CHAPTER 590: CHAPTER 590: PURE GOSSIP

The third shop had been built for over half a month now, but she had been too busy to visit. Finally finding the time to take a look, she discovered that Master Yuan and his team had indeed done a commendable job.

The shop was spacious, covering more than six acres. In the front were two storefronts, and behind them was a courtyard with a water well and twelve side rooms.

Beyond the courtyard, there were two thick high walls with a three-meter-wide passage between them.

Only after passing through the passage would one reach the residential estate.

The residential estate was also substantial, unlike the cured meat shop; it was a two-section estate, with each section having three main rooms and six side rooms, totaling eighteen rooms, which could be described as extremely spacious.

In addition to the numerous rooms, there were also two large courtyards, one in the front and one in the back.

The rear courtyard had a water well, and the front courtyard had a large gate, outside of which a road would be constructed for direct access in the future.

"Xiao Yu, your family’s estate is really nice, even better than the residences in town. Can I come live here with you in the future?" Luo Huiniang really liked this estate and happily asked while holding Gu Jinli’s hand.

After Qin Er Lang left, she had been sad for a while, but now she had recovered and had become the lively and cheerful young girl she used to be.

Gu Jinli laughed and said: "Of course, you can. How many times have you stayed over at my place? Do you still need to ask?"

"Hehe, but I’m grown up now, gotta have some manners, can’t keep being as wild and crazy as before, or my mom will beat me up."

"Young Master, Brother Chang Er from the Yuan Family has brought the green bricks. Just like you said, I’ve instructed them to lay them by the muddy path in front of the door." Xiao Ji ran to notify Gu Jinli, holding out his hand for the payment for the green bricks.

"Let’s go, I’ll take a look. And while at it, I’ll ask if they’ve delivered the tiles for the Yanfu Building. We need to get the tiles up on the roof to fix the leaks, so we can open for business." Gu Jinli took Luo Huiniang and Xiao Ji out and from a distance saw Chang Errui leading several people carrying the green bricks.

Chang Errui was very capable. Knowing that the bricks were meant for paving roads, he didn’t just pile them in one place but rather distributed them along the road to facilitate the construction.

Gu Jinli nodded in approval. Chang Errui really was an exceptional young fellow, a shame Gu Yumei did not fancy him.

Chang Errui had done everything he could for Gu Yumei. When she was arranging a funeral, he came to offer condolences, and recently he hadn’t brought up marriage again. Who knows if it was because he was worried about making a mistake in judgement or because he thought it was too soon after Gu Yumei’s death to propose and didn’t want to upset Gu Dafu.

"Brother Chang Er, here’s the payment for the green bricks. Have the tiles arrived yet? We need them for the Yanfu Building." Gu Jinli took out two taels of silver and handed them over to Xiao Ji, who then passed them to Chang Errui.

Chang Errui accepted, smiling: "They’ve arrived, they’re placed at the end of the road."

Seemingly pondering something, he hemmed and hawed before speaking: "The Yanfu Building..."

He only uttered three words before halting.

Gu Jinli: "What about the Yanfu Building?"

Chang Errui said: "I was wondering when the Yanfu Building is going to open for business, so I can come to support."

Gu Jinli looked at Chang Errui and smiled: "Brother Chang, are you confused? We’ve already said it’ll open on Dongzhi. How could you forget?"

What he really wanted to ask wasn’t that at all.

Gu Jinli felt that there definitely had to be some gossip here!

Hearing her response, Chang Errui’s dark face turned red, and he quickly tried to fudge: "I’ve been so busy lately, it slipped my mind."

Gu Jinli asked him with a smile: "Brother Chang, is there anything else you want to know? Like, whether my cousin will personally go to the pub to be the shopkeeper?"

Chang Errui was startled. Why would the Gu Family’s young lady say that? Could it be, could it be she noticed something?

