BTYFOV Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Child can be Taught

Has Gu Xiao'er caused trouble?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Qin Feng shook his head: "Eldest Uncle either goes through the alley or to the factory gate, he doesn't go to the street, how would she know?"

However, things wouldn't change just because of Qin Feng's personal will.

Earlier, when they were harvesting wheat, Gu Wuyi proved with his actions that popsicles sold well.

Uncle Zhou rented a room from Qin Feng's family to sell popsicles. In the evening, no matter how many were left, the villagers would buy them all, further proving that popsicles sold well.

The families in the village who had bicycles went to ask Uncle Zhou where he bought the popsicle freezer and where he got the popsicles.

Uncle Zhou, being a neighbor, couldn’t hide it. Besides, even if he told them, it didn’t matter; they wouldn’t be able to do the same. If they tried, no one's business would thrive.

Whether in the small village or the small city, there were no popsicles sold at the school gates.

A few villagers went to the school gate to sell them.

Qin Ying used to often bring the children back. Even though the two kids didn’t recognize all the people in Wuli Village, the people there recognized them. The villagers selling popsicles thought that if it weren’t for Qin Feng's family, they wouldn’t have thought of doing this. When they saw the kids, they would give them a popsicle each.

Fu Qingyun and his younger brother were not real kids, and when they got home, they kept quiet about the popsicles being given by the villagers. However, Qin Ying’s two daughters, upon seeing her, would proudly show off, telling her that someone was selling popsicles at the school gate, and that they learned it from their uncle.

Qin Feng understood his eldest uncle, and so did Qin Ying and Wang Genbao. They couldn’t imagine him selling popsicles on his own. Besides, as a blind man, he wouldn’t know where to get supplies.

Wang Genbao figured out the key point and grumbled. Qin Feng didn't care about her at all, with neither his eyes nor his heart for her, his sister.

Fu Qingyun took the opportunity to interrupt, saying, "How much money can popsicles make? He should go to the south and wholesale some jewelry. A trip there is equivalent to a whole month for him."

The day Wang Genbao adopted the two brothers from the Fu family, he was full of ambition, planning to start a business.

But after a night to cool down, Wang Genbao got scared, thinking that he needed to build a house for the children. So, for a while, he started building two rooms across from his kitchen—one as his daughter's bedroom and one for the two sons. The bedroom his daughter had used before was kept for storing things in the future.

Now that the house was finished, Fu Qingyun brought up old matters again, and Wang Genbao’s fear was reignited.

But Wang Genbao wasn't stupid. He remembered that it was still cold in February according to the lunar calendar, and Qin Feng had mentioned wholesaling spring clothes, indicating that clothes needed to be bought early. Although he didn’t understand why, his brother-in-law, the Phd graduate, was usually right.

Even though it was summer, it wasn’t yet the peak heat of the three hottest days. Wholesaling summer clothes would be too late, and autumn clothes too early. He was also eager to make money, so he encouraged Qin Ying to go back to her family and ask.

Later, he went to the popsicle factory in the morning and bought a box of popsicles, which Qin Ying would sell together with cakes. The popsicles were cheap, and even if they were taken away by the Red Armband, it wouldn’t be a big loss.

Qin Ying didn’t dare to go, fearing that her mother would beat her up.

On June 22nd, according to the Gregorian calendar, it was the weekend and also the summer solstice. This day was especially hot.

Before Uncle Zhou left, Madam Zhou not only made him wear a straw hat and carry a water bottle, but also reminded him to come back in the evening so that his son could take over in the future. The weather was getting hotter, and his body couldn’t handle it.

It was on this day that Qin Ying came.

Just as Uncle Zhou left, she and her two daughters got off the bus.

Because Qin Ying insisted on raising other people’s children, even going so far as to put on a brave face and raise two of them, Madam Zhou felt ashamed and didn’t want to mention it to relatives or neighbors.

Qin Ying hadn’t been back recently, and the villagers thought she was angry with Qin Feng for hitting Wang Genbao, so they didn’t think much about it.

