That day, after Wang Dong took the goods away, the family sat down to have breakfast.
"Mom and Dad, I'm thinking of going to the county tomorrow."
Now that they were living together, Gu Yi felt that mutual respect was important.
"Sure, go ahead, wander around the county and buy some clothes. You've lost a lot of weight recently, so get yourself something nice."
Ye's mother said as she pulled out 15 yuan for Gu Yi. Ye's mother had been convinced by Ye Fu that day, and she felt that being nicer to Gu Yi now would mean Gu Yi would treat her son well in the future.
"Mom, I don't need the money. You keep it. I have money. I just want Qianqian to go with me, so I have some company. I've never gone alone before, and I'm a bit scared. Qianqian, is that okay?"
Gu Yi said, looking over at Ye Qian.
"Of course, it's okay. I couldn't be happier."
Ye Qian immediately nodded in agreement.
"Alright, go ahead. With the two of you together, your dad and I will feel more at ease."
Ye's mother felt this was a better arrangement.
Gu Yi returned to the room and looked in the mirror. She did seem thinner.
She'd always thought it was her imagination, but now that Ye's mother also said she was thinner, it must be true. Her clothes were much looser now.
Actually, Gu Yi had lost quite a bit of weight; it's just that her current clothes were so loose and baggy that her figure was entirely obscured.
Gu Yi thought she definitely needed to buy some clothes when she went to the county.
In the evening, Ye's mother went to Ye Qian's room, "Qianqian, take this twenty yuan. Tomorrow, accompany your sister-in-law for a good day out. Your sister-in-law has worked really hard lately."
"I know. Right now, your daughter-in-law is more important than your daughter."
Ye Qian pretended to be jealous.
"Absolutely, because you'll get married and leave one day. Your sister-in-law is the mother of my grandson, and I rely on her for my retirement. I have to treat her well. Don't be jealous, you're my daughter. No matter how well I treat your sister-in-law, she can't surpass you. You know how she treats you, so you should also treat her better in the future. You should start calling her sister-in-law, and not just keep calling her Gu Yi."
Ye's mother responded in kind to Ye Qian's words, mostly in jest, but also sincerely.
"Alright, I've just gotten used to it. I'll change, don't worry. You know your daughter, I know what's what. I've seen what she's done lately, how filial she is to you and Dad, and she's willing to teach me skills. I also hope she and my brother will lead a happy life."
"Your dad and I just want you siblings to live well. With you brother having your sister-in-law, we feel secure. One day they might bless us with a grandchild, and you find someone who treats you well. We have no other wishes."
Early the next morning, Gu Yi and Ye Qian got up, had a bite to eat,
Gu Yi took along the 5 pounds of bean sprouts she had recently grown and set off from home towards the town.
To get to the county, she first had to go to town to catch a bus. Initially, Ye Qian wanted to take Gu Yi on her bicycle, but ever since she almost crashed when taking Gu Yi last time, Gu Yi firmly refused Ye Qian's offer. She preferred walking and didn't want Ye Qian to take her.
So now the two of them walked from home to town, and a 20-minute walk to town was nothing for Gu Yi anymore.
They arrived at town at 7:40, just in time to catch an 8 o'clock bus to the county, so they boarded the bus first.
Back then, bus stations weren't as formal as they later became; you could simply buy the ticket and pay directly on the bus, there was no need to purchase them at the station.
It was an old-fashioned mid-sized bus. Once on board, the gasoline smell made Gu Yi feel nauseous, and she and Ye Qian sat together.
Afraid of getting carsick, Gu Yi sat by the window so she could open it and get some fresh air.
There were few buses, and quite a lot of people were riding. The later passengers with no seats had to stand in the aisle.
All along the way, people would get on and off the bus, starting and stopping, making Gu Yi feel terribly uncomfortable. She had to close her eyes, endure the journey for over an hour, and finally, they arrived at the stop.
Gu Yi inquired about the buses going back, noting that the earliest bus departed at 8 in the morning, and the last one was at 4 in the afternoon.
She memorized the schedule and followed Ye Qian into the city.
They planned to first visit the vegetable market and sell the bean sprouts that Gu Yi had brought over. Gu Yi was also hoping to find someone for a long-term collaboration; this way, she need only supply the goods.
Even though that meant earning a bit less, it could save her considerable trouble.
Though Ye Qian hadn't been to the county many times, she knew of the large vegetable market, so she directly took Gu Yi to the biggest central vegetable market in the county.
When Gu Yi arrived, she didn't rush to sell the bean sprouts but instead took a tour around the market.
At this point, the market didn't yet have anyone selling bean sprouts. The stalls there had paid rent for their spots, and generally had a fair attitude towards customers.
Some vendors greeted warmly, but when they saw how Gu Yi and Ye Qian were dressed, they scrutinized them from head to toe with a judgmental gaze.
Seeing that they weren't intending to buy anything, they stopped paying them any mind.
Though Ye Qian was easy-going by nature, she found such looks uncomfortable, so Gu Yi linked arms with her and approached a couple's stall.
This couple, the man was quite stout and was the one to approach customers. He came across as very cheerful, while the woman took care of packaging the vegetables customers wanted and handling the money.
The man seemed bulky, but his gaze towards women was particularly gentle, and the two worked together harmoniously.
"Girls, looking to buy something? Feel free to browse. I have quite a selection here. Let me know what you want, and I'll pack it up for you."
The man didn't treat them any differently, so Gu Yi decided to sell the bean sprouts to him, though she wasn't sure if he'd be willing.
"Brother, I'm not here to buy vegetables. My family is from the countryside, and life is a bit tough. I can't do heavy work, so I thought I'd try my hand at some fresh greens to see if I could sell them here at the market for some income."
Gu Yi's words piqued the man's curiosity.
"What kind of fresh greens did you make?" There wasn't much business at the moment, so the woman also came over to see what kind of fresh vegetables Gu Yi had.
"It's this sprout vegetable, just stir-fry it quickly over high heat, it tastes fresh, sweet, and crunchy."
Gu Yi didn't mince her words and showed them the sprouts she brought.
"These are homemade, without any issues."
Seeing they were hesitant, Gu Yi added a casual explanation.
"You made these yourself? I've never seen such vibrant vegetables before." The woman looked at the sprouts with great liking.
"Yeah, I just brought a few pounds to try selling today and want to find a regular buyer for them. This is the only one of its kind in this market. But I don't have much stock at home yet, so I didn't plan to come here every day. I watched for a while over there and thought you and your husband seemed like honest people, so I came over."
Gu Yi explained her purpose for coming, pointed out her advantages, and extended them an offer.
After listening to Gu Yi, both of them were a bit tempted. However, the uniqueness of the product was both its strength and its weakness; since no one had tried it before, customers might be hesitant to buy it, leaving the couple undecided for the moment.