Hu Zi: “?!!!!”
Hu Zi was shocked by Xiao Tangyuan's remarks about loving to do homework.
They are truly worthy of being the children of the aunt who writes questions.
*
In the evening, Qiao Ling came back with her daughter. She was very happy to see Zhan Aiping. Qiao Ling has always admired intellectuals. In her eyes, Zhan Aiping, who can publish and edit books, is simply a god.
They often contacted each other on the phone and exchanged a lot of letters. The fact that Zhan Aiping's newly compiled elementary school mathematics tutorial book could be widely promoted here was also due to Qiao Ling's contribution.
"That's great. It's great that you guys can come over to play for a few days. I can let your child take care of my Huzi. He plays all day and doesn't like to do his homework."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Zhan Aiping thought about it, and then she said, "Little Tangyuan, you are the class monitor, you should lead your younger brother to do his homework. Your older brother, Pot-fried Pork, will teach your younger brother, and Yuanyuan and Xiaomianhua will supervise."
"The four of you get together and do your homework."
Second Brother Gu spat out a mouthful of water.
Ask four children to do homework together? Can they do it? They can't even play together.
My sister-in-law is so naive...
Little Mianhua said excitedly: "Okay, Mom, I will definitely supervise my brothers and sisters in doing their homework."
As a child who didn't go to school, she had the least homework.
She has to supervise her older brothers and sisters to do their homework!
Hu Zi thought: What's the point of writing? When the time comes, your uncle Hu Zi will take you out to play.
After dinner, Zhan Aiping and his wife told their second brother and his wife about their plan to dig ginseng.
Second Brother Gu was about to roll his eyes: "Sister-in-law, do you think you are going to the mountains to dig radishes?"
Dig ginseng, dig ginseng. Wild ginseng is so easy to dig, so there would not be people saying that ginseng has become a spirit, has long legs and can run.
"Even the local mountain dwellers can't dig it up, so what are you, an outsider, going to dig for?"
Zhan Aiping said, "Let's try our luck up the mountain. We might find something good."
Brother Gu said, "I'll take you to the villagers' ginseng fields to dig."
Isn't it just digging ginseng? Wild ginseng in the mountains cannot be dug, but there are plenty of ginseng grown in the ginseng fields. He spent some money to let his brother and sister-in-law satisfy their urge to dig ginseng.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Gu Sheng said, "Brother, my wife wants to go up the mountain to try it out. I'll take her in to play for a few days. When the time comes, I'll ask you and my second sister-in-law to take care of our three children."
Brother Gu: "Okay, let the four kids play together, it will be lively."
"I don't think you two can dig ginseng, so why don't you kill a bear? Bear gall can be exchanged for some money." Brother Gu was dismissive of their idea of digging wild ginseng. The probability of encountering a black bear was much higher than the probability of digging wild ginseng. "A wild boar is enough for your family to have a meal."
Gu Sheng's mouth twitched: "Brother, just say something auspicious."
My younger brothers and sisters are going into the mountains, so there is no reason to expect them to meet a blind bear.
Zhan Aiping said: "Our fifth brother Gu is a bit lucky, maybe he can find wild ginseng."
Ginseng is not rare. There are many artificial ginseng fields here. Even if you can see ginseng on the mountain, it is still young and not ready to be dug. Only those that grow naturally for more than 15 years can be called wild ginseng.
Gu Sheng said: "How can I have such shitty luck?"
Zhan Aiping said, "When you go out for a picnic, you dig up a snake. The herders here call snakes money snakes. Do you know that if you encounter a snake, you will get rich."
Brother Gu: “…”
Gu Sheng: “…” But he cut the snake into pieces with ease.
There are quite a few snakes that have been killed by him, so he must have made a lot of money and will never be able to make a fortune in this life.
Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng left the sweet and sour pork at their second brother's house. They packed up their things and took two more buses. When they arrived, they were ready to go into the mountains. They both carried axes and a hunting gun that their second brother had borrowed for them. Many people here have hunting guns at home, and the supply and marketing cooperatives also sell them, so it is very dangerous to go into the mountains. Not only do you have to be careful of wild animals, but you also have to be careful of other people's bullets that have gone astray. Mistaking a person for a wild animal is no joke.