When they saw Qin Ying, the villagers greeted her as usual, reminding her that her parents were at home.

Qin Ying, excited, brought her daughters to her parents’ house, but stopped suddenly because not only were her parents inside, but there were also three younger children, and it seemed like they were planning to go out.

Indeed, they were planning to go out.

The weather was hot, and although they had a fan inside, it wasn’t as cool as by the village entrance.

Madam Zhou planned to go out to tend the sheep, while Old Qin went to cut grass. The three children played by the roadside.

Qin Ying’s sudden appearance disrupted the old couple’s plans. When Madam Zhou remembered that Qin Ying was stubborn, as if she were possessed, she asked, in a displeased tone, “Why are you here?”

Qin Ying looked timid, not daring to respond, and signaled to her daughters.

Her eldest daughter weakly said, “We missed grandma.”

Madam Zhou was naturally kind-hearted, and while she could show a cold face to her daughter, she couldn’t help but soften when facing her beloved granddaughter. However, when she saw Qin Ying, she was still unhappy, so she said without any expression, “Come in then.”

Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but look at her.

—Did he hear that right?

Madam Zhou realized she was being petty, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. "You all go ahead, I'll join you in a little while."

Qin Ying took the opportunity to ask, "Where are you going?"

Madam Zhou replied, "To cut grass!"

"I'll go," Qin Ying instinctively responded.

Madam Zhou immediately handed her the sickle and a bag for the grass.

Qin Ying was used to cutting grass, and she found it easier than making bread, so she didn’t realize her mother was intentionally making things difficult for her.

Her willingness to take on the task made Madam Zhou seem petty, and she felt a little awkward, so she couldn’t keep a cold face anymore.

Gu Wuyi, seeing how easily she compromised, subtly tugged at Old Qin's hand, giving him a meaningful look—he couldn’t let his heart soften.

Old Qin patted his little head and went out to tend to the sheep.

The group then headed south.

There was a ditch over there, and the water and grass were abundant.

Shepherding sheep couldn’t be done in the same place as cutting grass, so the group split into two. Qin Ying’s family and Madam Zhou stayed together, while the younger ones followed Old Qin.

Gu Wuyi gave his younger brother a look, then glanced over at Qin Ying’s side.

Gu Xiao'er immediately understood. His brother wanted him to find out about the situation with the two brothers of the Fu family through Qin Ying’s daughters.

Xiao'er took his younger brother over, while Gu Wuyi moved closer to Old Qin and quietly asked, "Why do I feel like Auntie is always up to something?"

Old Qin was surprised. "You still know that you should not come to the temple for no reason?"

"Dad said so," Gu Wuyi replied. Childhood seemed so distant to him, and he didn’t know which things children should or shouldn’t understand, so when things were difficult to explain, he just blamed it on Qin Feng.

Both of the old couple often complained that Qin Feng didn’t know how to teach children.

Old Qin didn’t suspect anything. "I think there’s something going on too. She probably knows your Grandpa Zhou is selling popsicles, and it was your idea."

"So soon?" Gu Wuyi exclaimed in surprise.

Old Qin said, "It's been delayed. I originally thought she would find out the next day."

Gu Wuyi didn’t understand.

Old Qin continued, "My eldest sister-in-law. She’s jealous of our family, but she has no other way to deal with it, so she just causes trouble for us."

"Yeah. She hasn’t been up to much lately."

This surprised Old Qin even more. "She’s probably hiding something bad."

As he spoke, Madam Zhou’s voice faintly reached them.

The old man and the young one looked toward the sound. Madam Zhou's face remained unchanged, looking very angry.

Old Qin said, "Looks like we guessed right."

"Should we go find my dad?"

Old Qin shook his head. "Your dad won’t be back so soon. He’s probably still at the train station teaching workers how to maintain the trains."

Gu Wuyi thought about the maintenance workers not being familiar with the trains. Every time a new train cart was put into service or underwent its first maintenance, it required guidance from the engineers who had developed and manufactured it. "She sure picked the right time for this."

