Chapter 34 How old is Brother Guo now?
The next day, Guo Baiwen had just gotten up and hadn't even spat out the mouthwash he was rinsing when he heard a knock on the door.
It came from the small door.
He thought it was Yang Qiaomai, who had run home yesterday. Although he muttered to himself, "Why is she here so early?" he kept opening the door for her.
It was only after opening the door that I realized...
Standing at the door was not Yang Qiaomai, but the Chen family father and daughter who had left the store yesterday.
Chen Baoyue changed her clothes today. Unlike the coarsely made, half-animal-skin warm clothes she wore yesterday, she was wearing a complete set of light blue fine cotton dress.
Guo Baiwen, with his sharp eyes, also noticed the small floral pattern embroidered on the hem of her dress.
The small, yellow flowers, he couldn't tell if they were forsythia or osmanthus; he only glanced at them quickly before averting his gaze, not getting a proper look. He opened his mouth and greeted them, "Good morning—"
Only then did he realize that he had just been brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth, and the toothpaste foam on his lips hadn't been wiped off.
Unfortunately, his disheveled appearance was seen by the person outside the door. Just then, Grandma Guo also came over from the kitchen after hearing the noise. He didn't bother with pleasantries and went to the well to wash his face with a red face.
After looking at his reflection in the water in the wooden basin and realizing that he was in an inappropriate state, he finally sat down at the table, albeit reluctantly.
The Chen family father and daughter came to express their gratitude.
They don't go into town often. If Guo Baiwen hadn't given them a heads-up yesterday, these decent furs would probably have just piled up in their hands.
They went to the pawnshop from yesterday, and sure enough, Manager Xu was much more reasonable in his asking price for the spotted pelt. He asked for one hundred taels, and after the three of them haggled for a while, they finally settled on one hundred and twenty taels.
Chen Youtian, who had previously planned to sell the large spotted skin for fifty taels, was dumbfounded when he touched the heavy silver.
He knew perfectly well that the previous fur shop owner had deliberately tried to lower the price.
But considering that the other party was from the county town and had many connections, and that he still needed to sell things in the store from time to time, he accepted the loss even if the price was lowered further.
Over the years, who knows how much money the fur shops have made off him.
Aside from the large spotted pelt, the rest were mostly squirrel and rabbit pelts, which the pawnshop originally intended to include as extras in their offer.
But Chen Baoyue was still angry about the argument she had with the fur shop owner the day before, and she couldn't stand the phrase "uncultured mountain people". She also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to buy and sell furs at the night market to stay in the county town and see how it was different from their mountain village.
Chen Youtian thought that he had made a lot of money today, and he could afford to stay in the county town for one night.
Moreover, he also wanted to try selling leather himself, so he nodded in agreement.
The two paid the stall fee at the night market, fifty coins, and booked two rooms at several different price points in the county town's Tiandi Renhuang Restaurant, costing four hundred coins a night.
All the money spent was earned back when selling leather at the night market.
It was the first time Chen Youtian realized that people in the county town also liked squirrel and rabbit furs so much, and that they sold for higher prices than when he had gone to the market before.
Even so, there is still a sense of supply falling short of demand.
After buying rice, flour, and cooking oil for the family with the money he earned for the first time, he still had a lot left over. He not only bought a whole set of clothes for Chen Baoyue, but also for himself, his wife, and Chen Damu.
He even bought several sets of the expensive wound medicines that he had previously dared not look at in the pharmacy, keeping them on hand.
As for common remedies for headaches and fevers, they were all readily available.
There are no doctors in the deep mountains. In the past, when people got sick, they could only guess the symptoms and take some medicine.
Fortunately, I am in good health, and I can usually get through minor ailments by drinking hot water and enduring them.
So this time when buying medicine, Chen Youtian specifically asked the pharmacy clerk to write down all the symptoms of his illness on the medicine package.
Although I can't read, I can still understand the pictures.
A tiny matchstick figure, clutching his head when his head hurts, his legs when his legs hurt, and his stomach when his stomach hurts.
It's simple and easy to understand, and it's also much more convenient.
Seeing that he bought so much medicine at once, the pharmacy clerk gave him a few extra words of advice, "These are just medicines for common minor ailments, and they may not be the right treatment. If you don't feel better after taking them, you should still come to the pharmacy to see a doctor!"
"knew."
That's what they say, but by the time I go to the county town again, it will probably be when we're almost out of rice, flour, and cooking oil at home.
Although Chen Baoyue still secretly felt that her own mountain forest was the most beautiful, and was still holding a grudge against the shopkeeper's words, she had to admit that she was indeed shocked by the 'worldliness' of the county town.
But only for a moment.
After all, besides that annoying fur shop owner, there are all sorts of other people in the county town.
