"Dad, Mom, I'm going into the city tomorrow."
Zhou Gu'er pushed aside her thoughts about Sun Jiaming and told Zhou Mazi and Li Hua about her trip to the city.
"What are you going to the city for? You've never been out of the village before. Do you even know where the city is? If no one goes with you, you'll get lost."
Li Hua said anxiously.
Zhou Mazi looked at her too, his brow furrowing slightly. 'This daughter of mine is becoming so troublesome,' he thought. 'She actually wants to go to the city? Is the city some place you can just waltz into? She'd probably get there and not even be able to tell east from west.'
"Didn't I pick a lot of wild vegetables today? I want to go to the city to sell them."
Zhou Gu'er told the truth. If she wanted to leave the village, she had to get Zhou Mazi's permission.
"Sell wild vegetables? Who in the city would want those? You'll never sell them. Besides, the city is dozens of miles away. You're just being impulsive."
Li Hua didn't agree, thinking it was a completely unworkable idea.
"She's never had anything good to eat herself, so she assumes everyone is desperate for wild vegetables. She just loves to stir up trouble."
Zhou Feng'er added with a sneer. Putting Zhou Gu'er down was her favorite pastime.
"Dad, Mom, there aren't many vegetables in season right now. These wild ones are still vegetables. I've already cleaned them up. If I take them to the city, someone might buy them. If I can really sell them, I can make some money, right? You know, these wild vegetables don't cost anything. As long as you're willing to work, you can pick them anywhere. If they can be sold, I can earn money. What do you say, Dad?"
Zhou Gu'er couldn't guarantee they would sell well, but she had a feeling someone would buy them.
Zhou Mazi said nothing.
"Dad, just let me try. It's only for one day. If I don't sell a single bit, then at least I'll know this idea won't work, and I won't try to sell them again."
Zhou Gu'er looked at Zhou Mazi, her voice filled with sincerity.
"Honey, how about we let Gu'er try?"
Li Hua couldn't bear seeing her daughter like this and helped plead her case.
"If she goes, who's going to do the chores at home?"
Zhou Feng'er asked, dissatisfied.
"Aren't your mother and you two sisters here? If your big sister can really make money, it would be a good thing."
Li Hua felt that Feng'er was being thoughtless. 'Gu'er wants to earn money for the family's sake. Otherwise, why would a young lady who's never even been to the city go out in public to sell wild vegetables? It's because she has no other choice.'
"Fine, give it a try. But if you don't bring back a single cent by nightfall tomorrow, see how I'll deal with you."
Zhou Mazi finally nodded, though he still added a harsh threat.
"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."
Zhou Gu'er let out a soft sigh of relief. 'As long as he agreed. With his permission, I can finally go out and try to make my way.'
"Feng'er, why don't you go with your big sister tomorrow? She's going alone. If she comes back late, it could be the middle of the night. I'm worried. If you keep her company, I can rest easy."
Li Hua had started to worry about Zhou Gu'er's safety.
"I'm not going! Does she think everyone likes to cause trouble like her? The city is dozens of miles away. My feet would be covered in blisters by the time I got back."
Zhou Feng'er shook her head quickly. She wanted to see the city too, but only if it didn't involve any hardship. As things stood, she'd rather do chores at home than go to the city. It was too tiring.
Seeing that she wouldn't agree, Li Hua turned to look at Zhou Duo'er.
Zhou Duo'er, on the other hand, looked eager to go. She had never been to the city either and wanted to see it. 'As for being tired,' she thought, 'if I can't walk anymore, I'll just have Big Sister push me or carry me on her back.'
"Mom, don't worry. Brother Jia Ming is going to the city tomorrow to see his aunt. He said she's craving some vegetables with dipping sauce. He said he'll go with me tomorrow. We'll have company, and he can lead the way. It'll be fine."
Zhou Gu'er really didn't want anyone from the Zhou family to accompany her. 'With them around, it would be inconvenient to do anything.'
When Zhou Mazi heard this, a glint flashed in his eyes. 'That Sun Jiaming kid is actually going to the city with Gu'er? This is great news! If Gu'er can spend more time with him, maybe he'll take a liking to her. Then I'll have a good son-in-law. It seems I was right not to agree to Zhang Dazhen's proposal back then.'
"Jia Ming is going too? Oh, that's good. With him there, I'll be at ease. Gu'er, be careful on the road, and be sure to listen to your Brother Jia Ming. You've never left the village, so don't run off on your own. If you really do get lost, remember we live in Old Mountain Village. Just ask around, and people will tell you how to get back."
Li Hua admonished her, terrified that something might actually happen to Zhou Gu'er.
"Alright, that's enough. You talk too much. She's not a child, how could she get lost? Besides, isn't Jia Ming going? He'll take care of Gu'er."
Zhou Mazi said impatiently. But a satisfied glint flashed in his eyes. 'I never thought this daughter I raised would actually have some tricks up her sleeve.'
Zhou Feng'er, however, was filled with resentment. 'When did that Zhou Gu'er get so close to Sun Jiaming that they're going to the city together? Zhou Gu'er must have pestered Brother Jia Ming, insisting he take her with him. Brother Jia Ming is too kind-hearted to refuse, so he agreed. Yes! That must be it!'
'No!'
'I have to tell Zhou Mei about this. Let Zhou Mei deal with Zhou Gu'er. We'll see how smug she can be then!'
Zhou Feng'er's heart was full of bitterness. She wouldn't be jealous of Zhou Mei, because Zhou Mei was better than her at everything. So even if Zhou Mei got more, she could accept it. But if Zhou Gu'er got more, she would be resentful, because she felt Zhou Gu'er was inferior to her, on a lower level.
Regardless of what the rest of the Zhou family thought, as long as Zhou Mazi had agreed, Zhou Gu'er felt that everything was settled.
After dinner and cleaning up, Li Hua came into Zhou Gu'er's room and went over things with her for a long time. She was mainly just worried, afraid something would happen to Zhou Gu'er on her first trip away from home.
After Li Hua left, Zhou Gu'er lay in the darkness, her eyes shining brightly. 'Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the first time I'll be going to the city since my rebirth. It's the first time I'll be selling something. Whether or not I can make money—it all comes down to tomorrow!'
Zhou Gu'er woke up very early the next day. Besides making breakfast, she also finished preparing all the vegetables. The dandelions were washed very clean. It used a lot of water, but they looked better for it, and the lingering moisture would add a little to the weight.
The hairy-stem ferns, bracken, and cucumber-scented greens were also tied into neat bundles. The scallions were also arranged tidily.
In addition, Gu'er had made a plate of cold-dressed hairy-stem fern salad. She planned to let potential customers have a taste. Only by letting people know it was delicious would they have the desire to buy it.
Although Zhou Gu'er had never run a business in her past life, she had seen enough of the world to know this much.
Once everything was ready, Zhou Gu'er loaded it all onto a wheelbarrow. Otherwise, if she had to carry it to the city on her back, the effort would kill her.
After loading it, she secured everything with ropes, then pushed the wheelbarrow out the door.
Watching Zhou Gu'er's departing figure, Zhou Feng'er bit her lip fiercely.
'Zhou Gu'er, I will make sure you don't have an easy time.'
Zhou Gu'er had no idea that Zhou Feng'er was behind her, hating her so much her teeth itched. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. Right now, she was carefully pushing her wheelbarrow toward the edge of the village. With this one step, she was embarking on a new journey in her life.