up again. When Zhao went out, she saw the three people returning with a full load. After Bo Shuang explained that she had found a job, Zhao's face was full of joy. She welcomed the three people back into the house and kept congratulating them.
After dinner, Song Tiaotiao planned to go to the market again, while Bo Shuang stayed at home to embroider patterns.
As soon as Song Tiaotiao went out, she found that Gu Chengjue had indeed kept his promise. The pile of wood outside the yard had already reached a height half a head taller than the fence, and a corner of the pine and cypress forest in the distance was visibly empty.
Song Tiaotiao was feeling sentimental when she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around and saw Gu Chengjue standing behind her.
The thin clothes were rustling in the cold wind, but his face was as calm and composed as ever, as if he was unaware that his ten finger joints were swollen and red from the cold.
As they passed by, Gu Chengjue nodded slightly to Song Tiaotiao: "See you later."
Song Tiaotiao couldn't bear it any longer and called out to Gu Chengjue, "Your hands are showing signs of frostbite. Why don't you come inside and warm them up for a while?"
Gu Chengjue then raised his hand to check. His eyes were indifferent. After a moment's glance, he answered the question irrelevantly: "Song Tiaotiao, are you worried about me again?"
Asked the same question again a day later, Song Tiaotiao muttered, "Is it not okay to worry about you? I was born with a compassionate heart and cannot bear to see others suffer."
Gu Chengjue suddenly imagined Song Tiaotiao, dressed as a bodhisattva, dedicating herself to saving all living beings. His eyes flickered, a barely perceptible smile playing on the corners of his mouth as he turned back.
Passing by each other again, Gu Chengjue whispered, "Sure, little Bodhisattva."
Hearing this, Song Tiao Tiao was at a loss for words for a moment, but seeing that he was listening, she stopped talking. She quickly said goodbye and walked quickly out of the courtyard.
When he returned to the street, most of the vendors had already left. This time, Song Tiaotiao deliberately went around the houses to clean up. Finally, he found a men's cotton-padded jacket with a few quilts missing from a hunter's house. While it wasn't as well-fitting as Gu Chengjue's thin shirt, it was more than enough to keep out the wind.
When Song Tiaotiao thought of Gu Chengjue wearing only a thin shirt, she thought of the blatant oppression.
When their family first arrived in Northern Frontier, the government was supposed to replace their clothing per head. However, among the exiled people, their clothing was the most tattered, and Gu Chengjue's share was nowhere to be found.
The escort said that Gu Chengjue was too tall to find any clothes that would fit him. However, there were also some tall and strong men in the group, and although the clothes they were given were too tight for them, they were enough to keep him going.
In this way, Gu Chengjue relied on the physique he had trained in battle to persevere all the way. After finally reaching Songbai Village and gaining the right to be independent, he was taken away the next day to perform forced labor.
Song Tiaotiao hugged the cotton jacket to her chest.
Fortunately, Gu Chengjue now has his own cotton-padded jacket. Although it is a little small, it is warm enough.
Just as she was thinking this, Song Tiaotiao passed by a house. A young man in the yard was chopping wood. When he looked up to rest, he saw Song Tiaotiao and waved, calling out, "Miss Song, we are destined to be together."
Song Tiaotiao turned around and saw Qin Xing. She stopped and said with a smile, "It was Brother Qin's suggestion that I came here to collect some old things. I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
Qin Xing smiled and opened the gate to the courtyard. "Because my family lives in this area. The coat you received is quite long, but do you want to make something else? If you need cotton and cloth, I know which company has the strongest materials and the best craftsmanship."
Song Tiaotiao shook her head. "I bought it to protect my family from the wind. But the cotton in this jacket has been torn in a few places, so I really need to buy some cotton to fill it."
Qin Xing focused his gaze on the coat and said, "So, Miss Song is here with her family." He then pointed out the shop to Song Tiaotiao and said, "If you need anything in the future, you can ask me if you don't mind. I'm from another place too, so I'm here to help anyone I can. By the way, there's usually a heavy snowfall around this time of year, so Miss Song should prepare your winter supplies early."
Song Tiaotiao listened to it in her heart and thanked him, "Thank you, Brother Qin. I have written it down one by one."
After that, the two chatted about some matters related to keeping warm, and then waved goodbye to each other.
Just as Song Tiaotiao turned around, a mechanical voice came from her ears: "What a kind-hearted citizen, Mr. Qin."
Song Tiaotiao nodded: "The people I met these past two days are quite simple and honest."
The system tutted lightly: "Didn't this kid mention the Jin family to you?"
When Song Tiaotiao first heard Qin Xing mention this, she was only concerned about not getting ripped off by the black market. Now that the system emphasized this, her gaze grew more serious.
In the novel, the Jin family is a minor villain in the Northern Frontier section. As a prominent family in Northern Frontier, their assets span the region. Their ambitions soared as they tasted the sweetness of profit. Later, to expand their influence, they secretly colluded with the Northern Dynasty.
The reason why he can be called a villain is because when Prince Ning led his troops to fight against the Northern Dynasty, he had dealt with the head of the Jin family.
