Shunzi was momentarily stunned, then chuckled and said, "Yes, big sister!"
He wasn’t stupid; his words were quite sweet.
"If you want your wife to live a good life, you have to earn more money. You won’t go wrong listening to your sister, the gratuity must be taken."
Shunzi felt a little embarrassed.
Gu Youyou stopped paying attention to him and pointed to a pile of red chili peppers that were almost dry, saying, "This is a precious medicinal herb. After we harvest and dry them, we’ll take them to Jisheng Hall. Keep some seeds to plant next year, and I’ll give you a gratuity for that as well."
Gu Youyou knew that she wouldn’t have many chances to come back and grow them herself in the future, so she thought it would be good for Shunzi to plant them.
Shunzi was honest and one of the few friends Jin Zijin had in Lotus Village. He had helped her a lot in the past, so she was willing to help him as much as she could.
Chili peppers hadn’t become widespread yet, which made them a lucrative business.
Although Shunzi didn’t understand how these peppers had become a precious medicinal herb, if Sister Youyou said it was so, then it must be true. After all, she was a doctor at Jisheng Hall.
He gave a simple smile and expressed his thanks.
Shunzi hoisted his hoe and loosened the soil, while Gu Youyou watched from the side.
After he was done, he asked again, "Sister Youyou, when will you go back to town? I’m about to make a trip there; do you want to go together?"
Her two uncles had both invited her to lunch, so she wasn’t in a hurry to go back. She replied, "You go ahead, I’m not in a rush. I’ll go back after noon."
Shunzi didn’t mind and nodded, "Then I’ll head back first."
Just then, Gu Youyou suddenly thought of something and called out to Shunzi.
"Sister Youyou, is there anything else?" Shunzi stopped and turned around.
Gu Youyou said, "When you go to town, drop by Yangliu Lane in the western part and find Jin Zijin. Tell him I won’t come back for lunch and not to wait for me."
People from farming families didn’t eat lunch, but those in town did. He didn’t think much of it and nodded in agreement.
Ah, so Brother Jin and his family had moved there. He was only now finding out.
The lunch was sumptuous, with two large pieces of meat prepared in three different dishes: one bowl of half-fat, half-lean braised pork, one bowl of lean meat stir-fried with green onions, and one bowl turned into meatballs.
There were also dishes such as lotus root with greens, all very richly made, comparable to a New Year’s feast.
The younger brothers and sisters were overjoyed, impatiently waiting to eat.
Without their grandmother scolding them, they ate boldly and contentedly, until Huang Xiangwen couldn’t stand it anymore and scolded the children with a frown.
"Youyou, have some of this."
"Ghost sister, drink the meat soup!"
The Gu Family was unusually kind to Gu Youyou; her bowl was almost overflowing.
Gu Feng sat at the head of the table, his eyes slightly narrowed.
What trick were they pulling this time?
Gu Er, the second oldest, glared at Gu San, the third oldest, and whispered fiercely, "You’re everywhere I am. What I do, you do. Are you purposely going against us, or what?"
He used "us," not "I." Gu Youyou saw that Huang Xiangwen had a similar expression to Gu Er.
So it appeared that this couple had discussed their plans and were in agreement—they both knew about it.
Looking at Gu San, he was busily ingratiating himself with Gu Youyou, while Meng Qiuju looked clueless, which indicated that this was Gu San’s own idea, and Qiuju didn’t know a thing.
"Second brother is just kidding. If Youyou is your niece, she’s my niece too. What? Are you allowed to be good to her but I’m not?"
The other members of the Gu Family also found it strange, but it wasn’t their place to speak, so they all kept quiet.
Gu Youyou ate her meal with trepidation, but she wasn’t foolish. When her second uncle invited her to sit down, she moved to another seat to prevent anything wrong with her utensils. Eventually, it was Sanya who sat there.