"Brother, is your home far from here? Can I borrow a pot to make some for you and Sister-in-law to taste, and then you can decide?"
Gu Yi noticed their concerns and understood them.
After all, not everyone has the courage to be the first to try something new, so she came up with the idea to borrow a pot.
The couple thought this was a good idea, as their home was in a courtyard not far from the market.
The man needed to mind the business, so he let the woman take Gu Yi and the others back home.
On the way, chatting with the woman, she learned the man's surname was Li, named Li Gang, and the woman was named Li Xiu. They had only been married for a short time.
Since life at home was not particularly well-off, they thought about selling vegetables at the market to earn some money.
However, the vegetables in the market were almost all the same, so business depended entirely on luck. This was also why they didn't want to give up on the bean sprouts Gu Yi brought so easily.
If someone liked them, this unique product could boost the entire vegetable stall business.
Soon, they arrived. Just as Li Xiu had said, the living conditions were not very good, with no decent furniture and an ailing mother-in-law.
Gu Yi knew everyone had their difficulties, so when she reached Li Gang's home, she didn't show much emotion on her face, though Ye Qian couldn't hold back,
"Brother Li's family conditions are like this, why did you still marry him?"
She meant no harm, just the curiosity of a young person.
Li Xiu smiled candidly, "This was originally my home too. If it weren't for my parents, I wouldn't be here in this world."
It turned out that Li Xiu was considered Li Gang's sister, only they were not blood-related. Li Xiu's biological parents brought her here when she was five, fleeing hardship, and both died of severe illness. Back then, the Li family was also struggling, but Li's parents still took Li Xiu home to raise her as their daughter.
The brother and sister developed a good relationship from a young age, and a few years later, Mr. Li also passed away, leaving just the mother and the two of them.
Mrs. Li's health had never been good. The reason the two ended up together was partly because they loved each other, and partly due to Li Xiu's desire to repay the kindness.
Ye Qian sighed emotionally after hearing this.
Gu Yi was too busy to sigh over someone else's story, so she took advantage of the Li household's stove to stir-fry a plate of bean sprouts.
Li Xiu watched Gu Yi stir-fry, it was quite simple. After it was done, she tasted it with chopsticks, and it was indeed delicious.
She also let her mother-in-law try it, and the elderly woman couldn't stop praising it.
Li Xiu took a porcelain mug, filled it with rice, added some bean sprouts, topped it with some pickles, greeted Mrs. Li, and took Gu Yi and Ye Qian back to the market.
Li Gang tasted it, and said, "Sis, how do you plan to sell this?"
He believed it would definitely sell well.
"I originally planned to sell it for thirty-five cents, but after talking with Sister-in-law Li just now, we really hit it off, so I'll give a five cent discount, thirty-one cents per pound, what do you think?"
Gu Yi directly revealed her bottom price.
"Alright, that price works for me. When can you deliver? I'll start by ordering a small amount, just thirty pounds," Li Gang agreed without hesitation.
"I'll deliver starting the seventh day from tomorrow, but I'll need Brother Li's help to pick it up at the station, otherwise my sister and I won't be able to handle it."
"No problem, I have a tricycle for inventory, I can go to the station to pick it up, when will you arrive?"
"We'll take the eight o'clock bus, and we'll arrive at the station by nine twenty."
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll buy these few pounds from you first," Li Gang said, pointing to the bean sprouts Gu Yi had brought.
"Sure, please weigh them."
It totaled five pounds and four ounces, and Gu Yi collected one dollar and fifty cents from him.
"You should sprinkle some water occasionally to keep them from drying out in the wind,"
Gu Yi reminded them before leaving with Ye Qian.
"Sis, I've discovered that you're a natural business person. Whatever you deal with, you easily sell it off, you're amazing. How come we didn't think of that?"
Gu Yi was taken aback by Ye Qian calling her sis.
In their past life, Ye Qian always felt older than Gu Yi, and found calling her sis awkward, so she usually called Gu Yi by her name, only calling her sis in front of Ye Hao.
It was only once when she called her Gu Yi in front of Ye Hao and got severely scolded, did she reluctantly change to calling her sis, and even then, only in front of Ye Hao.
Gu Yi wondered if her rebirth had changed some things from their past life.
Ye Qian said she was a natural business person. Gu Yi thought she was at least someone reborn, while she might not have great abilities, she could still use future trends to earn a bit of money.
Soon, they arrived at their destination. There was no department store in the county yet, only a supply and marketing cooperative and a small goods market that had popped up in recent years.
Ye Qian did not take Gu Yi to the supply and marketing cooperative, but directly to the small goods market, where everything was available and the prices were cheap, making it the most bustling place in the county.
No matter the age, the excitement for shopping comes from within women.
The two went from one shop to another, trying on whatever they liked.
By the time they left, Ye Qian had bought a shirt. Gu Yi noticed the clothing styles were not much varied now, so she thought of buying two pieces of fabric to have clothes made in town, which would not only be cheaper but also fit better.
She bought a piece for Ye Fu and Ye's mother each, and they bought some hair ties too, satisfied as they headed back home.
Gu Yi saw it was already past two, though she hadn't felt hungry while shopping, her stomach was growling now.
Since the last bus was at four, she took Ye Qian to a wonton shop nearby and ordered a bowl of wontons.
After eating her fill, they slowly walked towards the bus station, carrying their purchases.
They got to the station a bit after three, with not many people around. After finding seats, Ye Qian leaned against Gu Yi and fell asleep.
Gu Yi was also very sleepy. Taking a nap had become a daily habit, but with Ye Qian asleep, she couldn't allow herself to sleep as well.
Having heard that pickpockets were rampant these days, Gu Yi forced herself to stay alert and moved Ye Qian's belongings closer to herself.
By the time they reached town, it was after five, and Gu Yi was so exhausted she didn't want to move.
Just then, an ox cart approached. Recognizing the man as someone from their village, Ye Qian asked him to give them a ride back.
Both Gu Yi and Ye Qian felt fortunate to have encountered such a good thing.
Nearing the village, they saw Ye's mother standing at the gate from afar. As the ox cart approached, she thanked the driver on behalf of the two girls.
"You finally made it back. Why so late? You're just two little girls, aren't you scared being out so late? Your dad and I were worried sick. If you hadn't come back when you did, I would've sent your dad to fetch you!"
She babbled on like firecrackers going off.
"Mom, we lost track of time this time, we'll be more careful next time,"
Gu Yi quickly admitted her mistake. Indeed, she hadn't planned accordingly. These days, public safety wasn't great, and they had pushed it a bit.
"Mom, we're not kids anymore, what were you worried about? We're back now, aren't we? Do we have any cold water? Your daughter is parched, could you please pour us some? Thank you, you're the best!"
Ye Qian sweet-talked her way out of it with Ye's mother.