Chapter 110 Chapter 110 People's Miscellaneous Affairs

Zhang's mother, Xu Sanchun, never expected that she would stand out and be selected as a worker in the salt factory.

This immediately made Zhang Ying's family the envy of everyone on the street.

Her husband and son work in the salt mine, and her daughter and son-in-law run a county clinic. This is simply the envy of others.

Xu Sanchun had always wanted to save money to buy cotton cloth and dye powder.

Now that she works as a worker, she feels that she is getting closer and closer to her goal of buying cloth.

Before officially starting work, workers must be trained first.

It is not only about training the operating process, but also about training how the three shifts work and how the wages are calculated.

Xu Sanchun was confused at first, but she listened very hard in order to get the job.

She remembers clearly what rules employees need to follow and what the working hours are.

After seven days of training, it was time to officially start working at the salt factory.

Xu Sanchun didn't know how other salt factories made salt, nor did he know whether other salt factories would divide the process into several steps like this.

There are only two people in her process. Their job is to grind the beans into soy milk, and then pour the soy milk into the brine according to the proportion and stir it.

During the training, the manager said that it was because protein formed flocs when heated that could absorb calcium and magnesium ions.

Xu Sanchun didn't know anything about pears and peaches. She only knew to pour the soy milk into a big pot, stir it constantly with a wooden stick, and skimming off the foam was her job.

Once the brine is clear enough to be visibly transparent to the naked eye, it will be transferred to the next process.

The salt mines started operating much earlier than the salt factories, and much of the inedible salt mined was piled up, so the salt factories had to work in three shifts.

The night shift is on a rotation basis.

After all, there is less work on the night shift, and the house is dark at night, so you can't do much work. When you go there, you can first check if there is anything you missed during the day. Then you only need to get up every few hours to check the dehydration of the kang salt.

Xu Sanchun worked two night shifts and was not as tired as she had imagined.

After the examination and checking the dehydration situation, she and her colleague slept on the floor of the lounge with their homemade straw mats, taking turns to check on the condition.

The manager was afraid that the workers would oversleep at night, so he raised a rooster that crowed every two hours.

As soon as they heard the rooster crow, Xu Sanchun and his colleagues knew it was time to get up.

Working the night shift can earn you an extra six cents, and the work is easier, so some people suggested working more.

In the end, the manager rejected it, saying that rotation was the fairest way.

In the second month of working at the salt factory, Xu Sanchun finally saved enough money to buy cloth.

This time she not only wanted to buy cloth, but also the dye powder.

Xu Sanchun and Zhang Lian took a large vat from their home, filled it with water, and poured in enough dye powder to dye a piece of cloth.

The mother and daughter planned to dye their hair in two colors, indigo for the husband and purple for themselves.

Xu Sanchun took the dried cotton cloth and gestured towards Zhang Lian.

"Don't tell me, this color is beautiful."

Xu Sanchun put his hands on his hips and said, "Tomorrow I'm going to show off too. Our family is wearing cotton clothes too."

The refined salt produced by the salt factory has greatly improved the quality of life of the people.

Being able to eat salt without bitterness at the price of coarse salt is probably something that ordinary people would never dream of.

It’s just that the salt factory is just being built and there is a shortage of supply, so there are purchase restrictions.

Some people were afraid that they would no longer have such cheap and good salt to eat, so they wanted to buy more to stock up, but they found that they were not allowed to buy. Then they cried and screamed at home.

After hearing this, the neighbors comforted him, saying that with the Princess Anping around, there was nothing to be afraid of.

The man thought about it and realized that it was true, so he wiped his tears and stopped crying.

*

Kang Zhuqing is now the envy of everyone in Li County.

Both her children work under the county lady and are in charge of people. Everyone says that she is lucky.

Some people even asked whether Kang Zhuqing's house was for sale, and they could offer a high price.

Kang Zhuqing naturally disagreed. The children had lived in this house for many years and were used to it, so how could they possibly sell it?

The man felt very sorry and said that he thought Kang Zhuqing's house had good feng shui and wanted to buy it for his own children to go to school.

Kang Zhuqing said, "There's no such thing as good or bad feng shui. We're just being obedient and following the county lord's policies. In Li County, who has followed the county lord's policies and is living a bad life?"

Shitou and Shijin are busy with their work and rarely come back.

Kang Zhuqing and Shitu go to see it every month during their rest time.

