Chapter 571: All of Them Were Gluttons (1)
Though they had many treasures in hand that could be exchanged for food, and their lives were better than many others, all resources in this generation were scarce. There was not much condiment.
Their cooking skills could not make any delicious food. They only knew how to cook meat edible enough…
In the past, they all had special chefs to cook different meals for them.
However, the situation changed after they met Gu Qingyao.
She was really good at cooking. All of them were willing to use their treasures to exchange for her cooked food. The food made them feel like the rich masters in the past.
Thus, Gu Qingyao was busy cooking for them.
The capital was cold now. It was even colder in the morning and at night.
Gu Qingyao poured the cooked mutton soup into a ceramic jar. She put rice, peanuts and spicy tofu into her little basket and then rode her bicycle to the three elders.
After coming to the capital, she could finally ride her bicycle freely. It was rare to have a bicycle in her hometown, and it was rare for a girl to ride one.
There were many bicycles in the capital. Gu Qingyao would not stand out here.
The sky was dark, and Gu Qingyao reached the place where the three elders stayed. It was a little house near the toilet where Elder Yang stayed. The three of them were waiting there.
All of their eyes sparkled as Gu Qingyao appeared. Their smiles were rather… cunning.
“Hehehe, girl, finally you’re here. I’m starving! Where is my mutton soup? Mutton soup?”
The weather was cold at night. It would be warm with some mutton soup. No wonder they loved Gu Qingyao!
They could place orders on her.
What a blessing!
Elder Yang was the most wealthy one in the past. Gu Qingyao did not know his name besides his surname. Everyone else called him Elder Yang. Even when he introduced himself to Gu Qingyao, he also asked her to call him that.
The three of them had experiences gathering together for food. The two of them looked around for people. Gu Qingyao took the basket in when there was no one around.
When she took the basket from her bicycle, she added some food from her interspace.
The place was really small. It felt crowded with the three of them inside. Now it was even more crowded with Gu Qingyao. But none of them was bothered as they all stared straight at her basket.
Elder Yang, “I can smell the fragrance!”
How aromatic!
Gu Qingyao first took out the fried peanuts. The elderly’s eyes brightened when they saw that.
Peanuts!
It was so rare to have peanuts now! They were the best to eat together with alcohol.
She then took out spicy tofu, and then it was the mutton soup that Elder Yang ordered.
Gu Qingyao spent time and effort in making the mutton soup. She added some water from her interspace to enhance its flavor. The water would be beneficial for their health as well.
The fragrance came out immediately when she opened the lid of the jar. Elder Yang took a deep breath.
“Alcohol, where’s my alcohol?”
It was perfect to have some alcohol now!
Chapter 572: All of Them Were Gluttons (2)
Gu Qingyao took out two bottles of baijiu.
Elder Sun and Elder Zhou prefered baijiu, but Elder Yang was different. He was looking forward to something else, “Hehehe, girl, you said there will be whisky or wine. Take it out for me! I prepared something good for you.”
Gu Qingyao’s lips twitched, “Grandpa Yang, you really love whisky and wine?”
Elder Yang said miserably, “I spent a few years overseas when I was young, and I fell in love with whisky and wine. I really love that.
“I could still get some when my family was wealthy. Look at the current situation. I have no chance to get them anymore.”
Gu Qingyao took out a bottle of wine from her basket. She remembered that Elder Yang mentioned he loved it.
He did not even care about the mutton soup anymore when he saw the wine. He immediately reached out to grab it.
Gu Qingyao raised her brows and dodged.
Elder Yang panicked, “Girl, let me take a sip!”
Gu Qingyao smiled, “Grandpa Yang, this is top-grade wine. It’s rare to get it.”
The meaning behind her sentence was obvious…
Elder Yang’s lips twitched. She really was a miser!
He took a glimpse at the rest and ran over to take out an old box below the bed. He then opened the box and took out an ancient painting.
“Take it!” He handed over it to Gu Qingyao.
Gu Qingyao was excited when she saw the box. The things he possessed were top-grade!
She got two ancient paintings from the same box earlier on. One of them could be sold at six hundred billion yuan in Hong Kong in the nineties.
Hong Kong in the nineties!
Six hundred billion yuan!
Gu Qingyao looked at the painting in front of her. Her eyes sparkled. She was going to be rich!
She rolled out the painting. Apparently, it was another famous painting!
It would be worth hundreds of billions in the future.
Gu Qingyao smiled, “Grandpa Yang, you’re really discerning. All the items you’ve collected are top-grade!”
Elder Yang’s lips twitched. Her attitude really changed fast.
“Give the wine to me!”
He immediately grabbed the wine from Gu Qingyao’s hands. He then opened it to satisfy his craving.
The three of them began eating and drinking.
The things Elder Sun and Elder Zhou gave were also precious items. But they did not give more to her for this meal. Gu Qingyao brought many desserts and snacks. They placed orders for the next meal and asked Gu Qingyao to bring cooked food.
Gu Qingyao left in delight with the treasures on hand.
She really needed to please them. They really possessed all kinds of treasures.
