In the backyard, everyone was also busy as bees!

With meat, and wild boar at that! Qin San Niang felt that today's meal couldn't be lacking; it absolutely had to include some rice!

Since everyone was busy, she took over cooking dinner.

Mushroom stewed with pheasant. These mushrooms were stored on the road and had already been dried. They were soaked in hot water beforehand and tasted amazing, far superior to those artificially cultivated in later generations!

Chicken giblets, chicken hearts, chicken blood, and the like were all used to make a chicken giblet soup with pepper and Sichuan peppercorns. All the ingredients were readily available; there were plenty in the space supermarket, enough for her to eat for a lifetime! No one said anything when she took them out; they were all unremarkable things.

I also took out the cabbage I bought earlier to make a stewed cabbage with pork. It's just that I didn't have glass noodles. If I did, it would become a famous Northeastern dish, stewed cabbage with pork and glass noodles! I also made a cold cabbage heart salad and stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms. The wood ear mushrooms were picked and dried along the way.

We're running low on sauerkraut at home, it's time to pickle some more! We can give some to Huang Dali later, and maybe we'll even need his help to sell a few of our "family heirlooms" in the future.

"Chunhua, Hongying, hurry up and bring Guixiang and Axing over for dinner. It's almost dark, it's getting close to getting dark." After receiving her eldest daughter's instructions, Liu came over to call them for dinner!

The eldest daughter said that they had already exceeded their target, making two hundred pairs of gloves and earmuffs today! That's enough! She even said, "There's no end to making money!" Listen to that, she's complaining about being tired! Although she didn't quite understand, she still obediently followed her eldest daughter's instructions!

They even provide meals? Wang Guixiang and He Xing were a little embarrassed and quickly waved their hands, saying that they could go home to eat, but they didn't expect to finish work so early.

During the off-season, they also worked at the landlord's house, but it wasn't until the moon rose that a day was considered over. This Third Sister's family rests way too early, doesn't she?

Seeing that they were indeed a bit reserved, Qin Sanniang didn't press the matter further. She simply prepared to pack some food and send it to them, as she had no intention of mistreating the farmhands. Today, there was rice, along with a spoonful of mushroom stewed chicken and chicken giblet soup, as well as cabbage stewed with meat—a simple rice bowl.

"Madam Qin, there's someone outside who says they're looking for He Xing," Luo Huan said.

Qin San Niang discovered that this child was actually very intelligent. Not only was he well-mannered, but he could also read weights and remember accounts! Most importantly, he could read! Scholar He certainly wouldn't do a losing business! He must have already seen that this young boy was a promising talent!

The man who came was He Xing's husband, Chen Dahe, who had come to fetch his wife on the orders of his grandfather and father.

Hearing that her husband had come, Wang Guixiang even teased her, saying that the couple had a good relationship. He Xing blushed with embarrassment, which was rare for her. After Wang Guixiang finished calculating the wages, she quickly took Niu Niu home. The child was a little sleepy and was almost asleep while sitting. Her head bobbed up and down like a little chick pecking at rice.

Before leaving, Wang Guixiang was beaming with joy. She had earned two hundred coins that afternoon. Even the men who went to town to do odd jobs, even the hardest work, would only earn fifty coins a day. She had earned so much in just one afternoon! Moreover, Madam Qin's family was providing dinner, and she could smell the meat in the bowl!

He Xing was in charge of the last step, so it was finished a little later.

Hearing that Wang Guixiang had received two hundred coins, He Xing felt her hands trembling! This was, in fact, the first time He Xing had ever earned money independently.

Chen Dahe was led to the main room and sat awkwardly by the brazier.

Liu poured him a bowl of hot sugar water and urged him to drink it. She was an old woman, old enough to be Chen Dahe's mother, so there was no need for her to avoid suspicion!

"Dahe, right? Don't worry, we're almost done here. Axing is the last one, so she'll be a little late!" He thought to himself, "This young couple has a good relationship, and Chen Dahe seems to be an honest person."

"Oh, Auntie, don't be so polite. It's only right that A-Xing comes to help! We're all neighbors, and we've even had your steamed buns before! White flour steamed buns! You should know my grandfather, he's the old man who guided you when you entered the village!" Chen Dahe picked up the sugar water and took a sip. Mmm, so sweet!

Only then did Liu realize that there was such a connection! Her smile became even more genuine; the old man was truly honest.

Qin Sanniang came out from the inner room, placed He Xing's lunchbox on the table, and handed it to Chen Dahe. "Brother Dahe, we should have provided meals for A Xing and the others since they've been working at my house so late. However, it's getting late, and A Xing refused to eat at my house no matter what. This is today's food; it'll fill your stomach when you get back! You don't need to refuse; Gui Xiang has already taken some too!"

Looking at the lunchbox on the table, a bamboo tube lunchbox made of bamboo, he realized how thoughtful the person was. He also heard that Cheng Shi's wife had already taken it, so Chen Dahe could only express his gratitude. After all, it was just a meal, and his grandfather probably wouldn't blame him.

Thinking of the purpose of his visit, and knowing that Qin Sanniang was a capable person, Chen Dahe took advantage of her presence and hurriedly asked, "Auntie, Qin Sanniang, are you still paying wages here?"

Qin San Niang and Liu Shi exchanged a glance, both somewhat suspicious. "Yes, we pay by the piece here, one coin per piece, as agreed before!"

Seeing their suspicious looks, Chen Dahe, fearing they might misunderstand, continued, "Ah Xing just came to help, how could she ask for money? My grandfather said that mutual help among ordinary villagers is the most common thing, how can it be counted as money!? So, aunties, you'd better not give her any wages, my grandfather and the others will feel uneasy!"

Tan San Niang was quite surprised to find that Ah Xing's family was so simple and honest. If they were wealthy and didn't care about money, that would be one thing, but judging from He Xing and her husband's clothes, they probably weren't doing very well. It was truly admirable that they were so polite!

At this point, Liu didn't care about the few dollars. The other woman had been working herself to the bone all afternoon, and it seemed much easier than working in the fields. But anyone who has done embroidery knows that it's delicate work that takes a lot of brainpower, eyesight, and hands, especially the neck and shoulders, which are incredibly sore! Although in the eyes of these women, this exhaustion was nothing.

Looking into Chen Dahe's clear eyes, Qin Sanniang felt that what he said was true; the Chen family just felt they shouldn't accept the money. However, as for herself, although she was grateful for the kindness, this could still be considered a business transaction, and in business, accounts should naturally be settled clearly.

“Brother Dahe, I am very grateful for your kindness. However, I still cannot agree with your statement. He Xing worked for me for an entire afternoon, which was quite tiring. Besides, the payment was agreed upon in advance. Gui Xiang has already received her wages, so Xing should receive hers as well.”

Seeing that Chen Dahe still wanted to speak, Qin Sanniang waved her hand, interrupting him, "Alright, it's settled then. I'm a person of my word, and you can't expect me to be a person who goes back on my word. Besides, this money is rightfully A-Xing's, and whether she takes it or not is up to her! Furthermore, if I don't take the money, I'll be too embarrassed to ask her to work again next time!"