Kang Zhuqing looked at Shi Jin more, but of course it was not because there were handsome men on the streets of Lingzhou.

Absolutely not.

That day, Kang Zhuqing was getting ready to go to work when Mrs. Jiang next door was holding her grandson in the yard, basking in the sun.

Her son got married just last year, having turned nineteen. After all, he hadn't been admitted to a technical school, and had been supported by his parents all those years. He'd followed his parents' lead and gone on several dates, but the local girls in Li County certainly wouldn't have looked down on him, so he went on several dates in other counties before finally settling down.

Madam Jiang greeted Kang Zhuqing warmly when she saw her. "Madam Kang, go out."

Kang Zhuqing nodded and teased the child.

Seeing this, Madam Jiang couldn't hide a hint of boasting in her tone. "My son is just a nobody. He can't accomplish anything great, so he can only get married early."

Kang Zhuqing knew that this person was showing off his grandson again, so he casually exchanged a few polite words and left.

After Kang Zhuqing walked away, Madam Jiang's expression changed. She said sarcastically, "Humph, even if her son or daughter is successful, it doesn't matter. She won't be able to hold her first grandson."

When Kang Zhuqing got off work, he chatted with his colleagues, who mentioned that there was an after-school interest class that was very popular recently.

Kang Zhuqing thought about it and realized he had heard of it before. "Is it the one run by a woman named Xie?"

"Yes, that's right, but it's become even more popular recently. I even want to send my child there."

"Why?"

"It is said that Madam Xie's uncle and aunt are here. Her uncle and aunt are well-read and have read many ancient and rare books. They are very knowledgeable for the children."

Kang Zhuqing stood up and walked outside, "So powerful?"

"Yes, these essays are getting harder and harder these days. You said the kids in Li County don't have the chance to go out and broaden their horizons, so those essays with big ideas are just average and don't get high scores."

Kang Zhuqing thought about it and agreed. "Then hurry up and pay the fee and sign up and send it over."

"I think that there are only so many children in the room, and the teacher can't teach all day. The classes will have to be scheduled until next month."

After returning home, Kang Zhuqing sighed to Shitu.

"It's really different to have knowledge. You can make money no matter what."

Shi Tu took a bite of the dish, which didn't taste bitter, and nodded. "You're right. Didn't our Shi Tou and Jin Niang also change their fates because of knowledge?"

Kang Zhuqing is now in a good mood every day when eating. "This refined salt is different from coarse salt."

After dinner, Kang Zhuqing’s colleague invited her to go to the cram school together.

Before the two of them arrived, they saw a large crowd of people surrounding the place.

It turned out that the time for make-up classes had arrived and it was time for parents to pick up their children.

Kang Zhuqing saw that there were not only students from the elementary school coming out, but also a person who looked at least twenty years old.

Kang Zhuqing and his colleagues were greatly surprised. "Why are both adults and children here to learn?"

The parents nearby responded, "Teacher Xie and Teacher Xie are great teachers. Even students from night school and middle school come to listen."

My colleague became even more anxious and kept muttering on the way back.

"I should have sent my child here earlier. Now that there's no place, he's going to be far behind others in Chinese."

After a rest, Kang Zhuqing took a long-distance carriage from Li County to Lingzhou to see Shi Jin.

Nowadays, there are fewer people urinating and defecating in public and littering, and the handsome man with a red scarf is not seen often.

Kang Zhuqing came to the alley where Shi Jin lived and knocked on the door of the Mo family as if he knew the place well.

This time, the person who opened the door was Mo Jinglian's mother Ye Xialan.

The two exchanged greetings, and Ye Xialan handed the key to Kang Zhuqing.

Kang Zhuqing went in to put his things down, then went out to buy some vegetables. He seemed to have nothing to do, so he wandered around the alley.

After a while, he started talking to a girl from the next alley.

The girl smiled very politely and said that she came from Jinnan Road to accompany her child to study. She was new to Lingzhou and there were so many rules that she was afraid of committing a crime by accident.

Kang Zhuqing chatted with others and said, "Just follow the rules."

The girl looked at the street and said, "When I first came here, I saw people wearing red armbands scolding people on the street, and I was really scared."

Kang Zhuqing was already bored waiting for Shi Jin at home, and seeing that the girl was not much older than him, he followed her home to chat.

Only then did Kang Zhuqing learn that these were two concubines who had brought their three children to Lingzhou to study.

The two concubines asked Kang Zhuqing if she could have children and whether it was difficult for them to study in Lingzhou.

