Ms. Wei looked embarrassed and said, "Thank you, little sister."

“Let’s cook first. Sister-in-law, could you please go to town and buy 10 jin of pork belly and 30 jin of pork fat? We’re almost out of oil at home, so we need to render some.”

As he spoke, he gave one tael of silver to Madam Du.

Mrs. Du readily agreed and hurriedly went out.

Ye Caiping and Wei Shi cooked rice together.

Considering that they need to cook large batches of food and also make spicy soup, the kitchen simply doesn't have enough space.

Last night, Old Man Ye set up two stoves in the yard, which are quite convenient to use.

Cooking rice in a large pot requires skill; it's easy to end up with undercooked rice, let alone brown rice, which is even harder to cook.

Fortunately, Mrs. Wei had attended many weddings and funerals and was very good at cooking communal meals.

Mrs. Wei soaked the brown rice last night, but that amount was only enough to make porridge. Soaking it again now is too late.

Ye Caiping said, "Let's cook another five catties of white rice. Cook the two kinds of rice separately, and then mix them together after they're cooked."

Ms. Wei felt a little distressed, but knowing that Ye Caiping would cover for her, she readily went to scoop up the white rice.

While cooking rice, Ye Caiping and Wei Shi were also making spicy soup.

Fortunately, Jin'er and Huan'er were there to watch the fire, so they managed to keep things busy.

Around noon, Ba Jin Er Quan, Ye Yong, and San Quan returned carrying hoes and drove the oxcart to deliver goods.

After the rice was cooked, Mrs. Du returned.

I chopped the meat, stir-fried the vegetables, and made a stir-fried egg with chives.

By the time we finished, it was already past noon.

Ye Caiping wiped the sweat from her forehead, her bones cracking from exhaustion. She breathed a sigh of relief and told Jin'er to go and call someone back for dinner.

Grandma Ye and Jinhua and Yinhua returned first, covered in sweat.

Without a second thought, the group quickly placed the two large tables in the courtyard.

After a while, a burst of laughter was heard, and the helpers, carrying hoes and bowls and chopsticks, entered one after another.

Because there weren't enough bowls and chopsticks, the helpers all brought their own.

"You've worked hard, come and eat!" Mrs. Wei hurriedly called out.

Ye Caiping and Du Shi carried out a bowl of rice and placed it on the table.

Zhao Tieniu and the other helpers exclaimed in surprise, "This is just plain rice!"

"Make way, make way, the food is here!" Immediately afterwards, Ye Caiping and her companion carried in another dish.

Good heavens, it's a bowl of scrambled eggs with chives! There are quite a few eggs, all bright yellow, making my mouth water.

Although most people who work for others have meat for their first meal, and it's usually scrambled eggs, there are usually more vegetables than eggs. It's rare to see a bowl full of golden yellow food like this.

The helpers hurriedly grabbed the bowls and chopsticks.

Unexpectedly, Ye Caiping and Madam Du brought up another basin of things, saying, "Make way."

When it was placed on the table, it turned out to be a pot of stir-fried pork belly and cabbage, glistening with oil, and the amount of meat was visibly plentiful.

The helpers all gasped.

Zhao Tieniu said, "Oh my, eggs and meat, Erquan and his wife are really generous."

Ye Zhuzi grinned as well: "Of course. Erquan? Where's Erquan?"

Old Man Ye chuckled, "I've gone to deliver goods. I'll be back in an hour. Everyone, let's eat!"

Over there, Ye Caiping had already used several large spoons to divide the eggs and stir-fried meat on the table into several plates.

Zhao Tieniu and the other helpers couldn't wait any longer, so they quickly scooped up some rice and vegetables and started eating.

While eating, they praised, "Caiping and her sister-in-law are such good cooks! They even put in salt and soy sauce, so generous! It's delicious!"

Mrs. Wei was so pleased with the praise that she laughed and felt very proud.

Ye Caiping looked around and asked Zhao Tieniu, "Where's my sister-in-law? She was digging the foundation just now."

"She went home and ate."

Ye Caiping understood. The couple came to help, but only one of them ate. They didn't want to eat their food, afraid that the other person would spend money.

Ye Caiping couldn't help but admire Tie Niu's wife, saying she was kind and considerate.

Not only Tie Niu's family, but also Ye Ershu's family, only Si Quan and Wu Quan came to eat; Ye Ershu and his wife did not come.

Only Zhao Shuisheng...

Uh... not only was he eating, but his mother, Granny Zhao, also somehow wandered in, got her food, and squatted in the corner, eating heartily.

Zhao Shuisheng also noticed his mother, his face turned bright red, and he finally poured all the remaining rice from his bowl into hers before turning around and leaving.

After everyone had finished eating, Ye Caiping smiled and said:

"Everyone, today is the auspicious day for my second brother's house to break ground. I'll be relying on you all in the days to come."

"No trouble at all," the helpers replied happily, their mouths dripping with oil.

"Also, the day after tomorrow, I'm going to break ground to build a house, and then..." Ye Caiping paused before continuing, "I also plan to hire people to do the work, and I'll pay them. I plan to pick people from the village, one person from each household."

"Everyone, please work for my second brother. I'll prioritize hiring people from your families, how about that?"

Zhao Tieniu and the other men were taken aback, but then they understood.

Ye Caiping also wanted to build a house, but she was paid wages.

But Ye Erquan was also building a house; they were there to repay a favor, and they had no money.

Ye Caiping was afraid that they would become less dedicated after making comparisons.

But if Ye Caiping hired their family members, that would be different; wouldn't the wages end up in their family's pockets anyway?

Besides, each household only selects one person. If they weren't helping Erquan with his work, Ye Caiping might not have been able to choose them.

Upon hearing this, the helpers were delighted, feeling as if they had gained the upper hand.

He immediately replied, "Of course! Sister Caiping, you can choose whatever you like. My two sons are twenty and eighteen, both strong young men."

"Me too. My eldest son is 23 and my second son is 21. They're both strong young men."

"Let my fourth brother go." Although he was the younger brother, he hadn't separated from the family, and the wages he received came from the family.

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