Chapter 9 Even if life is hard, you should try your best to make yourself...
Mother Liu was slightly startled, a trace of uneasiness crossing her face. She didn't want her daughter to worry about these things, especially since Shu'er's health had just improved. She didn't want her to worry about the family's livelihood.
She smiled and tried to speak in a relaxed tone, "Shu'er, you're just getting better, don't worry about these things. Dad and Mom will take care of the family affairs, we can handle it."
Liu Yeshu knew in her heart that this was both medical treatment and recuperation, and it must have cost a lot of money.
She frowned slightly, but continued to ask, "Mom, I know you don't want me to worry, but now I also have the responsibility to help share the family's burden. How much savings do we have left?"
Mother Liu saw Liu Yeshu staring at her, knowing that she couldn't hide it, she sighed and the smile on her face faded a little.
"Shu'er, I'm telling you the truth. Most of our family savings came from the money the Qi family gave us, but the jewelry I own can probably be exchanged for some money." Mother Liu's voice was a little low, and her tone was filled with helplessness and fatigue. "All in all, there's less than five strings of cash left."
Liu Yeshu's heart tightened. Five strings of cash might seem like a lot, but she knew it wouldn't sustain a family of four for long. She lowered her head in thought, quickly calculating in her mind.
A family of four needs about two to three dou of grain per month to barely get by, which means that the monthly food expenses are about one to one and a half guan. Add to that the daily necessities of firewood, rice, oil and salt, and another half a guan of money. These daily expenses alone cost nearly two guan of money each month.
Five strings of cash could only sustain life for two months at best. If there were any more emergencies, the family would be in dire straits. The most important thing right now was to find a new source of livelihood as soon as possible.
At this time, Liu Yeshu was extremely glad that she chose to hatch chicks. The chicks grew fast and the eggs could be used to pay back the money.
However, in the long run, the best way is still that piece of land.
After putting the medicine bowl down, she thought for a moment and then asked her mother, "Mom, how is Dad going about exchanging land with Manager Li?"
Mother Liu sighed softly and shook her head: "Manager Li said that this piece of land is in the spotlight. It's probably been watched by someone recently, so it's difficult to change it."
After hearing this, Liu Yeshu nodded slightly and comforted her mother with a few words. In fact, she felt relieved.
The location of this piece of land is excellent. If you change the land, you may not be able to find such a good location.
"I'll find a way to make money."
Mother Liu smiled and patted her daughter's head, saying, "When I have some free time, I'll find some work as an embroiderer. Any money I can earn is good."
After working for a whole day and night, Liu's mother was obviously tired.
After letting her mother go back to rest, Liu Yeshu went into the kitchen and took some pickled cabbage from a large jar. She gently shook off any excess moisture and placed it in a clay pot. The pickled cabbage was brightly colored, each leaf coated in red chilies and spices. After several days of fermentation, it had a rich, sour aroma and was perfect for eating with rice.
I went out, walked to the village entrance, pushed open the door of Aunt Sun's house, and saw Aunt Sun hanging clothes in the yard.
"Isn't this the girl from the Liu family? Come in and sit down!" Aunt Sun greeted her warmly, "Have you had lunch?"
Liu Yeshu said, "I've eaten." He walked forward and handed the needle in his hand to Aunt Sun: "Aunt Sun, I'm here to return the needle."
Aunt Sun wiped her hands on her waist and took the needle: "Girl, you are not in a hurry. You can give it to me when you pass by. Why did you make this special trip?"
Liu Yeshu handed over the pottery jar and put it in Aunt Sun's hand: "Aunt Sun, this is the kimchi I made myself. I brought it for you to try."
She had already noticed the jar of stuff that Liu Yeshu was carrying, but she pretended not to see it before.
"Oh, you can cook too?" Aunt Sun opened it and smelled it. "It's different from what we usually cook. After all, you're a daughter of an official family. You've eaten more different kinds of food than an old woman like me."
Liu Yeshu shook her head: "There's no such thing as a young lady from an official family. I just did this randomly. I hope you don't mind."
Aunt Sun felt relieved after hearing this, and then asked with concern: "I heard that someone in your family is sick. How is it now?"
Liu Yeshu nodded slightly, a look of fatigue on her face. "Thank you, Aunt Sun, for your concern. My brother caught a cold and is still recovering. But he's getting much better, and his fever has subsided a lot."
Aunt Sun sighed and patted the back of Liu Yeshu's hand: "If you are sick, you should rest well and don't rush to work. Young people have a good foundation. You will get better slowly."
Liu Yeshu showed gratitude and took the opportunity to ask, "Aunt Sun, I was just thinking that the family's expenses have been quite high these days, and my brother is still recovering from his illness. I wonder if you have heard of any embroidery work available. I also want to earn some extra money to help support the family."
"You say you're not from an official family? Only you can do this delicate work." Aunt Sun teased again, but there was no malice in her tone. "As for embroiderer work, Shopkeeper Mo in the East Market often distributes some. Those with good skills can earn some money. If you have time, go to the East Market and ask Shopkeeper Mo. You should be able to get some work."
Liu Yeshu was delighted and quickly thanked him: "Thank you Aunt Sun for your advice. I will go to the East Market tomorrow to take a look."
Carrying the empty can home, Liu Yeshu thought about going to the East Market in the afternoon.
When she got home, she went to see her brother Liu Yeling first. He was lying on the bed with his eyes half closed, his face still slightly flushed.
