The announcement of the end of work came over the village radio. The two daughters-in-law of the Zhang family had already prepared dinner. The Zhang family's food had improved. The corn dregs were finally gone. With two courtyards built, the family had enough coarse grains to last until the beginning of next spring.

Zhang's father had originally planned to go to the market before the New Year to stock up on coarse grains, and then exchange them for the fine grains he'd received at the end of the year. That way, he wouldn't be short of food for the coming year. But Zhang Guoqing's occasional delicious meals devoured them all. Well, even the adults in the family couldn't stomach cornmeal, let alone the children?

Father Zhang thought about his children and thought that if they ate the rations, they would not get any food rations next year. Now that he had more money, he immediately bought a lot of fine grains and coarse grains.

The Zhang family's warehouses were now overflowing with not only purchased grain but also the year-end rations. Zhang Guoqing's hunts of wild boars and other game filled the cellar to the brim. There was no shortage of meat, and even more so of fat. The Zhang family no longer focused on filling their meals, gradually improving their diet.

After dinner, the men gathered in the main room to listen to the phonograph and Zhang Dad's stories. The women all went to Zhou Jiao to chat and do needlework.

In the living room outside the west wing, a kerosene lamp burned brightly. The two sisters, Mai Miao, watched over Ping An on the kang. Zhang's mother worked tirelessly on shoe soles. Huang Cuilan and her two sisters-in-law knitted sweaters and talked about what they had seen at the market.

Zhou Jiao sat bored beside Zhang's mother, watching them busy. She looked at her hands, which itched. She had a lot of work to do, and she couldn't bear it any longer. She went to her room and got some wool.

Lin Juhua saw her and secretly glanced at her mother-in-law, laughing, "You're bored, aren't you? You can ball wool, but you can't knit sweaters. Are you worried that you won't have work in a few days?"

Zhang's mother scolded her with a smile, "Silly. Really silly. You're afraid of having no work. Just ball up some yarn!"

Zhou Jiao declined Mai Miao's offer of help. She placed a chair in front of her and happily spooled the string while her sister-in-law discussed the team selection process.

Hearing that Uncle Zhang's eldest son was vying for the accountant position, he smiled slightly. He felt that there was no chance, so he might as well not go for it and directly recommend Xiao Dashi, and even do him a favor.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were chatting about family matters. When they heard voices at the gate of the yard, they stopped and looked at each other.

Mother Zhang stood up and patted her clothes. "It's Qingshan's wives. It seems they know Jiaojiao is back to see you." After saying that, she picked up the basket and was about to go out.

Before Zhang's mother left, Zhou Jiao quickly picked up the wool and hid in the inner room. It sounded like there were quite a few people coming, and these wives, both big and small, were not careful with their words, so they tried to avoid any trouble.

When Zhang's mother saw Zhou Jiao had packed up, she lifted the curtain and went out.

Huang Cuilan and the other girl burst into laughter. It was always funny to see Zhou Jiao hide things whenever a stranger came. They were afraid to show off their younger siblings, but everyone had eyes.

Qingshan's wife came in with a group of women, and they heard their laughter, "What are you so happy about? We didn't even come out to greet you outside."

"I'm so glad you're here. Come and sit down. There's no stool, so sit on the kang." Lin Juhua pulled her to sit down and greeted everyone.

After seven or eight young wives sat down, they chattered one by one.

Zhou Jiao was busy greeting them, pointing to the candies and melon seeds on the table, "Help yourselves. Why are you all here today?"

"Didn't I see you're back? The county town is fun, right? I calculated that you should come back today. Tomorrow the men will go up the mountain, and you will definitely not be able to stay in the county town." Ye Zi said with a proud look on his face.

Zhou Jiao had no idea there was a hunt tomorrow. Not only her, but even Zhang Guoqing didn't know. They'd both thought they'd already gone up the mountain. It had been days.

"That's amazing. I expected that. Why didn't you bring your children with you?"