After Gu Qingyao reached home, she took out the items she got from the elderly and examined them carefully. She must cook more food to please them in exchange for more treasures.
They were really generous, and Gu Qingyao could not help but want more.
She was exchanging stuff that would be worth tens and hundreds of billions with one meal.
It felt really good!
Hahaha!
Jiang Yiru and Old Master Qin’s life and work were going smoothly. They were not very old and they usually ate at the clinic’s canteen. It was not often for them to eat at home.
They could manage their life now even if Gu Qingyao was not around.
Chapter 573: All of Them Were Gluttons (3)
Both elderly’s work was going smoothly. They were more energetic after their social status changed.
The weather was getting colder gradually. Gu Qingyao had been staying in the capital for one month.
It would be Chinese New Year in two months’ time.
Was it time for her to head back home?
She would take half a month to travel. There would not be much time left for Chinese New Year after she reached home.
Time really flew.
She was going to turn eighteen next year.
Gu Qingyao looked at the letter in her hand and smiled.
Mo Beihan wrote in the letter to ask her when she was going to head back. He emphasised many times in the letter that he missed her.
He definitely wanted her to head home as early as possible to prepare for the wedding next year. He had been waiting for that day all this time.
Gu Qingyao had no reason to hesitate. She was going to be eighteen and also looked forward to marrying Mo Beihan. She had no reason not to go back when Chinese New Year was approaching.
Her teacher’s job was stable now. They were respected by others for their skills. With Mo Beihan’s presence, the Mo family would definitely take care of her teacher secretly.
Gu Qingyao decided to head back home and started to pack her luggage.
But she was not going to rush in one or two days. She needed to bid farewell to some of her old friends.
She definitely needed to tell the three elderly from the black market. The three gluttons would be depressed once she left.
Then it would be Grandma Mo.
She always came over to find her. She would use all kinds of reasons to visit her frequently, but all her excuses were very unconvincing.
First, Gu Qingyao went to find the three elderly in the black market. She packed all the cooked food and went over at night.
The three of them all needed to work during the day, and there were too many people in the day. Gu Qingyao usually went over at night and brought them dinner.
She still went to Elder Yang’s family. He seemed to be the leader among the three.
He was the one with the highest social status in the past. His family was very wealthy, and he had many connections.
Though his family, wealth and social status were gone, and he needed to clean the toilet here, his connections were still present.
That was the reason why he was safe over the years. Though his living condition was poor and he had to clean the toilet, he was not disturbed by others over the years. It was rare that someone would come and find him trouble.
He lived peacefully with the help of the black market. He exchanged for food and drinks with his treasures.
It was difficult to live such a life for him.
He was a landlord and a capitalist in the past. He even went overseas. In other people’s opinion, he was an extremely terrible person.
All the three elderly had some connections. They had helped each other all these years and survived till today. All of them were very cunning.
When Gu Qingyao arrived, the three of them were together. But they did not seem to be very happy.
She could tell the rage from Elder Yang’s face.
Gu Qingyao was stunned, “Grandpa Yang, what happened?”
Did something happen to them?
Elder Yang took a glimpse at his house and pursed his lips.
Gu Qingyao looked towards the old house and a head peeked out. It was another elderly. He was skinny and was not as tall and strong as the other three.
That’s right, tall and strong.
Relatively.
But this elderly looked very educated. He appeared to be weak, but she could tell the difference between him and the other three elderly.
But the way he looked at his basket was the same as the rest.
When Gu Qingyao looked over, he smiled at her, trying to please her.
Gu Qingyao: “…”
Chapter 574: All of Them Were Gluttons (4)
Gu Qingyao looked towards Elder Yang and asked, “Grandpa Yang, who is this grandpa?”
Elder Yang stared at her and said, “I told you before, just call me Elder Yang, not Grandpa Yang. Don’t be so polite!”
Gu Qingyao: “…”
She felt innocent.
Elderly at this age usually wanted to be respected by young people, right?
But the ones she met all prefer others, no matter what age, to address them as elderly.
Elder Yang did not argue with Gu Qingyao on how to address him. He had asked everyone to call him Elder Yang and was used to it. It was good to keep a low profile now.
It was good for him to be self-deprecating.
Elder Yang looked at his house and said, “That old bastard is someone we know, but he’s more like an enemy to us. He knew that we met you recently and are living a good life. Now he’s shamelessly here to ask for food.”
Gu Qingyao’s lips twitched.
Enemy? They could allow their energy to get food from them?
What a weird relationship!
Gu Qingyao did not bother with the relationship between them and walked into the house with her basket. The skinny elderly stared straight at her basket. He sniffed when she walked past.
Gu Qingyao: “…”
He must be a glutton as well!
Gu Qingyao prepared many dishes as she was here to say farewell.
There were chicken soup, braised fish, sweet and sour pork, spicy stir-fried chicken.
Additionally, there was yam with fungus and peanuts for the drinkers.
The three elderly smiled in joy when they saw the food.
The new elderly’s saliva was about to drip from his mouth. He almost cried when he saw the table of delicious food.
