CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: THE PLAN

Gu Ruhai was silent all day.

The family members knew better than to provoke him.

Gu Xiaoqing and Gu Xiaoying were inside, taking apart the bedding; the state of their belongings was truly unbearable to look at.

Finally, when they had some free time, Gu Xiaoqing discussed with her sister.

They decide to take advantage of the good weather in the next couple of days to sort everything out.

The two of them took apart the quilts.

The quilt covers and sheets that had been used for many years couldn’t even be washed clean anymore, and they were covered in patches everywhere, which really made Gu Xiaoqing’s heart ache.

After washing them, as she looked at the sheets drying in the yard, Gu Xiaoqing finally made up her mind and went into the house to find Li Xuemei.

Li Xuemei was mending a pair of pants for Xiao Jie.

Upon seeing Gu Xiaoqing come in, she didn’t even raise her head.

"Mom, shall we go to town today?"

Gu Xiaoqing braced herself and said.

She knew her mom would definitely be reluctant to hear it.

But Gu Xiaoqing wasn’t planning to just wait around like this.

With all this clutter in the house, she wanted to change everything; if they hesitated too much and missed the best time for reform and opening up, then what was the point of her reincarnation?

At the very least, no matter the reason for her rebirth, she intended to make some changes for her family. The first step had already been taken, so the rest was to gradually get her parents to accept her ideas and take it one step at a time.

Li Xuemei felt annoyed and rolled her eyes at Gu Xiaoqing, saying, "Why are you starting to worry me too? What are we going to town for? That’ll cost money."

After all, the 29 yuan hadn’t even warmed in Li Xuemei’s hands.

Li Xuemei was so intent on not spending a penny if possible.

Gu Xiaoqing gently persuaded, "Mom, we can’t live off this little bit of money forever. Let’s go and see what we can do in town. At least the house is idle now; we have time and could start a small business to earn some pocket money. Just look at how worn out our quilts are."

Li Xuemei sighed internally. She knew their situation at home, but starting a business wasn’t easy.

They were uneducated, couldn’t read, and weren’t good with words. In Li Xuemei’s mind, business was for those smooth talkers.

Both she and Gu Ruhai were clumsy with their words, unable to articulate a sentence properly, let alone run a business. If they got cheated, they’d lose everything.

But the child meant well. She knew Gu Xiaoqing was different now; her thoughts had deepened and she had become harder to talk to.

Gu Xiaoqing was assertive, and because she, Li Xuemei, as a mother, was incapable, she had pushed her child into this.

"Xiaoqing, you don’t know. Running a business isn’t easy. Your dad and I are not talkative, and we can’t read. We also need capital to do business. Our family only has 29 yuan. If we get cheated or lose money, we won’t even have your school fees."

This was supposed to highlight the pitfalls of doing business.

Gu Xiaoqing immediately responded, saying, "Mom, even if you and Dad aren’t good at speaking, it’s okay. Nobody is born knowing how to do it. You just have to practice and speak up more; you can learn anything. Besides, we can start with something small, like selling food. It’s a small investment, and even if there’s a risk, at worst, we can’t sell it and we’ll eat it ourselves. It wouldn’t be a loss."

This was an indirect persuasion.

Li Xuemei was moved.

But then she thought again and started to worry.

Food!

In these rural areas, she could only cook simple home meals. Who would know how to make something a bit special and fancy?

Wasn’t that setting herself up for failure?

If it didn’t taste good, wouldn’t they end up with a loss at home?

"Xiaoqing, making food isn’t easy. If it doesn’t taste good, who would buy it?"

Li Xuemei had absolutely no confidence in her cooking skills.

She was just an ordinary rural housewife, selling food.

That’s just putting her in a difficult position.

Gu Xiaoqing knew her mom’s cooking skills were only passable enough to deal with her own kids, but to sell it for money, it really wasn’t good enough.

But it wasn’t a problem because she was there.

Even though she was only twelve, she was an adult inside, having experienced drifting for decades. And the biggest advantage was that back in the day, she worked to make money to pay off Fu Guoqiang’s gambling debts.

Gu Xiaoqing had worked in many small food shops, hotels, restaurants, and various bakeries.

Gu Xiaoqing was clever and capable, honest and hardworking, so she was often relied upon by the employers and learned everything.

Now, if she took out one or two things for her mom to learn and start a business, it could become their unique family skill.

A skill that was sure to be profitable.

At least Gu Xiaoqing thought that towns were different from villages. Towns had organizations and units; most people there worked for the government and were paid wages, so they spent money more freely. People weren’t as constrained as the villagers.

As long as it tasted good, she believed it would have great financial potential.

Gu Xiaoqing held her mother’s hand and said, "Mom, don’t worry, you’ve got me."

Li Xuemei laughed.

She laughed until her stomach hurt.

"You? I can’t see it."

It wasn’t that Li Xuemei doubted Gu Xiaoqing, but at this moment, Gu Xiaoqing hadn’t yet demonstrated any special culinary skills.

Gu Xiaoqing, full of confidence, said, "Mom, don’t doubt me. How about this: you give me two yuan, and I’ll buy some ingredients. Today I’ll cook a meal for you all, so you can see my skills. If it’s good, then follow my lead. Deal?"

This was a provocative tactic.

Gu Xiaoqing also knew that getting her mom to listen to her was a difficult thing.

Li Xuemei suddenly remembered that last night when she came home, the kids said they wanted to eat dumplings and she had readily agreed.

It must be that this little girl was craving it, which gave her the excuse.

Li Xuemei’s heart softened.

The kids rarely ate anything good all year round; just this once wouldn’t hurt.

She took out two yuan from her pocket and handed it to Gu Xiaoqing, "Take it, but remember, if it’s not good, you’ll stop with these antics and focus."

Gu Xiaoqing happily took the money and ran out, saying to Li Xuemei as she went, "Mom, just watch me."

Gu Xiaoqing pulled Gu Xiaoying, who was still washing clothes in the yard, along to Butcher Feng’s place in the east of the village, intending to buy a piece of meat. One pound should be enough. They would also gather some chives from the field to make steamed dumplings with chive and pork filling.

In Butcher Feng’s astonished gaze, the two sisters spent eighty cents to buy a pound of pork.

Butcher Feng knew that the Gu Ruhai family was the poorest in the village, mainly because of Mr. Gu’s favoritism, so this family had never done business with him before.

This was their first time, and Butcher Feng couldn’t help but give them an ounce more meat, to support this family.

Gu Xiaoqing saw that extra ounce and understood it was out of kindness, so she thanked him repeatedly.