Traveling to ancient times with a sign-in system

Chapter 139 This is a mountain of gold and silver
Gu Tang held the "four-leaf clover" in his little hand and looked at it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became.

Holding the small leaves, they are carefully placed next to the stove to dry. The thin "leaves" are soon baked into a slightly dry state by the fire.

Gu Tang estimated that it should be able to be ignited, so he took out a lighter and tried to light the "four-leaf clover".

The dark blue flame continued to burn the "four-leaf clover". Perhaps it was not dry enough, and the flame burned on the "leaves" for a long time before igniting it.

The incense that is about to be lit has very little fragrance, which just floats around.

When the thin fragrant mist gradually becomes thicker and whiter, after a few breaths, it begins to fall down like a waterfall, just like a wisp of white gauze hanging down, which is very pleasing to the eye.

Gu Tang stretched out his hand and moved it around, breaking up the fragrant mist that was falling vertically.

Looking at the spreading fragrant mist, her eyes were burning, her brows were smiling, and she stood up and ran out to call her father Gu Lianshan.

Gu Lianshan was about to come back from outside. After waking up his eldest son, he went to Li's house, took out ten copper coins, and asked Li Shunzi to drive an ox cart to take Gu Laian to Fengjiazhuang.

The Li family was blinded by the money and did not even ask the reason. They happily accepted the copper coins and said that they would let Li Shunzi drive the car to the Gu family later.

Just as he entered the yard, he saw Gu Tang knocking on his door.

"Dad is here." Gu Lianshan called out to the west wing, quickened his pace back to the west wing, and asked Gu Tang with a look of surprise: "Dad told you to get up early, but he didn't ask you to get up this early. It's almost dawn now."

"I woke up when I heard you call me 'Big Brother'. If I don't get up and continue sleeping, I'm afraid I'll oversleep, so I might as well get up and not sleep."

Gu Tang smiled and tugged at her father's clothes, pushing him into her room: "Let me show you something rare!"

"Rare things? What rare things can you have so early in the morning?" Gu Lianshan was very puzzled. Where could the rare things come from so early in the morning?

Gu Tang said nothing, just pushed her into the house and pointed towards the stove, asking her father to come over and take a look.

Looking in the direction his daughter pointed, Gu Lianshan froze instantly.

What the hell is this!!!
Why does the smoke from burning float downwards?!

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, thinking he had seen a ghost so early in the morning!
But no matter how he rubbed his eyes until they turned red, it was of no use. The smoke from that thing was indeed floating downwards!
"Girl, girl!" Gu Lianshan, terrified, called out to Gu Tang with his neck stiff. He pointed his thumb at the four-leaf clover incense and said in a trembling voice, "What are you burning? Why is the smoke floating down?"

"Fragrant! Didn't you smell the incense I made? My room is filled with the scent of sandalwood."

Gu Tang took a deep sniff. The main spice of the Four-Leaf Clover Backflow Incense was sandalwood, which was a reward from the system. The smell was better than what she bought at the spice shop.

It smells particularly fragrant, rich, mellow and round.

Gu Lianshan also imitated his daughter and took a few deep sniffs. Sure enough, a fragrance he had never smelled before penetrated his nose and permeated his lungs.

Looking at the burning incense, he came closer to examine it carefully. It looked strange, like both a leaf and a flower, but not like incense!

Whose incense looks like this?!

The key point is that the burning incense mist is floating downwards?!
Gu Lianshan suddenly remembered that when he came back yesterday, his daughter was holding a flower and said that it was fragrant...

He turned to look at his daughter and asked with difficulty, "Is this... the incense you were talking about yesterday?"

"Yes, that's the fragrance I was talking about yesterday. Yesterday it was a flower, and today it's a 'four-leaf clover', um... it's grass with four leaves! Although the forms are different, they're essentially the same fragrance."

Gu Tang took out the flower that had been burned a little yesterday, lit it on the oil lamp, and then placed it next to the four-leaf clover. Soon, a new waterfall of smoke floated down from above.

Gu Lianshan stared with his eyes wide open!
This scene was truly shocking to him.

In his opinion, water flows to the lowest place and smoke goes to the highest place. But now, the water still flows to the lowest place, but the smoke also goes to the lowest place!

