In the past, I just felt that I was living in poverty and couldn’t even make ends meet, but now I feel like I don’t have any superpowers to pick up all the money outside and take it home.

You can never make enough money. You can never make enough money!

Poor families like Manniang's, or families slightly better off than hers, are now living a better life thanks to the emergence of Lin's workshop. As long as they save a little and work for two months, they can make a cotton coat for their children.

"Manniang, why do you seem to be distracted these days?" Manniang's father was making straw sandals at home all the time, and his grandson was helping him sensibly.

Man'er's mother was cooking dinner in the small room outside.

Man Niang immediately put on a serious expression and patted her face: "Ah? No? Was I distracted?"

Man Niang's father nodded, very sure: "It happened more than once, did something happen?"

Man Niang wanted to hide it, but since he was planning to marry her, she couldn't keep it a secret from her family.

"Dad, Mom, I might get married." Man Niang said with a blushing face.

"What!"

"marriage!"

Not to mention Man Niang's father, even Man Niang's mother hurried out of the small kitchen, staring at her daughter with wide eyes in disbelief.

It is said that the first marriage is decided by parents, and the second marriage is decided by oneself, but how could a girl be so bold as to talk about marriage so casually? Even a second marriage has to observe etiquette!

How could a woman say such nonsense as getting married without any matchmaker or engagement?

"Man'er's mother, have you been deceived? If that man really wants good for you, you shouldn't be the one to tell my parents, but he should send a matchmaker instead!" Man'er's mother advised earnestly. Now that their son and daughter-in-law are gone, they only have this one daughter, who has also been bullied by her in-laws before. Now they don't want to see her step into the fire pit again.

Manniang was over thirty, and because she hadn't given birth, even though her face blushed, she still looked like a girl. "Mom and Dad, I'm just saying hello to you so you don't panic. The matchmaker he hired will probably come to propose marriage tomorrow."

"So urgent?" Man Niang's parents were a little surprised. They should have been happy. After all, if their daughter found a man, she would be able to help her nephew from her mother's family in the future.

But they still know nothing about Manniang's future husband, so how can they, as parents, feel at ease?

Man Niang's father couldn't help but ask: "Where is he from, how old is he, how many people are there in his family, are his parents still alive?"

Manniang's face turned even redder when she heard her parents' detailed questions. She lowered her head and replied, "He fled from somewhere else just like us. There are seven people in his family. Now, due to the issue of profit sharing from his business, he and his children have separated and are now considered a single household."

Man'er's father was stunned: "He is a merchant?"

Lady Man was concerned: "Is he the same age as you?"

Manniang answered her parents' questions one by one: "He's a merchant, currently working as a manager in the Lin's workshop. He's fourteen years older than me."

When Empress Man heard this, she was not happy: "Fourteen years old? That's too old. At this age, he's already a grandfather."

Man Niang's father was more knowledgeable than Man Niang's mother. He looked at his daughter with hope in his eyes, "Man Niang, I know that most of the managers in the Lin's workshop are from the Lin family. Almost all of the Lin family members have shares in the Lin's workshop. Even the smallest share of the dividend is much more than what we would get if we worked hard for a year!"

Manniang nodded shyly: "Yes, Dad, he is from the Lin family, and he is the one who manages my business. I often work overtime, and he often brings me some snacks..."

After a few interactions, the relationship quickly heats up!

Lady Man hurriedly asked, "Do you have any children?"

Man Niang nodded. "He told me all about his family situation. He divorced his previous wife and has three sons. The eldest and second sons are already married, and the youngest is still in the process of finding a husband. I think it will only take a year or two."

"Divorce? Do you know why?" Man Niangdi asked again.

Man Niang said, "It is said that he kept giving aid to his mother's family while fleeing famine, and then deliberately let a wolf into the house, and almost killed his son with his own brothers."

After listening to this carefully, Empress Man couldn't help but laugh: "This is a happy event!"

Their family's mother and the surrounding neighbors all work in the Lin's workshop. They all know how many products such as tofu and bean curd skin are shipped out of the workshop every day. The bean curd dregs produced every day alone cannot be stored in several warehouses.

The Lin family members who participated in the distribution of profits from the Lin Workshop were the clan members. It is unknown how much silver each clan member received, but it is certain that it was definitely not a small amount.

Besides, even if it's a little less, it doesn't matter. The daughter's monthly salary plus the salary from the man who manages the business, even without dividends, the two of them can support their small family.

The man's children are now married and there is no big deal about them. It doesn't matter whether they divide the family after marriage or not. It is enough for him and his stepmother to live in peace.

Manniang's family thought that this was a good marriage and were just waiting for the Lin family to propose tomorrow.

When Lin Rui came home from work today, he saw two unfamiliar little girls coming to his house. The little girls were thin and looked timid. When they saw him coming back, they wanted to kneel down and kowtow.

There was no way Lin Rui would let them kneel down, so he immediately grabbed one of their arms and lifted them up. The two little girls' arms were all skin and bones, and they looked very pitiful.

"Mom? Big sister, second sister?" Lin Rui shouted towards the inner room.

Feng Zhenniang, Big Sister Lin, and Third Sister Lin, who was holding Qingqing, came out of the house. "What's wrong, Rui'er?"

Lin Rui pointed at the two frightened little girls and asked, "Who are they and why are they in our house?"

Feng Zhenniang explained with a smile, "They are little girls your sister and I bought from the market. A large number of refugees have arrived at Huangmo Pass, and the Xing family army is having trouble accommodating them, so they can only temporarily place them in a thatched hut outside Baixing Town. Some of them have even started reselling them. These two little girls were sold by their parents."

Are there more refugees coming? Lin Rui couldn't help but frown. Although he felt fortunate to be among the first group of refugees, ever since they joined the Xing Family Army, this constant influx of people has become a burden on Huangmo Pass. If the burden is not converted into sustainable power, both Huangmo Pass and the Xing Family Army will be dragged down.

Looking at the two timid little girls, Lin Rui sighed. What a tragedy in ancient times. Ordinary people could hardly withstand the suffering after natural disasters, and selling children was too common.

But a girl whose life is bought out will have to serve as a slave in her master's house for the rest of her life. The children born in the master's house in the future will also be called house-born children. In other words, unless there are other unexpected events, their families will become slaves of the master's house for generations.

"Mom, do they have their indentures?" Lin Rui asked.

Feng Zhenniang replied, "Yes."