Chapter 109
The next morning, Shen Yi went to Shen Zhuang's house to sit for a while.
It was a very cold day, and the Chenzhuang couple and their two sons hid in the main room to make wooden barrels and baskets. The doors and windows were closed tightly, but only a gap allowed light to sneak in.
Hearing the knock on the door, Shen Zhuang hurried over to open the door, and soon brought Shen Yi in.
Seeing Shen Yi carrying something, Xu stood up and asked, “What did you bring again?”
"It's goat milk. I squeezed too much this morning. Xiaotai didn't drink much, so I gave some to Second Uncle and Second Aunt." Shen Yi put the things down and saw a lot of wooden basins and barrels placed in the main hall. He immediately bought two and then talked about business. "Second Uncle and Second Aunt, I plan to buy another 20 acres of wasteland. I need some people to help with the work in the spring. Thirty cents a day. Please help me find out.
As long as you have good character, keep your mouth shut, and are hardworking, you can come and do the work."
Xu and Shen Zhuang were both a little surprised. "How can you take care of all the land you bought? You can't keep hiring people to work! The money you earn is not enough to pay them!"
Chen Zhuang advised: "Ayi, I know you are anxious to make money, but everything has to be done step by step. You can't just want to fly as soon as you can walk! Listen to your second uncle's advice, let's just take care of these lands first, and don't tire your niece-in-law!"
He was afraid that Su Tai would run away because she couldn't bear the hardship, and then Chen Yi would be alone again.
Mrs. Xu nodded vigorously. "Your second uncle is right. You can't handle all the land in your family by yourself. Xiaotai doesn't look like she can do farm work. I don't dare to think about adding another twenty acres! And why don't you go out on the boat? You can earn forty cents a day for a round trip. Isn't it better than farming?"
Shen Yi looked so well-behaved and obedient that the couple thought he had listened to them. As soon as they stopped talking, they heard Shen Yi say, "Xiao Tai is pregnant and can't go to the fields. We still have to hire this person. While peanuts and soybeans are still valuable, I want to plant more. We can talk about other things later."
"Puff!" Xu spat out a mouthful of water, pinching her waist in frustration and saying, "You've kept such a big thing as Xiaotai's pregnancy to yourself until now!"
After teaching Wan Chenyi a lesson, Xu immediately looked at Chen Zhuang, "Okay, you and Ayi go find the village chief. Old Shen Ying should be happy to help, but you have to personally check the selection of people, and you can't let the village chief make the decision on his own."
After Xu finished her instructions, she immediately walked out of the house, "I'll go see Xiaotai."
The four men left in the room looked at each other.
When Xu came over, Su Tai was lying on the soft couch in the main room, covered with a thick quilt, looking warm and comfortable.
"Oh! Is this couch new?" Xu was very curious about the couch and sat down to take a closer look at it.
Su Tai chuckled and nodded, "I asked Chen Yi to make it. In cold weather, it can be used as a bed when you spread out the quilt. When the weather warms up, you can take off the quilt and use it as a recliner. You can also move it to the eaves of the yard and put it there to enjoy the cool."
"That's great, that's great! I'll ask Shen Yi's second uncle to make one for you later. By the way, Shen Yi said you're pregnant, how long has it been?" Xu cast her eyes on Su Tai's belly, wishing she could stare a hole in it.
Su Tai smiled and said, "It's still early. The doctor told me to go back for a checkup later. Chen Yi is worried and won't let me work."
Mrs. Xu expressed her understanding and said with emotion: "Your family has no elders, so it is normal for him to feel uneasy. Today he even said that he wanted to hire someone to help with farm work. I was originally against it, but when I heard that you were pregnant, I let him go.
Tell Shen Yi what you want to eat, or ask Shen Yi to come to me and I will make it for you!"
"Thank you, Second Aunt!"
Su Tai answered straightforwardly, and Xu smiled even more deeply, then said: "There is one more thing. There are many people in our village who live well, but there are also many families with little land and many people, and they can't even raise their children. I know a few families, all of whom are hardworking, but their family background is a little poor. The farm work at home can be left to the men and children, and the women can come out to help. Do you want to use them?
If it can be used, I will go and talk to them, and I will make sure it won’t interfere with your family’s business.”
Su Tai sneered, "Second Aunt, you are so kind-hearted, we must not fall behind. I only have a few requests. No matter whether it is a man or a woman, they must be diligent and capable, keep their mouths shut, and be honest and dutiful. Thirty cents a day. If there are people who cook at home, we will occasionally give them some food, and the wages will remain the same."
"Wow! The conditions here are better than those in the town. Just wait, I'll go ask!" Xu ran away in a hurry, and even after leaving the house, she helped Su Tai close the two doors of the courtyard.
The first family she visited was the Chen Mu family in the west of the village. The Chen Mu couple had three daughters and four sons. The oldest was only twelve years old and the youngest was not even one year old. He also had a blind mother who could not help him with anything.
The family had only six acres of good land and four acres of poor land. A year's harvest was not enough to feed the whole family. The children were all skinny and looked pitiful.
Chen Mu's wife Huang Xinghua didn't expect Xu to come over at this time. She came out from the crack in the main room with some embarrassment, "What's the matter?"
Xu was very tactful and didn't ask, nor did she mean to go in. She just said, "I came here to tell you something. Chen Yi bought another 20 acres of wasteland. In the spring, we need a lot of people to help with the work. Thirty cents a day. As long as you are diligent and down-to-earth, it doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman. It depends on whether you want to do it. If you do, give me a definite answer."
Huang Xinghua's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and she nodded without thinking, "Yes, yes, thank you for making this trip, I..."
She wanted to thank Xu, but her family was poor and she couldn't give her anything good.
Xu waved her hand, "It's good that you agree. I have to find other people. I'm leaving first."
Xu came quickly and left quickly.
Huang Xinghua returned to the main room.
Chen Mu asked, "What does the Chen family want from you?"
Huang Xinghua suppressed her excitement, looked around at the children, and said to her family, "Xu said that Chen Yi bought 20 acres of wasteland and needed some people to help with farm work in the spring. The salary was 30 cents a day. She asked me if I wanted to go, and I agreed."
Chenmu put down the work in his hands, with a look of some interest on his face.
Huang Xinghua shook her head at him and said, "Only one person can go from our family. Although we don't have much land at home, it's our family's hope. We can't ignore the harvest for the sake of wages.
Also, although every household has been given some high-yield wheat this year, the amount is not much, and our land is not enough for planting. I want to go over to help and ask Shen Yi if I can buy some from them. "
Chen Mu's heated mind gradually calmed down, and he sighed helplessly, "You are right, I will listen to you, but the wheat seed issue has not been decided yet, don't rashly tell others about this matter, it will embarrass them."
Huang Xinghua nodded repeatedly, "I know."
As she spoke, she looked at the children again and reminded them, "Don't go out and talk nonsense about what happened today, okay?"
Several children nodded obediently.
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