Old Qin said, "Forget about her. I don’t have money for her anyway."

Gu Wuyi was worried because he had planned to grow up a little more and take the bus to visit Fu Qingyun and Fu Lingyun for fun. If things got awkward now, how would he go in the future?

Qin Ying was so grown up, yet still so thoughtless.

It was just Wang Genbao, not some kind of big deal like Pan Luxian, so why make such a fuss?

【Pan Luxian was a renowned Chinese football coach and player. He's often remembered for his significant contributions to Chinese football and is considered a legend in the sport.】

Old Qin unintentionally noticed Gu Wuyi furrowing his brows and chuckled, "How old are you? These things aren’t for you to worry about."

Gu Wuyi withdrew his gaze. "Grandpa, after we finish selling the popsicles at noon, how about we make watermelon-flavored ones?"

"How do we make them?"

"I’ve figured it out. We’ll wrap the watermelon pulp in gauze and squeeze out the juice. Then, we add a bit of white sugar to some boiled water. After that, we pour it into molds. What do you think?"

Old Qin didn’t know, since he had never thought he could make popsicles himself. "Let’s try making one watermelon popsicle first. But let’s wait until your aunt leaves before we do."

Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but furrow his brows again.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Wuyi whispered, "I just realized, if she's here, how are we going to sell popsicles at noon?"

Old Qin was also troubled by this thought. After thinking for a moment, he decided to have his grandson pretend to wait for his son to get off work.

At 11:30, Old Qin took Gu Wuyi to the village entrance and watched him cross the road to the staff residence before heading home.

As soon as Gu Wuyi entered the courtyard, he heard someone calling him.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Xue Qing was walking toward him, holding each daughter in each hand.

Gu Wuyi instinctively asked, "Aunt Xue, do you need something?"

"Finally, you’re back. Have you made the popsicles?"

Gu Wuyi nodded, then couldn’t help but glance outside. "It looks like someone is selling popsicles under the tree at the gate."

"I don't want their salt water popsicles. Is yours made with sugar water or mung beans?"

Gu Wuyi replied, "Mung beans and red beans."

Some passersby who liked red beans but not mung beans overheard and followed them.

When others in the courtyard saw that Gu Wuyi had several people following him, they knew he was selling popsicles today.

Before Qin Ying arrived, Gu Wuyi had already packaged the popsicles—Miaomiao handed him the wrapping paper, and he and Gu Xiao'er did the packing.

They were ready to sell as soon as they opened the fridge.

Xue Qing peeked into the fridge and saw the popsicles neatly arranged and very clean. She couldn’t help but say, "It’s still reassuring to eat yours."

"Just don’t eat too many." Gu Wuyi gave her two popsicles. "The little sisters are young, so you and Uncle Wu eat half, then give the rest to them. Otherwise, if they get a stomachache, I won’t take responsibility."

Xue Qing originally wanted to buy four, but upon hearing this, she laughed and said, "You’re a clever kid. You’re not making money—how silly is that?"

Gu Wuyi certainly wanted to make money, but his father had told him not to take money from children, "Do you want them or not?"

Xue Qing took the popsicles.

Just then, a worker entered and asked, "Wuyi, are you making popsicles again this afternoon?"

Gu Wuyi nodded. "This time, I will make something different."

"Something different? What kind?"

Gu Wuyi shook his head. "I’ll show you once it’s done."

"You’re such a meticulous kid. You might be able to take over your dad’s job in the future."

Gu Wuyi paused for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Take over my dad’s job?"

Xue Qing, who was about to leave, stopped and said, "You don’t mean you’re thinking of going into business in the future, do you?"

Gu Wuyi had thought about it before. If possible, he would apply to the Economics and Management program at the Imperial Capital University, so he wouldn’t be easily deceived in the future.

But he felt that he couldn’t tell the truth. It seemed like these people looked down on businessmen. It wasn’t just about a professional hierarchy, but more about thinking business wasn’t stable and businessmen weren’t reliable. "I haven’t thought about it yet."

