novelraw Chapter 238: Three rules? Eight rules are fine too!
Chapter 238: Three rules? Eight rules are fine too!
Chapter 238 Three Rules? Eighteen Rules are fine too!
This gift pack is unique not only in its color and special effects, but also in its name.
A comprehensive package of medicinal herb processing techniques...
Hmm... sounds like a skill pack.
Gu Tang wasn't sure if it was true, so she took out the gift package. There was no description on it, only a line of words floating above the gift package: Herbal Processing Techniques.
But judging from the title on this gift pack, it does look a bit like a skill gift pack.
Gu Tang stretched out her finger, itching to open the gift pack and see what skills she could get.
Just as her finger was about to poke the gift bag, Gu Tang suddenly became more aware of her surroundings and decisively withdrew her finger!
Opening the gift pack depends on luck!
Now that she's burdened by Ah Gou, half of her already limited luck has been taken away by him, so opening the gift pack at this time is not a wise move.
Suppressing his eagerness, Gu Tang stored the gift pack in his system inventory, deciding not to open it for the time being.
As for when it will open, that depends on when she gets lucky.
I wiped the scattered powder off the table and then washed the table and the medicine grinder four or five times with hot water to make sure that all the remaining powder was cleaned off.
After cleaning the table, she grabbed a handful of flour and carefully washed her hands, repeating this several times before stopping.
Everything was tidied up, and it was getting dark outside.
After wiping the water off the floor tiles, Gu Ping'an's voice came from outside the door, telling Gu Tang to go to the front yard for dinner.
Gu Tang responded but didn't dare let him in. She hurriedly straightened her clothes, opened the door, and followed Gu Ping'an to the front yard.
Dinner was still served in the kitchen, which was much warmer than the main room, so the food wouldn't cool down as quickly.
Third Uncle was already seated in his seat when he saw Gu Tang come in and began to speak to her about something.
"In the afternoon, your father sent someone back with a message saying that he had gone to Shanyao Village and that if all goes well, he would be back the next afternoon."
Gu Tang nodded: "It should go smoothly. Tomorrow is the last day of this year's winter market, and many shops will definitely be lowering prices to clear out their stock."
At that time, every village and household will likely mobilize to scavenge for bargains, especially those families with little money who are counting on tomorrow.
For example, the Feng family does this every year, waiting until the last day to buy things, specifically targeting merchants who come from afar.
For merchants who travel from afar, transporting goods back and forth not only consumes manpower and financial resources but also carries certain risks.
If they encounter thugs blocking their way, losing their goods is the least of their worries; they might even lose their own lives.
If they can sell everything, the risk on the way back will be much lower. Without the burden of goods, the merchants can disguise themselves as beggars and get away with it.
Therefore, the last day of the winter market every year is the day for merchants from afar to lower their prices. As long as they don't lose money, they make a profit!
"Once this person comes out, the village will be empty, and things will be easier for my father." With Ah Gou secretly keeping an eye on things, Gu Tang was quite at ease, confident that he would return safely.
Third Uncle knew what Gu Tang was saying, but he was still worried. After all, they were going to a village far away to find someone, and they were unfamiliar with the place. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became.
“The clan elders should be coming tomorrow. I’ll go talk to them. Your father is leading the villagers to look for someone, so he’ll definitely have to inform the clan elders.”
Uncle San didn't know the specifics, but he received a message from Gu Lianshan in the afternoon and thought it would be best to ask him tomorrow.
Gu Tang also wanted to go.
She wanted to see Madam Feng and Gu Zhier; the mother and daughter must know that she had escaped from the kidnappers.
But judging from the mother and daughter's personalities, they probably didn't believe what the villagers were saying, especially since Li had disappeared without a trace.
The work Li did was shady; it was normal for her to disappear for a day or two to sell the kidnapped girls.
Right now, Li has disappeared for a day without anyone knowing. The Feng mother and daughter will only believe that Li has kidnapped someone and secretly gone to find a buyer, and will not believe that she is safe and sound.
If she shows up in front of the Feng mother and daughter tomorrow, I wonder how they will react.
Gu Tang's lips curled up slightly. At that time, the mother and daughter would definitely search everywhere for Li Shi, wanting to ask her why she had failed.
As for the Wang family, since Li hasn't returned yet, they'll definitely be looking for Feng.
Feng and Li kidnapped her. She didn't believe the Wang family didn't have someone in the know. When things got out of hand, it would be quite a spectacle.
Gu Tang knew that if she asked to go along now, her third uncle and Gu Ping'an would definitely not agree.
Let's talk about it tomorrow.