Zhan Aiping also brought a large bag of first aid medical supplies, dry food, kettles, and spatulas, so she had everything she needed.
Gu Sheng led the way in front, and Zhan Aiping followed beside him. The two held hands and walked for most of the day, gradually entering the dense forest. Their luck was really good. As soon as they entered, they met two big guys. Fortunately, Gu Sheng was smart and noticed quickly, so the two of them avoided them.
They didn't go into the mountains to fight black bears and wild boars.
"Brother Gu Wu, you really are a natural born scout."
Gu Sheng: "... Find your ginseng."
Zhan Aiping was in a very happy mood. Whether or not she could dig ginseng didn't affect her good mood. The couple just walked hand in hand in the sparsely populated dense forest... Just like a honeymoon after so many years of marriage.
Gu Sheng noticed that her mind was not on the search, so he asked, "Do you really want to come here to dig ginseng? Or do you just want to have fun?"
"Digging wild ginseng is a matter of fate. You can't get it just by praying. If you have fate, it will come to you on its own. If you don't have fate, you won't find it even if you look carefully." Zhan Aiping said happily: "Don't you think it feels good for the two of us to be alone in the forest? There are only the two of us in the whole world?"
Gu Sheng's heart moved, he grasped his wife's hand tightly, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "Put the child aside now, wife-"
Zhan Aiping asked him, "What's wrong?"
Gu Sheng was puzzled for a moment: "I think I saw ginseng seeds."
Zhan Aiping: "Are you sure?"
Gu Sheng took Zhan Aiping to a corner, next to a big tree. Under the layers of green, there was a little bit of red, which could not be seen without careful observation.
In a flash, the red spot disappeared again.
In this dense forest, apart from the tall trees, there are patches of low green underfoot, which are dazzling to the eyes, and all the leaves seem to be similar.
Gu Sheng lifted up a piece of jungle, revealing the red underneath. Zhan Aiping said in surprise: "Wow, it's really wild ginseng."
Gu Sheng said: "People call it Bangchui."
Regardless of anything else, Zhan Aiping began to dig her wild ginseng happily. Digging ginseng is a delicate job. It is not like digging it out like a carrot. Instead, the wild ginseng must be "lifted" out carefully. The roots cannot be damaged. The integrity and quality of the wild ginseng must be ensured, as the quality affects the price.
If you pull ginseng like pulling a carrot, half of it will be destroyed.
Zhan Aiping treated this small wild ginseng with extreme care, just like performing a surgical operation. She dug it out carefully, which took her three hours.
Gu Sheng sat beside her and watched her digging ginseng. He was very depressed. He just wanted to spend some time with his wife, but now he could only stare blankly and watch his wife digging ginseng.
Zhan Aiping finally finished digging.
"Look, isn't the quality very good? No roots are damaged..." Zhan Aiping's eyes were as bright as stars. She really liked the process of digging ginseng and enjoyed this meticulous and slow work very much. When a whole ginseng was perfectly presented, a sense of accomplishment filled her chest.
Gu Sheng took a look and said, "It's good."
Zhan Aiping said, "It should be around 200 grams, and can be sold for 300 to 400 yuan. With this one, we can explain to our second brother when we go out."
The ginseng in their hands was not a big deal, but it was still worth some money. It was a good start, at least it meant that the two of them would not return empty-handed.
Zhan Aiping was in a relaxed mood. It was getting late, so the couple prepared to go camping and have a picnic, and cook some noodles in the mountains.
Gu Sheng was also very happy. He cooked noodles for his wife, and the couple snuggled together looking at the stars and the moon.
This kind of childless world for two is extremely rare.
At this time, the three of them were doing math problems. Guo Bao Rou was teaching his younger brothers and sisters how to do it. Hu Zi was surrounded by three people and felt very uncomfortable. He wanted to slip away, but was stared at by Xiao Tangyuan.
Seeing Hu Zi doing his homework honestly, Qiao Ling was so happy, "Youyou, why don't you just help Hu Zi finish his summer homework in the next few days."
