"By the way, where does that back door lead?" Tie Niu's wife pointed to the back door of the yard.

"That's the back door; the workshop is just past that door."

"A workshop?" The villagers were delighted to hear those two words.

They had already heard rumors that Ye Caiping was going to set up a workshop, and they would need to hire people.

Ye Caiping said, "My spicy soup workshop will open in a couple of days. I'll be hiring, and I'll post a notice then. Everyone is welcome to apply."

Everyone's eyes lit up, and their enthusiasm soared.

Granny Zhao said anxiously, "My Shuisheng and my husband also need to be hired! You have to save two places for my family."

"Me too! I'm leaving some for my son as well."

Grandma Ye and Grandpa Ye were somewhat flustered by the scene.

Before Ye Caiping could speak, Ye Lizheng interrupted, "What are you doing? I already said we'd put up a notice in a couple of days. It's their housewarming celebration, we can't ask them to do favors."

The villagers then awkwardly shut up.

Ye Caiping said, "Don't worry, as long as you sign up, you'll have a chance to be selected. Even if you're not selected this time, you'll be selected next time."

The villagers were both anxious and expectant, chattering about other things.

"It's getting late, and the food is ready. Come and eat!" Grandma Ye called out.

Ye Caiping's banquet was more lavish than Ye Erquan's.

The whole village knows she's well-off, so it's not a big deal if she gets things done better.

After all, when it comes to banquets, if you have money, you hold a big one; if you don't, you hold a small one. Everyone knows that, and no one deliberately tries to match others.

If we really compare everything, then no one can hold a banquet, since there are still people who can't afford to.

After the meal, Ye Caiping gave each person a small packet of spicy soup seasoning as a return gift, so that the villagers could go home and make it themselves.

This time, Ye Daquan gave 500 cash as a gift, while Ye Erquan gave 1 tael.

Knowing that Ye Erquan was short of money recently, Ye Caiping put 888 coins in the bottom of Ye Erquan's basket when returning the gift.

By the time the house was tidied up inside and out, it was getting dark.

Everyone went home one by one, but Ye Daquan refused to go back: "I want to sleep at my little sister's tonight."

“Sure,” Ye Caiping said with a smile. “The rooms in the west wing are all empty. Big brother and sister-in-law, Yong’er and Xuan’er, you can stay here too.”

“No need, let’s go home!” Du said, looking at Ye Daquan. “If you want to stay, then stay. Stay a few more days, it will help my younger sister keep the house in good order.”

Ye Daquan was overjoyed to have both parties agree.

Just as Du and the others left, Ye Erquan returned.

"Little sister, why are you returning money as a gift?" Ye Erquan asked anxiously.

Ye Caiping smiled and said, "I'll give you an ounce of wine as a token of my appreciation, not something you're expected to give back. You can keep this as a return gift."

Ye Erquan was very moved, and Ye Caiping persuaded him to go home after a lot of persuasion.

...

Du led Ye Yong and the others home under the moonlight.

Along the way, Mrs. Du was extremely envious: "When will our family be able to build a big brick and tile house?"

Ye Jinhua sighed, “Our eldest son’s family seems to have been allocated a house, but compared to others, the second son’s family is still better. Our house is old and dilapidated. It’s not just mud-brick, but also has a thatched roof. It leaks when it rains and always has a musty smell.”

"If you want to live in a big brick house, you have to tear it down and rebuild it. At least the second wife received a subsidy of five taels of silver from her grandparents."

Ye Xuan said, "You can't calculate it like that. Even if the house is old and dilapidated, it's still a house, and people can still live in it if it's not demolished."

"Besides, can't the second wife buy a homestead? Buying a homestead costs two taels of silver! What can a few extra taels do? It's not that our family can't afford to build, but we need the money right now."

Ye Yong found it amusing: "My fault?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Du said, glaring at Jinhua. "It's just that your elder brother needs money for his wedding, otherwise our family could build one too."

“We’ve built the second house now, and we’ll have to save money for Peng’er’s future wife. Isn’t it all the same? It’s just a matter of timing. In another year or two, we’ll be able to build a big house too.”

Ye Jinhua looked at Ye Xuan expectantly: "Second brother will have to get married then too!"

Ye Xuan's face turned bright red: "No rush, I need to study first."

Madam Du smiled and nodded: "Your second brother will have to wait three or four years. If he can pass the imperial examination, he might be able to marry a woman from the town or county."

What if it doesn't work?

"Even if I don't pass the exam, I still have to get married."

Ye Jinhua was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! At least we won't be getting married for the next year or two. Our family can finally build a big brick house with tiled roofs. If we build one like my aunt's, the outhouse there would be so useful."

Mrs. Du was taken aback: "You good-for-nothing! If you're going to take it, why don't you take it home! This is fertilizer! Your aunt's outhouse just flushes it out with water, and it's all gone!"

As he spoke, he reached out and twisted her ear.

Jin Hua quickly dodged, and the mother and daughter chased each other.

Ye Xuan and Ye Yong smiled and followed slowly behind.

They feel so comfortable with their current life, as if they have everything, yet it also feels like there's still a long way to go, requiring them to work even harder to move forward.

Full of anticipation.

...

Ye Caiping was exhausted after a long day and returned to her room.

Looking at the huge room, Ye Caiping breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had some private space!

And this big bed, although it's only 1.5 meters wide, is for her to sleep on all by herself!

She spread her arms and lay down on the bed, feeling comfortable!

"Mother," Ye Jin'er and Ye Huan'er walked in, carrying pillows, "Can we sleep with you?"

"Uh...no."

The Ye Jin'er sisters pouted, "We're not used to it. Such a big room...we're scared."

"Then you two sleep together, go back quickly." Ye Caiping also wanted to be comfortable and couldn't compromise herself to accommodate her daughter.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!