readsfreenovel Chapter 402: The 80s' 'Five Grains of Harvest' 5
Chapter 402: The 80s' 'Five Grains of Harvest' 5
Gu Li is still just an apprentice of Gu Gui, and she doesn't get paid. Gu Li doesn't want to work for free, so she has slowed down her pace these days and sometimes goes out shopping in the afternoon.
As soon as Gu Li left, the people in the same room teased Gu Gui, "Your sister is so immature. It's only been a few days, but she can't sit still and keeps running outside."
Gu Gui stepped on the sewing machine without looking up. "My little sister may not choose this career. She has good grades and is the only one in our village who was admitted to high school this year. Her family will probably let her continue her studies."
"Wow, do we have to go to another place to study in the future? After going to university, you are guaranteed a job. Who would be willing to sit there like us, working on a sewing machine all day long?"
Upon hearing this, the lady boss snorted unhappily, "If you don't want to use the sewing machine, go back. I support you guys and now you're looking down on me."
"Hey, boss lady, that's not what we meant. We are so lucky to have met such a kind person like you------"
Gu Li left home early today and walked to the city. It takes about an hour to walk from Gujia Village to the town and the city center.
Gu Li found the newly built Jingya Xintiandi commercial street in the city.
Jiufeng Teahouse where Gu Min works is on this street.
Seeing Gu Min again, Gu Li felt that she seemed different from before.
Gu Min led Gu Li into the innermost private room. Although they didn't make a bill, Gu Min still quietly brought Gu Li some snacks and fruit plates.
"Gu Min, I'm just strolling around and came to see you. What if your boss finds out about you doing this?" Gu Li felt even more uneasy when she saw Gu Min put another stack of chicken feet on the table.
She really wasn't here to eat and drink for free.
She was just too bored staying in that crowded tailor shop, where those people were either complaining about her stingy mother-in-law or gossiping about someone in the village.
It sounded quite interesting at first, but after hearing all the trivial family matters, Gu Li had lost interest a long time ago.
"It's okay. I'm not the only one who does this." Gu Min put down the plate with a smile, and took out a handful of pistachios from the pocket of his work apron and stuffed them into Gu Li's hand.
"This is what the previous table of guests didn't finish. I didn't take it back. Don't worry, it's all clean."
Gu Li spread out her palm, and there was a big, plump nut inside the clean pistachio.
Gu Li picked it up and asked, "What is this?"
Gu Min smiled even more brightly, "This is called pecans! It's a good thing we don't have here, it's very precious, we only serve one plate per table, try it, it's delicious."
"how to eat?"
“It’s just like eating a walnut.”
Gu Li had eaten walnuts before. During the Chinese New Year, the brick factory gave her father one of the walnuts as a gift. Her father had put it in the crack of the door and let her open it.
The walnut meat is finely chopped.
Gu Li was speechless for a moment. Was she going to look for the door clamp?
Gu Min laughed at Gu Li, then pretended to be kind and took the pecan and put it on the table, then picked up the ashtray on the corner of the table and started knocking it.
"Here, break it open with your hands and eat the flesh inside."
Gu Min pushed the ashtray away and pushed the cracked pecans in front of Gu Li.
Gu Li ate a piece and found it very fragrant and much better than walnut meat.
"It seems that you are doing well here. Your face has become rounder!" Gu Li peeled out a slightly larger piece and handed it to Gu Min.
Gu Min waved her hand, "You can eat it. I work here. I have everything you want to eat. These pecans are not the most expensive and the best. We also have thin-skinned pine nuts in our store, which are more expensive and tastier."
Unfortunately, those good things are only served when entertaining VIP guests upstairs. She has only seen them but has never tasted them.
"Isn't your boss going to go bankrupt if he hires an employee like you?"
Gu Min leaned on the sofa with disdain, "How could they go bankrupt? Except for a few items on each table for show, the rest of the melon seeds, peanuts, and shrimp chips are worthless. It's worth it even if you eat them to death."
"You don't know, the minimum charge for the VIP room upstairs is 58 yuan. A pot of tea costs 18 yuan."
Gu Li was shocked after hearing this.
Comrade Zhang Yuhua can earn four dollars and fifty cents a day at the brick factory, but four days’ wages are just a pot of tea for others!
"Those people don't come here to eat, but they order the most expensive dishes just to save face. If they have customers like that twice a day, they won't lose money."
Okay, Gu Li believed it.
Of course, this is not something Gu Li can care about.
"Who are those people?" This is what Gu Li was more curious about.
"Just those who have money and free time at home, and those who are here to do business!" Gu Min touched his smooth chin.
Gu Min went out after chatting with Gu Li for a while. She was at work now.
Gu Li didn't stay in the teahouse for long before leaving.
Her sense of shame also enabled her to resist offending Gu Min and she felt embarrassed to eat and eat for free in such a blatant manner.
Gu Li wandered aimlessly on the street and then walked back to the town.
When she stood at the door of the tailor shop, which was less than two meters wide, again, Gu Li was at a loss.
Gu Li saw all the hard work of her second sister, but the only thing in her eyes was the needle. She sat with her head stretched and her back hunched, from morning to night.
The monthly salary is 280 yuan.
How many pots of tea is enough?
At the end of August, Gu Xilin asked Gu Li: "Do you want to go to high school?"
"Does my family have enough money to support my studies?" Gu Li asked back.
"Don't worry about anything else. I'm just asking if you want to go to high school."
Gu Li looked down at the plastic sandals on her feet that she was wearing as slippers because they were too small, and said honestly, "I don't know."
Comrade Zhang Yuhua, who was sitting in front of the stove and making a fire, snorted coldly, "I have been learning the craft from Lao Er for almost two months, and you are still talking about whether I should go to school or not!"
Gu Xilin ignored Zhang Yuhua's words, looked at Gu Li and said, "It's true that our family doesn't have much money, but as long as you want to go to school, I will sell everything I have to support you."
"Why smash the pot? Why sell the iron? The pot is smashed. Do you still want to eat?"
"Shut up! If you hadn't used all your newly-paid salary to order cement and sand, your family would have to find someone to help pay for tuition now!" Gu Xilin yelled at Zhang Yuhua angrily.
"All the materials needed to build the house have been agreed upon long ago. If you don't make a deposit, who will keep them for you? You know how hard it is to buy sand and cement nowadays."
Gu Li remained silent amid her parents' quarrel.
She wanted to say that going to school was not the only path she could take in the future, but she wanted to go further, and this was the best shortcut, the ladder to heaven.
But she also doesn't want to be a burden to her family.
She seems to be used to relying on herself.
Forget it, she will listen to whoever wins the argument.
Reincarnation is a lottery of life. We cannot choose our birth or our parents. Our parents have given us the best way out they can. So whether we can walk well on this road, whether we can walk fast or not, and whether we can find shortcuts, depends on our own efforts.