"If Huzi finishes his homework, Auntie will take you out for a delicious meal!"
Little Tangyuan cheered: "Auntie, I want to eat chicken legs."
Hu Zi: “…”
*
Gu Sheng and his wife spent their time together in the wild. On the second and third days, they did not focus on digging ginseng, but also dug honey. Zhan Aiping was brave. She and Gu Sheng sat on a big tree, and she used a long stick to hang the honey to feed the black bear.
The black bear ate with gusto, and Zhan Aiping watched with great interest as well.
In the past two days, they didn't have the good luck they had in the beginning. They didn't dig up any ginseng. They only saw a few small ginsengs, which were too small, so Zhan Aiping stopped digging.
Gu Sheng's mouth twitched: "Do you think you are going to the zoo?"
Come to this deep forest to feed the black bear.
Zhan Aiping pursed her chin and said, "To it, we are like animals in the zoo."
Gu Sheng: “…”
They dug a lot of honey, and Zhan Aiping fed it some. Gu Sheng supported his chin with his hand, indulging his wife's willful behavior.
Zhan Aiping was still not satisfied after watching the show. She also wanted to get some wild honey to feed the black bear. Such big cat-like animals are not common in daily life. She couldn't feed the giant panda, so could she not feed the wild black bear
After being away for so long, she missed the zongzi at home, so she asked Lu Chengjia to take care of the zongzi.
It's a bit funny to say that when Zhan Aiping and his wife were searching for wild honey in the mountains, they unexpectedly found three ginseng sites. There was a large cluster of bright red ginseng seeds growing on a sloping cliff. It was estimated that there were several large ginsengs. When there were large ones, there were a bunch of small ones growing around them... It was really like "trying to pick flowers but they don't bloom, but planting willows by accident makes them grow into shade."
Zhan Aiping was digging ginseng while Gu Sheng was watching nearby. The big black bear that had been fed before almost came to mess things up. Gu Sheng was frightened, but the big black bear took their wild honey and left.
Zhan Aiping patted her chest and said, "It was a close call."
Zhan Aiping dug a total of twelve ginseng roots, most of which weighed less than three taels. The best one was under the sixth-grade leaves, which she did not plan to sell. There were two roots that were not in very good condition, which should be able to be sold for five or six hundred yuan.
Excluding the money I kept for myself and the money I gave to relatives and friends, I could probably make about 2,000 yuan.
This is already a huge harvest for other people who go out into the mountains to dig ginseng.
On the way back, Zhan Aiping was overjoyed and ended up in sorrow. She sprained her ankle, and Gu Sheng carried her out on his back: "Don't feed wild bears carelessly anymore."
"Yeah." Zhan Aiping responded. She was very satisfied with what the couple had gained from this trip into the mountains.
She kissed Gu Sheng on the cheek and said, "It's really good luck to bring you here. I thought digging two or three ginseng roots would be the best."
"So you have no ambition?" Gu Sheng smiled gently: "Didn't you say that I have good luck? How can I not make money with a money-grubber following you?"
Zhan Aiping kissed him again and said, "Let's go out. I haven't seen the kids for more than ten days. I miss them."
They have been in the mountains for twelve days.
After leaving the mountain, they didn't even have time to change clothes. They called their second brother Gu. After receiving their calls, Gu knew that they were both safe, and he felt relieved. He joked, "The nephews are all fine. It doesn't matter if you two play for a few more days. With four children at home, it's lively. Your second sister-in-law is happy every day..."
Knowing that the three children were fine, Zhan Aiping felt relieved. Second Brother Gu contacted a car, and soon, Gu Sheng and his wife got in the car and drove all the way to Second Brother Gu's house.
When they heard that their mother was back, Tangyuan quickly pulled her sister Mianhua to greet her. They wanted to jump into their mother's arms, but -
Before he could pounce on her, he couldn't help rubbing his nose and said, "Mom stinks—"
Even my own daughter despises me.
Zhan Aiping was not angry even though she was despised. She pinched Xiao Tangyuan's face and said, "How dare you despise your mother and ask you to copy math problems."
