Free Web NovelChapter 101: Chapter 101: Warmth
Gu’er knew the old man was telling the truth. Yogurt was a good product, but not everyone liked it. She hadn’t liked the taste much herself the first time she’d had it. She only started drinking it because a certain little one she knew loved it. She’d buy it for the girl, and when she couldn’t finish it, Gu’er would drink the rest. Slowly, she grew to like it.
"Sir, can I take a few to sell for now? I’ll return the bottles to you after I’m done,"
Gu’er asked the old man.
"Of course you can. Just take them, but be careful not to break any. I can’t take back any broken ones."
Without another word, the old man went inside and got a few bottles of yogurt for Gu’er, helping her pack them.
Gu’er paid the money and left, pushing her cart.
By the time Gu’er sold out of popsicles, it was almost three in the afternoon.
Gu’er looked in her box. Two popsicles and three bottles of yogurt remained.
The yogurt really wasn’t selling well; she had only managed to sell two bottles.
Gu’er rode her bike back home. She would return the bottles tomorrow.
The ride back was much more cheerful for Gu’er than the ride there. She was tired, but she had made money.
She had sold nearly three hundred popsicles today. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
On average, she made a little less than two fen per popsicle. That came to two jiao for ten, or almost two yuan for a hundred. She had made nearly six yuan today!
If every day was like this, she could make over a hundred yuan a month.
Even if she couldn’t make over a hundred, earning a few dozen yuan would be good enough. First, she’d pay back the money she owed Sun Jiaming. Then she could relax a little.
Gu’er rode into the village. As she passed the Zhou family’s home, she glanced inside. She didn’t see her adoptive mother; instead, she saw Zhou Mazi walking out.
’Seriously, why do I have to run into Zhou Mazi every time?’ Gu’er pedaled as fast as she could. If she had seen her adoptive mother, she would have given her the popsicles and yogurt from her box. She would have watched her eat them, making sure no one else got any. But upon seeing Zhou Mazi, she wasn’t about to do that.
Zhou Mazi saw Gu’er flash past. He opened his mouth to call out but didn’t have time before she pedaled out of sight. Zhou Mazi spat heavily on the ground, muttered a curse, and walked off. He was on his way to gamble.
When Gu’er arrived at the Sun Family’s home, she saw smoke rising from the kitchen. Sun Jiaming must be almost done with dinner. ’I should have come back half an hour earlier,’ she thought. ’Then he wouldn’t have had to cook.’
As she thought this, a warm feeling of happiness spread through her.
"Brother Jia Ming."
Gu’er walked into the kitchen with her hands behind her back.
"Gu’er, you’re back! How did it go? Did everything go well today?"
Hearing Gu’er’s voice, Sun Jiaming quickly put down the basin he was holding. His eyes, full of warmth, looked her over with concern.
"It went great! I sold all the popsicles."
She couldn’t hide the broad smile on her face.
"That’s good, that’s good. You must be tired. Go get washed up. Dinner will be ready soon."
A look of tenderness filled Sun Jiaming’s eyes.
"Okay,"
Gu’er nodded. Turning her back for a moment, she unwrapped the popsicle she had been holding.
"Brother Jia Ming, open your mouth."
Gu’er took two steps and stood before Sun Jiaming.
"Huh?"
Sun Jiaming let out a confused sound, not understanding what Gu’er was up to.
Smiling, Gu’er brought her hand out from behind her back and stuck the popsicle in Sun Jiaming’s mouth.
An icy sensation spread through his mouth, followed by a refreshing sweetness. Sun Jiaming felt a wave of relief. All the day’s longing and worry seemed to melt in his mouth at that moment, flowing straight into his heart.
"This is delicious."
Sun Jiaming wasn’t one for snacks, but the fact that Gu’er had remembered what he said and brought a popsicle back for him filled him with a deep sense of comfort.
Seeing his expression, Gu’er began to laugh as well.
"Do you want a bite?"
