Chapter 164: Wages

The Wu family's old house.

Erhuzi took over Chen Zhanshan's job and was responsible for transporting the cut beets back and forth.

The village head's wife, Liang, Wang, and Liu were washing and cutting vegetables in the yard.

Lin and Chen Zhanshan were in charge of making sugar.

Chen Qingqing was busy making a fire when she saw Chen Dabao approaching with an unhappy look on his face. "Sister, my grandma won't let my mother do the work. You should find someone else!"

"It's okay. Whenever your mother wants to come, I'll keep a seat for her."

Chen Qingqing had not expected this result. She knew how the Chen family was doing. They were probably barely making ends meet.

Old Mrs. Chen also stopped Sun from working, and no one knew where she got the confidence from.

Chen Dabao's nose felt a little sour, "Sister, thank you."

"Why should we be so polite to each other? Come on, go make some sugar. My mother can't do that."

Everything has been arranged and everyone is busy working in an orderly manner.

******

Fan family.

Matchmaker Zhao smiled with wrinkles all over her face, "Master Fan, the thing you asked me to do has been completed."

A few black hairs grew on Fan Tong's bald head. He listened to Chen Qingqing's words these days.

He didn't do anything bad and insisted on giving out porridge, so the hair on his body finally started to grow back.

He was extremely happy and admired Chen Qingqing in his heart. If he could marry a woman with such magical powers, she would definitely be able to protect his family and make them safe.

So he entrusted Zhao, the most famous matchmaker in Qingshui Town, to propose marriage.

Yesterday, matchmaker Zhao didn’t come to announce the good news, and I thought the matter was over.

I didn't expect her to bring such good news so early in the morning.

Come to think of it, the Fan family is extremely wealthy, and which girl wouldn't want to marry into their family and enjoy a good life there, not to mention that she, Chen Qingqing, is just a woman.

Fan Tong's eyes lit up with excitement. "Mother Zhao, are you serious? When should I go and pay the betrothal gifts?"

Matchmaker Zhao looked troubled. "Master Fan, don't be impatient at this moment. We have to wait."

"We still have to wait, what are we waiting for?"

"To be honest with Master Fan, Miss Chen is a tough nut to crack. Last time I introduced her to my nephew as a concubine, she refused to agree. This time, I thought I'd discuss it directly with her parents, but I didn't expect them to be so unreasonable and stubborn. They refused to agree to this marriage, so..."

Seeing her hesitating, Fan Tong became a little impatient. "So what? Just tell me now and stop talking nonsense."

Matchmaker Zhao shrank back in fear and said hastily, "I really didn't know what to do at the time. Just when I was in a dilemma, I happened to meet Miss Chen's grandmother. When she heard that you had taken a fancy to her granddaughter, she was 100% happy to have you as her grandson-in-law, so we decided to use some tricks..."

Fan Tong frowned, a fierce look flashing in his eyes, "Tell me, what is your method?"

Matchmaker Zhao covered her mouth with her hand and whispered into Fan Tong's ear for a long time.

After listening to this, Fan Tong's expression gradually softened, revealing a sinister smile. "Just do as you say. After the matter is completed, you will definitely benefit from it."

Matchmaker Zhao smiled flatteringly, "Don't worry, Mr. Fan, I'll take care of this matter. Just take care of it!"

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mother Zhao."

This is not a bad thing. He wants Chen Qingqing to enjoy wealth and glory, and live a good life of luxury. Thinking of this, Fan Tong showed a sly smile on his face...

******

Chen Zhanshan and his wife did not tell Chen Qingqing about the Fan family's proposal.

It’s not that they don’t want to say it, but they feel there is no need to do so. Their daughters deserve a better man to entrust their lives to, so how could they let them be someone else’s concubine?

With the help of the little donkey and by hiring a few people, they can make about 100 kilograms of brown sugar every day.

Zheng Zhong also delivered beets in advance, and what surprised Chen Qingqing was that he actually delivered 10,000 kilograms this time.

Chen Qingqing made a new agreement with him and signed a contract, agreeing to deliver goods every twenty days, with 10,000 kilograms of beets delivered each time.

He also specifically asked him to bring some beet seeds, planning to mobilize the villagers to plant beets next spring.

The sugar factory is growing bigger and bigger.

Chen Zhanshan, Dabao just focused on making sugar, which was a lot easier.

Chen Dabao's leg injury has completely recovered. In order to enable him to stand on his own as soon as possible, Chen Qingqing took the time to teach him how to read and count.

Although Dabao doesn't like to talk, he is very smart. He can be described as someone who can remember everything he sees and understand everything he hears. In just a few days, he learned to do simple accounting and bookkeeping.

After Chen Qingqing took him to deliver goods a few times, she let him go completely. After all, if he wanted to expand his business, he had to find a sales channel.

She planned to go to the county town. It would be better if she could find a partner, but she wouldn't worry if she couldn't.

As long as you earn enough 500 taels of silver, you can open the trading space.

By then, she would be able to sell any amount of brown sugar she had.

However, it is best to find a merchant. After all, in any era, you need to provide a legal source of money. If you can't explain it clearly, it will be troublesome.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the month, and Chen Qingqing plans to settle everyone's wages.

When the last pot of beets was ready, she gathered everyone together.

"Aunties, tomorrow is the beginning of the month, I will pay everyone their wages."

The village head's wife smiled and said, "Qing girl, there's no rush."

"That's right, don't worry." Erhuzi and others also echoed.

Chen Qingqing knew that the headman's family was not short of money, but the Wang, Liu, and Erhuzi families relied on a few acres of land to make a living. Their families were already poor, otherwise no one would come out to work.

She smiled slightly and said, "We agreed to settle the bill at the end of the month, so I naturally can't go back on my word. The sugar factory is what it is today thanks to everyone's help, and I will have to rely on you in the future."

After saying this, she took out the copper coins she had prepared in advance and placed them on the table.

"Auntie, here are your 180 coins. Please keep them."

"Aunt Wang, this is for you. Thank you for your hard work these days."

"Mrs. Liu, thank you for coming to help me. This is yours."

"And Uncle Huzi, you push the cart around every day. Thank you so much."

When everyone received their wages, they were all smiling and praised Chen Qingqing for being kind.

After a few people left, only Chen Dabao, Lin and Chen Zhanshan were left in the yard.

Chen Qingqing took out her notebook. Those people had only worked for eighteen days, while Dabao and his parents had worked for twenty days, and they were paid thirty cents a day each.

"Dabao, these are yours. Keep them well and don't lose them." Chen Qingqing reminded him kindly and subtly.

Chen Dabao was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Sister, I won't lose it. I will keep this money for myself."

Chen Qingqing smiled and nodded, then gave Lin and Chen Zhanshan 600 coins each.

Looking at the copper coins in her hand, Lin's eyes were red with excitement. She had never thought that one day she would be able to make so much money...