Chapter 282: Marriage Proposal
One or two days would be normal, but after all this time, was there really not a single day where he earned more than Sanlang?
Mrs. Chen didn’t believe it.
’This son of mine has quite a few tricks up his sleeve.’
Gu Fei, unaware of her mother’s thoughts, smiled at Er Lang. "Second Brother, don’t be in such a hurry. How about this: from now on, spend your mornings buying produce, marinating the meat, and putting it on skewers. Don’t start selling until it’s almost noon."
"No one’s eating this kind of food first thing in the morning anyway."
"I still have some bamboo skewers you can use for now. Later, you’ll need to find someone to order them from yourself. I can tell you where to go, but you’ll have to place the order."
"Also, for buying meat and produce, it’s best to establish a fixed arrangement with a few vendors. Since you’re buying a lot every day, you should be able to negotiate a better price. There are a lot of tricks to doing business; you’ll have to figure them out as you go."
’If I do everything for him, I’d actually be doing him a disservice. Second Brother is an adult now; it’s time for him to take on his own responsibilities.’
Just then, Mrs. Chen pulled Gu Fei back, and the two of them fell behind the others. Mrs. Chen whispered, "I was thinking, since Lan Zhi has agreed, we should finalize things quickly to avoid any unexpected complications."
"I’ll ask someone to go to your place tomorrow to formally propose the marriage on his behalf. What do you think?"
Gu Fei beamed. "Of course, that’s great."
"Who are you planning to ask to be the matchmaker?"
Mrs. Chen said, "I’ve already thought of someone. I’ll ask Liu Zhuangtou’s wife. She sometimes works as a matchmaker."
"That’s a great idea," Gu Fei nodded. "By the way, have you told Second Brother?"
Mrs. Chen glanced at Gu Erlang walking ahead of them. "I can’t be bothered to tell him. I’m afraid he’d be so overjoyed he wouldn’t know what to do with himself."
She paused. "It’s best to wait until after Lan Zhi has accepted the betrothal gifts."
Gu Fei had no objection.
The next morning, Gu Fei rode into the city with Gu Erlang, getting an early start.
Gu Fei had to bite her tongue the entire way, forcing herself not to tell her second brother the news.
When they arrived at the shop, Sanlang had already opened the doors. Lan Zhi was sitting at the counter.
Gu Erlang gave Lan Zhi a goofy grin before rushing off to the market to buy supplies. On their way, Gu Fei had given him a detailed list of what could be used for barbecue.
Once Gu Erlang was gone, Gu Fei stepped behind the counter and said softly to Lan Zhi, "My mother is sending someone today to formally propose marriage and arrange your engagement to my second brother. If you’re not willing, you can tell me right now and it’ll be fine."
Lan Zhi’s face instantly flushed red, and she turned her head away without a word.
Gu Fei gently turned her face back. "Since you don’t have your parents here, I have to be the one to talk to you about this. You can’t be this shy. When the matchmaker arrives in a little while, you’re the one who has to nod and agree."
Lan Zhi’s face was bright red. "I... I never said I was unwilling! I told you last time."
Gu Fei chuckled. "I was just worried you might have changed your mind."
"Alright, after today, I’ll have to start calling you Second Sister-in-law."
"HAHAHAHA—"
Lan Zhi was mortified. She gave Gu Fei a light punch and ran off into the back courtyard.
By the Si hour, Liu Zhuangtou’s wife, Aunt Chen, arrived as expected.
The moment she walked in, she smiled at Gu Fei. "Well now, this shop is quite impressive! It’s my first time here."
Gu Fei smiled, rising to greet her. "Thank you for coming all this way."
"She’s in the back courtyard. I’ll take you to her."
The two of them walked to the room where Lan Zhi lived and knocked. Aunt Chen entered with a smile, saying, "I’ve come to congratulate Miss Lan Zhi!"
Lan Zhi’s face was bright red, but she managed to suppress her shyness and give Aunt Chen a proper curtsy.
Even though everyone knew what this was about, Aunt Chen still followed the proper procedure. She launched into a long speech, praising Er Lang to the high heavens.
Gu Fei, listening from the side, started to feel a little embarrassed. ’Is my second brother really that amazing?’