Shen Qing thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pick two more from the village and put them in the shop with the kids. They can keep each other in check to prevent any of them from being disobedient."

In fact, according to the distance, the choice should be Lian Shi from Aunt Lian Er's family, or Zhao Shitou from Aunt Guixiang's family. However, Shen Qing also felt that it was also good to let the villagers compete based on their abilities. First, Lian Shi and Zhao Shitou were both honest and might not be able to do business well. Second, in order to get this position to work in the county town, wouldn't the villagers have to respect their own family?

With a "noble man" as a cover, he was not afraid of being unable to suppress them. Although some people were shouting and yelling in the village, they would be so eager to keep their tails between their legs if they ran into a city person outside the village. Shen Qing only needed to pretend to be the noble man's lackey, and when necessary, he could use the noble man's name as a shield.

Shen Qing had a good plan, and on the other side, Aunt Guixiang was also talking about this at home. She has always been tight-lipped, and didn't tell her son and daughter-in-law. She only revealed the truth to her husband after getting into bed: "...It is said that the nobleman has been persuaded by Qing Ge'er and is willing to open a workshop in our village. They will directly collect the finished products, and our village doesn't have to worry about it. I asked you to choose a larger piece of land, and we can start construction next year. It would be best if the workshop is close to the main road, so that it will be convenient to transport things in the future. The nobleman will pay for the land, and he will also hire people in our village to build a house, which is another income."

"What, you really said that?" Zhao Youdang was also excited. As a village chief, who doesn't want his village to get better and better? Because his village is a little poorer, he is an inch shorter than the village chief of Shiqu Village when he walks outside. If this workshop can be opened, the village will be rich, and he can stand tall in the township: "Qingge'er, since you have already got the approval of the nobleman, why are you still saying in front of those people that this matter is not yet confirmed? It whets everyone's appetite."

"Chunlei told me this herself, how could it be false?" Aunt Guixiang snorted twice, and now she came to her senses: "Why? I think Qingge'er is trying to take advantage of the villagers. The benefits came too easily, so he doesn't cherish them, and doesn't know how to be grateful! You don't know how many people in the village have been saying sour things about Qingge'er since he made money from selling wild boars. Today, someone even said that the nobleman bought the mountain, and Qingge'er will have to wait and see where he can chop wood in the future. Why should we be nice to a person like that?"

"It's not as serious as you say. We are from the same village. He is just a bit of a nag, but he has no bad intentions." Zhao Youdang laughed. He is actually a soft-hearted person. He doesn't like to magnify conflicts and likes to smooth things over. It was because of this that the old village chief decided to marry Aunt Guixiang to him. The two complement each other. Otherwise, with his temper, he can't be controlled in the village!

Aunt Guixiang would not tolerate any sand in her eyes. She stood up suddenly, and half of the heat in the quilt was released. Zhao Youdang quickly pressed her down again: "Oh, oh, I shouldn't have said that. Don't be so impatient!"

"That's good to know!" Aunt Guixiang glared at her husband with dissatisfaction: "Qing'er is a good boy with a conscience, and his mother is also an honest person. We are nice to them, so they speak to me from the heart. They also said that they will let our family help manage this workshop in the future - Qing'er respects you as the village chief, which is better than those gossipers in the village! I've also made it clear in advance that after the workshop is opened, you should stop using your tricks and make trouble every day. This workshop is not the property of our village. It was obtained because a nobleman took a fancy to Qing'er, so you must keep your word!"

"Okay, okay, I promise you." The village chief lay on the hot kang. Maybe he had added a bunch of firewood before going to bed. He felt his back burning. He thought about what his wife said. Opening a workshop would definitely be a good thing for the village, but why did he always feel that the situation in the village was about to change?

And, "This Dongshan was bought by a nobleman from somewhere, and Qingge'er met a nobleman from another place. Where do you think so many nobles come from?"

The next day was New Year's Eve. Shen Qing got up early to post couplets. These couplets were bought from Shiqu Village. Every year, the two scholars in Shiqu Village would write a lot of couplets and sell them cheaply to people in their own village. If people from other villages came to buy, they would add a penny, which was not expensive. Even the poorest families would spend these few pennies to add joy to their homes and drive away the Nian monster. The two scholars could also earn some money from writing.

Shen Qing's family bought two couplets, one to post on the courtyard gate and the other to post on the main door, and also bought several "Fu" characters.

Miao cooked a small pot of paste, and Shen Qing scraped the paste with his fingers while pasting the couplets. This was a habit of his: the paste was made with white flour, and when he was at the old Shen's house, it was considered a good thing for Shen Qing, so he had to take this opportunity to sneak a bite.

It tastes cold, sticky and tasteless in the mouth.

Before they knew it, they had been away from Old Shen's home for nearly half a year. The hard days they had spent at Old Shen's home seemed like something from their previous life, and seemed distant when they recalled them.

Shen Qing put his hands on his waist and looked at the couplet on the gate: "When the time comes... um... prosperity, four seasons... um, all your wishes will come true! Not bad, you can recognize so many words!" Shen Qing was very satisfied with himself!

