Second Brother Gu used both hands to scoop the money on the table into a cardboard box: “Hehe, I’m so happy, I’m not hungry at all.”

“Second Brother, wash your hands and eat first. Tomorrow morning, we can set up a stall at the school gate to sell meat buns.”

“Ah~ Okay, now I’m a bit hungry. I’m going to wash my hands.”

The Gu family had already washed their hands and were waiting for them to return for dinner.

Dinner was still a large pot of chicken soup and a large pot of braised pig trotters. The pig trotters had been braised by Gu Jiaojiao before she left the house.

The chicken had been slaughtered by Father Su before he left. His daughter-in-law said that her family members were severely malnourished, so they killed the last chicken they had.

The rice was cooked by Su Qinchun, and Mother Gu stir-fried a dish of green beans and another of loofah.

Ten people shared four dishes, but the portions were generous, and the rice was cooked to just the right texture. One could eat two bowls of rice without any side dishes.

“Jiaojiao, can we really sell buns tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, after dinner, we’ll knead the dough and let it rise. We bought a lot of high-gluten flour last time, so we can make some pickled vegetable buns, lean meat buns, and vegetable buns.”

“Will we still sell liangpi?” Second Brother Gu thought selling liangpi was profitable.

“We’ll sell liangpi at noon and in the afternoon, and steamed buns in the morning. Each person can carry a popsicle box to hold the buns and sell them in different places.”

“Your family still has popsicle boxes?”

“Yes, we have three of them.”

Gu Jiaojiao spoke while drinking chicken soup. She still had many foam boxes in her space.

In her previous life, her family’s warehouse used them to store fruits and preserved foods. She and Su Shuoci had already finished two of the foam boxes.

They were now empty in her space. Last time, she wanted to try the popsicles of this era, so Monkey bought her a box of popsicles.

Thus, she now had three foam boxes, all accounted for, which could be given to Father Su, Mother Su, and Second Brother Gu.

“Ah! Our family doesn’t have a fridge, and Jiaojiao wanted to eat popsicles, so Shuozi bought the popsicle box along with the popsicles.”

Father Su said honestly. He was just a simple, ordinary man.

Gu Jiaojiao felt that Father Su, being such an ordinary person, was actually a super “Versailles.” She couldn’t help but laugh.
(“Versailles” (凡尔赛) refers to someone who humbly brags—acting modest while actually showing off.)

Of course, the Gu family didn’t know what “Versailles” meant, so they could only envy him.

“Tomorrow, Jiaojiao and I will go to the black market to buy more high-gluten flour. After you finish selling buns in the morning, you can set up stalls to sell liangpi at noon.”

As a man, Su Shuoci naturally arranged the next day’s schedule. He couldn’t let his wife handle everything.

She was only an eighteen-year-old girl, and if she spoke too much, it would be easy for her to slip up. Besides, she used to be a wealthy young lady who never lifted a finger.

“Shuoci, Jiaojiao, should I also set up a stall tomorrow?” Father Gu mustered the courage to ask.

In the past, he would have been too embarrassed, but after years of working on the farm, he had done all sorts of labor.

“Of course, Grandpa and Eldest Brother need at least another month of rest before they can go out.

But they can help shell peanuts at home, and Mom can help us cook and hang laundry.”

Gu Jiaojiao agreed readily and assigned tasks to the others.

She knew that the five members of the Gu family felt uncomfortable eating at the Su family’s home without doing any work.

Although Eldest Brother Gu could sit at the table to eat, he still needed some time to recover before he could work.

His health had deteriorated too much, but shelling peanuts at home was manageable.

“Jiaojiao, why do you need peanuts?” Grandpa Gu’s voice grew louder when he heard there was work to do.

“We plan to put a few peanuts in each serving of liangpi. If we sell over two hundred bowls in the afternoon, we’ll probably sell over five hundred bowls in a day.”

Su Shuoci explained while using serving chopsticks to place a large piece of braised pig trotter on each person’s plate.

Now that everyone in the Gu family had work to do, they no longer felt like freeloaders and dug into the braised pig trotters with relish.

The Su family had returned late from setting up their stall, so dinner was later than usual.

As the two families were enjoying their meal, they heard a knock at the door.

Su Qinchun immediately went to open the door and saw Sheng Shiwu standing there with a cloth bag in his hand.

“You… why are you here?”

“Is Jiaojiao awake?”

Su Qinchun looked at Sheng Shiwu as if he were a fool: “We’re still eating, we haven’t gone to bed yet.”

Sheng Shiwu: …

He just wanted to ask if Gu Jiaojiao, who had been diving to save people all day, had fallen unconscious.

“Chunni, who’s there? Invite them in,” Mother Su shouted from inside.

“I… I won’t come in. This is for you.” Sheng Shiwu handed six pounds of rice to Su Qinchun.

He wanted to leave, but Su Qinchun didn’t take it, and the bag fell to the ground with a thud.

Sheng Shiwu immediately crouched down to pick it up. This was all the rice he could afford with his savings.

He had heard that the Dong family’s stepmother had driven all of Jiaojiao’s family to the Su family, and he was worried that the Su family might run out of rice.

So, he spent all his savings to buy six pounds of rice and quietly brought it over.

“Sheng Shiwu is here, come in and sit down. Have you eaten?” Mother Su warmly pulled Sheng Shiwu inside.

As soon as Sheng Shiwu entered, he smelled the aroma of meat. It was so fragrant! He had just put down his bowl before coming out.

How could he be hungry again!

“Third Brother is here, come and eat.” Gu Jiaojiao saw the restless young man standing in front of her.

He looked at the braised pig trotters on the table, almost drooling, especially since he was still holding a few pounds of rice.

Since the original host had already forgiven the Sheng family in a dream, Gu Jiaojiao’s heart softened, and she called out “Third Brother” without thinking.

After saying it, she felt a bit regretful, unsure if it was the right thing to do.

Su Shuoci had already wheeled himself forward and took her hand: “Shiwu, come and eat.”

He hoped that his wife would have more ties in the mortal world, so she wouldn’t think about ascending to heaven!

“Okay.”

Sheng Shiwu couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

At first glance, he saw Su Shuoci sitting gracefully in his wheelchair, a rare smile on his face, as if hinting at an indescribable joy that would last forever.

Sheng Shiwu had seen Su Shuoci before and after his injury, but he had never looked so happy.

Before his injury, Su Shuoci’s narrow, deep eyes always seemed cold and wolf-like.

After his injury, even with his eyes closed, Su Shuo exuded a menacing aura that was suffocating.

Nineteen-year-old Sheng Shiwu was undoubtedly afraid of Su Shuoci, sitting at the table like a schoolboy.

But after taking a bite of the braised pig trotter, all fear vanished. Everything was just fleeting.

“Jiaojiao, try this pig trotter. It’s super delicious.” Sheng Shiwu spoke so naturally, as if he had said it a thousand times before.

Gu Jiaojiao searched her memories. Before Sheng Xinglian returned to the Sheng family, the three Sheng brothers had doted on the original host like this.

Even though Sheng Shiwu was only a year older than her, the family always let the original host eat first when there was good food.

It was precisely because of this doting that the original host felt uneasy after the real Sheng family daughter returned.