"This incense was made by me, so I gave it a nice name, 'Backflow Incense'. Dad, do you think it sounds nice?" Gu Tang was shamelessly flattering himself.

Gu Lianshan was still in shock from the overturning of his ideas. He nodded subconsciously when he heard Gu Tang's words, his eyes still staring blankly at Xiang Wu.

"Don't just nod." Gu Tang tugged at her father's sleeve, "Why don't you say something?"

After being pulled, Gu Lianshan finally came to his senses. The expression on his face was hard to describe: "Did your master pass this incense on to you?"

Gu Tang paused, then started to talk nonsense: "This incense was indeed given to me by my master, but when he passed it to me, it was no different from other incense. After it was lit, the incense mist floated upwards.

Later, when I was collecting herbs in the mountains, I dug up some herbs that can repel insects, and I thought of adding them into the recipe to use as an insect repellent.

But you also know that it’s not convenient in the mountains. When I made incense, I didn’t follow the master’s instructions. I just made it according to my own preferences. I didn’t expect that I would accidentally make this kind of incense with reversed smoke…”

Hearing this, Gu Lianshan was not delighted, but rather unconvinced: "Did you come up with this on your own?"

Gu Tang's expression remained calm as she rolled her eyes at her father. "What do you think? If I didn't come up with this on my own, was it something my master passed down to me? My master wasn't rich when he was alive. If he had this skill, he could either sell his family or teach it to others. With just these two options, who wouldn't have made a killing? Why would he end up alone in this village?"

Gu Lianshan breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, this incense is absolutely unprecedented and will never be surpassed! No matter who it is, anyone who has this skill will not pass it on to outsiders.

As long as you master this skill, you will live a rich and powerful life, with servants at your command!
Besides, my daughter's master has a distant nephew, but he broke his leg early in life and can no longer make a living collecting herbs. If he really had the skill to make incense, he would definitely pass it on to his nephew, not my daughter.

By this calculation, it is very likely that this incense was invented by his daughter!
After taking another look at the fragrance in front of him, Gu Lianshan's mood changed.

This is not incense, this is a mountain of gold and silver!
There's no need to bother looking for buyers for this incense. Just sell it to the scholars in Bei'an City! They'll buy as many as you have!

Gu Lianshan had also studied for a few years and had dealt with scholars and teachers. He didn't dare to say anything else, but he knew that the scholars in the Bei'an City area loved to imitate those students in the south and pretend to be cultured.

Learn from the students in the south to hold poetry gatherings, learn from the students in the south to grow and appreciate flowers, learn from the students in the south to taste tea and enjoy incense.

As long as it comes from the south, it must be good!
There is no other reason, it is just that Bei'an City is located on the northern border, with vast land and poor resources. Although the literary style is prosperous, it is not strong. The south is where literati gather. Many famous people come from the south. Even the top three places in each session have always been occupied by students from the south.

In this case, how can we not let the students in Bei'an City respect the students in the south?

Therefore, as soon as this incense appears in the world, they don’t need to advertise it everywhere, the scholars in Bei’an City will buy it all!
Thinking of this, Gu Lianshan changed his expression and smiled at Gu Tang with a flattering look: "My daughter is really smart and clever! There are countless masters of incense making in the world, but no one can figure out this method! It shows that those who make incense are not serious and cannot compare to my daughter's wisdom and intelligence..."

Gu Tang got goosebumps all over her body after hearing her father's praise!

If she hadn't been so determined and knew what she was made of, she might have really gotten lost in her father's praise!
She rubbed her arms and asked her father with an uneasy look on her face, "Where did you hear all these sour words? You keep saying one thing after another. If you don't know me, you'd be mistaken for a serious scholar!"

"Dad has received some education after all, so he can still say a few words to praise others." Gu Lianshan circled around the incense sticks, laughing so hard that his teeth were showing.

Gu Tang raised his eyebrows: "How is it? Can this incense be sold?"

"It's sold! It's sold!" Gu Lianshan slapped his thigh with joy.

He came close to Gu Tang and told her in detail what he had just thought. Finally, he asked her opinion: "Is this plan okay with you, Dad?"

Gu Tang pondered for a while and decided that starting with the scholars was indeed the best approach.

Scholars are the best group of people they can currently come into contact with. After all, most people who can afford to read are not from poor families, and the majority are rich.

