After consulting with Old Master Li, Liu Dashan listed several criteria to test them, and finally selected five people.

He didn't tell these people their wages and benefits right away, but only told them to come and work on the farm tomorrow, and they would find out then.

Meanwhile, the Li family was still celebrating.

We've managed to set up a table tonight, though it's just a few stir-fries and not even any meat.

But the whole family still enjoyed the meal immensely.

"Father, little sister, do you think the village needs an embroiderer? Can I go there too?"

Li Erhua suddenly asked.

Her two sisters-in-law couldn't help but look over when they heard this.

Father Li did reveal something to his family, indicating that the employer had increased everyone's monthly salary, but asked them not to spread the word for the time being.

Hearing that even a cleaning maid like Lian Xiaomei earns one or two taels of silver a month, they were all very tempted.

Upon hearing this, the table fell silent.

Before Li's father could even speak.

Old Master Li then frowned and reprimanded him.

"The fact that the boss is willing to hire your father shows her generosity, but it doesn't mean she can use public resources for private gain. All of you, put away your thoughts. If there are any more job openings in the village in the future, if you have the ability, you can try to get them yourselves. Don't think about using connections."

After speaking, he looked sternly at Father Li.

"It is your blessing that your employer is willing to trust you. You must never be arrogant, complacent, or do anything foolish that would betray your employer's trust."

Father Li hurriedly said, "Father, don't you trust my character? I would never do anything to disobey the master, deceive him, or harm his interests."

Grandpa Li nodded in satisfaction and stopped scolding him. "Let's eat."

Because of this, the atmosphere at the table became quite somber.

Li Erhua was later called into her parents' room and scolded again.

"Second Sister." Xiao Lian was waiting outside when she saw her come out wiping away tears.

He rushed over, pulled her back into the house, and comforted her after closing the door.

"Second sister, don't blame Father. He can't do anything about it. Besides, now only the master of the house needs food, clothing and other necessities. His clothes are usually bought ready-made, so he probably doesn't need an embroiderer."

Li Erhua sighed, "I know, I acted impulsively. I'll try again when I go to the city to hand in the embroidery the day after tomorrow."

She was indeed getting anxious.

Li Erhua is seventeen years old this year.

Originally, they were supposed to get married after the eighteenth day of the new year.

Because she used to work in the largest embroidery workshop in the city, the marriage prospects she found were quite good.

Her fiancé is from the neighboring Dongjia Village.

Although he was also from the countryside, he worked as a manager at a treasure shop in the city.

They all agreed that once the two got married, they would let the young couple live in the city so that it would be convenient for them to go to work every day.

Li Erhua still values ​​this marriage very much.

However, ever since she was fired from the embroidery shop, the Dong family's attitude has changed.

First, they would send people to her door every few days to ask her about her work.

Later, they said that their son was still young and there was no rush to get married; they could postpone it for a while.

There are also rumors that the Dong family seems to be secretly looking for a new daughter-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Li Erhua was both angry and anxious.

The Dong family hasn't explicitly stated that they want to break off the engagement, probably because they want to wait until her second brother finishes his imperial examination this year.

If I pass the exam, that's good; if I don't, I'm afraid...

If the Dong family rejects her engagement, her reputation will likely be ruined.

By then, she'll be too old and unemployed, so she'll probably only be able to marry an old widower.

That's why I acted so impulsively today.

Xiaolian felt sad when she saw her sister secretly shedding tears.

But there was nothing she could do to help; she could only offer quiet words of comfort.

The next day, before dawn, Liu Dashan led five farmhands to the village to report for duty, and then quickly went to the fields to weed and plow.

Upon finally learning their due, the farmhands were so excited that they put in their utmost effort.

In just one day, he plowed all forty acres of land.

Yun Zhiyi was somewhat surprised when she found out.

She had originally estimated that it would take about three days to plow the field.

She sent Qingkong to check the field to make sure they weren't just sloppyly doing things.

The entire field was transformed in an instant, without a single blade of grass to be seen.

The turned-up soil contained almost nothing but soil, with no stones, grass roots, or insects in sight.

Yun Zhiyi was very satisfied with this and asked Liu Dashan to make everyone a dinner just like hers as a reward.

Liu Dashan also received a share.

Although it was just two dishes and a soup, the ingredients were high-priced items that only nobles could afford on ordinary days.

Most importantly, this is an affirmation from the employer.

That alone makes it taste better than anything else.

Of course, this was his thought before dinner.

After dinner, they all agreed.

The employer's affirmation is still important, but it's also important to try to reward them with these meals again.

There's no other reason, it's just so delicious!

Tonight, Liu Dashan made fish soup, stuffed tofu, and roasted meat for Yun Zhiyi's dinner, with broken rice as the main dish.

He first made a separate portion for Yun Zhiyi and sent it over.

Take enough ingredients for six people and make a large serving so we can all eat together.

"Uncle Dashan, your cooking is amazing! It smells so good!"

"How can someone who isn't a good cook stay in the village?"

"Uncle Liu, why didn't you go to restaurants before?"

Several farmhands were waiting in the kitchen courtyard.

The aroma wafting out made it impossible to continue the conversation.

One by one, they couldn't resist running to the kitchen door, greedily inhaling the aroma wafting from inside.

Li Cuizhi was also so tempted that she laughed and scolded him upon hearing this.

"He doesn't have any cooking skills. He can only cook a few dishes. The reason they taste good is because the employer's ingredients are good."

Li Cuizhi was a kitchen helper and assisted him every day.

I hadn't thought much of it before.

Ever since her employer sent her new ingredients, she's found it increasingly difficult to cook.

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