Gu Jinli looked at his shocked face and sighed: "Ancient rural farmers really are incredibly honest."

"For my cousin’s sake," she said, "Cousin Le won’t stay at the restaurant too long; she’s just managing behind the scenes, with Cousin Ping acting as the shopkeeper. The kitchen staff have all been hired servants, quite trustworthy. There’s also a twelve-year-old girl following my cousin to help out, so she won’t be overworked. Don’t worry."

The last four words nearly scared Chang Errui away. After nodding in agreement, he went back to moving bricks.

Gu Jinli watched with amusement and turned to enter the courtyard. After Chang Errui and the others had moved the green bricks and taken the tiles to Yanfu Building, she went to Yanfu Building with Luo Huiniang and Xiao Ji.

Before she left, to keep Mrs. Cui from worrying, she shouted towards her mother, who was tidying up inside the house: "Mom, I’m going to help out at Yanfu Building. Don’t worry."

In fact, she was going to watch the gossip.

Gossip never disappoints the eager, and just as Gu Jinli arrived at Yanfu Building with Luo Huiniang and Xiao Ji, they saw... her cousin helping Chang Errui.

Why was it reversed? It should have been her cousin who needed help.

But it didn’t matter, keep watching.

"Brother Chang Er, are you okay?" Qi Kangle saw Chang Errui’s foot bleeding from being hit by a tile and hurriedly said, "Quickly come inside, I’ll get you some antiseptic medicine."

Chang Errui smiled like a fool, nodding, unable to even say the polite ’I’m okay.’

"Let’s go, let’s sneak a look inside." Gu Jinli sneaked into Yanfu Building’s backyard with her two ’tails’ and spied from under a window.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before it wasn’t Qi Kangle who showed up but Qi Kangping.

"Brother Chang, are you all right? How could you be so careless and injure your foot?" Holding antiseptic medicine and carrying a basin of salt water, Qi Kangping looked at Chang Errui’s bleeding big toe and said, "First clean the wound with the salt water, then we’ll apply the medicine."

Chang Errui’s eyes couldn’t hide the disappointment. He wanted to ask Qi Kangping where Qi Kangle was and why she hadn’t come, but then he thought it would be inappropriate to ask, so he gave up.

Gu Jinli was also disappointed. No more gossip to watch.

She, along with Luo Huiniang and Xiao Ji, came out and asked Qi Kangping on behalf of Chang Errui: "Cousin Ping, where did Cousin Le go?"

Qi Kangping replied, "She went to move tiles."

Upon hearing this, Chang Errui hurriedly said: "How can we let her do such rough work? Tell her not to move them, I will go out and do it right now."

Saying this, and no longer aware of the pain in his big toe, he put on his shoes and left Yanfu Building to start moving tiles.

Chang Errui was a nice guy, typically doing the finishing tasks himself and letting the ones who delivered the green bricks go home early to make more money on another trip.

Now outside Yanfu Building, only the two of them were moving tiles.

Qi Kangle said, "Brother Chang Er, how come you came out so quickly, did you apply the medicine yet? Hurry back and put it on, this batch of tiles, I can move them in 30 minutes."

But Chang Errui insisted: "No, this is my job, how can I let you do it?"

Gu Jinli, who loved a commotion, said to Qi Kangle: "Right, Cousin, let Brother Chang Er move them. If you don’t let him, he’ll be terribly upset."

Chang Errui started, and after realizing, blushed even more fiercely, nearly bleeding.

Qi Kangle was sharp-witted. Hearing this, she looked at Chang Errui’s demeanor and immediately let go, but she released too quickly, and a dozen or so tiles fell to the ground, shattering with crashing sounds.

Gu Jinli said: "Brother Chang Er, bring another cart tomorrow."

"Sure!" He responded cheerfully, happy for the chance to see Qi Kangle again.

Yet Qi Kangle turned and entered Yanfu Building, not fighting with Chang Errui over the work anymore.