Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 266 - 102 Sun Family
Lv Yang’s days are quite difficult now. Ever since he was poisoned and made mute last time, his leg was beaten to the point of being somewhat crippled. He always struggled to find work when going out, and even porter jobs were rare. Now, he relies on the family’s farmland to get by.
Gu Chengyu instructed Yu Tuanzi and Ming Mo to send some grain and silver coin to the two elders every now and then. This was a filial duty to Mrs. Lv, even though they had long since sold her off.
As for how it was distributed, that was not his concern.
Gu Chengyu made a list of items needed for the eighteenth and handed it to Yu Tuanzi, asking him to prepare in the next couple of days.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered that Gu Xi’s shop hadn’t been settled yet, which was a perfect task for Yu Tuanzi to handle.
"Find a shop to rent in town; it doesn’t need to be large. My eldest sister will use it to sell soybean products. If later on, it comes with a small yard, even better. If you can’t find a rental, then just buy it."
"Yes! I’ll check the brokerage. It’s for tofu business, right? Then I’ll look for a spot around West Street near South Street." West Street is filled with commercial shops, and the south side is a residential area. From Yu Tuanzi’s impression, the tofu business doesn’t earn much; it’s cheap to sell, so that place should be decent enough.
"It’s soybean products, not tofu, and is several times more expensive than tofu, so that place won’t do. Look for something in the western area! The average folks can’t buy it frequently." Yu Tuanzi had never tasted soybean products before, but Gu Chengyu didn’t blame him.
Whether rented or bought, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t waive Gu Xi’s rent. A gift of a few measures of grain leads to an enemy for your gourmet grain. Giving away the recipe for soybean products was already generous, considering their blood relation.
After giving instructions, Gu Chengyu left the courtyard. He still needed to visit Manager Zhou, who had helped his family a lot before, and he felt that going personally would show sincerity. The other invitations were given to Ming Yan, who drove the carriage to deliver them to various households.
Gu Chengyu entered Manager Zhou’s fabric store, and coincidentally, Manager Zhou was there.
"Ah, Chengyu is here, come in and sit! Oh my! Nowadays, even inviting you over isn’t easy, Scholar!" The two were acquainted and often joked around; there was no other implication in these words.
"Uncle Zhou, you’re teasing me. How’s business lately at the fabric store?" Gu Chengyu, led into the inner room by Manager Zhou, was handed a cup of tea as Manager Zhou poured from the kettle.
"It’s going well! Tell me, you must have a purpose for coming, right?" Manager Zhou didn’t believe that Gu Chengyu would come for no reason; how could a scholar have so much free time?
"The family is holding a banquet; I came to deliver an invitation and request Uncle Zhou’s gracious presence." Gu Chengyu placed the invitation on the table before taking a sip of tea.
"What gracious or not gracious, this is a grand celebration. Of course, I want to attend and share in the joy. As long as nothing pressing comes up, I’ll definitely be there." Manager Zhou opened the invitation, glanced at the date and hour, and, after some thought, figured he should be free that day.
"Then I’ll be waiting for you at home!" Gu Chengyu chatted a bit more with Manager Zhou before leaving the fabric shop. When he left, he had two bolts of fabric in hand.
Ming Yan and Ming Mo were already waiting at the door. The three got into the carriage and headed towards Sun Xian’s home, stopping to pick up some pastries at First-class House along the way and buying some brown sugar midway.
In the Dayan Dynasty, brown sugar was an essential gift for rural visits, a prized food item that wasn’t cheap.
Recalling Sun’s mother’s illness, Gu Chengyu took a decade-old ginseng from his space and placed it in a brocade box. In the space, ginseng was abundant; this one was of a short age, just suitable for supplementing Sun’s mother without overburdening her.
Sun Xian’s house was in Xiasang Village, which wasn’t far from the town. As Gu Chengyu admired the roadside scenery, he thought of Manager Pan at the Xiwu Bookstore. Last time his mother mentioned that after four days, Gu Chenglian was to meet Manager Pan’s second cousin’s daughter. If successful, Manager Pan would definitely be invited to the banquet.
The carriage soon arrived at Xiasang Village. The Sun family lived deeper in, so the carriage continued forward. Gu Chengyu had been there three times, and Ming Mo and the others often came to deliver goods, so they were quite familiar with the route.
Before the carriage even reached the Sun family’s gate, curious children at the entrance were already calling out.
"Fifth Brother! You have guests, it’s that carriage again." Gu Chengyu found it amusing. Most of these children were from Sun family’s clan, and calling him Fifth Brother referred to Sun Xian’s ranking in the clan.
Hearing the cries, Sun Xian hurried out of the house. Indeed, it was the Gu family’s carriage; Sun’s mother followed him out of the house, too.
Gu Chengyu got off the carriage and skillfully pulled a small pack of pine nut candy from his pocket, giving it to a nearby child. The kids took the candy, thanked him, and then cheered as they dashed aside to divide it up.
"Chengyu! It’s really you! Don’t spoil them; they might throw a tantrum next time if you forget!"
Actually, the first time Gu Chengyu didn’t know the way, he gave them candy as a thank-you for guiding him. He took a pack from his space, a habit inspired by Gu Wanhua’s son, who often teased him with candies.
"It’s just candy, and they’re good kids. They’ve never asked me for it and always traded something in exchange."
The children never took his candy for nothing. Sometimes they would give him grass-crafted crickets and such in return, seeing him as just another young kid to share sweets and fun with. Gu Chengyu liked those crafted items, finding them quite realistic, so it was a fair exchange.
"Oh! This must be the fifth of the Gu family? Come in quickly, Brother Xian, why aren’t you inviting him in?" Sun’s mother, despite her poor eyesight, had to focus for a while to recognize Gu Chengyu.
"Auntie, I’ve come to see you. How have you been feeling lately?" Gu Chengyu signaled Ming Mo to bring in the gifts while entering the Sun family yard.
"Much better, come in and sit!" Sun’s mother always felt less confident when facing the Gu family.
The Sun family’s courtyard wasn’t large, and the house was made of mud bricks, but Gu Chengyu noticed that the thatched roof had been replaced with tiles.
Sun Xian noticed Gu Chengyu’s glance and quickly understood.
"The clan replaced it. They said since I passed the scholar exam, the house shouldn’t be too shabby, so some funds were pooled together to replace the tiles." Sun Xian didn’t feel embarrassed; Gu Chengyu already knew their situation, so there was no need to hide.
Hearing this, Gu Chengyu frowned. It seemed the Sun family needed to find a livelihood. Gu Wan’s dowry wouldn’t be small, but it was hers and shouldn’t always subsidize her husband’s family.
In the Dayan Dynasty, a woman’s dowry was typically managed by herself. It was rare for a household to live off it, as relying on a wife’s dowry would subject them to scorn.
"Brother Sun, I’m here with an invitation for the banquet on the eighteenth. I’ll be coming to pick up you and Auntie. Will you be free that day?"
"Haha! If you’re hosting a banquet, I’ll definitely make time! Have you invited your classmates? Did you invite Ye Zhiqiu?" Sun Xian continued his regular concern for Gu Chengyu. Even though Gu Chengyu, at a young age, handled matters well, Sun Xian couldn’t help but worry about him.
"Everyone is invited. I had Ming Yan deliver Ye Zhiqiu’s gift and the invitation as well." After speaking, Gu Chengyu pulled a pocket from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"My second sister asked me to bring this for you. Please take it. I must be going now; the day isn’t early. Will you stay at our house for a few days?" Gu Chengyu stood to take his leave.