After spending more than ten days in the deep mountains and forests, the conditions were very simple. No matter how Zhan Aiping dressed up, she couldn't look good, especially her permed curly hair. After the bumpy ride, her hair relaxed and became a mess.
Comrade Xiaozhan looked in the mirror and felt disgusted with himself.
She went with Gu Sheng to take a shower and change clothes. After dressing up carefully, she looked like a normal person again.
Brother Gu was very shocked: "Did you two really dig up wild ginseng?"
Seeing the wild ginseng brought back by his younger brothers and sisters, Second Brother Gu was amazed. What luck they had! They could actually dig so many. They were even better than the herders here.
"Where did you two dig it up?"
Gu Sheng kept it a secret and said, "The bear's return of gratitude."
The second brother Gu's mouth twitched: "The bear's return of favor? Did you two meet a blind bear? Were you not chased by him?"
Gu Sheng said: "My wife feeds the bears with honey."
Brother Gu shouted, "Wow!" He was so shocked that his jaw dropped. "Then the blind bear was grateful and took you two to dig ginseng in its bear cave?"
Gu Sheng looked at him as if he were a fool: "Can ginseng grow in a bear cave?"
Brother Gu coughed. He had heard too many stories about mountain spirits and fairies. "How do you repay your gratitude?"
Gu Sheng said: "My wife wants to find some wild honey to feed the bears. As you know, wild bees are very good at finding places..."
Brother Gu blinked his eyes and said, "So you found ginseng by looking for bees to dig out honey?"
Zhan Aiping said: "Yes! This is like trying to pick flowers but they don't bloom, but planting willows by accident and they grow into shade."
"What kind of repayment is this?"
Gu Sheng said: "When my wife was digging ginseng, a blind bear appeared. It wandered around for a while and then left. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to dig it up."
Brother Gu: “…”
Zhan Aiping and his wife gave Gu Erge and his wife a ginseng weighing two taels, and asked Gu Erge to help find a way to sell the six wild ginsengs they wanted to sell. Gu Erge had many connections and got a good price for them, a total of two thousand seven hundred, which was several hundred yuan more than Zhan Aiping had estimated.
Brother Gu said, "They all said that the mallet you dug is indeed of good quality."
Gu Sheng said, "That's not true. My wife digging ginseng is like performing a surgical operation, carefully separating the ginseng from the soil." Gu Erge said, "It's not easy to make money. It requires luck and skills. If the ginseng is not good, it will be wasted."
When the second sister-in-law Qiao Ling saw the wild ginseng given to their family, she felt embarrassed. She gave Zhan Aiping a mink coat. It was a gray-brown mink coat, which was very warm.
Zhan Aiping said, "This coat is very beautiful. Why don't you keep it for yourself? We won't have the chance to wear it in the south."
Do people in Guangdong and Guangxi still wear mink? It shouldn't be cold in winter.
Qiao Ling said, "It's warm, you can use it as a blanket or quilt."
Qiao Ling has several mink coats. She is very afraid of the cold, and this is her favorite.
Zhan Aiping accepted it.
Qiao Ling smiled and said, "Your little ones, come and play often during the summer vacation. With them around, our Hu Zi has become much more well-behaved. Look, he has already finished his summer homework."
"Yeah?"
Zhan Aiping went to check the homework of Xiao Tangyuan and others, and found that they had all finished it, and she was very satisfied.
Little Tangyuan raised her hand and said, "Mom! Mom! Mom! I'm the one who helps little brother Huzi with his homework."
Little Cotton said: "And me, me, me!!"
Zhan Aiping praised: "You two are great." I wish I could be so enthusiastic when doing my homework.
Zhan Aiping and her husband played with their children for another two or three days. Then they headed south. They would not take a plane but a train to Shanghai first.
Brother Gu and his family sent them to the train station.
Hu Zi, who was under great pressure from homework, hoped that Xiao Tangyuan and her sister would leave quickly, but when they really left, he was reluctant to let them go. Although doing homework was not a pleasant experience, it was quite fun to do homework with the Gu brothers.