"That’s true, you’re only ten," Xue Qing realized she was overreacting and smiled. "But you can start thinking about it. If you don’t know, you can ask your dad."

Gu Wuyi obediently nodded.

Adults liked obedient children, and seeing him so well-behaved made them feel pleased. After buying the popsicles, they praised him a little.

Gu Wuyi shyly accepted the praise.

He then continued selling popsicles honestly, not daring to chat, worried about saying something he shouldn’t and getting "scolded" by the uncles and aunts.

Luckily, it wasn’t long before his dad came back, and the customers moved on to chat with him instead.

Once a group of customers had left, Qin Feng asked, "Where’s the little one?"

"He’s with grandma."

Qin Feng asked, "Did Gu Xiao'er cause trouble?"

Gu Wuyi instinctively shook his head, then realized why his dad asked. Xiao'er was more active in selling popsicles than him, and Miaomiao liked collecting the money. Usually, they sell while he made the popsicles.

"Aunt came. I was worried she’d get suspicious, so I didn’t let Xiao'er and Miaomiao come over."

Qin Feng’s expression changed suddenly.

Gu Wuyi added, "It seems like she came for the popsicles."

Qin Feng frowned, "Did your aunt say something?"

Gu Wuyi shook his head. "Some people from the village went to sell popsicles at the school gate and gave a few to my aunt’s daughters. After all, selling popsicles is something we learned from them. Your two nieces came home and mentioned it."

"I see." Qin Feng looked at the freezer. "Are we done selling?"

Gu Wuyi opened the freezer. "There are still a few left."

"Let's go then."

"Grandpa doesn't know when you'll be back. He said to eat a little before lunch. You're not going to start a fight with her, are you?"

Qin Feng glanced at the clock on the wall—it was almost noon. "Then I'll go wash my face first."

Gu Wuyi brought out the watermelon he had bought yesterday.

When Qin Feng finished washing his face and entered the room, he saw Gu Wuyi holding a knife and coming out of the kitchen. "Eat after lunch."

"I want to make watermelon-flavored popsicles with this."

Qin Feng understood. It was still early for lunch, and they had time to spare.

"Then put the knife down. I'll cut it. You wait while I find a clean bowl and some gauze."

Soon, Qin Feng placed the watermelon flesh on the gauze, wrapped it up, and pressed it, letting the watermelon juice flow into the bowl.

They always had some cooled boiled water at home, so once the watermelon juice was extracted, Qin Feng poured in the cooled water.

He stirred it with a spoon, and Gu Wuyi tasted it. It wasn’t sweet enough, and he couldn’t help but frown. He should have waited and let the sweetened water cool before making it.

Qin Feng said, "Let me taste it."

Gu Wuyi handed him the spoon.

Qin Feng drank the remaining half spoon and said, "It's fine. The colder the watermelon, the sweeter it gets. The same goes for watermelon juice."

"Right." Gu Wuyi suddenly realized and felt foolish for forgetting that.

Seeing the look of regret on his face, Qin Feng almost laughed. "How old are you? You think of everything, what do you need your dad for? Hurry up."

Gu Wuyi then took out the popsicle molds from the cabinet.

The two of them filled the entire freezer, and it was getting close to the time.

Qin Feng tidied up, then carried the watermelon rind back in the bowl.

On hot summer days, the six members of the family would eat two watermelons daily, but they couldn’t eat watermelon rind three times a day, so this watermelon rind was saved for the pigs.

When the villagers saw him carrying the watermelon rind back, they couldn’t help but tease him, "When did Engineer Qin become so good at living?"

"It’s my wife’s doing." Qin Feng noticed they didn’t mean any harm, so he said what they wanted to hear.

As soon as he said this, the villagers burst into laughter. They then reminded him, "Hurry home. Your dad’s come out to check on you several times."

Qin Feng smiled and nodded, taking Gu Wuyi to the door, where Old Qin came out again.

Seeing that Qin Feng had really come back, Old Qin couldn’t help but say, "I thought you weren’t coming back for lunch."

