Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 123 - 48: Need Help?

Chapter 123: Chapter 48: Need Help?

Throughout the morning, Gu Chengyu spent his time reciting and copying. Gu Chengyu made some progress, and Mr. Wen didn’t suppress him anymore, so he learned more today in the morning than the past two days combined.

Unknowingly, it was already time to eat lunch. Wang Qikai pulled Gu Chengyu to the dining hall. This time, Gu Chengyu noticed that Wang Qikai already had a meal token. Actually, Gu Chengyu knew that Wang Qikai didn’t have friends usually, and meeting him was rare, so he genuinely considered him a friend.

"Chengyu! You really scared me today. Why did you come so late? Is there something going on at home?" Wang Qikai waited at the private school gate for a while in the morning but didn’t see Gu Chengyu’s ox cart, so he went in by himself.

"There were some matters at home, but they’ve all been handled now! I didn’t even arrive late, did I?" Gu Chengyu and his companions, with the cook’s bright smile, carried bowls of porridge and found a place to sit. Gu Chengyu later learned that the cook was actually a distant relative of Mr. Wen, and the dried goods at the bottom of the pot last time were meant for her own family. Everyone at the school knew this was her usual habit, but ever since Gu Chengyu started coming, he always had a share of the thick porridge.

The cook looked at the little chubby kid and Gu Chengyu who had just passed by, and she genuinely liked that child. Although the little one was a scholar, he was very courteous to her, a farmwoman, unlike other students who considered themselves scholars and weren’t so polite to her.

It cannot be denied that women like to see beautiful things, including handsome people, especially those like the charming little Gu Chengyu.

"If you really were late, maybe the teacher would really punish you! Oh, I heard from my dad that an official document has come down from above, and it’s time for conscription again! This conscription is quite dangerous! You should tell your dad and the others at home to be prepared."

Wang Qikai saw that the Gu Family wasn’t wealthy, and that new ox cart seemed to be bought for Gu Chengyu to attend school. He had seen Gu Family’s father and elder brother before, and it seemed they dressed a bit better just because Gu Chengyu was going to school, while the others wore rough cloth outfits.

"Is it going to reach the nearby villages in these two days? I know, I’ll let my family know!" At this moment, Gu Chengyu wasn’t worried about taxes at all. The Gu Family had long planned to use Silver to cover it.

Wang Qikai bit his bun while cautiously glancing at Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu noticed through his peripheral vision but didn’t ask. Wang Qikai was someone who couldn’t keep things to himself and would definitely speak up soon.

"Chengyu, do you need help? I can lend it to you first!" Wang Qikai said it was a loan so as not to hurt Gu Chengyu’s pride, but in fact, he didn’t intend for it to be repaid.

Gu Chengyu originally thought Wang Qikai’s hesitation was about something else, but it was because of this? His heart felt warm.

"You fool, it’s lucky you met me. Otherwise, wouldn’t others take full advantage of you? If it were those greedy people, they wouldn’t hesitate. Don’t worry! My dad and the others have already prepared the Silver; we got the news from familiar people a few days ago." Gu Chengyu swallowed the porridge in his mouth and looked seriously at Wang Qikai.

"Qi Kai! Thank you!"

"Thank you for what? I didn’t even help!" Wang Qikai was a bit embarrassed by Gu Chengyu’s sincere thanks. Actually, he wasn’t that foolish, and he wasn’t willing to speak out to just anyone. After observing for a few days, he trusted Gu Chengyu’s character.

Gu Chengyu glanced aside and noticed that Ye Zhiqiu, who usually sat in that corner to eat, was absent. Wang Qikai followed his gaze and sighed!

"There are no adult men in the Ye Family, so there’s no need for conscription. But, I heard that Ye Zhiqiu’s second elder sister is unwell, and they’ve been seeing doctors and buying medicine these past days, probably spending a lot of money. His family doesn’t have a long-term source of income, so supporting a large family is already difficult." Although Wang Qikai was a rich kid, he understood the hardships of the world, perhaps due to his social standing.

While he still had family issues to deal with, he couldn’t manage others’ affairs. Gu Chengyu knew that Wang Qikai usually didn’t get enough to eat since the meals at the dining hall were limited. He handed the other bun in his hand to Wang Qikai, who gladly accepted and ate it.

Gu Chengyu looked at Wang Qikai’s size and then at his eating manner, shaking his head speechlessly. Being over three years older than him, he was nearly twice his size, and whether he’d slim down in the future was a concern. The problem of fainting when hungry, who knows if it could be resolved.

After lunch, they returned to Class C.

The sun, which was originally high in the sky, had now moved to the west. With the ringing bell, Gu Chengyu and his companions concluded their day at the private school.

"Chengyu! I’m heading home first!" Wang Qikai waved his arms at Gu Chengyu and climbed onto his family’s carriage.

"Dad! Do we still need to go to Dashan’s shop to get the soap mold today? Did you dry the black fungus that you took back in the morning?" Seeing his dad come to pick him up, Gu Chengyu quickly inquired about the dried black fungus they planned earlier in the morning, as this was crucial for earning a lot of Silver!

"It’s already been dried, and it should be almost done now. Just a bit more under the sun tomorrow, and it’ll be ready! Your method really is good! Otherwise, who knows how many more sunny days it would take to dry it? We weighed it before drying, and the wet fungus was quite heavy, over eighty pounds! No telling how much it’ll weigh when dry." Mr. Gu only hoped that the shrinkage wouldn’t be too much, as this was all Silver!

Gu Chengyu remembered picking six or seven long sections of rotting wood, densely covered. After being stored in the space, the black fungus was of high quality, with large clusters, unlike wild black fungus, which were very small. Drying a pound of dry black fungus required seven or eight pounds of wet fungus.

"Ah! By the way, Xiao Bao? Didn’t we say we would go five days after we left last time? It hasn’t been five days yet! I wonder if Dashan has finished?"

"We’ll find out when we go and see!" Those few molds required fewer materials, with the most time-consuming part being the rose carvings and the lettering on them. Although this took time, the profits were substantial. He believed Dashan wouldn’t need the full five days to complete them.

The ox cart stopped in front of Dashan’s carpenter shop, and the floor in front was covered with wood shavings from the plane, while unfinished carriage frames stood on either side. Dashan was crouched there, assembling a carriage frame.

"Dashan!" Mr. Gu steadied the cart and called towards the doorway.

"Hey! It’s you, brother. Come on in, I’ve been hoping you’d come these days! The molds were done long ago!" Dashan looked back and saw it was his customer who had asked for the molds; he grinned widely. This was a big customer indeed!