Chapter 10
Second Aunt didn't make a decision on the spot, but she started to prepare the next day - the wolf tooth potatoes had to be cut first. Because she didn't have a wolf tooth knife, she had to use a kitchen knife, which was a slow job. If she did it in advance, she wouldn't have to waste time later. If the sales were booming, she wouldn't be able to keep up with the effort if she spent too much time.
She asked Gu Xinxin to help so that Gu Xinxin would not be criticized by Gu Chen at home.
"There's a gathering in Xiaosongzhuang tomorrow." Second Auntie put the cut potatoes in a bucket and discussed with Gu Xinxin, "Your eldest cousin's wife and I are going to give it a try. We hope we can sell some."
If we can’t sell it… Second Auntie paused before saying, “We can keep it for ourselves or make potato noodles.”
With so many potatoes, you can soak them to extract starch and make potato flour.
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "I think it can definitely be sold. Who can go to the market without some change? Besides, Xiaosongzhuang is not that poor."
Xiaosongzhuang is almost the same size as a town. It was formerly called Xiaosong Village, but later it was changed to Xiaosongzhuang.
The two of them chatted while working. The eldest cousin's wife was a quiet person. She just worked silently and didn't talk often.
The next morning, before Gu Xinxin even woke up, the second aunt and her daughter-in-law were already pushing their carts towards Xiaosongzhuang. The earlier they went, the sooner they could get a good seat and there would be more customers.
It was just dawn when Gu Xinxin woke up, so one could imagine how early the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had left.
She squatted at the kitchen door, holding a bowl, brushing her teeth with a willow twig, which she slowly bit into strips. It wasn't as useful as a toothbrush, but it was better than nothing. Otherwise, her mouth always stank, which was the most intolerable thing for gourmets - because they always felt that the bad breath would cover the taste of the food.
Gu Daniu didn't go up the mountain today, so Gu Chen didn't dare to make trouble today.
Gu Daniu was repairing his bow and arrow in the yard. After he finished, he called Gu Xinxin and asked, "Do you think you can make money from the potatoes your second aunt picked up?"
Gu Xinxin nodded: "Of course."
This is not a year of famine. According to the original owner's memory, the living standards around here are similar. The second aunt's family can still save two taels of silver in half a year. This means that it should be acceptable for ordinary families to occasionally spend a dozen copper coins to buy a portion of potatoes.
One tael of silver could be exchanged for about a thousand copper coins - the price fluctuated depending on the quality of the silver.
"I said I'd teach you how to do a horse stance. Come and try it." After a moment, Gu Daniu didn't continue the previous topic. Instead, he called Gu Xiangrong directly and said, "Show your elder sister how to do it. Push your butt back, use your legs to push hard, plant your heels firmly, and stretch your hands forward to maintain balance."
After Gu Xinxin squatted down, he said again: "Hold on for a quarter of an hour."
Then I set to work repairing my bow and arrows. Not only did I need to maintain the bow, but I also needed to rebuild the arrows. The arrowheads were made of iron, which is hard to come by, so I usually had to salvage them myself, then make the arrows from wood and re-bind them.
Gu Xiangrong also squatted beside him.
Gu Chen probably couldn't bear to see the siblings idle away, so she went in and out of the house several times, carrying out a pile of clothes and sheets: "Xinxin, go wash these later. While the weather is good these few days, it's time to prepare the bedding for autumn and winter."
Gu Xinxin pretended not to hear.
Gu Wenshu passed by and was about to do something bad and throw a stone at Gu Xiangrong, but was grabbed by Gu Daniu and said, "You come and do the horse stance too."
Gu Wenshu was stunned for a moment, then immediately called out to his mother, "I don't want to squat in horse stance! I don't want to squat in horse stance!"
Gu Chen hurried over to pull him away: "Brother Danniu, the child is still young. Didn't you say that if he is too young, he will hurt his bones? Besides, we clerks will go to school in the future. Since we have to study, won't practicing this delay things?"
Gu Daniu frowned, and Gu Xinxin immediately said, "Gu Wenshu is going to study? Then Xiang Rong should go too."
Gu Chen was immediately furious: "Why would he go? Does the family have the money to send him? Besides, he looks like a fool, as dumb as a pig. Wouldn't it be a waste of money to send him to school?"
Gu Xinxin sneered, "If Xiang Rong is stupid, your son is worse than pigs and dogs. Besides, how can your son go to school when there's no money at home? Xiang Rong is also your son, so your father should treat him equally. Besides, Xiang Rong is the eldest son. According to the saying of wealthy families, he is the legitimate eldest son! He should inherit the family business. With him here, your precious son is nothing! It's enough for him to have enough food and drink at home. As the second son, do you think he can kick the eldest son out of the house?"
Gu Chen was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "What do you mean by eldest son? We don't care about that in our family! We only care about who is smart and who has the ability to study."
"Okay, come on, Gu Wenshu, let me ask you, what's ninety-nine plus ninety-eight?" Gu Xinxin looked at Gu Wenshu, whose forehead was covered in sweat. "What plus what? How many are ninety-nine? How many are ninety-eight?"
Gu Xinxin looked at Gu Xiangrong, who immediately replied, "One hundred and ninety-seven."
A few days ago, he followed Gu Xinxin to buy things in the county town and calculated prices. He calculated a lot and also learned a few tips from Gu Xinxin, such as making the numbers round and flat. Even if he was not skilled in using them, it was much better than Gu Wenshu, who was illiterate.
Gu Chen's face flushed: "The imperial examination doesn't test this."
"Gu Wenshu's stupidity must have been inherited from you." Gu Xinxin sneered, "Mathematics is a required exam. If you don't understand, don't speak, lest everyone know how stupid you are."
Gu Chen reached out to hit Gu Xinxin, but Gu Xinxin skillfully jumped behind Gu Daniu.
Gu Daniu stopped Gu Chenshi: "Alright, didn't I tell you? Xinxin is old enough, don't hit or scold her all the time. What if you ruin her reputation?"
Then he said to Gu Xinxin: "Your stepmother is an elder after all. Being sharp-tongued is not a good reputation. If you talk back to your elders, I wonder how you can survive."
He was silent for a moment before he said, "Let's put the study on hold for now. We don't have that much money at home."
They said they would start slowly, but Gu Wenshu was only nine and Gu Xiangrong was already twelve. Although it was late to start education at nine, it wasn't too late. If they delayed it for another two years at twelve, it would be time for them to get married. Who would need to start education again when they were old enough to get married?
When the time comes to marry a wife, he will be an adult and have to work hard to provide for the family. He will suffer endless hardships just to survive. How can he have the time and energy to study? How can he afford to study?
This sounds fair, but in fact, the choice has already been made. As they say, if there is a stepmother, there must be a stepfather, and it is absolutely true.
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