Other businesses were not doing well, possibly due to the drought.
Last year, when he returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he saw that ten houses were empty and felt a pang of sorrow.
Gu Zhaobei and his family did not easily reveal their identities as refugees; if they told everyone, it would surely arouse suspicion.
Refugees would not have the means to spend so much money to build houses and buy expensive fuel like coal.
Gu Zhaobei's family simply nodded in agreement, not mentioning that they were also refugees.
To be honest, people like them, looking so well-off, could hardly be called refugees.
If it weren't for the impending natural disaster, Gu Qingcheng wouldn't have wanted her family to be displaced.
As for Boss Zhang saying that the coal business was doing well, it was understandable, as coal was always for the rich.
The world was like this; the rich always had money and could afford to burn coal, so his business had always been good, and he himself could afford to heat his house.
After confirming that Boss Zhang could help, Gu Zhaobei first paid ten taels of silver for coal and labor, and received a deposit receipt from Boss Zhang before intending to return to the inn.
As they walked and browsed, Gu Qingcheng calculated that she would need more silver. Now, besides giving her parents five taels of silver each for self-defense, she had to raise a large sum of money for various expenses related to buying a house.
According to Boss Zhang, if the house needed thorough repairs, it would take at least another five days.
This meant they would have to stay at the Yuelai Inn for at least five more days.
However, an inn with hot springs was quite comfortable, so staying a few more days could be considered an enjoyment.
Throughout their shopping trip, Gu Qingcheng gained another 20 "cool points" in a short time. She decided not to buy supplies from the Mountain Cat Supermarket for now, but to exchange them all for silver, getting 25 taels.
Gu Qingcheng bought clothes, ate meals, paid the deposit, gave her parents 10 taels, and exchanged for another 25 taels. She had nearly 97 taels left.
This 97 taels was originally intended to cover 50 taels for house repairs and the remaining 9 taels for the down payment. Now, with coal costing 55 taels and additional expenses for Boss Zhang's underfloor heating and other renovations, it was becoming tight.
In the coming days, she planned to exchange any "cool points" for silver to cover daily expenses, and most importantly, to stock up on food and drink.
She didn't intend to invest too much more in the house, but basic living security was essential. As the weather grew colder, to live comfortably, as Boss Zhang had said, rebuilding the underfloor heating, stoves, and even fireplaces would be necessary.
"Hey, Old Six, Old Six, is that you?"
Just as they were about to return to the inn, a surprisingly familiar voice called out from behind them.
Gu Zhaobei and his wife turned around and inwardly cursed their bad luck. It was Gu Laoda.
Gu Laoda was still wearing his refugee clothes, ragged and torn. As he approached, an indescribable odor wafted from him.
It wasn't noticeable in the forest, but compared to the well-dressed people in the town, Gu Laoda seemed out of place. He couldn't even maintain the dignity of an ordinary commoner, appearing completely like a refugee. No wonder people held their noses and avoided him as they passed.
Gu Laoda could never have imagined that his sixth brother's family of three would have rosy complexions and be leisurely strolling through the streets.
Called out by Gu Laoda, Gu Zhaobei wasn't flustered. This kind of situation might happen again in the future, so he calmly asked,
"Elder Brother, what is it? You've come into town too?"
"All the villagers were blocked outside the city. Those soldiers are terrible; they won't let you in without money.
Later, the village chief used communal funds to bribe the soldiers, and they agreed to let 10 people in per day to buy supplies.
These 10 people are chosen by lottery from the entire village. I was lucky enough to draw the lot."
Gu Laoda never forgot to show off, describing the lottery as the greatest good fortune.
He secretly sized up Gu Qingcheng, noticing that although her niece was wearing a veil, she was in new clothes and stood tall, appearing to have grown taller. She seemed significantly different from before.
Gu Laoda's heart immediately perceived a large sum of money walking before him.
"Oh, Elder Brother, since you're here to buy supplies, go ahead with your business. We have to leave."
Gu Zhaobei had no intention of chatting with Gu Laoda.
With hundreds of people in the village, it was disheartening that they couldn't enter the city, but it wasn't his concern.
Being able to bribe soldiers to enter the city to buy supplies indicated that the village had some resources.
"Old Six, aren't you going out of town to see Mother and Father? We're starving to death. They're your own parents, after all. Even if you've separated, they're still your birth parents, right? If you don't care about us, you must at least care about them?"
Gu Laoda's heart churned as he looked at the well-dressed Old Six, constantly wondering where Old Six got the money to live so well.
"Starving to death? Then how can you still come in to buy things?"
Gu Zhaobei retorted unceremoniously.
Gu Laoda was stunned. He never expected his usually silent and inarticulate sixth brother to retort so aggressively.
He smiled awkwardly and said,
"My wife and Second Brother's wife sold their dowry silver bracelets. Mother said she'll compensate them with better ones later."
Upon hearing her uncle's words, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but let out a silent, unrestrained laugh from beneath her veil.
Old Grandma Gu was talking nonsense!
If she had the ability to compensate them with better ones, why would she make her daughters-in-law sell their dowries?
She didn't know how Old Grandma Gu manipulated people; the greedy Liu Cui and Zhang Manzhi actually took out their dowries to subsidize the household.
"Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law are good people, generous. They even took out their dowries. Truly virtuous. Elder Brother, hurry and attend to your business. It's getting dark, and if you don't leave the city soon, the soldiers will impose a curfew, and you'll end up in jail."
Gu Zhaobei chuckled and offered a few perfunctory words, then stopped paying attention to Gu Laoda, taking his wife and daughter and quickly leaving.
Gu Laoda watched their retreating figures, feeling that something was amiss.
Why was Old Six, who left home with nothing, so well-dressed?
The three of them wore clothes without a single patch; he hadn't worn such new clothes himself in years.
Could it be that Old Six had hidden something valuable when they separated?
No, he had to go home and find out.
Besides, he needed to know where they were staying so he could figure out how to get Gu Qingcheng.
Thus, Gu Laoda secretly followed the sixth brother's family to see where they were going.
He followed them all the way to the entrance of the Yuelai Inn and watched them go in. Gu Laoda then touched his nose and left, unwillingly.
Something was definitely fishy; otherwise, why would Old Six be staying at an inn and dressed so splendidly?
After selling his silver bracelets and buying 20 jin of coarse rice for his family to eat, plus another 10 jin of communal coarse rice, Gu Laoda hurriedly left the city.
Those who could draw lots to enter the city had to bring back 10 jin of rice for the community, which was the rule set by Village Chief Gu.