Gu Nian promptly let out a yawn.
Mrs. Jiang quickly said, "Niannian, are you sleepy? Hurry up and get to bed."
"I’ll go back and sleep with my brother, otherwise it’ll be too crowded and you and dad won’t have a place to sleep," Gu Nian said.
Actually, she wanted to quickly go back and test the spring water to see if it was as magical as she thought.
But Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "It’s alright, after all this midnight fuss, I can’t sleep anyway. You three sleep well together, and while I’m not sleepy, I’ll hurry and finish the soles of your little shoes, so you can have new shoes to wear!" Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet
Gu Nian’s clothes were hand-me-downs from Little Hu, worn by older siblings first, then by younger ones, almost unrecognizable now.
A while back, they were busy with work in the fields, and Mrs. Jiang didn’t have time to make new ones for her. Conveniently, she had some time these few days and wanted to catch up.
Gu Nian lay on Mrs. Jiang’s lap, "Mom, don’t tire yourself out, I’m not in a hurry, I have clothes and shoes to wear."
Though old, Mrs. Jiang’s craftsmanship was excellent; the clothes were well-maintained and the patches neatly sewn.
In these times when so many were poor, she was already doing well.
Besides, once they earned money, wouldn’t buying clothes be the least of their worries!
Mrs. Jiang fondly patted her head, "I’m not tired. You sleep well, tomorrow your dad is going to town to sell honey, and he’s planning to take you along. If you sleep in and miss it, you can’t blame us for not taking you!"
Actually, it was Lin Sanshui who said Gu Nian brought luck and that taking her along might help sell more silver.
Just like last time they sold peaches, with the same peaches, the prices fetched were worlds apart.
Gu Nian’s eyes lit up, "We’re going to town tomorrow, so why don’t we make some more liangfen tonight and see if we can sell it in town, alright?"
Gu Nian had thought about it, she couldn’t rely on the special space to prosper for now, but she could rely on her cooking skills.
Once she had some capital, and grew old enough to go out independently, things would become much easier.
"That sounds good to me. It’s hot, and eating that smooth, tender liangfen is refreshing and quite easy to sell." Lin Sanshui considered and said, "Erhu’s injury is almost healed, carpentry won’t work for him, but selling liangfen could be a way forward. This liangfen is Niannian’s creation, so no matter how much we earn, including yesterday’s honey, Niannian deserves a share. No one in our family can have any objections over this."
"I certainly have no objections." The twelve-year-old boy, although he understood the importance of money, had no personal motives yet. He wanted to say everything could go to his sister, but thinking of the family’s circumstances, he said instead, "When I earn money, I’ll keep half for my sister, and the rest I’ll give to mom to help with the household."
"Alright then, you two sleep first, your mother and I will wake your older brother, and start making some liangfen, see if we can sell it tomorrow." Lin Sanshui said.
Gu Nian had only bought three pounds of peas in total. Once ground into pea flour, some weight was lost. Though making liangfen is easy, the waiting time for it to set takes a bit longer, requiring fewer hands.
Gu Nian, being a child, couldn’t hold out for long. Soon enough, she was yawning repeatedly with sleepiness.
Since Dahu knew how to make it, she didn’t force herself and went to sleep.
Erhu wanted to help, but Mrs. Jiang wouldn’t let him.