The richer you are, the more you can spend money. When it comes to pretending to be cultured, everyone is willing to spend money!

Just like they take care of their family and support two scholars, they complain about the hardship every day, but they still need money to support the studies of the father and son of the eldest wife every year.

Poetry gatherings, flower appreciation, tea tasting, and aromatherapy—though the Gu family couldn't afford them, Gu Liansheng constantly used his connections to get into these gatherings, spending several taels of silver every year on these events alone. Of course, there were some scholars whose lives were truly hard, but they were a minority and didn't have the energy to pursue pretentious pursuits.

"Okay! Let's do as you say. Now, we just have to wait for the family to be divided. As soon as the family is divided, we will start working!" Gu Tang made the final decision.

After getting his daughter's affirmation, Gu Lianshan was full of energy. While asking his daughter to put out the incense, he walked out to see if his eldest son had gotten up. He quickly brought the Feng family over and must not delay his way of dividing the family and making a fortune!
Gu Laian was about to yawn. Gu Lianshan was in a good mood at the moment and looked at him with a rare smile on his face.

Just these few glances made Gu Laian shudder all over, his sleepiness disappeared instantly, and he immediately became alert.

He hadn't seen his father smile at him for a long time. Now when he suddenly saw his father smiling at him, his whole body went numb. He subconsciously wondered if he had offended his father again, so he laughed in anger and was ready to beat himself up!
The more Gu Laian thought about it, the more frightened he became. At this time, Li Shunzi drove over in a ox cart.

"Brother Lianshan! Where's my nephew? Hurry and get him out and in the car. It's not close to Fengjiazhuang. We have to leave early so we can come back early..."

Hearing Li Shunzi's loud voice, Gu Laian ran out of the yard like a dog without waiting for Gu Lianshan to say anything.

Gu Lianshan also followed.

When he got outside the yard, Gu Laian had already climbed onto the ox cart and sat down nimbly, with his head lowered and not saying a word. He looked as well-behaved as possible.

Gu Lianshan first exchanged a few pleasantries with Li Shunzi, then worriedly reminded his son again: "Do you still remember what I said to you this morning?"

Gu Laian nodded hurriedly and replied: "I remember!"

"Just remember it. When you get to your great uncle's house, tell him everything I told you, word for word, and invite him to come home. Remember, only say what I tell you to say. You are not allowed to say anything else!"

Gu Laian kept nodding his head. No matter what his father said, he didn't dare to turn his face away and ignore him.

Gu Lianshan didn't notice that something was wrong with his son. After giving his instructions, he took a few steps back and told Li Shunzi to leave quickly and come back early.

After the ox cart drove away, Gu Lianshan went back to the house and said something to Gu Tang, then left the yard and went to the village head to look for the clan leader.

Gu Tang put away all the extinguished backflow incense and opened the doors and windows to let the sandalwood scent spread into the room.

But who would have thought that the sandalwood scent produced by the system would be so long-lasting. The fragrance drifted to the corridor and did not dissipate for a long time.

The same was true in the house. As soon as I entered the house, I could smell a very obvious sandalwood scent, which was almost no different from just now.

Gu Ping'an came out of his father's room, stretched, and smelled the fragrance.

He didn't know what the fragrance was, but when he saw that his second sister's doors and windows were open, he hurried over.

Why are all the doors and windows open in this cold winter?

As we approached Gu Tang's house, the fragrance became stronger and stronger.

As soon as he stepped into the house, the fragrance instantly enveloped him. He took a few deep sniffs and felt his whole body relax.

"Second sister! What's that fragrance?"

Gu Tang gave him a funny look and said, "I just lit some incense I made. Does it smell good?"

"Great! Do you have any extra? Order some for Daddy's room, too. It smells just the way I like it!"

Gu Tang disagreed: "The clan leader and the elders are coming home today, so it's better not to do anything that will attract attention. If I hadn't proved to Dad that the incense I made can burn, I wouldn't have lit it now. I'm also afraid of attracting attention. I just opened the doors and windows to let the smell out of the house..."

Gu Ping'an's heart trembled. He almost forgot that the clan leader and elders were coming home today.

He went out to look for him but didn't see his father. He returned to the house and asked Gu Tang, "Is Dad not here?"

