Unmarried Men and Women: Daily Life of Raising Children in Ancient Times

Mu Yi'an, a teacher at an agricultural school, in her thirties, unmarried, nearly expelled from her family by her biological mother.

Jiang Shuyun, a high school political teacher, in her ...

Chapter 105 It's Good to Be Rich

This was Mu Yi'an's first time facing a servant who had been sold into servitude, and it was no ordinary interview. In ancient times, once a contract of servitude was signed, one's life and death were in the hands of their master.

Feeling that he had performed well, Mu Yi'an instructed Shuhe to take Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li to town to buy some daily necessities, as Mu Yi'an's family did not have any extras.

And so, the Li family of six settled down at Jiang Shuyun's house.

"Have you heard? Young Scholar Jiang's family has bought servants. Now they're really living the high life."

"Really? What kind of person is he? Is he the same as the one described in the play?"

"How can they be the same? I saw it. It was a family of several people, including the elderly, the young, and the very young. They looked quite different."

"This time, Jiang Shuheng's wife should regret it, shouldn't she? She couldn't tolerate Jiang Qi back then and was so willing to separate from the family..."

...

That's how bad things are in the village; any little thing that happens quickly becomes a hot topic.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family followed behind the crowd. Hearing their discussions, she quickly walked towards her sister-in-law's house.

"Sister-in-law, you're saying that Mu Yi'an and her group have bought people, and more than one?"

Jiang's sister-in-law was so shocked by her sister-in-law's words that she couldn't close her mouth. Before, when she saw the servants in her aunt's house, she felt that they were too far removed from her own life. But Mu Yi'an was different. They had lived together for a long time and shared housework. How long had it been, and they had already bought servants?

“I didn’t see it either. I just heard people in the village talking about it. I thought I’d tell you. No matter what, we still have our parents at home. There are many things we can’t get over.”

Sister-in-law Lin's words had a hidden meaning. She didn't say much more and left. She knew her sister-in-law's mother-in-law didn't like her, and she didn't want to be disliked either. She'd delivered her message and should hurry on her way.

Jiang's sister-in-law is not feeling well right now. She is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, and she has to cook breakfast every day and do her own laundry. Why should Mu Yi'an be able to order servants around and act like a lady of a prominent family?

Unaware of Jiang Dasao's grievances, Mu Yi'an was busy working in the melon field with the Li family grandfather and grandson.

"Madam, shall we plant the melon seedlings tomorrow?"

Uncle Li is also a skilled farmer and knows a lot about farming.

"Yes, we watered it thoroughly today, and we'll start planting melon seedlings tomorrow."

"Shuhe, before dinner, take Brother Li to my mother's house and bring back the fertilizer."

"Okay, sister-in-law."

Mu Yi'an felt a surge of joy as she thought about the silver notes she had received earlier; she couldn't let this batch of watermelons go to waste.

In the afternoon, Mu Yi'an notified the other families to prepare their land so that the remaining melon seedlings would be distributed to them after she finished planting.

Upon receiving the news, everyone came to the melon patch to see how it was done.

"Shuyun's wife, we'll all come over tomorrow to help you plant melon seedlings. With more people, we can finish in one day."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you elders. Tonight, you should dig the holes and water them thoroughly. Tomorrow, you can distribute the melon seedlings and plant them directly."

Mu Yi'an knew that everyone was anxious and wanted to make some money.

"Okay, whatever you say."

After finishing her work, Mu Yi'an asked the Li family father and son to stay and clean up before she went home.

"Second sister-in-law, come and wash up quickly. Sister-in-law Li has prepared the meal and boiled water."

Jiang Qi has been showing Li Sao around the house these past few days. Li's little girl is busy in the kitchen with her mother, while Li's little boy is playing with Shao Yun and the others in the yard.

"How are you doing? Are you adjusting well?"

"Sister Li is doing a great job. You can tell that the previous master's family had good rules. I haven't seen many servants before, but this one is much better than the Fan family's."

Jiang Qi has been having a much easier time lately. She doesn't have to do housework and just takes care of the kids. She's living the good life.

"You'll get used to it. Just keep an eye on the kids. With servants around, we'll both be free. We'll start planting melon seedlings tomorrow, and then we'll be busy again."

"Understood, Second Sister-in-law."

Jiang Qi knew that the respect that Sister-in-law Li and the others showed her must have come from something her second sister-in-law had said. Otherwise, how could a divorced sister-in-law be living so well?

"Okay, so we've finally settled into a life where we're waited on hand and foot."

Mu Yi'an thought about it. She had never been able to live a life where she could be served by servants in her previous life, but she had actually achieved it in ancient times thousands of years ago. It was truly amazing.

The two women looked at each other and laughed. Life is so wonderful!

Mu Yi'an and her sister-in-law marveled at the beauty of life, while at the Jiang family's old house, Jiang's eldest sister-in-law was extremely upset.

"Mother, have you heard?"

"What did you hear?"

Jiang's mother was doing needlework. It was getting hot, and she was making a short jacket for Shuheng's father to wear at night.

"My second sister-in-law has bought servants, and more than one."

"Isn't that a good thing? The second son's wife is busy with the melon patch and is exhausted. Now that there's a servant, she can relax a bit. Otherwise, with the house, the fields, and three children, she wouldn't be able to take care of everything."

Hearing her mother-in-law's words, Sister-in-law Jiang swallowed back the words she was about to say. Her mother-in-law really knew how to think of her daughter-in-law.

Jiang's sister-in-law felt even more upset when she didn't hear what she wanted to hear. Mu Yi'an had bought servants, so he should at least provide some convenience for the old house. Putting everything else aside, in August, Shao Qin's father was going to the prefectural city to take the provincial examination.

When the time comes, let Jiang Shuyun come along. As her brother, he should contribute his time, effort, and money!

Jiang's sister-in-law, lost in her own happy thoughts, couldn't help but laugh.

Mu Yi'an was unaware that Sister-in-law Jiang was plotting against them again. She was calculating how many watermelon seedlings each family would receive after the seedlings were planted tomorrow.

The next day, Jiang Shuyun and the others got up early. Uncle Li had already opened the gate and was loading things onto the oxcart.

When Mu Yi'an and the others arrived at the melon patch with the watermelon seedlings, Uncle Jiang and his family had already arrived, as had the uncles from several branches of the Wang family, and Jiang Shuwen had also returned early in the morning.

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