Arriving in the kitchen, Liu Yeshu took malt and glutinous rice from the shelf. The glutinous rice had been sent by Butler Zhao earlier, in small quantities, and not a local crop. She steamed the glutinous rice, cooled it to lukewarm, then added the ground malt and stirred. Stirring it into a smooth rice slurry, she poured it into a ceramic pot and let it ferment.
Taking advantage of her free time, Liu Yeshu went to the backyard to feed the camels, and then shoveled camel dung, mixed it with hay, and piled it up to use as fertilizer for the vegetable garden in the future.
After a few hours, the rice milk became sweet. Liu Yeshu filtered it and took out the clear sugar liquid.
The syrup was poured into a copper pot and placed over the stove, waiting to boil. Liu Yeshu stirred it constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly thickening and turning from pale yellow to golden. The sweet aroma of sugar filled the air. As the syrup thickened, Liu Yeshu carefully controlled the heat. When it was thick enough to cling to the spoon without dripping, she quickly took out two small wooden sticks and poked them into the syrup, swirling them until the syrup coated the sticks evenly.
The syrup is wrapped around the stick in circles, golden in color, crystal clear, and exudes a rich malt aroma.
Liu Yeshu came to Liu Di's room with a candy stick: "Ling'er, look what your sister made for you?"
Liu Yeling opened his eyes when he heard the sound, and when he saw the malt sugar, his eyes immediately lit up. He sat up from the bed excitedly, took the candy stick, and couldn't wait to lick it. The sweet fragrance in his mouth made him smile.
"Sister, this candy is so sweet! I am half cured now!" Liu Yeling was in a very good mood, and the gloom between her brows caused by the illness had mostly dissipated.
Liu Yeshu took his hand and sifted the malt sugar in her hand. The half-solidified syrup flowed between the wooden sticks. "Try it. The more you sift it, the softer it gets, and the sweeter it gets."
The sugar threads between the sticks were stretched thin, and the syrup wrapped smoothly around the sticks without any signs of solidification.
Liu Yeling tried it and found it was true. He had eaten many high-end snacks in the mansion before, but he didn't think they were very delicious. Now he thought this candy stick was the best in the world.
"Sister, you really keep your word! When I recover from my illness, I will work like a slave for you."
"You're so talkative." Liu Yeshu pretended to hit him, "Eat slowly. When you recover, I'll make you more delicious food."
Liu Di raised his head and said stubbornly, "I'm not being frivolous. I mean what I say."
Back in the kitchen, Liu Yeshu used the knife in her hand to gently cut open the cooled candies. She counted the number and found it was quite a lot. She picked one up and ate it herself. "It's just right to have one every time I take medicine from now on."
Even if life is hard, we should try our best to make our hearts not bitter. If our mouths are not bitter, our hearts will not be bitter.
After packing up, Liu Yeshu went out to the East Market.
The East Market is different from the West Market. Most of the residents there are officials, and the items sold there are more high-end than those in the West Market.
The shop was not difficult to find. I asked a few people and arrived there. There was a plaque with the words "Jin Xiu Fang" hanging at the door, with ancient and vigorous handwriting.
She gently pushed aside the door curtain and walked into the shop. The shop was beautifully decorated, with several exquisite embroideries hanging on the walls. Shopkeeper Mo was busy behind the counter. When he saw a customer coming in, he looked up and took a look.
"Miss, are you here to order custom embroidery?" Shopkeeper Mo asked politely with a smile.
Liu Yeshu smiled slightly and said directly, "Shopkeeper Mo, I heard that you often have work for embroiderers here. I wonder if there are any suitable ones. I would like to take some work."
Shopkeeper Mo looked at the person in front of him and nodded. "I do have some embroidery work, but it's not easy and the pay isn't very high. I wonder if the young lady has any experience?"
As he spoke, Shopkeeper Mo took out a half-embroidered piece of cloth from behind the counter and handed it to Liu Yeshu: "This is embroidery work. Take a look at it first. If you can embroider it well, I will arrange more work for you."
Liu Yeshu took the embroidery cloth, her eyes fell on the fine stitches, and she felt a little embarrassed - as a modern person, she was really unfamiliar with these women's work.
She pursed her lips, looked up at Shopkeeper Mo and said, "Shopkeeper, to be honest, I can't embroider myself. I wanted to help my mother with this job. She sews very delicately, and I'm just running errands."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Mo was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled and said gently, "I see. You are a very honest person. Since it was your mother who embroidered it, I am relieved. However, for such a delicate work, how about fifty cents per foot?"
Liu Yeshu felt relieved, but still felt the wages were too low, so she looked up and said, "Boss, my mother is really good at embroidery, and this kind of work really requires a lot of eyesight. I'll charge you 70 cents per foot, and I guarantee the quality."
"This is the handkerchief my mother embroidered for me. You might as well take a look."
Shopkeeper Mo took it. The blooming plum blossom on the handkerchief was lifelike, with fine and even stitches and distinct layers of petals. It was definitely not an ordinary embroidery.
Shopkeeper Mo pondered for a moment, then looked at Liu Yeshu's frank expression and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll calculate it as sixty cents. If your mother embroiders well, you'll have plenty of work to do in the future."
Seeing that the shopkeeper had relented, Liu Yeshu smiled and said, "Then I'll take your sixty cents. However, if my mother embroiders well, please give her more work."
Shopkeeper Mo smiled brightly and nodded, saying, "Okay, young lady, since you're so straightforward, it's settled. Take this embroidery back with you in the next few days. If it passes the test, come back next time and I'll arrange more work for you."
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