A stack of small bills worth five, one, two, and five were sorted out separately, with the ten bills (ten yuan) placed to one side.
The three of them worked quickly, all of them educated and sharp-witted. In no time, the money was sorted into piles.
There were more than ten ten-yuan bills, and the rest were one, two, and five-yuan bills plus some small change.
Gu Jin picked up the ten-yuan bills and said to the two seated in front of her, who wore excited expressions, "The total is 483 yuan and 80 cents."
"This... this is too much!" Liu Pingyuan wiped his face, in disbelief.
Gu Jiajie was no better, staring at the money on the table, his eyes blank.
Ignoring the two’s excitement, Gu Jin took out eight ten-yuan bills, handed four to her cousin, and another four to Liu Pingyuan.
"This is your hard-earned money for today. If you have time tomorrow night, we’ll continue to the black market; we might need to go a few more days in a row."
"Xiao Jin, isn’t this a bit too much?" Gu Jiajie snapped back to reality, frowning slightly.
Liu Pingyuan’s face, filled with excitement and joy as he looked at the ten-yuan bills, slowly eased at his good brother’s words.
He lifted his head to look at Gu Jin, and followed up by saying, "It is a bit much."
Gu Jin didn’t lift her head, removing the cloth from her neck, wrapping the money and the one and two-yuan bills in the cloth, and putting the rest of the small bills in a floral bag, preparing to make change at the black market tomorrow.
After finishing all this, she smiled sweetly at the two, saying, "Take it if I give it to you, and it’s enough if you don’t think it’s too little. If you think it’s too much, then work hard these few days and put in more effort."
With that, she picked up the money bag, hugging the cloth in her arms as she left.
Only Gu Jiajie and Liu Pingyuan were left in the kitchen.
The two looked at each other, their faces unable to conceal their restless hearts.
Liu Pingyuan picked up the four ten-yuan bills from the table, reaching out to vigorously slap Gu Jiajie’s shoulder, "Good brother! I’ll remember this friendship!"
If it weren’t for Gu Jiajie today, he wouldn’t have gotten even a single yuan, let alone four ten-yuan bills.
Gu Jiajie, suddenly slapped, disgustedly avoided Liu Pingyuan’s large hand, kicking the other, "Are you trying to smack me to death with your strength?"
Liu Pingyuan retracted the leg that had been kicked, brushing off the dirt on his pants, laughing heartily, "Your cousin is really generous."
He waved the four ten-yuan bills in his hand, grinning widely.
Gu Jiajie picked up his four ten-yuan bills from the table, smirking as if he had gotten a great deal, "You’re just lucky. Got it! Take the money and scram, and come around at the same time tomorrow."
"Okay, thanks, brother!"
Liu Pingyuan pocketed the freshly earned forty yuan and rode off from the Gu Family on his bike, satisfied.
...
The next day, before dawn, the roosters outside began crowing.
Listening to the piercing, annoying sound, Gu Jin covered her head with the quilt; she was too sleepy to get up.
But An Mingji, who slept beside her, was awake.
He opened his eyes, a fierce gleam bursting out momentarily, and regarded the room he had grown familiar with over two days, the fierceness gradually faded away.
This was not a wheat stack, nor was it a dilapidated thatched hut; he was now lying on a bed under a cozy quilt.
He turned his head to look beside him but saw no one, only a quilt pulled over a head.
Seeing this, An Mingji’s lips curled into a slight smile.