The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

"It's just that it's sunny on the winter solstice, but it's raining and snowing on the Spring Festival. If the northern officials don't do anything, then they will really..." At this point, Auntie Liu Guo sighed and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this on the winter solstice. If it's sunny on the winter solstice, then next year will be a year of good harvest, and we won't have such a hard time!"

Guo Xin and others fell silent. Their parents passed away during this famine. They blamed the tax collectors, their uncle, and many other people, but in the end, they didn't know which step led to this tragic situation, or perhaps many factors together pushed their parents to death.

Realizing that she had said the wrong thing, Aunt Liu Guo quickly took a few bites of food and put them into her mouth, then turned to chatting about family matters.

Guo Zhi at the dinner table disappeared at some point.

……

Outside the house, Guo Zhi and Liu Tiezhu stood opposite each other.

"Zhi'er, this is the winter solstice gift I made for you."

Liu Tiezhu took out a small wooden doll, which was a small statue of Guo Zhi.

He had prepared this statue for a long time specially in order to give it to Guo Zhi today. The statue was polished very smoothly without any wood splinters, which showed the meticulousness of the sculptor.

"This... you must have been preparing for a long time, thank you!" Guo Zhi touched the wood carving in her hand, feeling a little moved.

"I, I, didn't prepare for a long time, but if mother doesn't plan to invite you to her house today, I also plan to go to your house and give this to you."

After a pause, he continued, "I heard from my mother that you are going to the capital to study?"

Guo Zhi touched the small statue in her hand, looked up at the thick clouds, and said, "It's not certain yet, but I'm probably going to go."

"Will you forget me then?"

Guo Zhi smiled and turned to look at Liu Tiezhu beside her, saying, "How could I forget? It's not like I won't come back, and you're my best brother Tiezhu. My family was in such a difficult time back then, and it was you who secretly brought me some food from home, so I was able to live well."

……

"Yes, I have recently found a suitable store, but I am still waiting for news from the other partner. If it succeeds, it should be open soon."

Guo Xin couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the village was so well-informed. Less than a day had passed and Aunt Liu Guo knew about it.

"Have you prepared all the miscellaneous items in your wine shop?"

Uncle Liu joined in the fun and said that he didn't want to interfere in the youngster's business, but if they were not ready yet, he could run errands for free. Their family had received a lot of help from Guo Xin's family during this period.

"Not yet. If a partner is willing to open a wine shop with me, we can discuss the details."

Liu Tiezhu happened to be coming back from outside the yard. When he heard this, hope ignited in his heart. If he could go to the county with Sister Guo Xin, even if he was just a helper, he could learn a lot, which was better than staying in the village.

This way, I can be considered to be making progress all the time, and I won't be looked down upon by Guo Zhi in the future. It can be considered that we are making progress together.

"Sister Guo Xin, will your tavern need help in the future? When I went to the county town with my father to help, I saw that there were many waiters in the tavern. If you need, can you see me?"

Guo Xin was a little surprised. She didn't expect Liu Tiezhu to recommend himself.

Liu Tiezhu is also thirteen years old. He is a grown-up boy and a capable laborer in the village.

Looking at him again, he is tall and strong. It is obvious that although this year is a famine, Uncle Liu's family is still doing well. If such a guy goes to the tavern with me, will Uncle Liu and his family agree?

Thinking of this, she looked at Aunt Liu Guo and Uncle Liu.

"The family's land is owned by his three older brothers, your aunt and I, so it should be enough. If Tiezhu wants to go, then go." Uncle Liu said.

"Yes, yes, yes." Aunt Liu Guo agreed. Everyone in the village knew that if they had a relationship with Guo Xin, they might not become rich in the future, but at least they could live without much hardship. Now that an opportunity had been given to them, it was no free job.

Guo Xin looked at Liu Tiezhu carefully again. He was tall among his peers, nimble, and most importantly, kind-hearted. If he hadn't often secretly helped the former Guo family, they would have had a harder life.

Such a person is clever, tactful, and brave enough to recommend himself. He is also a bold person. If he is placed in a tavern and trained well, he will also be a talent.

"If the wine shop is established in the future, I will reserve a position for you. But I have to make it clear in advance that the salary is not much and it is hard work. Where you can go in the future depends on yourself."

Liu Tiezhu was about to kneel down and salute, but was stopped by Guo Xin.

It was unexpected that a farmer like him could work in a tavern. He had gone to the county with his father to help out before, and had also wanted to go to the tavern to help them find a job, but they either did not hire helpers or would not even let him in.

This opportunity is really rare, and he said: "Thank you, Sister Guo Xin. I will work hard in the future and not cause trouble for the wine shop."

Guo Xin smiled but said nothing.

……

The next morning, Guo Xi also joined the team practicing Wing Chun.

A donkey cart drove up and stopped outside the yard. A woman saw three people in the yard who seemed to be practicing some strange boxing. She looked around and didn't see Guo Xin, so she asked, "Hello, is this Guo Xin's home?"

"Yes, who are you?" Guo Zhi asked first.

"I'm from Mrs. Hu's family in the county town. I'm here to discuss something with Miss Guo Xin." The woman spoke slowly, with the demeanor of a wealthy family.

When Guo Ruo heard this, he went to the construction site not far away to find Guo Xin.

Guo Xin was thinking about his new house very much. As he watched the house slowly take shape, he became more and more excited. So he asked them to practice Wing Chun while he went to the construction site to keep an eye on them.

After returning home, Guo Xin entertained the woman and asked, "Is there any new news?"

"Madam asked me to tell the young lady that she agrees to cooperate. This is the contract we have drafted. If you think there is no problem, just sign and seal it." The woman took out a small book made of several sheets of paper from her bosom and handed it to Guo Xin.

After a quarter of an hour, Guo Xin nodded. This contract could be said to have basically retained her control over the tavern.

Mrs. Hu did not interfere in the affairs of the tavern, leaving it entirely to her. She only needed to show the account books to the Hu family every ten days and take 50% of the tavern's profits every month.

At the same time, she can also get channels to purchase goods at low prices, and the wine shop can be rented for free.

However, this contract must be for five years. If she breaches the contract, she will have to pay five times the profit that Mrs. Hu has earned in five years. In this way, she must not breach the contract.

So Mrs. Hu will not suffer any loss at all.

Guo Xin had to admit that this contract was only beneficial to her at the moment, and that Mrs. Hu would take a large sum of money from her in the future. However, under the current circumstances, she had no choice but to sign the contract.

The woman at the side saw Guo Xin's expression clearly. Although the lady was in a hurry to use the money, it was also because she was in a hurry to expand Gu Yue Tower. But if she opened a tavern with this young lady, the money she earned would definitely not be less than that from Gu Yue Tower, so she would not be in a hurry to use the money.

"What do you think, young lady?"