She'll definitely get up early tomorrow and wait for the old man to leave before shamelessly following him.
After the meal, the three members of the family went back to their respective rooms.
Thinking that she might see Gu Zhier tomorrow, Gu Tang decided to prepare in advance. If she had the chance tomorrow, she would practice on Gu Zhier first.
She selected the right herb from the four ingredients, and chose aconite.
Take a spoon, scoop out a little bit, put it on a piece of paper and wrap it up. Try this small amount first and see how Gu Zhier reacts after eating it.
……
The next morning, Gu Ping'an came over to call Gu Tang as usual, asking her whether she wanted to get up and eat now, or continue sleeping and get up to eat after she had slept enough.
He thought his second sister would be like usual today, impatiently saying she wanted to sleep a little longer.
Surprisingly, his second sister inside the house replied, "Get up, it'll be ready soon, wait for me!"
Gu Ping'an was a little confused and subconsciously looked to the east to see if the sun was rising from the east.
But today is a cloudy day, and there is no sun in the sky.
Gu Ping'an thought he had misheard, so he asked again, "Second Sister, did you just mention that?"
Just as these words were about to fall, the sound of the door latch being pulled off came from behind the door, and the next instant, the door in front of them was pulled open.
"What are you doing?" Gu Tang, looking quite puzzled, stared at Gu Ping'an, whose ear was practically touching hers.
"I thought I misheard you," Gu Ping'an said sheepishly.
Gu Tang immediately understood what he meant and rolled her eyes at him: "I do get up early sometimes, it's not like I get up late every day!"
Gu Ping'an didn't dare to say a word in rebuttal, only nodding repeatedly with a look of agreement.
Yes, yes, his second sister also gets up early; she gets up early three or four times a month!
When they arrived at the kitchen, the third uncle was surprised to see Gu Tang come in, but he quickly regained his composure, smiled, and got up to serve Gu Tang a bowl of porridge, telling her to sit down and eat quickly.
Gu Tang pretended not to see the old man's momentary surprise and happily sat down to eat.
After the meal, the third uncle picked up his cane and told Gu Tang and Gu Ping'an to stay at home and not to go out and wander around.
Especially Gu Tang, her third uncle gave her a few special instructions, implying that she was not allowed to go out.
Gu Ping'an obediently agreed to his third uncle's instructions, but Gu Tang, after the old man finished speaking, stepped forward with a smile and said she wanted to go along.
"This time I promise, I'll stay right in front of you and never leave your sight!" Gu Tang raised her little hand, as if making a vow.
Third Uncle didn't want her to go. This girl was sometimes just like her father, changing her mind in an instant and having no credibility whatsoever. "I'll just go talk to the clan chief and the others. I'll be back in an hour. I won't join in the fun or wander around."
"No way! Today is the last day of the market. Wouldn't it be a waste not to walk around and see the sights?" Gu Tang said with a look of disapproval.
Third Uncle ignored her nonsense: "There's a market day every year, what's there to regret?"
"That's different. The people and the excitement are different every year. If you miss it, you miss it. You won't be able to see it again next year!"
That's a fallacy.
The market day in Bei'an City is pretty much the same every year, so what's so different about it?
Third Uncle opened his mouth to continue persuading, but Gu Tang interrupted him and continued to pester him: "I know what you're worried about, but those kidnappers... they won't amount to anything. With so many of them, they can't just be targeting me."
"Don't worry, I can't be unlucky forever. I've lived in Bei'an City for so long, and this is the only time I've encountered kidnappers. There's nothing to worry about."
She wiped out the entire kidnapping gang this time, so the chances of her encountering kidnappers again are slim.
Third Uncle looked hesitant. Since the girl had said so, she probably really wanted to go. If he didn't let her go, she might sneak off, and Ping An couldn't control her.
After much thought, it seems that only by keeping a close eye on the person can I feel at ease.
"If you want to go, it's not impossible, but we need to agree on three rules!"
Gu Tang nodded repeatedly: "As long as you agree to let me go with you, I'll agree to anything, even if it's just three rules!"
Third Uncle didn't believe her. This girl was just like her father, a complete scoundrel.
"First, you are not allowed to leave my sight; second, you are not allowed to sneak away without permission; and third, you are not allowed to disobey me."
"Your three chapters convey the same meaning."
"Never mind that, just tell me if it's okay or not!"
“Sure! Why not?” Gu Tang agreed readily without the slightest hesitation.
Ironically, this made Uncle San even more skeptical of her words, so he simply brought Gu Ping'an along as well, so that he wouldn't have to do anything but keep an eye on Gu Tang.