"They invited me to eat at the station, but I didn’t go." In his past life, Qin Feng had died suddenly from drinking, so in this life, he was cautious about alcohol. He would only have a small drink during holidays or celebrations.

Going to eat with a group of old men, if Qin Feng didn’t drink at all, people would easily misunderstand him as being high-minded and not fitting in, so he used the excuse that he had three kids at home and came back.

Old Qin didn’t understand, "Why didn’t you go?"

"It’s so hot, and there are so many people crowded together, how could we eat?"

Old Qin thought about it and agreed. "Then hurry home. Luckily, your mom made plenty of food."

Gu Wuyi asked curiously, "What’s for lunch?"

Old Qin whispered, "She killed a chicken."

Gu Wuyi’s eyes lit up, and he deliberately said, "The chicken legs definitely won’t be for me."

Old Qin patted his little head, "Grandpa knows you’re sensible."

Qin Feng didn’t hesitate to push his hand away.

His dad instantly became embarrassed.

Gu Wuyi quickly said, "I’m just teasing Grandpa."

Qin Feng: "Your grandfather was wrong. You're only ten years old, and no matter how sensible you are, you're still a child. What child doesn't want to eat chicken legs? He should have said that they're guests, and we need to take care of the guests."

Old Qin became even more embarrassed.

Gu Wuyi, however, felt warm inside and couldn't help but laugh. "Dad's right. We can't let the guests think our family has no manners."

Qin Feng couldn't help but pick him up—the child can be taught!

Gu Wuyi, with no solid footing, was startled and grabbed onto his arm.

Qin Feng carried him to the yard and then put him down.

Gu Wuyi, still shaken, asked, "What was that for?"

"Isn't your courage usually pretty big?"

Whether in this life or the last, Gu Wuyi had never been carried by anyone, so of course, he was scared.

Gu Wuyi didn't dare tell the truth, glaring at him. "Having courage doesn't mean you can suddenly scare me. Shame on you, you're a father."

Qin Feng grabbed his little ear. "If your ear wasn't red, I might actually believe you. But you're only ten, still too shy. You're a little devil!" He ruffled his hair and then went to the kitchen, asking deliberately, "Mom, what smells so good?"

"Braised chicken with beans." When Madam Zhou heard his voice, she started serving the dishes, and by now, everything was on the table. "Take it to the living room."

Qin Feng noticed his sister was holding chopsticks in one hand, and in the other, she was preparing to grab the bread basket, but he pretended not to see it.

Qin Ying felt a little upset when she saw this.

But thinking about how Qin Feng had acted last time when they didn’t even eat much, she immediately didn't dare let Qin Feng notice.

During the meal, she didn't dare ask about the popsicles.

After eating, Qin Feng took Miaomiao out for some fresh air. When Qin Ying helped her mother clear the dishes, she casually mentioned that they had built two rooms, but she didn't expect the prices to be so high. Two rooms cost as much as three rooms used to.

Madam Zhou simply hummed in response and didn't comment.

Gu Wuyi also picked up on the underlying meaning— they were running out of money.

Although he wished for Wang Genbao to die, killing someone was a crime, not a natural disaster, so Wang Genbao couldn’t die.

As long as he’s fine, his two younger brothers could only stay at his house until they were eighteen and could sever ties with their adoptive parents. Fearing they might end up eating nothing but scraps at the Wang family, he casually brought up the idea of sourcing goods from the south and even mentioned specific addresses, pointing out where shoes were cheap and where clothes were affordable.

Madam Zhou was curious: "Who told you that?"

"My dad's colleague."

Although Qin Feng's colleagues weren’t as highly educated as he was, each one of them was quite capable. Madam Zhou didn’t suspect him, but she was still angry at Qin Ying for not trying harder. She told Gu Wuyi to go find his dad instead—stop giving Qin Ying advice.

Though Qin Ying still couldn’t figure out where to source popsicles, Gu Wuyi’s words were an unexpected gain.

When the weather became a little cooler, Qin Ying took her daughters and headed home.

This time, Madam Zhou didn’t give her anything to take back.