The head of the Jin family had tempted Prince Ning with benefits, hoping to gain military power, but Prince Ning refused outright. Since then, the Jin family has kept a close eye on Prince Ning's mansion. Later, upon learning that Prince Ning's family had arrived in Songbai Village, they even traveled a thousand miles to come and add insult to injury.
System: "According to the timeline, the Jin family will arrive at the battlefield in half a month. In the original plot, their first attack was three days later. They sent villagers to frame him for stealing food, intending to ruin his reputation."
Song Tiaotiao clenched her fists. "There's no need to criticize the food supply now, but if they act improvisationally and make up nonsense..."
Seeing Song Tiaotiao remained silent, the system continued, "The second time was a week later. They took advantage of Gu Chengjue's absence to get medicine for his mother and sister-in-law and controlled the two people at home. They used this as a threat and forced Gu Chengjue to drink the cartilage powder and then..."
Upon hearing this, Song Tiaotiao was furious: "This is too much! Let's see who dares to come this time! Whoever dares to come, I will make sure he leaves without a trace!"
System: "You are quite courageous, but they won't give up easily. Do you have a plan to deal with them?"
Song Tiaotiao raised her eyebrows. "It stands to reason that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Master, the Jin family is such a shameless bunch with a heart smaller than a needle. They must have made many enemies."
The system chuckled: "When it comes to interests, there are no eternal enemies. They have been holding their ground, so why would they loosen up for you?"
Song Tiaotiao bit her lip and tried to say, "But judging by the subsequent developments, the Jin family is becoming increasingly cruel to Gu Chengjue. If it weren't for a noble visit six months later, this book would have ended immediately. Master, Gu Chengjue's life is not a renewable resource. Please teach me, so as not to let down our great cause of saving him."
The system said in an unfathomable way: "Don't worry, just wait and see."
In this way, Song Tiaotiao went back and forth to the front of the courtyard again.
Gu Chengjue's arms were still swinging the axe non-stop, but he was no longer in the bare north corner, but standing next to the pile of wood outside the yard.
He seemed to be completely unaware of his fatigue. He only remembered to finish the task at hand and mechanically repeated the work at hand.
Song Tiaotiao took advantage of the moment when he was taking a breath to call back Gu Chengjue's spirit: "Gu Chengjue!"
Gu Chengjue turned around, mist coming out of his lips: "You're back?"
Song Tiaotiao nodded and handed the cotton-padded jacket in her arms to Gu Chengjue: "This is for you. Although it's not new, it can at least keep out the wind. It would be nice to have your sister-in-law help you fix it later."
Gu Chengjue looked at the cotton-padded jacket in his hands, a warm feeling rising in his heart. His slightly damp eyelashes trembled slightly, "Thank you very much, and thank you for your trouble again."
Urged by Song Tiaotiao's gaze, he draped his cotton jacket neatly behind him.
At that moment, Song Tiaotiao inexplicably recalled the year when Prince Ning returned triumphantly.
The streets were filled with red silk and colorful satin, and people were bustling about. From her red building, she looked down and saw Gu Chengjue riding a tall, powerful horse, accompanying Prince Ning. The young general, clad in golden armor, was full of vigor and ambition.
The two figures overlapped, and Song Tiaotiao looked dazed for a moment.
Everything seemed to have changed drastically, but because of the determination in Gu Chengjue's eyes, it seemed as if nothing had changed.
Being looked at like this, Song Tiaotiao's heart softened a little. "Everyone in the family has some, so you can't be left out. You've worked hard today, what are you going to do with all this wood?"
Gu Chengjue put on his clothes and said, "I plan to reinforce the house first, and then make some wooden furniture." Finally, he gathered his clothes and asked softly, "How is it going?"
Song Tiaotiao nodded. "That's exactly what I said. But I just heard someone at the market say that at this time of year in previous years, Songbai Village would have a heavy snowfall."
Gu Chengjue lowered his eyes and picked up the axe: "Then I should work harder."
Seeing that he was acting like he wasn't afraid of dying from overwork, Song Tiaotiao urged him earnestly, "As long as we have the mountains, we won't be afraid of running out of firewood. You're working so hard, but it will ruin your health. How about I stay home with you and work together tomorrow? It won't be tiring for the two of us to work together."
Seeing Gu Chengjue looking at her quietly, Song Tiaotiao thought her persuasion had worked, and continued, "Okay, if you're still worried about not having enough time, I'll come out with you after we finish our meal. I actually want to make a clay stove, so that the whole house can be heated and you won't be freezing at night."
Gu Chengjue nodded: "Good idea. Do you know how to do it?"
Song Tiao Tiao had only been thinking about it. When asked about it, he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, calling for his master repeatedly in his heart. Fortunately, the system appeared in time and solved Song Tiao Tiao's urgent problem.
Song Tiaotiao imitated the others and gestured with her hands as she spoke.
Gu Chengjue pondered for a moment: "I understand."
Song Tiaotiao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "As expected of you, you get it right away."
Gu Chengjue's eyes sparkled: "Yeah, that makes sense."
Then he began to plan the next task.
At this time, a mechanical voice sounded: "Song Tiaotiao, the auspicious time has arrived. Please follow me, Master, into the mall."
Song Tiaotiao took the opportunity to open the mall, and the first thing she saw was the flash sales that dominated the screen.
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