After leaving the courtyard, the three of them walked towards West Street.
When they arrived at West Street, Uncle San, familiar with the area, led the siblings into a narrow and long street.
The goods sold on this street are the cheapest on West Street, so the villagers like to come here.
After walking for a short while in the crowd, Uncle San saw a familiar face: Li Shunzi from the same village.
Third Uncle led the siblings through the crowd and patted Li Shunzi's arm.
Li Shunzi was negotiating the price with the charcoal seller. The two men were both very loud and neither was willing to give in.
Upon suddenly seeing his third uncle, the words caught in his throat, and for some reason, a look of panic flashed across his face.
He quickly masked his momentary panic, his expression returning to normal as he smiled and greeted his third uncle.
He greeted them politely, but his eyes kept darting around, glancing at Gu Tang and Gu Ping'an every now and then.
Gu Tang didn't have a good impression of Li Shunzi, feeling that this person's thought process was impossible to communicate with normally.
Noticing that he was spying on her, Gu Tang immediately perked up to prevent him from saying anything idiotic.
Third Uncle wasn't very familiar with Li Shunzi either, so he only said a few words to him before asking, "Do you know where the clan chief is?"
"Huh? What did you say?" Li Shunzi was caught stealing a glance at Gu Tang. Gu Tang glared at him without any politeness. He was so startled that he was momentarily distracted and didn't hear what his third uncle asked.
Third Uncle smiled and asked again, "Did you see the clan chief when you came?"
"Oh, I see it, I see it!" Li Shunzi pointed to the west. "Go west, there are people selling dogs over there. The clan chief said he wanted to raise a dog. When I came over just now, he was picking out a dog over there."
Judging by the time, they shouldn't have left yet. Just head west, and you'll see the dog seller soon. There are crowds of people all around, looking at the dogs.
Third Uncle glanced westward, smiled and took his leave, without asking why he had bought charcoal.
The Li family was not well-off, and the old woman in the house was extremely frugal. Over the years, the Li family had never bought charcoal.
Li Shunzi suddenly bought charcoal today. If it were anyone else, they would probably ask a lot of questions, but Third Uncle seemed not to have seen it and didn't ask a single question.
Gu Tang and Gu Ping'an were unaware of the Li family's affairs. When they saw Li Shunzi buying charcoal, they assumed he was worried about a potential snow disaster and wanted to buy it as a precaution.
The siblings glanced at it casually and saw that the charcoal on the charcoal seller's cart was all broken pieces, which made them even more certain that Li Shunzi had bought it as a precaution.
But that one glance made Li Shunzi's heart jump!
He watched the three figures of the grandfather, grandmother, and grandson with a worried expression, fearing they would reveal that he had bought charcoal.
My third uncle is an upright man, not the type to gossip, so I'm not worried about him.
I'm not sure about those two smaller ones.
Especially that girl, she's vicious and cruel, full of lies, she framed her mother Zhang, and coaxed her father to divorce Zhang and kick her out of the house.
Now that she's seen me buying charcoal, she'll probably tell everyone in the village when she gets back!
"Are you going to buy it or not?" The charcoal seller on the side was getting impatient.
"If you're buying, that's the price, not a penny less! If you're not buying, then make way and don't delay this old man's business. I'm not worried about selling my charcoal!"
Although they are broken charcoal pieces, they are not the kind that are scattered and broken; most of them are charcoal pieces that have been split in two.
Such charcoal was not valued by wealthy families and could only be sold to ordinary people.
The people had no choice and were reluctant to choose, so they still liked the broken charcoal very much. In just a short while, two more people came to inquire about the price.
The price of chopped charcoal is only half that of charcoal. In previous years it was ten coins per catty, but this year, due to rumors of a possible snow disaster, it has now risen to twenty coins per catty.
The price has doubled.
The locals who came to buy it all said it was expensive, but they still had to buy it no matter how expensive it was.
Unlike farmers, city dwellers need to buy firewood to cook and prepare meals all year round.
In winter, the situation is even worse, requiring a lot of firewood every day.
In previous years, people would brave the snow to sell firewood, and the people weren't afraid. But this year, there's talk of a snow disaster.
If a snow disaster really breaks out, I'm afraid no one will be able to sell firewood, and they will be the first to suffer from the cold.
To prevent them from freezing to death, the only thing they can do right now is to use their savings to buy some broken charcoal at a high price and store it away.
If there is a snow disaster, these charcoal fragments could save their lives.
Before long, half of the cartload of charcoal had been sold.
The charcoal seller was right; these charcoals would indeed sell without any trouble.