Hu Zi took the initiative to say to Xiao Tangyuan: "Come to our house to do your homework next time!"
Little Tangyuan: “…”
"Okay, I'll ask mom to bring a few more sets of questions."
Hu Zi: “…” Then don’t come.
Qiao Ling was particularly happy to hear the children chatting: "Next time, let Huzi bring his homework to your house to play."
Zhan Aiping and her husband took their children on a train and arrived in Shanghai. The children were particularly amazed at the prosperity of Shanghai. Unlike other cities, there were tall buildings everywhere, large-scale construction was going on everywhere, and there were many fashionable young people on the streets.
I took the children to Professor Sun's home, then went to the zoo together, and visited various department stores to see newly imported foreign products. Even if we didn't buy them, just looking at them was an eye-opener for the children.
Zhan Aiping gave her godfather and godmother a piece of heavy wild ginseng. Professor Sun was very happy. He was not happy about the ginseng, but about seeing his goddaughter and her family so happy.
When people get old, they just love to be lively.
Professor Sun and his wife moved into a small Western-style building, which originally belonged to Zhan Aiping's godmother's mother's family. Now they are moving back. The house is empty for the couple to live in, and the godmother has planted a lot of things in the building.
The godmother took her two little granddaughters out every day and bought them a lot of clothes and shoes. Zhan Aiping advised: "Children grow up quickly, so you don't need to buy too much."
The clothes no longer fit me before I even have time to wear them out.
Godmother Qi Shuwan said, "Then buy something bigger so that my two beautiful granddaughters can dress up nicely every day. Pingping, you can't use old-fashioned ideas anymore. The young people on the street dress so fashionably now. You should learn from them."
"How come you and Xiao Gu don't even have bell-bottom pants?"
"You and Xiao Gu should go to the cinema to watch a movie! There are many foreign films, and then go to dance to a disco..."
Zhan Aiping and his wife were kicked out of the house because their godmother disliked their old-fashioned ideas. The next day, they all changed into bell-bottom pants. The three little kids in the family also changed into bell-bottom pants.
The whole family goes out with five little loudspeakers.
It’s true that bell-bottom pants can visually lengthen the body shape and make people look taller. Zhan Aiping and her husband are tall themselves, so they are even more eye-catching when they walk on the street in bell-bottom pants.
A foreign photographer met Zhan Aiping and asked to take a picture of her. Zhan Aiping did not refuse and took the picture wearing sunglasses.
Finally, when the family returned from Shanghai, they had become burdened with large and small bags. When they arrived in Yunnan Province, they had to pack up and prepare to move.
When we arrived at the staff quarters, the family's bell-bottom pants were particularly eye-catching.
Mrs. Niu couldn't help but say, "It's different now that I've been out for this trip."
The surroundings are changing with each passing day. It's strange. All the poor relatives in her hometown have become rich. In the past, many villagers envied her because her husband was so successful and married an officer. But now it is different. Many self-employed people have become rich, set up small factories in the village, and become celebrities in nearby towns. They have saved money and want to build a big house in their hometown.
Mrs. Niu was jealous. This person was just trying to save face. Only by renovating the ancestral house well could the feng shui of the whole family be prosperous. There were five children in their family. This time when she went back to her hometown, she saw that people had already started preparing to renovate the ancestral house. She was anxious because she wanted to make money, but she had no ability.
She also went to help out at Sister Zhao's chili sauce workshop, but the bulk of the money came from Sister Zhao, so she could only make a little money.
Seeing Sister Zhao making a fortune every day, Sister Niu was unwilling to accept. Everyone can make hot sauce, so she wanted to follow Sister Zhao's example and set up a small hot sauce workshop. She didn't want to do it on a small scale, but wanted to do something bigger, which would require investment at the beginning.
She thought about going to the bank for a loan, but she didn't dare to take the risk, so she thought about finding someone to partner with her. She thought of Zhan Aiping and wanted to get some money from her.
She knew that Zhan Aiping was rich. She made a lot of money from her elementary school math tutoring books alone.
Zhan Aiping asked, "Do you want to start a hot sauce workshop with me?"