The village was usually very lively at the end of the year, but on New Year's Eve, Shen Qing's house was a little deserted. The main reason was that everyone was busy with their own family affairs, and Shen Qing and his mother didn't want to visit other people's houses on this day.

Just like the Miao family, they can celebrate other festivals together, but the Chinese New Year is different. How can they celebrate the Chinese New Year at someone else's house? Another thing is that there is a saying in the village that married women cannot celebrate the Chinese New Year at their parents' home. Although they don't know why, their ancestors have done this for generations, and the Miao family doesn't want to break this rule and make things difficult for their brothers.

Miao didn't prepare much for the New Year's Eve dinner: she was going to live with the Miao family on the second day of the New Year, so would she take the leftover food with her? That wouldn't be nice! She simply cooked a chicken and a fish, and mixed lotus root with black fungus to suit the occasion, which was enough for the mother and her daughter. This year, she had eaten too much fried meat and felt sick of it, but the lotus root was refreshing and appealing.

"Who would have thought that nowadays, people don't even like to eat meat and vegetables." Miao sighed, and felt that her family was too quiet because there were few people. She envied those families who were living together in a lively atmosphere with their children and grandchildren around. She couldn't help but glance at Shen Qing twice: Lian Qiao from Second Aunt's family was already one year old, and Aunt Guixiang's eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant. When was Qing Ge'er going to get married so that she could also have a grandson?

Shen Qing didn't know what Miao was thinking, and was fiddling with a string of firecrackers. It was customary in the village to set off firecrackers at midnight to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. But only boys could set off firecrackers, and boys and girls were not allowed to touch them. When Shen Qing was young, he thought that boys and girls were timid and didn't like to play with the loud ones, but later he realized that this was just like a married woman not being able to stay at her parents' home on New Year's Day. It was a rule that was hard to explain.

If a family doesn't give birth to a boy, they will be ridiculed as "there's not even anyone to set off firecrackers during the New Year" and "there won't even be anyone to smash pots and banners in the future."

Even if the child was just born in a family like that, they would be taken out to let them set off firecrackers. Even if the child was scared and cried loudly, they would still let him hold the firecracker stem!

Shen Qing took a watch from there to look at it. He had learned to read the hands now. At twelve o'clock, he set off the firecrackers earlier and more punctually than anyone else: the first firecrackers that the mother and daughter had set off when they came out to celebrate, and the first firecrackers that he, as a brother, could set off!

But it was only deserted on New Year's Eve. On the first day of the new year, the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain became lively again. The children in the village went from house to house to wish each other a happy new year, saying auspicious words without paying. Miao was a person who liked children. Seeing the group of little kids smiling from ear to ear, she took out the melon seeds and peanuts from home, as well as the cakes and candies bought by Shen Qing, and filled everyone's pockets.

He also secretly stuffed a handful of copper coins into the pockets of Lian Rong and Lian Qiao: This is the New Year's money given only to children from relatives, and not to other children who come to pay New Year's greetings. It is considered very generous to give them some cakes and candies.

With delicious food to tempt them, more children were willing to go to the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain to play. In the afternoon, when all the family affairs were done, many parents of the children came to visit Shen Qing's house: they also wanted to inquire about the workshop.

Miao and Shen Qing both wore brand new clothes today. They bought the fabrics at the market in Miaoqian Village and made them before the New Year. There were few people in the family, so Miao made these two sets of clothes very carefully. She also chose curtain fabrics of similar colors and cut thin strips for the piping. Needless to say, Miao really loves this curtain fabric now. It is better than the silk and satin sold in the county: those silk and satin look beautiful when they are brand new, but they collapse and the colors fade after two or three times of water. On the contrary, the curtains brought by Shen Qing are dyed firmly and durable!

The villagers looked at the mother and son who had changed their appearance and suddenly felt a little dazed: Since when did Shen Qing and Miao start to look like rich people?

The black and shiny hair, the white and smooth skin. Miao also wrapped a brightly colored scarf on her head and pinned two wooden hairpins with carved patterns on them: In fact, Shen Qing had so many jewels, but Miao didn't dare to bring them out, so she chose the simplest one.

Even so, it was like a complete transformation compared to the past! Many people felt a little uncomfortable watching it, but when they thought of the news about the workshop, they had to force a smile and went up to compliment it.

Miao didn't tell these people much, just saying that Shen Qing went to the city in two days to know the result. No matter how anxious the villagers were, they could only support Miao at this time.

But Miao didn't like this atmosphere. She wasn't a smooth talker. It was fun to chat and laugh with her sisters, but she felt uncomfortable facing a room full of people who were trying to please her. Fortunately, the next day was the second day of the Chinese New Year, the day when married women returned home, so the mother and son packed their bags and went to Shiqu Village.

After arriving in Shiqu Village, I felt that the festive atmosphere of the New Year had faded a little. Shen Qing was a little curious. He had just taken out the gifts for several close families and was about to go door to door to deliver them, but Liu Yue'e stopped him and said, "Don't go to Miao Xiucai's house. His daughter-in-law died on the morning of the 30th."