"Sis, from now on, my brother and I can take care of things separately, so it won't be too much trouble for you to do it."
Early in the morning, Li Rou Niang asked the children to call Dahe, Erhe, and Old Man Mo to come over for breakfast.
"What trouble? It's only right that I cook for both of you. Don't be shy. And next time, don't let Da Ni go looking for you either. Just come over here. All your meals will be provided. It's settled then," Liu Niang said with a smile.
She truly treated Dahe and Erhe as brothers, and Dahe and Erhe felt warm inside, nodding heavily.
"Speaking of which, I'm planning to go to town today. What about you?" Li Rouniang asked as she ate.
"That's what I'm planning to do too. I used to do some embroidery in the village to supplement my family's income. I want to see if there are any embroidery workshops that offer this kind of work, and take one home to do," Xiu'er nodded and said.
“We two want to discuss this with the clan chief. We plan to reclaim the wasteland. We need to have our own land in the future, right?” Dahe said.
“Clearing up wasteland is a good thing, but it’s hard work. How about this, I’ll go to town and look around, and buy all the necessary equipment.” Li Rou Niang nodded in agreement.
These small-scale operations can barely make a living. It would be better to have their own land, especially since Dahe and Erhe are men. If they don't have some property, they will probably have a hard time in the future.
"Then I'll stay home and look after the children," Old Man Mo said with a smile. He was getting old, and no one expected him to do anything.
"Then I'll have to trouble Dad. Da Ni, Er Ni and Da Ya, you all must be obedient, okay? Also, please help take care of San Ni, Xiao Shan and Xiao Cao."
Li Rou Niang gave her instructions, and Da Ni and Er Ni nodded. Da Ya also obediently said, "Don't worry, Aunt Li, I will take good care of them."
Li Rouniang nodded with relief. Everyone here was used to working as a shop assistant at home, and Daya was the eldest child in the family, known for her reliability. Naturally, she trusted her completely.
Throughout the journey, Daya took care of the younger siblings. Her thoughtfulness was heartbreaking!
"Sweethearts, I'll buy you candy when I get back," Li Rouniang said with a smile.
After breakfast, they went their separate ways; Li Rouniang and Xiuer went to town.
"Rou Niang, I'll go check out the embroidery workshop, and then we'll meet at the town entrance," Xiu'er suggested, since they were going in different directions.
Li Rouniang nodded. After parting ways with Xiuer, she went to the market to check out the pastry vendors. To her surprise, she found that the pastries were even more exquisite than the ones she made.
Not only that, she also saw the pastries she used to sell. Compared to those, they seemed much rougher, and the prices were also much lower.
She asked an older woman nearby, and found that almost every household knew how to make it. Li Rouniang's heart sank completely.
It seems that making pastries is not a viable option.
Li Rouniang walked along, looking around, trying to find some business opportunities, but ultimately failed completely. After all, besides making some pastries, she knew nothing else.
That's one reason. Secondly, the people here demand exquisiteness in everything they do, unlike the ruggedness of the north, which leaves her at a loss.
Li Rouniang was helpless. She sold everything she could in her space for cash, and also sold some of the grain in her space for cash. After all, there was a lot of grain in her space, and she didn't dare to sell too much, for fear that people would find out something was wrong.
Things in the space won't spoil even after a long time, so they can eat them slowly. He bought some vegetables, meat, fruits, and other things as agreed. Then he went to the village entrance to wait for Xiuer.
Xiuer looked at her disappointed expression. Li Rouniang stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong? Is the deposit they're asking for too much?"
"No, Rou Niang, I've realized I don't know any of the embroidery techniques here. Almost everyone knows these simple crafts, so they're practically useless. Sigh, I'm afraid embroidery isn't a viable career path for me. I'm worried about what to do next." Xiu'er lowered her head, looking sad.
If she couldn't do embroidery, how would she feed the little grass? Li Rouniang was also disappointed, but she still comforted Xiuer, saying, "It's okay, we'll think of another way."
"By the way, Rou Niang, how's the pastry making? Maybe I can learn to make pastries from you?" Xiu'er asked.
"Don't even mention it. It's the same result as yours. The pastries here are too delicate, and I don't know how to make them. Oh dear, now that you mention it, I remembered that Dahe said he wanted to clear land. I forgot to buy them some things. Come on, let's go buy some together, and then go home and think about it later."
So the two bought the tools for clearing the land and returned home. Dahe and Erhe had already returned by then, and they were helping each other prepare lunch. After a brief chat with the messenger, they left.
He and Erhe had already marked out the area and were ready to start working that afternoon.
After hearing about Li Rouniang and Xiuer's plight, Dahe said optimistically, "If it doesn't work out, we'll farm to support you. It's okay, sister."
"Fool, do you think our whole family depends on the two of you to support us? We'll always find a way. Let's eat first." Li Rou Niang smiled.
She felt somewhat comforted, knowing that her sincerity towards the two brothers had not been in vain.
"If all else fails, we can do some odd jobs. Like washing clothes or dishes," Xiu'er suggested.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s go look for it again this afternoon.” Li Rou Niang nodded twice.
Because everyone was so busy looking for work, no one noticed that something was off about the others' expressions.
Li Rouniang and Xiuer hurriedly returned to town that afternoon. They planned to report to the yamen (government office) so that they could hire her to do odd jobs if needed.
It was only then that they realized how many people had signed up. It wasn't just from their village; the area had taken in many refugees, all of whom had no work and no money. They were all looking for jobs, but lacked skills and could only do odd jobs, so the number of applicants was extremely high.
Li Rouniang and the others waited in a long line before they could give their names and wait for notification.
Of course, they could also wait at the yamen gate every morning. Li Rouniang and her companion decided to come early the next morning to wait.
After all the problems were resolved, Li Rouniang took Xiu'er back to Zhao Family Village.
As soon as she entered the village, a farmer's wife rushed over and said, "Rou Niang, you're finally back! You should go home and see that your Erni is injured."
"What did you say? What happened?" Li Rouniang became anxious and hurriedly ran home.
As soon as she entered, she saw that Erni's forehead had been bandaged, probably from a head injury that had caused bleeding. Li Rouniang stepped forward with concern and asked, "What happened?"
"Mother, it was Daya! Daya took my jade pendant. I went to get it back, but her father pushed me down, and I hurt my forehead," Erni said, pouting.
"This is outrageous! This is simply too much!" Li Rouniang was furious and was about to go to Da Ya's house to demand an explanation.
“Mother, Daya has left with her parents.” At this moment, Da Ni stepped forward and said, her eyes red. She truly cared for Daya, but she never expected that Daya would not only steal her sister’s jade pendant, but also betray everyone and leave.
Li Rouniang was taken aback, feeling a chill run down her spine. She nodded and walked towards Da Ya's house with a cold expression.
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