Only by doing the work can Tan feel at ease.

When Tan took the children inside to cook, Jiang Zhi and Qin, the two village bullies, looked at each other in bewilderment.

You can't hit or scold someone like Tan; she's already humbled to the point of being in the mud. You really can't bring yourself to hit or scold her again.

This is a new problem for the experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor: he can't feel the pulse anymore!

Jiang Zhi took off the bamboo tea tube hanging from her waist, unscrewed the stopper, took a sip, and then said to Qin Shi, "Tell me what to do? You have experience!"

The original owner of this body has always been fierce. Although she has suffered hardships and toil, she has never been wronged like this. On the other hand, Qin Shi had been a dutiful child for more than ten years, so she should know what Tan Shi was thinking.

Qin picked up a palm-leaf fan and fanned herself vigorously. After a moment of silence, she said, "Don't compare me to Tan. I've never been this obedient before."

At this point, a sly smile suddenly appeared on her face: "To tell you the truth, every time I was asked to cook rice before, I would first scoop up the rice for myself and Genqing, and then spit into the pot."

Hehe! Watching them finish that whole pot of rice made me happier than anything else!

Jiang Zhi spat out tea, her finger trembling as she pointed at Qin Shi before finally uttering three words: "I admire you!"

Xiaoman's grandmother had previously praised Qin Shi as an honest and upright person, but she never expected her to do something so outrageous.

However, Qin Shi always had a childlike nature, and that was all she could do.

With a smug look on her face, Qin said with a sneer, "Tan doesn't have that ability. She doesn't dare to do it herself, and she also raised her child to be a spineless coward who dares not do anything!"

Jiang Zhi was speechless: There aren't many people who can compare to you.

When she was a daughter-in-law, she would spit into the rice cooker; when she became a mother-in-law, she would oppose her daughter-in-law. At her age, she still didn't understand how to give birth and kept doing inexplicable things.

Looking back now, Qin was really naive.

Fortunately, Lianhua has a good temper and doesn't hold a grudge against Qin Shi now.

Xu Genqing is also able to handle things well, treating Qin Shi like a child, and the family is still relatively peaceful.

Qin continued, "Not only is Tan a soft lump herself, she also takes care of the children."

Yesterday, I gave my child a wheat cake to eat. Just as Da Xiangxiang was about to take it, she said no. Da Xiangxiang was afraid to take it, so I insisted and she took one wheat cake.

Mrs. Tan divided the wheat cakes between the two children, but she herself said she wasn't hungry and didn't touch a single bite!

Jiang Zhi: "...Impressive!"

Tan's ability to resist eating is truly remarkable; she's like a Ninja Turtle.

In this era, the diet lacked oil and fat, and people usually engaged in heavy physical labor, so no one could say they weren't hungry.

Both men and women are like the pot-bellied Arhat, drinking porridge from large bowls and casually drinking from a covered pot with their belts loosened. There is no such thing as not being able to eat enough, only that they are not full.

Deep down, despite the indenture, Jiang Zhi had never considered the Tan family as her own property.

Because he had tricked the man out of Yang Laosan's hands, he still hadn't received the five taels of silver he was supposed to pay for the indenture.

While this was somewhat unethical, it also gave the Tan family a chance to survive.

However, now that we have the power to decide, we can arrange things however we want.

Since Tan lacks the spirit of self-reliance, her current status as a servant is very suitable for her.

As for the two children...

“I’m starting construction on my house tomorrow, and Tan has to go there to cook. She won’t have time to look after the children anymore. These two children will be cared for by Gengsheng’s wife; they can’t stay here!”

Qin didn't react at first, but upon hearing that the children didn't want to stay at her house, she immediately straightened her neck and said, "Are you still doubting me? I told you I didn't torment anyone. With Tan gone, the two children will have Lianhua to keep them company, and I'll be able to free up my hands to help your family repair the house!"

Jiang Zhi looked at her in surprise: "You've really become diligent? I didn't ask the village for help, and I didn't get any work points!"

