After finishing her meal, Gu Yi returned to her room, stood leaning against the wall for 20 minutes, and then did yoga for half an hour.
Once she was done, she wiped herself down with some water and took a nap.
The delightful surprise for Gu Yi in the afternoon was when the owner who sold wine sent a message, asking for another 20 pounds of peanuts to be delivered the next day.
The rest of the Ye Family were also overjoyed when they heard this. Ye's mother called Ye Fu to take down the peanuts hanging up, and asked Ye Qian to get some water to wash and soak the peanuts.
The whole family was cheerful the entire afternoon because of this news.
"Mom, where did you buy this five-spice powder? I didn't see it in the town, was it bought in the city? I'll buy some more another day, just in case we run out."
Gu Yi finally remembered to ask about the five-spice powder. It was only after she went to B City in her previous life that she knew about this seasoning, and it had never been used at home before.
"Are you talking about that yellow powder? That was brought back by Hao Hao. It seems we don't have it around here; he said it's used for cooking meat dishes." Ye's mother replied to Gu Yi while sweeping the floor.
Hearing Ye's mother say this, Gu Yi was stunned. No wonder the wine-selling owner immediately wanted to buy it after tasting it. It turns out there's no five-spice powder around here; she had always thought it was her fresh approach that the owner appreciated.
What should she do? She can't possibly go all the way to B City just for some five-spice powder.
"You should write a letter to Hao Hao, asking him to send some more back."
Ye's mother kindly reminded Gu Yi, also thinking it would be a good opportunity for them to keep in touch and deepen their relationship.
"Oh, sure, Mom, I got it."
Gu Yi had to agree, partly to ease Ye's mother's worries, and also because they really needed the five-spice powder.
Although quite a bit of five-spice powder was left, she didn't know how the peanut business at the wine store would go.
If business was as brisk as today, the five-spice powder would run out quickly.
Gu Yi planned to write to Ye Hao tonight, just in time to mail it when she went to the town the next day.
The Ye Family had dinner early today.
20 pounds of peanuts couldn't fit into one pot, so they had to clean the pot used for cooking pig feed and used both pots to cook together.
Ye's mother was in charge of adding firewood to the stove, while Ye Qian helped out. During the downtime of cooking peanuts, Gu Yi soaked her feet with mugwort. Ye Qian refused to soak her feet today, claiming it was too hot.
With Ye's mother being older, Gu Yi didn't dare let her soak during hot weather; she enjoyed soaking by herself, sweating profusely, feeling especially refreshed.
The next morning, Gu Yi woke Ye Qian up to accompany her with her bicycle to deliver the peanuts, so later Ye Qian could give her a ride home.
Ye Fu used a cloth to wrap the bucket full of peanuts, then securely tied it to the back seat of the bicycle.
In those days, bicycles were still the big two-eight types. Ye Fu, worried, repeatedly confirmed if the two could manage, until Ye Qian got annoyed, and they finally set off.
Although Gu Yi couldn't ride a bike, she was stronger than Ye Qian, so she pushed the bike while Ye Qian steadied the bucket from the back on the way.
Upon reaching the town, they could see from a distance that the wine-selling owner was standing at the door to greet them, helping Gu Yi and her to unload the peanuts.
"Ye's daughter-in-law, your boiled peanuts are really delicious. Many people bought them to try yesterday, and they sold out by this morning. Many people came back to buy more, even my wine sold more than usual. Could you send me another 20 pounds tomorrow?"
The owner said to Gu Yi while weighing the peanuts.
"Sure, it's just that everyone hasn't tried it before. I will try something new next time so your business will be even more prosperous."
Gu Yi used the owner's words to reveal her own plans.
"That would be great. You are a good girl, genuine and hardworking. You won't go wrong in the future."
The owner was increasingly fond of Gu Yi's personality.
"Thank you for your good words, boss."
"What boss, just call me Uncle Wang. In the future, if you need more, I'll send someone from the store to your home to pick it up, so you two young ladies don't have to walk here."
The owner also recognized Gu Yi's character and offered her a favor.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Wang. To be honest, we almost messed up the peanuts on the way here. If someone can pick them up in the future, it will save us a lot of effort. If you need more, just send a message, and we'll head back now."
Since the owner had offered, Gu Yi didn't stand on ceremony and accepted. She took the 6 yuan given by the owner and left with Ye Qian.
The current Gu Yi really left Ye Qian deeply impressed.
Was that person who was chatting and laughing just now really the timid Gu Yi she used to know? That stone must have been guided by an immortal to turn Gu Yi, this unremarkable stone, into a precious nugget.
Gu Yi knew Ye Qian would definitely be curious, but she wanted people around her to slowly get used to this version of her, so she'd no longer have to hide in the future.
"Qianqian, let's buy some meat for Mom to make braised pork. I'm craving meat and Mom's cooking."
Gu Yi indeed felt a craving. Ye's mother's braised pork was so good it could make you swallow your tongue.
In her previous life, Gu Yi was very fond of eating it, but later when she moved to B City and the older folks remained in the village, she seldom had the chance to eat it.
"Sure, honestly, I'm craving it too. Let's have Mom treat us well tonight." The two went to the meat stall together.
Meat was sold for one yuan per pound at this time, without dividing between fatty and lean parts. Most people wanted the fatter parts because they could render oil from it.
Gu Yi wasn't interested in the fatty parts, and she picked a somewhat lean piece of pork belly, paying 2 yuan and 6 cents.
Originally thinking Ye Qian could give Gu Yi a lift on the bicycle on the way home, after nearly taking a tumble, Gu Yi resolutely refused to ride, deciding to walk back home instead.
For dinner, Ye's mother cooked braised pork, stir-fried two vegetable dishes, and specifically cooked white rice.
Ye's mother felt as though life had been like a dream these past couple of days.
Not only did her daughter-in-law become more sensible and considerate of the family, but she also earned money to help support the household, making the future seem promising.
Ye's mother thought that it would be great if Ye Hao was at home too. A happy family was worth more than anything.
But she couldn't force Ye Hao. He loved the military, and making him transfer back against his will might make him unhappy, worsening the situation. Meanwhile, everyone else was happily eating.
She didn't expect Ye's mother to still be thinking so far ahead. The happiest one was Ye Qian, who hadn't had meat in a long time and couldn't stop eating once she started.
Ye Fu also happily drank two glasses, while Gu Yi, thinking about losing weight, restrained herself and didn't indulge, only eating half a bowl of rice.
That night, Gu Yi followed her usual routine, soaking her feet and practicing yoga.
After her bath, instead of going straight to bed, she took out the pen and paper she borrowed from Ye Qian during the day, preparing to write a letter to Ye Hao.
In her past life, she had done this only once. Every time letters were written, Ye Qian was the one who wrote to him, and he would only mention her in his replies casually, never addressing her directly.