"He's not here. He went to the village to look for the chief."

"It's too early!" Gu Ping'an looked surprised. It was almost dawn outside. He couldn't invite the clan leader back right now, right?
"First, invite the clan leader, and then the clan elders. The clan leader and the clan elders must gather and discuss things beforehand. After they've finished their discussion and have eaten, it would be great if they can arrive at our house at 9:00 PM."

Indeed, if you calculate it this way, his father didn't die early.

Gu Tang continued, "Let's cook first. Let's eat early today. After dinner, while no one is here yet, come with me to the village to ask who has a decent dish at home. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it can be served on the table.

As for hiring someone to cook for us, I remember there are a few aunties in the south of the village who cook very well. It's not necessarily delicious, but the food is still top-notch. Let's go and book them early, otherwise they might be away for work and it will be hard to find someone now."

That's the truth. If you want to invite someone, you should go and make the final decision early.

Gu Ping'an came out of Gu Tang's room and walked quickly to the kitchen.

Gu Lai'an was not at home, so Gu Mei didn't have to worry about it. Gu Ping'an only had to cook for three servings of rice. He opened the big vat behind the stove and found that there was only enough rice and flour left for one meal.

He was shocked. He used the rations his second sister brought back to cook last night, and he didn't even open the jar to check. He didn't expect that when he looked today, the jar was almost empty!
No, it's only been a few days, and dozens of kilograms of rice and flour have been completely consumed?!

The day before yesterday, before they went to Bei'an City, there were 30 kilograms of rice and 20 kilograms of wheat flour in this jar. The eldest family, plus the eldest brother, eldest sister and the old man in the main hall, ate up all the 50 kilograms of rice and flour in two days?
Gu Ping'an didn't quite believe it. Thinking about the eldest wife's style, he guessed that the rice and flour were brought into the house secretly.

Last night, no one from the eldest family came to the kitchen to cook. I only saw a window in the east wing open, and faint blue smoke coming out of it. It was obvious that they were cooking on the stove in the house.

Looking at the remaining rice and flour, Gu Ping'an felt relieved for a moment. Fortunately, when he left the day before, his second sister said that she was worried about the eldest wife, so she moved the important oil and salt into the house and hid them.

Look at the situation now. Fortunately, his second sister hid the oil and salt. If they were left in the kitchen with the rice and flour, the same thing would happen. Only enough for one meal would be left in the full jar of oil and salt.

If only one thing was made from this little bit of rice and flour, it might not be enough, so Gu Ping'an simply cooked all of it together, leaving nothing behind.

White rice is used to make porridge, and wheat flour is used to make pancakes.

The skill of making pancakes was told to him by his second sister. He learned it slowly through trial and error, and he makes progress every time he makes it.

The three of them didn't eat much, but Gu Ping'an was quick and efficient, and soon the meal for their second room was ready.

He covered the pot tightly to prevent the porridge from getting cold, then lit the stove and used a clay pot to cook a bowl of porridge for the old man in the main room.

His father said that from now on, the old man would have to eat porridge all the time.

When the porridge was cooked, his father still hadn't come back.

Gu Ping'an wanted to take the porridge to the main room himself.

Just as he was about to scoop out the porridge, Gu Tang suddenly took over the job: "Master must be really angry with our Second House by now. You're not good at talking, so if he scolds you, I guess you wouldn't dare to talk back. It's better for me to go. Master is still a little cautious about me, so even if he wants to get angry, he won't dare to get too angry."

Hearing this, Gu Ping'an's mind flashed through the scene of his grandfather being angry. To be honest, he was a little scared.

"Then be careful, this paste is still hot. If I splash it on you, it will definitely burn you!"

Gu Tang smiled. This was what she was guarding against.

He found a tray, put the porridge on it and carried it to the main room impatiently.

Gu Ping'an was guarding the kitchen. The house was full of thieves. If he didn't keep an eye on one, the rice porridge and pancakes he made would probably disappear!

Gu Tang regretted her decision soon after entering the main hall, especially after she lifted the curtain at the door of the east room. The strong smell of feces and urine hit her in the face, catching her off guard. She quickly stepped back and retched a few times!

Is this room a toilet?!

No! Even the pit toilets in winter don't stink this badly!
Putting down the tray, Gu Tang's face twisted.