When Wang Genbao saw that she was empty-handed, he muttered, "Your mom says you favor boys over girls. If she didn’t, why does she leave everything to Qin Feng?"

Qin Ying instinctively responded, "Xiao Feng is capable. Besides, they’re counting on him to take care of them when they’re old."

"Your mom's a woman, Qin Feng and his sons are men. When she gets old and can't move, won't she need you to take care of her?"

Qin Ying thought about the older villagers. Many were indeed cared for by their daughters, and she couldn’t argue back. "I found out where to source goods from the south."

Wang Genbao immediately forgot about the Qin family and asked, "What about the popsicles?"

"I’ll ask my uncle. We’ll find out where the vendors in the village get their popsicles from. My uncle will know."

Wang Genbao thought about Uncle Zhou, who was very warm-hearted but not as clever as his father-in-law. He was easy to deceive—one piece of cake was enough to soften his heart. "Well, you ask him then. Tell me about sourcing from the south."

The two young brothers from the Fu family quietly moved closer to them and then casually added a few words. Hearing Wang Genbao express concern about the road being unsafe, the eldest Fu Qingyun pointed to both sides, signaling that they could find Wang Genbao's brothers.

Wang Genbao’s nephews were still too young, and even if all three of them went, it wouldn’t be enough. Even with cousins, they would only have seven or eight people. If they encountered a gang, seven or eight people with knives wouldn’t stand a chance. Besides, his cousins might not even want to go.

Qin Ying thought for a moment and remembered her cousins.

In early July, approaching the minor heat period, the village school started the final exams, and Qin Ying came back to her parents’ home alone.

By then, her cake stall had started selling popsicles.

Madam Zhou had heard from villagers who went to the city to buy goods. So she didn’t understand what Qin Ying was doing there.

At dinner, Qin Ying didn’t mention money. After the meal, she chatted with her aunt and then left, which made Madam Zhou even more puzzled.

As the golden crow set in the west, when Qin Feng returned, Madam Zhou immediately told him about Qin Ying’s unusual behavior.

Qin Feng said, "Don’t worry about her. Anyway, she wouldn’t dare bring anyone to our house to move things."

"I’m afraid she’s being foolish again."

Qin Feng shook his head. "No, she won’t."

Even though his daughter wasn’t very sensible, she was still his biological daughter. Old Qin was worried that Wang Genbao was using Qin Ying like a pawn. "She wouldn’t dare, but Wang Genbao would."

"He wouldn’t dare either. If he did, he would’ve fought back the day I hit him. Don’t worry, Wang Genbao knows that if he can use me, he won’t dare treat my sister badly."

Madam Zhou asked, "What if he doesn’t need you in the future?"

Qin Feng said, "Hasn’t he always wanted to source goods from the south? If he doesn’t behave, a little bit of speculation and hoarding could land him in prison."

Madam Zhou didn’t believe it was that simple.

Qin Feng said, "For speculation and hoarding, if the people don’t report it, the government won’t investigate."

Madam Zhou didn’t quite understand, but Old Qin did. "As long as we can control him, that’s enough."

"Is there anything else?"

Madam Zhou shook her head. "This time she came back very honestly, didn’t gossip unnecessarily, and even brought us two pounds of cake."

"She’s making cakes in this hot weather?"

Madam Zhou nodded. "She didn’t make much, mainly selling popsicles. But she said they only have one bicycle at home, and Wang Genbao uses it to go to work. Once the popsicles are sold out, she can’t go to replenish. What do you think she means by that?"

Qin Feng replied, "She might just be complaining. Or maybe she’s thinking about Uncle’s bicycle. It’s almost the minor heat period. Why hasn’t Uncle swapped with Cousin to sell?"

"Your cousin’s construction site will be finished in a few days. Once he gets paid, he’ll replace your Uncle."

Qin Feng thought about his Uncle’s age. "Afterward, you should make some mung bean soup and let him drink it when he comes back. And you can take some of the medicines from my place and put them in his bag."