A young wife nearby heard this and said, "The children are too noisy. We can't talk. It's getting dark now, so we should stay home. Jiaojiao, you haven't been home these days, and you've missed a lot of things."

Zhou Jiao smiled as she watched the others discussing village affairs. Those who had come this time all lived near the northern mountain. The happenings of the families in the village were all just a joke to them. This was a regional difference.

Lin Juhua was talking to the young wife next to her. Zhou Jiao knew her, Wang Xiaohua, who was married to her before and after. It was hard to believe that this shy young wife could talk dirty without blushing.

Qingshan's wife leaned over to Huang Cuilan and whispered, "Is the warming house busy today?" Huang Cuilan nodded. She looked at her enviously. It was good that the family didn't split up. She didn't have to deal with any favors herself.

As everyone was talking, they all turned to the topic of the village women's director selection. Everyone looked at Ye Zi.

Ye Zi glared at them sheepishly, "Don't talk nonsense. My husband says I can't do it. I have to take care of the family first and figure out what's going on at home."

"Can your man live with your master? Everyone knows that your man loves you the most. Ye Zi, tell us how your man loves you?" A daughter-in-law said this, causing everyone to laugh.

"You old frivolous fellow! I'm going to tear your mouth apart."

Zhou Jiao was afraid that they would say something obscene next, so she quickly changed the subject, "Xiu'e, has your brother-in-law found a girlfriend?"

Everyone looked at Xiu'e, waiting for her to talk about her brother-in-law.

Chen Xiu'e burst into laughter. "Last time, this guy complained that the girl was fat. Oh, our family was so amused by what he said. He said he would find a thin girl who wouldn't take up too much space on the kang. This time, he's set his eyes on Zhou Xiaoling from the next village, and the two families have agreed to get married by the end of the year. I think my brother-in-law has had his eye on the girl for a long time, and he agreed as soon as the matchmaker mentioned it."

"That girl is quite popular, and many people are seeking her hand in marriage. How much was the bride price given by your family?"

Chen Xiu'e pointed with her fingers. "There's no shortage of brides in Zhangjia Village, especially those at the northern foot of the mountain. I gave them two hundred yuan as a betrothal gift. They were attracted by our yard. They know we have good neighborhood relations."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They were all from young families. When choosing a match, the main consideration was family background, followed by the young man. Compared to those adobe houses where the whole family lived in the east and west rooms, theirs had a large courtyard and spacious living space, with a wing room for the young couple. They weren't worried about not finding a good wife. Two hundred yuan in betrothal gifts was a lot of money, so even girls from the county town, not to mention the village, would marry into their family.

Zhou Jiao watched them talk about the betrothal gift, but remained silent. Her eight hundred yuan gift was one of the largest in the county. She wished everyone would forget about it.

In fact, Zhang Laoer was able to offer a 500 yuan betrothal gift when he married. They had originally agreed to take home 300 yuan, but who knew they would break that promise? When Zhang Guoqing got married, her parents-in-law were able to offer 800 yuan, partly because they were attracted to her, and partly because Zhou Xue of the Zhou family had already offered a 500 yuan betrothal gift.

Zhang Guoqing personally added 200 yuan, so the actual betrothal gift from the Zhang family was only 600 yuan, which was 100 yuan more than the second son.

Thinking of Zhou Xue's 500 yuan betrothal gift, Zhou Jiao couldn't help but sneer. She didn't feel guilty at all for the Wang family's plight. Just because he was the village chief and could offer so much betrothal gift, he was not a good person.

How could a rural family have such a large savings just by farming? Where did the Zhang family get all the money? Zhang Laoer's 500 yuan betrothal gift was earned by Zhang's father and his two sons working on the farm and doing some private work.