Sun Jiaming asked Gu’er, then held the popsicle up in front of her.
"No, it’s okay. There’s another one. I’ll give a little to Grandma. Her digestion is weak, so she can’t eat a whole one. I’ll just give her a bite, and I’ll eat the rest."
Gu’er shook her head at him.
Gu’er broke off a small piece of the other popsicle, crushed it in a bowl, and carried it into the inner room.
The light in Sun Jiaming’s eyes shone even brighter. He was so happy that Gu’er was not only unafraid of his grandmother’s frailties but was also so thoughtful toward her.
’He really hadn’t been mistaken about her. Gu’er was the best, the kindest person there was.’
"Gu’er, you’re back! How did it go? Look at you, your face is all sunburned. You must be exhausted."
Grandma Sun perked up the moment she saw Gu’er, asking eagerly.
"I’m not tired, Grandma. I brought you a little bit of popsicle. Your digestion is delicate, so you can only have a couple of bites."
Gu’er brought the bowl over to Grandma Sun and fed her a spoonful.
"It’s cold... and sweet. I’m eating a popsicle, too."
Grandma Sun’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Sun Jiaming had never bought her a popsicle before. For one, it was impossible to get one all the way back from town before it melted. For another, because of her weak digestion, her grandson worried she wouldn’t dare eat it anyway. She wasn’t a child and didn’t crave sweets, but she was still delighted to be having some from Gu’er.
"Alright, I’ll eat the rest now."
After feeding her, Gu’er took the bowl and ate the rest herself.
Popsicles from this era were different from the ones she remembered from the future. They were heavy on saccharin, making the sweetness almost bitter. The only good thing about it was the coldness.
’Still, I guess this counts as a memory,’ she thought. ’I never got to eat one at this age in my past life.’
"Grandma, drink this."
Gu’er handed the bottle of yogurt to Grandma Sun.
"What’s this? You drink it, dear. I’m an old woman, I don’t need treats."
Grandma Sun had never seen yogurt before.
"Just try it, Grandma. It’s good for you."
Gu’er placed the straw at Grandma Sun’s lips.
"Oh, my. Why is it so sour? And it’s so thick."
The sourness made Grandma Sun grimace. The taste wasn’t very pleasant.
"It’s called yogurt. It’s very nutritious and good for you. It helps with digestion. If you drink one every day from now on, Grandma, your health might just improve."
Gu’er coaxed.
Seeing it was a sign of Gu’er’s thoughtfulness, Grandma Sun grimaced and frowned but slowly drank the entire bottle, sip by sip.
Sun Jiaming came in to set out the meal, and Gu’er hurried to the kitchen to help bring out the food.
"What’s wrong?"
Sun Jiaming asked, seeing his grandmother continuously wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Gu’er had me drink some kind of milk. She said it was good for my health, but it was so sour! It didn’t taste good at all. But don’t you dare say anything to Gu’er. It was a sweet gesture from her."
Grandma Sun admonished her grandson.
"Yes, I know. If it’s good for you, Grandma, you should drink it. It’s better than taking medicine, right?"
Sun Jiaming had never had yogurt either, but he trusted that Gu’er would never do anything to harm his grandmother.
"That’s true. It’s better than medicine. That girl is so good-hearted. She works hard all day and still comes home thinking of this old woman. She has a good conscience."
Grandma Sun smiled again at the mention of Gu’er.
The three of them had a lively dinner. Gu’er recounted her day of selling popsicles. She hadn’t run into any major issues. The worst of it was people trying to haggle; when she refused, they’d mutter a complaint or two. She had covered several different areas and planned to try new spots tomorrow to see where sales were best.
After they cleaned up, Gu’er handed a yogurt to Sun Jiaming and took one out for herself.
’She hadn’t planned on selling these two; she’d saved them to drink. Besides, she was on the thin side right now and wasn’t worried about gaining weight. Drinking it after a meal might even help her fatten up a bit.’