Old Qin waved his hand. "It's fine. I’ve asked around the village. The only time they get tired is when they go to source popsicles. Once they’re back, they all find a shady spot to relax. It’s easier than working."

Qin Feng couldn’t help but size up his father.

Old Qin felt uneasy under his gaze. "What’s wrong?"

Gu Wuyi joked, "Grandpa isn’t thinking about going out to sell popsicles, is he?"

Old Qin laughed. "I would like to, but if I leave, who will make popsicles with you?" After saying that, he thought about how much money he had made recently, so he took out a box of malted milk powder.

Although Gu Wuyi had some idea, seeing the box full made him not quite believe it.

Old Qin then pulled out a notebook. "This is where I’ve written down the costs. You can count the money, and let your dad figure out the expenses."

Qin Feng said, "I’ve roughly calculated. The coal and electricity are included, and it costs about two yuan a day."

Madam Zhou couldn’t help but do some quick mental math and then said, "No wonder your Uncle is so motivated, not coming back until it’s dark."

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of a bicycle came from outside.

Madam Zhou looked outside and saw that her brother had returned, with a paper-wrapped bundle on the handlebar, likely oiled paper.

Qin Feng looked at his mother.

Madam Zhou went out to meet him. "What did you buy?"

"Roast chicken. It’s for the kids to eat."

Seeing the oil on the paper, Madam Zhou guessed, "Made good money today?"

"We sold five boxes today. Two boxes were sold around noon." Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but sigh. "I used to hear that money in the city was easy to make, but I never expected it to be this easy."

Qin Feng said, "If you had money, you could buy a small yard near our factory or in the city. It would be more convenient to sell anything."

Uncle Zhou already had enough houses at home and wasn’t planning to do business for long. "Let’s wait and see."

A few days later, Uncle Zhou ran into the person who had introduced a match for Qin Feng. That person also felt sorry for Uncle Zhou, having helped his nephew find a match, but ended up with a family full of trouble.

When he saw Uncle Zhou, he chatted with him for a while and eventually brought up Qin Feng.

The man praised Qin Feng for being impressive.

Uncle Zhou nodded along and told his friend that selling popsicles was Qin Feng's idea. Qin Feng even suggested he buy a small yard in the city. Then he chuckled wryly, wondering how he could have that much money.

The man knew that Uncle Zhou had a capable nephew and understood Uncle Zhou’s character—he would never default on a debt. So, he offered to lend him money, to be repaid whenever.

Uncle Zhou was a little moved.

However, he decided that he wouldn't worry about it until autumn, when he wouldn't be able to sell popsicles anymore. By then, if there were still money-making opportunities, he would look for a small yard in the city.

Qin Feng thought about how Binhai City was close to the coast. His uncle used to play the suona and drink everywhere; he was skilled with his tongue and had some talent. One day in late August, when Uncle Zhou paid rent to Old Qin, Qin Feng was present and suggested his uncle sell snacks.

Uncle Zhou was worried it wouldn’t work, but Qin Feng reassured him that if it didn’t, he could rent the place to someone else. But he never mentioned lending him money.

Qin Feng thought he had already done enough. Helping further could very well stir up his uncle's greed.

When this topic came up, the three brothers were also present.

Gu Xiao'er was too busy playing with Miaomiao to pay attention to their conversation.

That evening, when Gu Xiao'er and Miaomiao were lying on the bed watching TV, Gu Wuyi went to the study to talk to Qin Feng and asked out of curiosity: "I thought you would lend money to Uncle Zhou."

Qin Feng shook his head. "Forget about our money being saved by your grandpa. Even if it wasn’t, I still can’t lend it. Help in emergencies, not in poverty. Do you understand?"

Gu Wuyi didn’t understand before, and no one had explained it to him.

Now, he understood.

Gu Wuyi asked, "Do you think Uncle Zhou will think you're cold-hearted?"

Qin Feng replied, "If he does, that’s even more of a reason not to lend him money. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask—where did the money in my pocket go a few days ago? It didn’t fall into the washing machine and get thrown out as trash, did it?"

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