"Yeah, you didn't see how well the Zhao family's stuff sells... I don't think it's that delicious, who can't make it?"
Zhan Aiping said: "Mrs. Zhao's cooking skills are great. The chili sauce she makes is delicious with rice."
It can be said to be a hot sauce, or it can be said to be a sauce that goes well with rice. When you don’t have access to good wine or good food on weekdays, some hot sauce can really go well with rice, and it tastes good with rice or steamed buns.
People from families with average financial conditions would also buy some hot sauce to eat with their meals, which could be considered as improving their diet, so it sells particularly well.
Mrs. Niu said, "I have been helping her for a while. I have learned how to cook. I can cook better than her."
It's just that when they see others making money, they all rush to do the same, and finally bid against each other, lowering the profits.
Zhan Aiping said, "Mrs. Niu, go find someone else. We are about to move, so we don't have the time to start a business with you."
Mrs. Niu thought that it was because your family was moving and had a lot of money to pay back that she wanted to get some money from Zhan Aiping.
"Don't worry, the return on investment will be very fast. You will make it back right away. Doctor Zhan, you must seize the opportunity. I will give you dividends."
Zhan Aiping refused: "No, no, no, my family doesn't do this."
"Sister Niu, besides you, are there any other sisters-in-law who are willing to do this? I advise you not to do it. When you finish it, you may not be able to sell it."
Mrs. Niu glared at her: "How can you talk like that? How can it not be sold? Don't you know how many people are vying for it?"
Zhan Aiping said with a smile: "Look at how many of you are rushing to do it now. Be careful that the purchase price of peppers may be too high."
Mrs. Niu still didn't believe her words and secretly cursed her for not understanding the idea of getting rich first and being stubborn and conservative.
When they became rich, she still kept the little money she earned from selling books.
After seeing off Sister Niu, Zhan Aiping met several more people who wanted to ask her for money to start their own business. Many of them were jealous of Sister Zhao's money and were unwilling to be just her employees. They all wanted to set up their own business and start their own business.
"Xiao Zhan, Doctor Zhan, if you leave now, you will miss this opportunity, the opportunity to make a lot of money!"
"It's easy to make money now. You don't even know that they are working overtime!"
Zhang Lirong and her husband next door were persuaded by Mrs. Niu. They used to not get along well with each other, but now they have shaken hands and made peace, and even decided to do business together.
Zhang Lirong was jealous when she saw others making money. She and Captain Luo had saved a lot of money, and she also wanted to make a lot of money.
Gu Sheng commented: "Fortunately, they all want to learn from Sister Zhao. If they all learn from you, the children will cry."
Children probably don't want a surge in tutoring books on the market. However, with such a huge market, there are many people who want to get involved. As far as Zhan Aiping knows, other publishing houses have already begun to copy her series of books.
There is no copyright awareness nowadays. Everyone just follows others. If something is launched today, it will be copied by others tomorrow. The first people to come in get the biggest piece of the pie, and the pieces of pie that come later get smaller and smaller. The last people to come in may lose money.
Zhan Aiping asked him: "Has anyone approached you to solicit investment?"
In the past, everything required tickets, and without tickets you couldn’t spend your money. Some people have saved a lot of money, but now many things don’t require tickets, the circulation of money has become very fast, and the economy has become active.
Gu Sheng shook his head: "Where do I get the money? My wife manages it all."
Therefore, Comrade Gu Sheng was ignored by everyone and had very little time. No one approached him to discuss the dream of getting rich.
Zhan Aiping said: "Now all the pressure has come to me. We have a sum of money in our hands, so we can invest in some small business... Let's talk about these after we move."
To be honest, she and Gu Sheng had no business sense. Even if Zhan Aiping was asked to attract business, she was not capable of doing it. However, their family had money, so perhaps they could invest in some business. Zhan Aiping initially planned to open a small restaurant and hire a skilled chef... This was a good idea. If she opened the restaurant here, she would have many ways to purchase ingredients. Now that they were moving to a new place, the idea of contracting a restaurant had subsided.
Everything will be decided once we get to the new place.
(End of this chapter)