He was about to pick up the chopsticks to get the food when he was stopped by the rest.
“Go away! The food is ours! Ours! Don’t you dare to take the food!”
“What an old bastard. You took away our wives, and you still want to take our food now? Go away!”
The elderly’s expression changed when he heard that.
“Who took away your wives? You’re the ones who coveted my wife. How dare you still mention that!”
He was angry and aggrieved!
“How shameless you are. I treated all of you as my brothers, and we grew up together. How dare you covet my wife! I will not forget about that in my life. And now you want to keep all the good food for yourselves?”
Gu Qingyao: “…”
What a messy relationship!
She did not bother with the few weird elderly as she took out more stuff from her basket. There was a box of homemade cake that had two flavors.
She also had dried fruits, dried beef and sunflower seeds. All these were prepared for Elder Sun, who liked the desserts and Elder Zhou, who liked snacks.
At last, there were two bottles of wine.
They were all rare.
Elder Yang loved wine, and she could only take one out here. She also brought a bottle of baijiu for them to drink tonight. She did not bring more bottles for them to store.
They had plenty of treasures in hand that could be exchanged for baijiu in the black market. Baijiu was common in the black market.
He was angry and aggrieved!
“How shameless you are. I treated all of you as my brothers, and we grew up together. How dare you covet my wife! I will not forget about that in my life. And now you want to keep all the good food for yourselves?”
Gu Qingyao: “…”
What a messy relationship!
She did not bother with the few weird elderly as she took out more stuff from her basket. There was a box of homemade cake that had two flavors.
She also had dried fruits, dried beef and sunflower seeds. All these were prepared for Elder Sun, who liked the desserts and Elder Zhou, who liked snacks.
At last, there were two bottles of wine.
They were all rare.
Elder Yang loved wine, and she could only take one out here. She also brought a bottle of baijiu for them to drink tonight. She did not bring more bottles for them to store.
They had plenty of treasures in hand that could be exchanged for baijiu in the black market. Baijiu was common in the black market.
Gu Qingyao smiled and said, “Grandpa, I’m here to say goodbye. I’m going to return to my hometown soon. I brought a lot of food for you today.”
The moment she finished her words, the house was quiet. They all looked at her instantly. They looked aggrieved, as though she had just abandoned them.
Chapter 575: Heading Back Home (1)
Gu Qingyao was amused by them, “I have no choice. I wasn’t born in the capital, and I definitely need to go back to my hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year, right? My hometown is very far from here. It will take me half a month on the train. Then it will be the new year soon after I reach home.”
All of the elderly there were not willing to let her go, “Please don’t leave. We just got back to our original life. What are we going to eat after you leave?”
Oh my!
They had been used to eating all the delicious food from her. How painful it would be to go back to eating the food they cooked themselves.
They took years to get used to their new life after their families had fallen.
They wanted to live!
At least they were still alive!
Gu Qingyao smiled, “I’m not leaving immediately. I will still be here for a few days. I will come over every day and bring something for you to store. You will definitely have enough food for Chinese New Year.”
But the few elderly were still not pleased.
How would they be satisfied with stored food?
They could only store some grain and meat. How could they be more delicious than readily-made food?
Furthermore, would she still come back after she returned to her hometown?
What were they going to do without her?
“Please don’t leave. Isn’t the capital a good place? Just spend the new year here since you’re living here now. We still have many treasures in hand. You can come and visit us during the Chinese New Year. We will give you many presents!”
Elder Yang winked; his insinuation was obvious.
Gu Qingyao twitched her lips. They were trying to seduce her with money?
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, “Grandpa Yang, I really need to go back. I never planned on staying long in the capital anyway. I was just here to accompany my teacher to her job. Now they have a stable job and do not need me to take care of them all the time. I have not gone back to my hometown for a very long time. I need to visit my grandparents and my father for Chinese New Year.”
Elder Sun stared at the desserts. They could store grains, but what about his favorite desserts?
They could not let the girl leave!
“Girl, why do you want to leave the capital? You’re such a pretty girl. Find a guy to marry here, all right? I can introduce you to a good man!”
Elder Yang’s eyes brightened and added, “That’s right. It’s so tiring for you to travel back. How can your hometown be better than the capital? Do you want to stay there and farm for the rest of your life? It’s going to be so tiring!
“Just stay here. We’ll introduce you to good men. You will then be able to stay here forever. You can find a job and get your own income.”
Actually, they had not seen Gu Qingyao’s true appearance till now.
Gu Qingyao stopped covering her face in front of them or put up any disguise. She was really pretty.
But Elder Yang was very discerning. He could still tell that Gu Qingyao did something to her face that felt different.
He was very sure that the girl hid her real appearance but just not that obvious.
Gu Qingyao did something to cover up her appearance but nothing major. She put on some makeup to cover up the outlines of her face which appeared to be different.
She was not as fair as before, and less beautiful. She appeared to be a decent young girl.
But her appearance was still prettier than many others. That was the reason why Elder Yang said she was pretty.
Gu Qingyao needed to be more cautious in the capital, especially in the black market. There were many capable people hidden inside the market.