My mother-in-law told me that when the family was short of money, not only did my eldest and second sisters secretly contribute, but they also borrowed money to make up the difference. Seeing that the family was broke, Zhang Guoqing went crazy every day to hunt wild animals in the mountains to sell for money, which helped the family to save money. After six or seven years, the whole family worked together to come up with the 800 yuan betrothal gift. The two older brothers and their wives didn't object because they knew that the biggest income in the family came from Zhang Guoqing. According to my mother-in-law, her family is one of the best in the village because of Xiaowu. So no one dared to say anything even if she was partial.

She genuinely believed her mother-in-law's story. After marrying into this family, a rough calculation revealed that neither her eldest brother's bricklaying nor her second brother's carpentry could match Zhang Guoqing's income. In the early years, Zhang Guoqing probably gave all his money to the family, but in the last year or two, he'd kept some for himself. The 300 yuan he gave her after their marriage, plus the 200 yuan for the betrothal gift, gave her 500 yuan, which gave her a rough idea of ​​his earnings.

Ye Zi asked her curiously, "After paying the 200 yuan betrothal gift, how much do your parents-in-law have left? I see your family received quite a bit of dividends this year."

Chen Xiu'e shook her head. "I really don't know. The old couple should have quite a bit of money. They haven't had any expenses in recent years. My eldest sister-in-law doesn't need to support her husband's family. How much money does my younger uncle spend on school?"

A young wife looked at her enviously and said, "Your husband has only two brothers, and his family is rich. You're doing well. My husband has five brothers, and two of them haven't married yet, so they still have to endure."

Qingshan's wife looked at her strangely and couldn't help asking her, "Last time I heard your mother-in-law say that she wanted to divide you and the second son up. After the family is divided, what are you still waiting for? The younger brother-in-law is the business of your parents-in-law."

"She mentioned it before. She wants my second son and my husband to move out, but she didn't mention building us a yard. My husband has been so worried lately. A few days ago, he saw Juhua and Jiaojiao's yards, and they said it would cost at least a hundred yuan. If we really want to split up, ask his parents to chip in some money. So, I was planning to come over and ask them how much it would cost. Seeing that the old man is interested, it's better to be smart and make plans soon."

Huang Cuilan and Lin Juhua both looked at Zhou Jiao. Zhou Jiao smiled. "We're not quite sure, so it would be best if he asks Xiaowu and the others personally. A while ago, several families agreed to build a courtyard together. I estimate it won't cost much, except for the labor. The biggest expense will be the mason, followed by carpentry and tiles. As for the labor, you can provide the large bluestone, adobe, and lumber yourself. If you start construction in April or May next year, you'll need to prepare food before the year ends."

"Haha... I didn't explain it clearly, but now it's clear. Now that you've explained it, I know what to do. When my mother-in-law talks about dividing the family property, I'll have a clear idea of ​​what to prepare."

Ye Zi reminded her, "We need to get the foundation approved soon. Don't build in the village. I heard that several families have started inquiring about our land."

Qingshan's wife nodded. "Listen to Ye Zi. There are indeed many elderly people who like this place. Uncle Youtian's house has cracks and they won't repair it. They are waiting to build a yard in front of my house in May next year. The foundation has been approved."

"Thank goodness you guys reminded me. Alas... this northern foot of the mountain that no one wanted to come to in the beginning is now being targeted. Isn't the village quite good?"

Everyone joked and suggested she try living in the village. Women have a lot to talk about, and soon they were chatting about what they sold at the market and how much they made. They were discussing which market was busiest and how much they had sold their insoles for.

Zhou Jiao listened to their gossip with gusto, realizing there were still many ways to make money. She wondered if she should come up with a plan to make some hair ornaments, sell some red couplets, and window decorations. She'd give her two sisters-in-law some pocket money. Right now, she could still make money, but after next year, when the markets were closed, it would be harder to make money. The markets, big and small, that took place twice a day before the Lunar New Year were inconspicuous. She could secretly make them at home, wrap them tightly in the cold winter, and not worry about anyone digging into her account later.