Kang Zhuqing touched his head sheepishly. "My two children graduated a long time ago. I'm from Li County, and my children all went to school there."

When Li County was mentioned, the two concubines immediately showed envious eyes.

"I heard that Li County has very good educational resources. My wife and husband originally wanted to send their children to study in Li County, but with three children, the burden in various aspects is too heavy, especially the rent. Renting a house this big in Li County costs a lot of money."

Kang Zhuqing had also heard that the rent in Li County was expensive.

Kang Zhuqing consoled him, "The education in Lingzhou is also very good. As long as you study hard and get into a middle school, you will have many options in the future and can make a name for yourself."

The two concubines wanted to keep Kang Zhuqing to sit for a while and eat some fruit.

Kang Zhuqing waved her hand. "My daughter is almost off work, so I have to go back and make her some dinner. We'll talk tomorrow."

Recently, Shi Jin has become extremely busy due to trade with Nanzhao.

Kang Zhuqing looked at Shi Jin's dark circles and asked her to eat more with concern.

"The order volume from Nanzhao is indeed huge. You may be busy, but you must take good care of your health."

Shi Jin nodded. "Mother, I know."

Kang Zhuqing ate while chatting with Shi Jin, "This is a trade route with Nanzhao. Building the road will require a lot of people, right?"

Shi Jin thought for a moment and said, "Yes, and the troops have already eliminated a wave of bandits, so the road will be built quickly."

The next day, Shi Jin went out to work, and Kang Zhuqing was bored at home, so she went to chat with the two concubines from yesterday.

Now, as soon as I entered the room, I saw three people.

Two of them were the concubine from yesterday, and the remaining one.

Kang Zhuqing didn’t know.

Sun Yuhua and Kang Zhuqing introduced themselves to each other, and then the four of them sat on the stone bench in the yard and chatted.

Kang Zhuqing was speaking out for a poor family, and taking concubines was not a common practice among poor families.

After all, our family is poor, and it is hard for two people to make ends meet, let alone adding one more person.

Therefore, Kang Zhuqing had no idea about the relationship between a wife and a concubine, and he had no idea how the two normally got along.

At least the relationship between the head wife and the two concubines seemed very good.

It doesn't sound fake to say I miss them.

Sun Yuhua, upon learning Kang Zhuqing was from Li County, showed a touch of envy. "Li County is great! It's the county lord's fiefdom, and the schools were built first. I'm afraid Madam Kang's children have graduated many years ago. I'd like to ask, what are Madam Kang's children doing now?"

Kang Zhuqing was a straightforward person, so he answered, "My daughter works as a manager in the workshop, and my son is now an official under the county lord."

Seeing that Kang Zhuqing was not shy at all, Sun Yuhua also felt a little fond of her. "Madam Kang is so lucky!"

The two concubines also echoed, "Yes."

"In fact, being a manager is no different from being an official. I heard from my husband that being a manager works under Madam Mo from the Ministry of Commerce." Sun Yuhua said.

The four of them became more and more excited as they talked, and it even felt like they were meeting old friends in a foreign land.

Sun Yuhua told the story of how he forced Jia Wenshi to eat boiled vegetables, which made the other three laugh.

Kang Zhuqing clapped her thigh with laughter. "Madam Sun, you are such an interesting person."

Sun Yuhua put her hands on her hips and said, "You don't know, he's so thin now that his jawline is very obvious. Do you know what a jawline is?"

Kang Zhuqing covered her mouth and laughed. "I know, I know."

"I just think that he looks thinner, and he has a fresher look, not greasy at all. I like him more."

After chatting for an afternoon, Kang Zhuqing had to go back to cook, so she told Sun Yuhua that if she came to Li County in the future, she must come to see her.

Sun Yuhua nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely come to find you when the time comes. Please don't think I'm shameless."

After Kang Zhuqing left, Sun Yuhua and her three concubines waited for their three daughters to return home.

Because Jia Wenshi performed well in the training assessment, and her eldest daughter and second daughter were only less than one year over the age limit, Liang Nian made an exception and allowed them to enter the elementary school.

The three little girls, carrying cross-body backpacks, were very happy to see Sun Yuhua when they opened the door.

Sun Yuhua began to ask them what they had learned in school.

The three daughters were talking to each other, but what they said was words that Sun Yuhua could not understand.

Sun Yuhua was immediately very satisfied, it would be better if she didn't understand.