If you're building brick walls, you only need bricklayers, masons, and carpenters; you don't need many people to carry and tamp the soil.

Moreover, since the villagers needed to farm and make mosquito coils, Jiang Zhi didn't include them in her plans.

The three households of migrant workers needed cash and grain to work, so they naturally didn't need work points.

Now that the Qin family offers to help, he declined.

Upon hearing Jiang Zhi say that she had no work points, Qin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Even if you don't have work points, I'll still help you cook. You and Tan are too busy to manage."

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Someone is cooking with the Tan family!" The three refugee households and the Huang family she had hired all had people who could cook, so there was no need for her to do it herself.

Qin asked in surprise, "You're not going to ask Li Laoshi to help with grocery shopping and cooking, are you? That person definitely can't do it!"

Jiang Zhi twitched her lips. She remembered asking Li Laoshi if he had feelings for Qin Shi and if so, she should bring it up.

But Li Laoshi said hesitantly that he had the will but not the courage, afraid of being beaten by Xu Genqing...

Qin Shi didn't express any such intention, so it's best not to say or think anything rash.

Jiang Zhi casually said, "Of course Li Laoshi doesn't cook. He has a lot of things to do, all those errands and errands are his job. To be honest, Li Laoshi looks like he doesn't do anything all day, but he's actually more tired than a bricklayer."

Qin listened calmly, but her hand unconsciously twisted a thread on the hem of her clothes.

Jiang Zhi stopped there: "Oh, right, the reason I don't let you cook isn't because you're bad."

Lotus is almost nine months pregnant now, and her body is heavy, so you shouldn't be thinking about making money all the time. It's better for you to stay home and take care of her more.

"Those two children are too young, and we don't know their temperaments or personalities, so we won't leave them with you. I'll have Gengsheng's wife take them over for a few days!"

If we forcibly separate the Tan mother and daughter now, what if the child can't accept it and causes some misunderstanding? If she stays with Lianhua and causes trouble, it will be terrible. We should wait until the child is well-behaved before considering placement.

Seeing that she really didn't want to help with the cooking, Qin reluctantly didn't bring it up again.

Jiang Zhi didn't need any villagers to help him repair the house. Er Rui had ordered bricks from the brickyard through the post station and they were being delivered one after another. Zhang Mo, the carpenter, also helped him buy some timber.

Xiaoman went to town to find a geomancer to determine an auspicious time for both families to build their houses, and the house repairs began in the summer.

There was plenty of manpower for this house repair. In addition to hiring four repairmen, Huang Anliang, who signed a ten-year contract, was a bricklayer, and three families of displaced people had stonemasons.

The men helped carry stones and bricks, while the women did odd jobs and cooked. Tan was naturally among them, and her two children did not come along.

Because Pi took away both the large and small incense sticks!

After leaving the refugee camp, Pi became familiar with the two children.

It's inconvenient for her to stay at the Qin family's house for safety reasons, so it's suitable for her to bring her along now. She can do chores when she needs to and eat meals when she needs to.

It's unclear how Pi and Wang Xiaoju discussed it, or how Wang Xiaoju communicated with the villagers.

Or perhaps it was already common knowledge among the villagers that Tan had problems with raising her children, and since the two children weren't earning money, the sisters Da Xiangxiang and Xiao Xiangxiang ended up working in the mosquito coil workshop.

The two of them had just started helping Pi make mosquito coils when Pi was not on shift and was helping other people.

Although the two children were seven and nine years old respectively, and were thin and frail, they were diligent and quiet.

They were faster than the host family at making mosquito coils, and their pitiful situation immediately won the villagers' sympathy and affection, and every household asked the two sisters for help.

Without Tan's interference, the two children gradually got used to helping others.

Then every day he ate at the house of the person above him and the house of the person below him, at the house of the person he was helping make mosquito coils.

Now that every family has just harvested wheat and sold some green grains and mosquito coils, there's no problem feeding the two children a mouthful of wheat porridge.

If someone is having a feast, the more generous ones might even invite the two kids over to get some of the grease and meat.