Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
âRight; speaking of keeping a low profile, Chengrui gave us an idea.â At this point, Gu Chengye told them how Gu Chengrui was planning to falsify the number of potatoes he was buying from them.
âThis is a good idea. These 3,000 pounds of potatoes will be our familyâs lifesaving food if this drought continues.â Father Gu nodded in agreement.
âWhat do you think, brother?â he asked Second Uncle Gu.
âThatâs a good idea. Letâs quickly preserve these white sweet potatoes, so they donât have to be frozen and unfrozen repeatedly.â Second Uncle Gu nodded.
On the other hand, Gu Chengrui went to the patriarchâs house to borrow an ox cart after his brothers left.
The next morning, before the sun rose, he took a horse carriage and an ox cart to pull two full carts of white sweet potatoes. He went to Gu Chengye and asked him to follow him to his clinic in town.
Gu Chengye also took a cart full of white potatoes, gathering 2,000 pounds in total.
When Doctor Luo came to the clinic and saw the white sweet potatoes in the courtyard, he looked at Gu Chengrui excitedly and asked, âChengrui, are these all for me?â
âYou can say that, but itâs from my fatherâs side, so you have to pay. Ten coppers per pound.â
âItâs only fitting. Itâs good enough that Iâm able to buy some.
âWith these sweet potatoes, I wonât have to worry about starving for the next year.â Doctor Luo nodded repeatedly and then turned around to give him 20 taels of silver. âChengrui, thank you. Youâve really saved our familyâs life.â
âYouâre welcome. You should cart it home as soon as possible to avoid any trouble.â
âI understand. Iâll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the clinic for the morning, then.â After Doctor Luo finished speaking, he turned around and went home, getting help to bring the white potatoes along.
In the afternoon, Gu Chengrui brought Zhou Ying to town and sent 500 pounds of grass noodles, 1,000 pounds of white sweet potatoes, and a can of butter to the restaurant.
Finally, Gu Chengrui pulled another cart full of white potatoes to the clinic and distributed them to the clinic helpers.
Except for Gu Chengxi, everyone received 200 pounds. Although it wasnât much, it was enough to last them through the winter if they were to pair it with some other food.
On the other side, Zhou Ying stayed in the restaurant after delivering the food.
Seeing that everyone was in good spirits and looked good except for losing some weight, she asked, âZhao Cheng, Li Sheng, howâs the cooking that youâve been teaching Qiu Yu and the others? Have they memorized the menu of our restaurant?â
âMistress, donât worry. Theyâre all obedient, and theyâve all memorized all of our existing recipes.
âAlthough they donât have the ingredients to practice, theyâre the ones who make our three meals daily. The soup they make is even better than ours.â Zhao Sheng reported with a smile.
âThatâs great. Although our restaurant is closed, you canât relax. Otherwise, youâll be out of practice when we open again.
âOne more thing is to learn each otherâs skills, such as martial arts, reading, accounting, and so on.
âYouâre the first batch of people under me, and Iâll put you in an important position in the future.
âHowever, youâll need to have the ability for me to do that.â
Zhou Ying paused and looked at Fang Qing, Gu Wen, and Gu Wu. âEspecially the three of you. Youâre still young and have a long way to go. Donât stop striving for a better future just because you have food and shelter now.
âAt the very least, you guys must think of a way to protect yourselves right now.â
âDonât worry, mistress. We will definitely work hard and not let you down,â Fang Qing stated, puffing out his chest.
The others chimed in.
Zhou Ying nodded, and she asked, âBy the way, Zhao Cheng. 1 heard that some refugees had come to town.. Did they cause any trouble?â