Chapter 3 I Want to Do Good Deeds

  The three siblings also spent two days in anxiety, although they knew this might be an opportunity, but were also worried about the unknown future. The three were led by the servant to Gu Yu's room and were shocked by the furnishings of the room, becoming somewhat flustered.

  Guo Yu asked them to sit down and began to understand their situation. The three siblings, Wu Dazhu, Wu Erzhu, and Wu Xiaoni, were from Cangzhou. The two brothers had been practicing Bajiquan with their father since they were young. Because Bajiquan was not very suitable for girls to practice, Wu Xiaoni practiced swordsmanship instead.

  After their mother's death, their father took the three of them to perform and make a living everywhere. Two years ago, they arrived in Beijing and started performing at Tianqiao. Their father passed away recently. Now the three siblings rely on each other for survival. Dazhu is 22 years old, Erzhu is 19 years old, and Xiaoniuzi is 15 years old.

  "Now that you've decided to follow me, the three of you will stay by my side. Da Zhu and Er Zhu will be my bodyguards, and Xiao Nizi will be my secretary. What's a secretary? It means taking care of my daily life and handling tasks I assign to her, a very capable role." Gu Yu coaxed the little girl with a sentence.

  "You three go and get tailored suits and long coats, Little Girl too. I want them to look elegant and stylish, the kind that shows I'm powerful even when standing behind me. And wear leather shoes on your feet." Guo Yu handed over three 60-yuan notes to the three of them and added, "Get the best ones, if the money's not enough, put down a deposit first and come back for more cash."

  Just as the three were about to leave, Guo Yu stopped them: "Do you know anyone who is very familiar with the streets and has a good head for business? It would be best if they understand antiques and jewelry trading. Don't look for those loafers or scoundrels." Da Zhu thought for a moment before saying: "I actually know someone like that, his name is Chen Yougong. He used to be a package slave of the former General Manager of the Imperial Household Department, Antamu. He's a Han banner and was in charge of some of the general manager's business, mainly pawnshop business. This person has a relatively quick mind, but no evil intentions, and he understands antiques and jewelry. This person is quite suitable."

  "What is he doing now?"

  "The emperor is gone, his master sold the family property and ran to Tianjin, he has no livelihood now, and is working as a peddler in Liulichang." Da Zhu replied.

  "You go and call him over, I have some questions to ask him." Then he called the three of them out. He called a servant to bring a cup of coffee, and himself sat on the balcony reading the newspaper. The news from this era was also very interesting, with all sorts of people and things, laughter and anger, everything was there. Compared to later generations' newspapers, it was much more interesting. You could see reports on the same event but with different views in one newspaper, and in one newspaper, an author would use words to attack another author.

  Bang bang bang, the doorbell rang out. After opening the door, I saw Da Zhu and a man in his forties standing outside. The man was not short, but somewhat dark and thin.

  After entering the house, Guo Yu sat on the sofa, and Da Zhuang stood beside him. Guo Yu asked the man to sit down, but the man said, "Thank you, sir, I won't sit down. You must have something to talk to me about." It was clear that the man was a bit nervous, and Guo Yu didn't press the issue.

  "You're Chen Yougong, I have some business to attend to and I need someone to help me out. I had Da Zhu call you over to see if you're suitable for the job. I heard that at Liuli Factory, you also helped people with their antique business." Guo Yu said slowly as he looked at Chen Yougong.

  "Yes sir, what business is it?" Chen Yougong replied with a slight bow.

  Guo Yu opened a previously prepared box and took out a pair of emerald green jade bracelets, two jade pendants and two Rolex gold watches.

  "Come take a look at these things and give me a market price for them." Guo Yu said, pointing to the several items on the table.

  Chen Yougong walked up and examined each item carefully, and after a long time, he replied: "This pair of bracelets should be able to sell for 4,000 to 5,000 silver coins, the pendants are probably around 100 to 200 silver coins each, and the watch is probably around 400 to 500 silver coins."

  "Tell me why."