Especially the clothes her father bought for her, they were really beautiful. The shop owner of the clothing store even said that the color and embroidery suited her skin tone perfectly.
The restaurants in the county town were also very good. Although I only booked a three-room room, they still offered hot water for showering.
She was shocked when she first saw the large bath tub carried up by the restaurant staff.
Taking a shower here is actually more convenient than taking a shower at home.
Not to mention that they also provide various bath beans, and even if it costs extra, Chen Baoyue is very willing to spend the money.
This was the first time she had ever had such a refreshing and enjoyable bath.
No need to worry about the hot water getting cold halfway through your shower and having to boil water again; nor do you need to worry about having to fetch water from the water tank again after using so much water for a shower.
Although bath beans don't look pretty, they smell very nice and are more comfortable to use than soap beans.
Thinking of her mother waiting at home, she even asked a waiter at the restaurant to buy her a box of shampoo and body wash to take back with her.
She will be eighteen years old this year.
Her mother was looking for a husband for her. The girls in the mountains all wanted to marry outside the mountains, or at the very least, to a village that was closer to the outside world.
She didn't understand why before, but after coming to the county town, she vaguely felt that she understood something.
Although not many.
Like Guojia Village, although it is also halfway up the mountain, at least it is close to the county town.
Moreover, although each household does not own much land, they do not rely on hunting for a living like the families in the deep mountains.
Although we might miss out on meat all year round, we feel much safer and more secure.
When Grandma Guo saw them come to visit today, they all looked neat and tidy. The bamboo baskets that used to be on their backs were much emptier, and they had been replaced by a new donkey that she had never seen before and a cart full of things.
So I guessed that the problem of selling furs, which was still a headache yesterday, should have been completely resolved.
While offering their congratulations, they also became quite polite.
"There's no need to thank us. These are all pelts you hunted yourself. We just said a few words out of turn."
"As for inviting you to dinner yesterday, it was because your daughter saved our Wenzai that day, and you also sent pheasants to help him recover."
"If it's something as small as this, how can you possibly come all the way here to deliver something as a token of your gratitude?!"
Grandma Guo politely declined the pastries and fruits offered by the Chen family father and daughter.
Seeing that the person was getting impatient and refused to accept the things she had brought, Chen Baoyue thought for a moment and took out two small, round porcelain boxes with lids from the cloth bag she was carrying.
Just as Grandma Guo was about to speak, Guo Xiaohua, who had been drawn over by the pushing and shoving among the group, couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"Only the outer ceramic box is valuable; the contents inside were made by my mother and me."
As Chen Baoyue spoke, she opened the box to show Guo Xiaohua.
Inside is a milky white, somewhat transparent cream, which looks a bit like the face cream I use at home.
Although Guo Xiaohua was curious and envious, she didn't touch it.
Chen Baoyue placed one in each of her and Grandma Guo's arms.
Just as the two were about to politely decline again, he explained, "As I said, these are just some small trinkets I made at home, for wiping my face, they're not worth much."
The face cream is made by boiling and cooling camellia oil, adding wild honey and beeswax found in the mountains, along with common and inexpensive beauty-enhancing herbs such as angelica and Solomon's seal.
Although the ingredients used are inexpensive, it still takes quite a bit of effort to make it yourself.
This is the only time of year that Chen Baoyue can relax and make this face cream with her mother. It takes a month to make a large batch at once, enough to last for more than a year.
Camellia oil itself has a faint tea fragrance, and when honey is added, it also has a subtle sweetness. The herbal scent of Solomon's Seal is very noticeable and pleasant. Applying it frequently can not only prevent cracking in winter, but also help to reduce wrinkles.
She also thought that she used it herself and that she had overheard the Guo family hiring a dishwasher because of Guo Xiaohua's hands.
Since I thought the pastries and fruits were too expensive to buy, I figured I could at least buy two boxes of my homemade face oil!
Sure enough, after hearing that it was homemade and worthless, Grandma Guo's attitude softened.
After smelling the face cream, Guo Xiaohua seemed to really like it and didn't want to put it down.
Finally, after getting the two men to hand over the items, Chen Baoyue felt a little relieved, but then turned to look at Guo Baiwen.
Guo Baiwen felt a chill run down his spine. "Wh-what's wrong?"
Seeing this, Chen Youtian tugged at his daughter. She could talk to Grandma Guo and Guo Xiaohua more often, but this man was an outsider after all.
Although we were all farmers, we weren't as particular as those from wealthy and powerful families.
However, one should avoid suspicion where appropriate.
The two of them looked to be around the same age.
He had only meant to remind her, but as he pulled, he suddenly remembered what his wife had been worrying about. His mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged.
He couldn't resist asking, "We've known each other for so long, but I still don't know how old Brother Guo is this year?"
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