The village chief only spoke after watching Chen Ping'an walk out excitedly.
"Su Luo, what do you need me for?"
The village chief is too old to do those heavy jobs.
"Village Chief, I need to use the village's pots and pans. I need your help with this. Also, I'd like to ask you to be the supervisor and record the number of days the villagers work. I'll pay you one tael of silver a month. Would you be willing to help me, Village Chief?"
Su Luo's actions this time could be considered as helping the villagers, so the village chief had nothing to say.
"Pots and pans are common to the whole village, so it's fine for you to take them and use them. There's no problem with the supervisor either."
Having the village chief act as the supervisor was the best solution Su Luo could think of. She couldn't always be there to oversee the construction site, and the village chief, being the highest-ranking official in the village and literate, was the best candidate.
"Alright, with the village chief giving the order, we'll start preparing tonight."
...
When Zhao Ruyun returned, she excitedly told Su Luo.
"Luo Luo, the aunties in the village have all agreed. They've already gone to the thatched hut in the village to carry the pots and pans to the river to wash them. They're all ready to start tomorrow."
"So fast?"
"Yes, I told them that they would get three meals a day, all-inclusive, plus fifteen coins, and they agreed without even thinking. I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to go wash the dishes with them."
The happiest person about the house construction was Zhao Ruyun; no matter how tired she was, she was always happy.
Su Luo tidied up the house and took Yan Chuan and Yi Huan to Aunt Li's house, where Li Niu was also there.
"Hello, Grandpa Li! Hello, Grandma Li!" Yan Chuan and Yi Huan greeted them as soon as they saw them.
"Yan Chuan Yi Huan is so good."
“Yan Chuan’s mother, you’re here. I just heard someone say that you’re going to hire someone to build a house.”
Aunt Li is checking on the soaked soybeans, waiting to grind them before dawn.
"Yes, that's why I came to order tofu from you. Aunt Li, how have you been feeling lately?"
Aunt Li glanced at Uncle Li, pulled Su Luo to a corner, and blushed.
"Yan Chuan's mother, it's been twenty days already, and I've felt weak these past two days. I don't know if it's just psychological, I'm not sure."
It's a pity Su Luo doesn't know how to take a pulse, otherwise she could have shown it to Aunt Li.
"Don't worry, wait a few more days and see. If you feel unwell, go to the county to see a doctor."
Aunt Li smiled broadly, and held Su Luo's arm shyly.
"By the way, Yan Chuan's mother, you said you came to order tofu from us? You don't need to order, I'll deliver as much as you want."
“The food you gave me is more than we can eat at home. I was planning to give it to the people who came to help me build the house.”
"Oh, I see. Then go and talk to my husband, Mr. Li."
Aunt Li invited Su Luo into the house, while she herself took Yan Chuan and Yi Huan's hands, her love for the children impossible to hide.
"Old Li, come inside for a moment, Yan Chuan's mother wants to see you."
Aunt Li called out to Li Niu, who was washing the stone mill.
As soon as Li Niu entered the house, he asked Su Luo, "Yan Chuan's mother, please tell me what's wrong."
"Uncle Li, I've come to order tofu from you, ten catties a day. Of course, I'll charge you according to Fu Man Lou's prices, so don't worry about that."
After considering it, Li Niu realized that this was not a good idea, since Su Luo had taught them this recipe, and they had even been given trouble by Chen Dazhi for it.
“Yanchuan’s mother, it’s not a big problem for you to have tofu. Your Aunt Li and I can grind a little more soybeans every day. But I don’t agree to your price of the same as Fumanlou.”
Su Luo's first reaction was that Uncle Li was complaining that she hadn't given him enough?
“Yan Chuan’s mother, I’ll sell you the tofu for ten coins a pound. I’ll take back the money for the beans, and I won’t take any more from you.”
One pound of soybeans can make two pounds of tofu, so Uncle Li doesn't have to pay any labor costs.
“Uncle Li, I can’t let you lose out. I know you want to help me. How about this, thirty coins a pound. If that’s not possible, I’ll have to decide.”
The villagers are simple and honest, and everyone has their own struggles, so Su Luo couldn't let them do business without any investment.
In the end, Aunt Li and Uncle Li couldn't persuade Su Luo, so they gave her thirty coins per catty, ten catties a day, and Su Luo paid them once a month.
Before leaving, Su Luo said to Li Niu, "Uncle Li, wait for me when you go to the county to deliver tofu tomorrow. I want to go too."
"Okay, then come earlier."
"Um!"
By the river, Su Luo saw Zhao Ruyun and the others still washing pots and dishes, and walked over.
"Aunt Zhang, Aunt Chen, Auntie, you've worked hard. Come to the kiln with my mother-in-law later, and I'll cook for you when I get back."
The group chatted and laughed until they heard Su Luo's words and then looked up at her.
"Yan Chuan's mother, you don't need to worry about us. I'll just go home and grab something to eat later."
Chen Yan said with a smile that, as the village chief's wife, she was not at all pretentious.
"How can that be? You'll all eat at Wayao later. My Luoluo's cooking skills are so good, I dare say you can't find another one like her in the whole Changping Village."
Zhao Ruyun is very proud. Life is better now. There is rice and meat at home, and she no longer has to beg people for help.
"We couldn't possibly accept that," the group said.
"Aunties, it's my pleasure. I'll go back and cook now."
Su Luo brought Yan Chuan and Yi Huan back home. There was only one pot for cooking rice, so Su Luo could only cook twice a day.
The dish also included tofu that Uncle Li had given us. We stir-fried it with pork until fragrant, added scallions, ginger, and garlic, took out soy sauce from our space to enhance the flavor, added water, and then added the tofu.
Nangong Qing and A Xu never understood why Su Luo's cooking was better than the chef's at Fu Man Lou. It was because Su Luo used soy sauce to enhance the flavor.
So it tastes a bit better than what they make.
The cucumbers in the field had grown a lot, so Su Luo made a bowl of cold cucumber salad, added a little vinegar and chili oil from her space. It looked appetizing.
Let's stir-fry some June beans. June beans are almost out of season, and there aren't many left. When they were plentiful, Zhao Ruyun even pickled some of them.
Adding the pickled vegetables makes four dishes. The soybeans in the dry land are now growing into pods, which are at their tenderest. Su Luo picked some and put them directly into the pot to cook, adding a little salt. They can be eaten as a snack after meals.
"Yanchuan, dinner is almost ready. Go and call Grandma and the others back to eat."
"oh!"
Yan Chuan put down the Thousand Character Classic in his hand and ran to find Zhao Ruyun and the others.
When Zhao Ruyun and the others returned, Su Luo had already cooked the soybean pods and took out the firewood that hadn't been burned.
"Yan Chuan's mother, this is the food you made for us. It's so much better than a banquet."
Zhang Xiujuan looked at the white rice and meat dishes. She didn't know how long it had been since she had eaten white rice, let alone meat.
"These are all home-style dishes, Aunt Zhang, please don't be shy."
Liu Fangfang and Chen Yan had eaten here before and knew that Su Luo's family was living at this standard of living.
"Zhang, Chen Yan, Fangfang, you all go ahead and eat. My Luoluo likes having lots of people around."
Zhao Ruyun noticed that Su Luo really enjoyed being around people; whenever there were many people at a meal, Su Luo would eat more.
Su Luo has become too thin over the years and needs to eat more.
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