Overjoyed, Qiao Lian'er gave all seven hundred coins to the children.
Originally, they only earned fifty coins a day, but today that amount has more than doubled.
“Take this and buy another set of clothes; you all need something to change into,” Qiao Lian’er said.
She planned that once the children had lived in that abandoned courtyard for a long time and it felt completely like their home, she would apply to the county government to allow them to register their household there.
Otherwise, they'll always be considered street kids, and if they want to do business or go somewhere far away in the future, it will be a hassle without a household registration and travel permit.
As the carriage passed over the bandit mountain, Da Yong and Da Cheng looked out the window.
After passing through the somewhat treacherous Bandit Mountain, the main terrain consists of small hills and basins, with numerous villages every two or three miles. It's just that it's unknown which village Lingyin's family lives in.
"What are you looking at?" Qiao Lao Er asked upon seeing this.
He felt that his son and nephew seemed a bit excited today, unlike before.
Da Cheng: "I didn't see anything, Dad. Don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?"
"What's so great about this place? It's no different from other places," Qiao Lao Er muttered after taking a look.
"It's not even as pretty as our Datian Village."
The family finished harvesting the wheat today, and it's all drying in the yard and on the large, gentle slope behind the house, turning the ground golden.
When everyone got home, their families were harvesting wheat.
The men got off the carriage and got busy. With so many people, they finished packing in no time.
"The bridge will be completed tomorrow, and the river channel will be divided, so no one will need to go down there anymore. All the family members are now available," Old Man Qiao told everyone.
The construction of that one bridge alone required a workforce of three hundred people: one hundred were specially hired craftsmen, one hundred were commoners serving corvée labor, and another one hundred were prisoners serving sentences. Each person was assigned a task based on their circumstances, which is why the process was so efficient.
Grandma Qiao said, "That's why we also want to go to the county town to see our family's snack stall."
Yes, it's been open for several days, but my family still hasn't seen what our stall looks like.
It's time to go and take a look at the county town.
Qiao Lian'er said, "Okay, tomorrow someone will stay home to dry the wheat and watch the house, and everyone else will go to the county town."
Grandma Qiao considered for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, Da Cheng Da Yong said.
"Grandma, we want to go."
"Third son, you and your wife, along with Da Meng and Xiao Meng, should stay at home," said Old Mrs. Qiao.
"Okay." Old Qiao readily agreed.
During the meal, upon hearing that they had earned seventy-eight taels of silver that day, Old Lady Qiao nearly dropped her chopsticks.
"Wow, how did you make so much money?"
I originally thought that earning thirty or forty taels a day would be the most I could do, so what does seventy or eighty taels even mean?
"There are twenty taels of silver. It's a reward from the county government for our family's efforts in suppressing bandits," said Old Qiao.
"Giving so much?" Old Man Qiao said in surprise.
“Grandpa, this number is alright. If the government were to mobilize manpower to suppress the bandits, the cost would probably be even greater,” Qiao Lian’er said.
Those soldiers were mainly responsible for patrolling and arresting people. They might not be as good as the men of the Qiao family. If any of them were to be killed or wounded, their families would have to be comforted.
Old Man Qiao thought about it and realized it made sense. He muttered to himself, "We have four hundred taels of silver at home now."
Qiao Lian'er said, "If we earn money for a few more days and the rainy season is over, we can build the house."
Otherwise, construction couldn't begin during the continuous heavy rain.
The next day, Qiao Lian'er got up very early; she wanted to take a look at the bridge.
She needed to prepare food and supplies, so she absolutely had to go to the county town; she couldn't leave.
As dawn broke, the surrounding area was deserted, and a cool breeze crept up her neck. She walked along the riverbank, taking the opportunity to check on the riverbed and its branch channels.
Whether it was just her imagination or not, Qiao Lian'er had a feeling that she might run into someone, and it seemed like she wasn't the only one.
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