  "This jade has been popular among the wealthy since the Qing dynasty. The most sought-after items are bangles, pendants, and necklaces, followed by rings and then brooches. That's why bangles are expensive and brooches are cheaper. This watch is a foreign object, and the pocket watches on the market cost around 100 to 300 or 400 yuan. After all, they're made goods. But this gold watch of yours has an air of luxury, so it should be worth more. That's why I'm offering you 450 silver yuan."

  "Not bad, are you interested in working for me and selling these items?" Guo Yu pointed to the things on the table. "I'll guarantee you one hundred silver coins per month, plus a bonus."

  In this way, Guo Yu recruited another subordinate. This Chen Yougong was indeed a talented person. Guo Yu let him be in charge of selling goods, and Da Zhuang and Er Zhuang were responsible for delivering goods and collecting money. In just five days, they sold out all the goods they brought, including those pearl necklaces. In these few days, Guo Yu earned more than 60,000 silver coins.

  Guo Yu's recent days have been quite comfortable, with a beautiful girl serving him every day, and he is also carefree.

  Now that we have money, what should we do? Spend it! Think of ways to earn merit points. Gather everyone together and discuss the big plan for spending the money.

  "Lao Chen, I'm preparing to relieve the poor, what method do you think is good."

  Several people looked at Guo Yu a few times, and Chen Yougong said, "The old master is kind and righteous. The simple method is to open a porridge shed, and also to provide free medical treatment."

  "Alright, let's get down to business. Old Chen, you're in charge of setting up a few porridge stalls and buying grain. Dazhu, find some helpers to manage the stalls, and we'll distribute mantou, salted vegetables, and thin porridge." Gu Yu instructed.

  "Master, our congee is usually not dried, the cost of sending out mantou is too high." Old Chen said.

  "It's okay, do it this way. In the porridge shed, hang up my portrait for me. Every person who comes must say a sentence or two, such as 'Guo Lao Ye is benevolent and righteous', 'Thank you Guo Lao Ye for offering porridge'... This must be said." After finishing speaking, Guo Yu took out several large color portraits, which he had prepared in modern times over the past few days, specifically for testing doing good deeds.

  His few words left everyone in the room stunned and unsure of how to react.

  "Da Zhu, when you're distributing porridge, pay attention to those vagrant children, from sixteen or seventeen years old to just a few years old. If they're willing, take them in and find a bigger place outside to settle them down. You can also have them help with the porridge distribution on ordinary days. I have big plans for these kids, don't worry about having too many people." Da Zhu nodded in response.

  Guo Yu's porridge shop started with a bang, and the salty vegetable porridge was just at this level in small households in Beijing. It really caused a stir among the common people for a while, and many ordinary people secretly lined up to get some, and they could get it too. In the end, more and more people came.

  Da Zhu also reported this situation to Guo Yu, who was still basking in the pleasure of gaining merit points and didn't care about these minor details. Besides, it's possible that he could earn more merit points. In the end, he gave a sentence: a limit of 20,000 silver coins, stop when spent. In the Republic of China, 20,000 silver coins were not a small amount of money, one silver coin could buy 400-500 steamed buns. Even if you wanted to spend it all, it would take some time.

  In just a few days, Guo Yu collected over 30,000 merit points. With these points, he upgraded his space to level two and strengthened his body to level two. After upgrading, he discovered the rule of upgrading: initially, the space was one meter in diameter, with 1,000 merit points for level one and 10,000 merit points for level two. Now that it has been upgraded to level two, the space is already 100 meters in diameter. The body strengthening also starts at 1,000 points, with 10,000 points for level two. It seems that each upgrade brings a tenfold increase. If this continues until level ten, it will reach a billion levels. Luckily, exchanging merit points for lifespan is fixed: 100 points per day, which means 36,500 points per year. This is relatively cheap, considering that this treasure is mainly used to increase the lifespan of gods. It's scary to think that even gods need to cultivate their powers... Ah, so that little god died after just one cultivation session.

  Endless joy, take two pillars and stroll down the street.

  Chen Yougong and Dazhu have both recruited a few followers to take care of the matters arranged by Guo Yu. Guo Yu is not in too much of a hurry to rush forward, after all, he has plenty of time to slowly enjoy life and plan for the future.