"Thank you, Sister Jin—"
An Mingji said as he ate.
The Gu Family had a very satisfying dinner that night, you could even say it was memorable. Even the old man was full of smiles as he ate.
The old man could eat spicy food, and this meal of boiled meat slices left him extremely satisfied.
Gu Jin cooked dinner, so the task of cleaning up was left to her aunt and cousin while she went to review lessons with the children.
Once An Mingji fell asleep, just like the night before, Gu Jiajie knocked on the door again.
"Xiao Jin, it’s time to go."
Gu Jin was already prepared. She was wearing an old, dark red coat, with a cloth scarf around her face leaving only her eyes visible. She opened the door with a floral cloth bag containing loose change in her arms.
Outside, Gu Jiajie, Liu Pingyuan, and Wu Zhiren were waiting for her.
"Let’s go."
Gu Jin casually slung the bamboo basket at the door over her shoulder.
The three of them walked out of the Gu Family gate, and outside, two bicycles had wild boar meat strapped to their crossbars.
Wu Zhiren followed behind Liu Pingyuan; the two of them riding one bicycle.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Sis, what are you carrying on your back?"
"Get lost, who’s your sis!"
Before Gu Jin could say anything, Gu Jiajie couldn’t help but retort.
Wu Zhiren touched his nose, aggrieved, "I’m the oldest here, why can’t I call you sis?"
Gu Jiajie mounted his bicycle and looked back, "If you want a sis, find one yourself. This is my sis, stop calling her that!"
Listening to their exchange, Gu Jin laughed, "Alright, what I’ve got in my basket are wild ginseng I dug from the mountains. Let’s get moving."
She didn’t plan to hide it from the three of them since they were aware from when she asked about ginseng prices before.
Gu Jiajie coldly snorted at the brother trying to poach his sister, then pedaled the bicycle carrying Gu Jin far away.
Wu Zhiren saw this, mounted his bicycle, and with Liu Pingyuan on the back, chased after them.
The pedals turned rapidly, with an air of trying to overtake Gu Jiajie in front.
...
The four of them arrived at the black market they knew well, setting their wild boar meat in their usual spot.
Gu Jin handed the floral cloth bag containing small bills to her cousin.
The latter handed the bag to Wu Zhiren and Liu Pingyuan in front of him, "Wuren, Pingyuan, you guys stay here. I’m taking Xiao Jin to find those people from yesterday."
Wu Zhiren was busy getting a knife to cut meat and a stick scale, so he didn’t have a hand free to take it. Liu Pingyuan took the money bag and nodded, "You two be careful."
Gu Jiajie waved a hand, pulled Gu Jin along with the bamboo basket on her back, and headed deeper into the street.
After walking for a bit, Gu Jiajie leaned closer to his cousin and lowered his voice, "Xiao Jin, do you really have wild ginseng?"
"Yes, I dug it up from the mountains during the day."
Hearing this, Gu Jiajie grew anxious, "Aren’t you afraid of danger? What if you ran into a wild animal?"
Gu Jin replied, "It’s fine, I didn’t venture into the deep mountains. I know there’s a patch with wild ginseng on the outskirts, so I went there to dig."
Hearing her say that, Gu Jiajie relaxed.
The younger son of the Du Family was lost to wild boars in the mountains; it was really dangerous in there.
His cousin was a girl; if she encountered a wild animal, she wouldn’t be able to dodge the danger.
Gu Jiajie said, "I’m taking you to find a guy named Brother Dali. He’s well-known in the black market. This whole area is under his watch."
When he was inquiring about ginseng prices before, he learned that Brother Dali was quite capable, and also mentioned that if there was wild ginseng to bring, prices would be negotiable.