On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the large water mill built with money raised by all the villagers of Liujia Village was cut the ribbon and officially put into use.

The riverside at the foot of the mountain where Qin Yao lived became deserted, and the mill that was always busy in the past suddenly became quiet.

Erlang took the cash box back and counted the copper coins inside. There were eleven copper coins in total.

"No one will come to our water mill anymore."

Erlang patted the weathered cash box on the table with some regret, and collected the last income from the water mill.

Liu Ji also sighed. No matter how small a mosquito leg is, it is still meat. If a little bit adds up, he can earn one hundred and seventy or eighty coins every month.

Dalang listened to the gurgling sound of the waterwheel coming from the village entrance, as well as the cheers of the villagers who were surprised by the large stone mill, and said with satisfaction:

"But our family no longer needs the income from the water mill to survive. It's a good thing that the village has its own mill."

"Besides, if we need to use the mill, we don't have to wait for others to use it. We can use it whenever we want."

The most important point is that Dalang looked at his father who was wasting money and said, "Dad, you don't have to repair the water mill every few days."

As fewer people use it, the rate of damage is slower. It used to need repairs several times a month, but now two or three times a year is enough.

Liu Ji raised his eyebrows and thought that it seemed not bad.

After the fifth day of the Chinese New Year, the weather became warmer day by day, with seven or eight sunny days in a row. The ice and snow melted, and spring had arrived.

The river water became warmer, and Awang packed a large bucket of dirty clothes. He came to the study door and called Liu Ji to go to the river to wash clothes together.

It was still dark at this moment, and there was a layer of gray fog on the horizon. The large group of village women who were doing laundry had not yet gotten up.

By going to the river at this time, the two grown men can avoid being ridiculed.

Although Awang usually doesn't have much emotional ups and downs, he will run away when faced with the teasing and ridicule of the women in Liujia Village.

As a result, the two laundry team reached a tacit understanding and always took action one hour earlier than the main laundry team.

The sheets and quilt covers that you have slept on for a whole winter should be washed and put away to dry in the sun when the weather is warm.

It is not possible to perform it in the yard, so you have to go to the river to perform it.

Liu Ji put down his books, came out of the door, took the bucket of clothes that belonged to Qin Yao and handed to him by Awang, pulled up the collar to cover his nose, and the two of them walked in the dim morning light and sneaked to the river bank.

Awang is strong and is responsible for rinsing the thick sheets and quilts.

Liu Ji was responsible for the light laundry.

Today, the three brothers and sisters of Dalang did not have many dirty clothes, mainly Qin Yao's.

Liu Ji had to wash her clothes, shoes and socks by himself. If Awang dared to help, he would be scolded by the master.

This is also the reason why Awang had to ask his reluctant master to help him with the housework that he could complete by himself.

After staying in the village for a long time, every time Awang went to the well to fetch water, the women in the village would always tease him.

At first, Awang didn't pay attention to these matters between husband and wife. Now, after listening to the advice of women, he also understands that there are some houseworks that are inconvenient for him to do, so he has to leave them to his master.

Liu Ji looked at Awang, who had washed the sheets and quilt covers early and was standing aside with his arms folded, waiting for him in a daze. He hated him in his heart!

Hate yourself for being such a bitch!

The wicked woman abused him a thousand times, but he still had a cold face and washed her underwear by the river!

"Master, they are setting off!" Awang's voice sounded a little nervous.

This shows how much of a shadow the laundry team had left in the hearts of young people.

When Liu Ji heard this, he quickly looked up.

Then they saw a laundry team of young and middle-aged women, led by Mrs. He and Mrs. Zhou, walking towards the river, talking and laughing, carrying buckets in one hand and mallets in the other.

Liu Ji was suddenly shocked. He threw the skirt in his hand into the water and rinsed it twice to remove the soap foam. He wrung it a few times to get rid of most of the water. He threw it into the bucket, picked up the heavy bucket with both hands, and called to Awang: "Retreat!"

"Huh?"

Mrs. Zhou pointed toward the bridge suspiciously, "He Hua, isn't that your San'er?"

"Where?"

He looked over suspiciously, only to see a familiar figure who seemed to be carrying something and flew into the house. She only had time to grab a wet corner of his clothes.

He turned around and looked at Mrs. Zhou, and they both smiled.

Everyone around asked them what they were laughing at, and the two of them said tacitly that it was nothing. However, their laughter became louder and louder, and so penetrating that Liu Ji, who was hanging clothes on the line in the yard, turned grim-faced when he heard it.

"What a joke!" Liu Ji cursed in a low voice.

Awang said seriously: "They laughed at us."

After saying that, the base of his neck turned completely red.

Liu Ji: "Look at you, you are such a coward. I am a grown man with some achievements. What do I have to be afraid of? It's not like I'm doing anything shameful. If they want to laugh, let them laugh. They are all just bored!"

Awang said "oh" and continued to hang the sheets.

The sun rises, smoke rises from the roofs of every household, and a new day begins.

Today is the 16th day of the first lunar month, the first day the factory reopens.

After breakfast, Qin Yao went to the factory to arrange production work for the new year.

The annual holiday lasted for twenty days, but she felt it was over in the blink of an eye.

On the first day of work, the factory was very lively. Everyone was still savoring the joy of the New Year, and the atmosphere in the entire factory was very harmonious.

Qian Wang had rushed back to Liujia Village yesterday. He rented an ancestral house from Liu Dafu's family. He renovated it after arriving yesterday. This morning, when he started work, he went to find Qin Yao with a stack of notes and account books.

Work began in the new year. Each company had to pay a part of the deposit for materials first, and then there were the workers' wages and other money-related matters. Qin Yao was so busy calculating that sparks were flying.

After the accounts were settled, Qin Yao handed the required silver to Qian Wang, then she lazily sat back in the chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

The sun was shining brightly at the door, slanting into the house. There was nothing to do, so Qin Yao simply moved her chair to the door of the office, basking in the sun, waiting for the meal to be ready and the children to call her back to eat.

If she had nothing to do in the afternoon, she would clean up the bows and arrows that were damaged during the previous wolf hunt at home.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the sound of carriage wheels rolling and the clatter of horses' hooves trotting from the factory gate.

Qin Yao didn't have any incredible ability to remember everything she heard, but she felt the sound of horse hooves coming from the gate was very familiar to her.

Just as he was wondering, Shunzi came running over in a hurry, "Manager Qin, the Ding family is here! They want to ask if you are in the factory. If you are, they want to let you know and they will go to your house to wait for you first!"

Qin Yao, who was sitting idly on the chair, stood up and asked, "Where are they?"

Shunzi stopped and answered breathlessly, "We just entered the village. A dozen people came, along with a horse-drawn carriage. The one who spoke to me seemed to be the second young master of the Ding family, and the person in the carriage seemed to be Mr. Ding!"

Qin Yao frowned slightly. The Ding family only had one young master and one young lady, so where did the second young master come from?

Before she could ask, Shunzi muttered to himself, "Isn't Mr. Ding in the capital? When will he come back?"

Qin Yao looked at the sun and it was less than quarter of an hour until noon.

"Shunzi, tell Yunniang and the others that I'm leaving first."

After giving the instructions, I’ll leave first.