"Father, I'll ask my second sister to help me."

Bai Jiaojiao smiled, and Bai Zhiman looked up at his youngest daughter and realized that she had taken care of the whole family.

"Okay." Bai Zhiman didn't speak for a while, but he appreciated Bai Jiaojiao's gesture.

He had never raised this daughter before. In the two years since she came back, he hadn't given her a kind look, but somehow she suddenly became sensible and helped the whole family get back on their feet.

"It's just that this job will be a bit tiring for them, so we really need to think about it carefully."

Bai Jiaojiao was right; Bai Shiqing and Bai Shibao both had to work, unlike her, a lazy idler.

“What’s so tiring about it! We country folk are not afraid of hardship. If you tell them you can make money, they’d be fools if they didn’t get envious!” Bai Zhiman was confident that he wouldn’t have any fools.

The village's autumn corn has just been harvested. The grain harvested for the public is usually wheat, and these coarse grains only make up a small part. Zheng Xu, who is always resourceful, distributed the fresh corn to everyone. Now, the aroma of corn fills every household in the village.

"You just left those corn husks lying around like that?" Bai Zhiman asked.

"I don't know how to cut it."

The people of Shili Village keep the corn husks, trim off the ends, and cut them into large squares. They can be used as steamer cloths when steaming buns; one square is placed under each bun, which is very convenient.

"Call your second sister over to help you tidy up, don't make a mess of it."

Even corn husks are not allowed to be taken by the government unless they are distributed to them. These corn husks that are distributed along with the corn are very precious.

"I understand, Father. Go back and ask Third Brother. When I get the news tomorrow, I'll tell Second Sister as well."

"OK."

Bai Jiaojiao cooked a big pot of corn. She hadn't eaten all day, but she ate two in one go.

Bai Zhiman ate only one to fill his stomach: "Those people have finished work too, I'll go and keep an eye on things for you."

Besides the craftsmen, a large portion of the laborers who helped build the house were villagers from the village, who could only come to help after finishing their work in the evening.

"Okay, Dad, be careful not to bump into anything."

Bai Jiaojiao still has pork floss cakes to make. She was out all day today, and if she doesn't hurry, Wang Fushun won't be able to get the goods.

Because Shen Heng wasn't home, Bai Jiaojiao arranged with Wang Fushun to pick up the goods after the workers had left. She simply couldn't wake up at two or three in the morning and didn't have the ability to do so.

Actually, the weather is still a bit hot now, and it's not easy to make pastries while tending to the big pot. But building the house has almost emptied their savings, so Bai Jiaojiao can't be lazy, otherwise she won't be able to live a good life with Shen Heng.

Thinking of Shen Heng, Bai Jiaojiao suddenly burned her hand on the edge of the pot.

A sense of unease rose in her heart, but she could only swallow hard to suppress it.

In the evening, Bai Jiaojiao brought two meat floss cakes and the contract she had brought during the day to visit Zheng Xu's house.

"You came, but why did you bring this thing?"

"Captain, this isn't for you, it's for the children."

Zheng Xu has a son and a daughter, the older one is thirteen and the younger one is eight. The two siblings are very sensible because Zheng Xu has taught them. Every time she comes over, they will stand up and greet her. Bai Jiaojiao is also generous in bringing them some delicious food.

"Come on, you can take it. You don't need to look after your father," Bai Jiaojiao said with a smile.

The two children kept staring at Zheng Xu's face until he said, "Just take what your aunt gave you."

"Thank you, Aunt Jiao!"

The two children thanked me first before taking the money; they have excellent upbringing.

Bai Jiaojiao took out the contract and got down to business with Zheng Xu: "Captain, I talked to the factory manager of the net rope factory today. It's pretty much the same as what I said. Take another look and make sure I haven't missed anything."

Zheng Xu thought to himself that Bai Jiaojiao was really efficient; he had thought he would have to make several trips.

Zheng Xu looked at the contract: "You guys discussed it in quite a lot of detail."

“Then let’s organize the villagers. Whoever is willing to do it can sign the contract. I’ll give it to the factory manager later. We’ll have two copies so we have a guarantee.”

“Okay, you’ve done a good job. This way, our village members will have income after winter, so they won’t be bored at home.”

Bai Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Captain, this is something that women can usually handle; men can't do such detailed work. So when you're promoting this, please mention it casually. Otherwise, I'll just be putting more pressure on the women."

Everyone agrees that during the busy farming season, everyone works together, and during the off-season, while the laborers rest, the women are still working. Bai Jiaojiao's actions are intended to increase women's income and improve their status within the family, but she fears some might not understand this, in which case wouldn't she become a capitalist who exploits people?

"I understand what you mean. There should be a reward for every effort. The men in our village still respect women!"

Zheng Xu said this based on the premise that few men in his village would beat their wives.

Bai Jiaojiao pouted.

Respect for women?

Thinking back to how Huang Meijuan was mistreated at home, the psychological gap is the most terrifying thing, much more painful than being physically beaten.

Bai Jiaojiao handed the contract to Zheng Xu, who was also an impatient person. That very night, he lit the lights and held a meeting with everyone on the stage, where he discussed the matter.

"This is a great opportunity to increase our family's income, so let's all actively participate!"

Even without Zheng Xu saying anything, the people below were already restless.

Which of the women by the sea doesn't know how to weave a net?

Earning an extra four yuan a month, just by chatting, who wouldn't want that?

Zheng Xu also said, "If there are women in the family who do this, the men should support them. They should do the small things themselves and not bother the women. I heard that some people in our village don't even go into the kitchen. This kind of behavior is not encouraged. It used to be said that women can hold up half the sky. Each of us should ask ourselves if we can earn four yuan more than our wives a month."

Just as he had promised Bai Jiaojiao, Zheng Xu gave the men of Shili Village a warning. Upon hearing this, some straightened their backs, some were full of disdain, and some seemed thoughtful.

Bai Jiaojiao could only help them this much. As the saying goes, poverty makes a couple miserable. If the family income is higher and life is better, everyone should be more at ease.

After the meeting, Bai Shibao stopped Bai Jiaojiao: "Dad has already told me that I'm willing to do that. But you need to explain to me in detail how I should proceed."

"Okay, Third Brother, wait for me to call Second Sister, and we'll talk about it together."

"Um."

Bai Shibao waited on the side, while Bai Jiaojiao went to find Bai Shiqing and invited her to her home for a chat.

The three sisters went to Bai Jiaojiao's house together. Bai Jiaojiao lived in a remote place, and Bai Shiqing said, "Aren't you afraid to live alone at the foot of this mountain? Why don't you go home instead?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Second sister, you can come often. You'll get used to it."

Bai Jiaojiao just felt empty and wanted to calm down at night, but she was in her own home, so what was there to be afraid of?

"Don't disbelieve me, some people say there are wolves in the mountains around our village." Bai Shiqing said with feigned seriousness.

“Even if there are wolves, we can’t be on this little hill. Sister, don’t scare your little sister,” Bai Shibao said.