Chapter 38: She’s Too Tired to Sell Anymore

Jiang Yiyi once again experienced the feeling of being “in hot water,” repeatedly being lifted to the clouds and then dropped by Gu Yunze. Just when she couldn’t bear it anymore, Gu Yunze finally stopped, gently kissing her forehead.

Jiang Yiyi didn’t even have the energy to glare at him, closing her eyes and instantly falling asleep.

Gu Yunze got up, dressed, and quietly went out to fetch water. He came back in, cleaned her body, returned to bed, gently hugged her, his dark eyes gazing at her sleeping face for a long time before slowly closing them.

Jiang Yiyi slept until noon. After waking up, she simply gave up and lay in bed for a while before getting up.

The house was quiet, with no one around, not even Gu Yunze.

Jiang Yiyi took her things to the yard to wash up, hearing the children’s voices coming from the vegetable garden. It seemed that Gu’s mother had taken them to pick vegetables.

Sure enough, when she finished washing up, Gu’s mother returned with Tiantian and Yueyue, along with Gu Yunyang and Gu Yuncan.

Seeing her, a look of guilt flashed across Gu Yunyang’s face. Last night, he thought his sister-in-law wouldn’t let his older brother into the house, so he told his brother that his sister-in-law had a secret lover. But after finishing his homework, he saw his older brother enter the house, realizing he had misunderstood his sister-in-law.

His sister-in-law was so good to them, not only earning money to support the family but also buying them clothes, shoes, and delicious food. Yet, he had gossiped behind her back. He felt so sorry for her.

“You’re up. Are you hungry? I’ll heat up some food for you,” Gu’s mother said.

Gu’s mother didn’t mind Jiang Yiyi waking up late; she even hoped she would wake up later, hoping that she would soon have a grandchild.

Jiang Yiyi felt embarrassed to let Gu’s mother heat up food. Fortunately, Gu Yunze only “asked” for her once last night, so her body wasn’t as sore today.

“Yunze went to his uncle’s house. He’ll be back soon.”

Gu’s mother put the picked vegetables in a cool place in the yard, took a fresh cucumber, went into the kitchen, washed it, sliced it, and mixed it with seasonings.

There were still two boiled eggs today, and Jiang Yiyi ate them all, along with half a steamed bun and a bowl of porridge, finishing off the pickled cucumber slices as well.

Just as she was about to wash the dishes, Gu Yunze returned. Seeing Jiang Yiyi in the kitchen, he strode over, “Wife, let me wash the dishes.”

Gu’s mother wisely left, leaving the two of them in the kitchen. Jiang Yiyi really let Gu Yunze wash the dishes, watching him from the side.

The man washed the dishes very carefully, his eyes downcast, his arm muscles clearly defined. His wheat-colored skin seemed to glow in the sunlight, making him look gentle, a stark contrast to the beast-like man from last night.

Last night, she thought Gu Yunze would devour her, leaving nothing behind. Although that was the case, he still restrained himself and didn’t continue to bother her later.

“Wife, what are you thinking about?”

At some point, Gu Yunze approached her. Jiang Yiyi reflexively stepped back, almost bumping into the doorframe. Gu Yunze quickly grabbed her.

Feeling his hot touch, Jiang Yiyi pushed him away in surprise, saying defensively, “Hurry up and wash. Once you’re done, let’s go to the workshop.”

Then, she fled the kitchen.

Watching her hurried back, Gu Yunze smiled.

…

After changing clothes and telling Gu’s mother that they wouldn’t be back for lunch, they left the house. Gu Yunze rode his bicycle, and Jiang Yiyi hugged him as they headed to the county town.

Many people in the village greeted them from afar, and Gu Yunze responded to each one.

In the county town, Jiang Yiyi asked Gu Yunze to stop at the textile factory entrance. Zhang Mei wasn’t at her stall, but another woman was standing there, looking around anxiously.

Jiang Yiyi signaled Gu Yunze to stop. She got off the bike and walked over inconspicuously. When the woman saw someone approaching, she glanced at her and then looked into the distance again.

The woman was young, about thirty years old, wearing a white Dacron short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, with her shoulder-length hair tied up.

“Excuse me,” Jiang Yiyi said, “Where’s the lady who sells the Liangpi here?”

The woman looked back at her, “What do you want with her?”

“Her Liangpi is delicious, and I want to buy a few more servings.”

Hearing that she wanted to buy Liangpi, the woman’s attitude improved, “She gave me the stall. She’s not coming anymore. If you want to buy Liangpi, buy it from me. We get it from the same wholesaler.”

“Did something happen to her?”

“That’s none of your business. How many do you want? Give me the money first, and I’ll get the Liangpi for you.”

“No, thank you.”

Jiang Yiyi returned to Gu Yunze, but didn’t rush to Zhang Mei’s house. The woman was clearly waiting for Gu Yunchi to deliver the Liangpi. Without knowing her background, she couldn’t buy from her.

Half an hour later, Gu Yunchi arrived on his tricycle. Seeing someone at the stall, he didn’t pay much attention. The stall was in a shady spot, so it wasn’t unusual to see someone there.

He didn’t see Jiang Yiyi and Gu Yunze and rode straight to the stall. Before he got off, the woman came out, “You’re here to deliver the Liangpi? I took over this stall. Save me 200 servings.”

Gu Yunchi paused, looking at the woman, “You are…?”

“I’m Zhang Mei’s sister-in-law. She’s too tired to sell anymore.”

Having dealt with Zhang Mei for many days, Gu Yunchi knew what kind of person she was. She wouldn’t be too tired to sell.

“I’m sorry, she didn’t tell me. I can’t wholesale the Liangpi to you.”

“What’s wrong with you? It’s not like it matters who sells it.”

Gu Yunchi didn’t want to argue with her, so he rode his tricycle to another shady spot, not far away, where the workers could still see him.

The woman caught up, “Let me tell you, this whole area is my territory. If you don’t wholesale to me, you can’t sell here either.”

Jiang Yiyi had planned to have Gu Yunchi stop selling there today and figure things out later. Hearing the woman’s words, she couldn’t help but step forward. Gu Yunze wanted to follow, but she stopped him. If a conflict arose, she and Gu Yunchi wouldn’t suffer, but Gu Yunze was different. He was a man, and he was wearing a military uniform. If the woman made a fuss at him, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“What a big mouth…”

Gu Yunchi finally saw her and was about to speak when the woman shrieked, “Don’t meddle in other people’s business, or you’ll regret it!”

Her unreasonable behavior made it even more important to stop her from selling Liangpi.

“The Liangpi is ours. We can wholesale to whomever we want, and we don’t have to wholesale to anyone we don’t want to. We’re selling here today. Try to stop us!”

“Try selling then!”

“Yunchi, set up the stall!”

Gu Yunchi parked his tricycle and set up the stall.

Seeing that she hadn’t scared them, the woman became furious, “You just wait! I’ll go get people!”

“We’ll wait!”

The woman pushed her bicycle and rode away to get help.