Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 124 - 49 Counting Silver

Chapter 124: Chapter 49 Counting Silver

"Uncle Dashan, bring out the mold and let us take a look!" Gu Chengyu jumped down from the cart.

"Wait a moment! I put them in the inner room; let me go and get them for you!" Dashan put down the rack he was holding and went to the inner room.

When Gu Chengyu held the mold, he found that Dashan had indeed put effort into making it. The edges were polished smooth and the carving inside was quite intricate. Gu Chengyu nodded in satisfaction, thinking maybe he could ask Dashan to make furniture for the new house in the future.

"Father! Pay him!" The price was agreed upon beforehand, so Mr. Gu paid the remaining two Silver Taels.

"Big brother! If there’s any delicate woodworking job in the future, just come to me. My craftsmanship may not be top-notch, but it’s decent enough to pass." Seeing Mr. Gu pay so straightforwardly, Dashan hoped for more such work in the future.

"If we have such work in the future, we’ll come to you. We’ll be on our way now!"

"Hey! Take care!" Dashan watched the Gu Family’s ox cart slowly go off into the distance, touching the two Silver Taels in his hand, grinning happily. The effort he put in was worth it. As for what the mold was carved for, he wouldn’t ask. Some things are better left unsaid; if the client doesn’t mention it, he definitely wouldn’t ask!

"Father! Do we have lots of ash from the stove at home?" Gu Chengyu planned to soak the ashes for two or three days. Ancient times didn’t have the technology for lye, so they could only extract it from ash, though the color might not be appealing.

"Isn’t there enough ash? We use it to wash clothes!" Mr. Gu was puzzled as to why Gu Chengyu was suddenly asking about this.

"It’s for making soap. Once we’re back, soak the ash. We also need to buy some fat; it’ll be used for rendering lard to make soap. We’ll buy it in a couple of days. Father! When you go to town, buy three or four pounds of fat and some ribs to treat the family." Gu Chengyu thought of the braised ribs from his past life, nearly drooling.

"The fat is for soap, but ribs for eating? They’re all bones, with no meat. If you really want to eat meat, we’ll buy some pork belly to satisfy your craving!" Mr. Gu thought his son wanted to save Silver, reluctant to buy pork belly, even though he earned more than fifty taels today!

"Father! Ribs are delicious! Buy two more pounds." Gu Chengyu thought ribs in the Dayan Dynasty should be cheap, planning to have his mother make braised ribs for him.

When Gu Chengyu and the others returned home, Mrs. Lv and others were gathering fungus. Gu Chengyu estimated that after drying it another day, it should be done.

Gu Chengyu busily instructed Mrs. Lv and others to soak a bucket of ash. It needs several days of soaking, otherwise, the alkalinity may not be strong. He also told everyone to place it out of reach of children, and not to stir it with their hands to avoid burns or skin irritation.

After dinner, laying out the paper and finishing his tasks, Gu Chengyu practiced his writing for a while, then heard Mr. Gu and others calculating Silver.

Mrs. Lv and Mr. Gu were counting the money in the box, while Gu Wan was stringing Copper Coins on the side.

"Oh! Old man, our family currently has one hundred forty-six taels, plus those Copper Coins. That should be enough to build a large tile-roofed house, right?" Recently, after buying land, they used up nearly five hundred Silver Taels, leaving only a few dozen taels. Now there’s over a hundred again, which was once unthinkable. Over a month ago, they hadn’t exceeded thirty taels.

"It’s thanks to Xiao Bao’s clever ideas, bringing money in fast! But with the earnings high, expenditures are high too! I can hardly believe our family spent hundreds of taels this month!" Mr. Gu remarked with emotion.

It’s because he’s not capable; he’s lived half his life and has never earned a hundred taels. Mr. Gu looked forward to where Gu Chengyu was sitting and writing, only to see those small hands gripping the brush, diligently practicing big characters. Mr. Gu chuckled foolishly; such a clever child is indeed his son.

"Father! We have so much Silver? How much does it take to build a house? Is it enough?" Gu Wan asked in surprise, looking at the Silver in the money box.

"Now there’s enough Silver! This time, we bought the yard next door, as Xiao Bao suggested, to build a two-section house. Behind our house is wasteland, grease the village chief’s palms a bit, and we’ll build it bigger. You’re a big girl now; you’ll get your own room."

Mr. Gu was drawn back from his thoughts by Gu Wan’s words. He originally thought of building smaller due to lack of Silver, but now with enough Silver, it’d be better to build big all at once, making future marriage proposals easier for the family kids.

"Really? Father is so good!" Gu Wan happily jumped on the kang; she truly didn’t want to sleep in the small room inside.

"Old man, once we dry the honeysuckle and fungus tomorrow, we can also earn some Silver." Mrs. Lv was obviously happy with the family’s ability to earn money. Her only regret was that the Silver was earned by Xiao Bao but benefitted the older kids.

The more she thought, the angrier she got. No way. "Old man! This house, let’s be clear! You better not give this house to the eldest son later on. It’s built with Xiao Bao’s Silver, and when dividing the family in the future, don’t leave Xiao Bao out." In Dayan Dynasty, during family division, elders lived with the eldest, the house went to the first son, while other sons received Silver or built new houses or only a couple of rooms at most. The eldest would inherit most of the family assets.

"What are you talking about? When did I say we’re splitting the family? Don’t worry, I have plans for Xiao Bao." Mr. Gu thought of his age, wondering what if he suddenly passed away, leaving Xiao Bao and his mother behind, what would they do? The third and Fourth sons are grown and can take care of their own. But Xiao Bao has yet to study, and studies cost money. Gu Chengyu won’t have it easy when he’s gone, Mr. Gu intends to save some Silver for Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu, hearing this, put down his brush, smiled at his parents. "Mother! What are you worried about? If I can earn dozens of taels today, I can earn hundreds tomorrow. When I grow up, I might not even care for this house!" Gu Chengyu was speaking the truth. Even if he does nothing when he grows up, he’d never worry about food or clothes, with abundant good items in his own space!

Moreover, he already planned on acquiring personal property, thus not selling many recipes to restaurants, intending to open his own restaurant someday. But he didn’t have reliable people around him yet. Suddenly, Gu Chengyu thought of human traffickers; in ancient times, people could be bought and sold, looking for talent at brokerages. This needed careful consideration.

"Mother knows my Xiao Bao is smart, can earn money, and is good at studying! But who can determine the future?" Mrs. Lv sat beside Gu Chengyu, touched his head, and sighed. Though she often appeared to act like a headstrong mother-in-law, being a second wife came with challenges. She couldn’t imagine if the old man suddenly passed, whether the eldest and second would remain obedient like now.

Sensing Mrs. Lv’s low spirits, Gu Chengyu held her hand, comforting her for a while.