Chapter 123 Children Helping with Work
Meeting Su Tai's expectant gaze, Chen Yi's original intention to tease her was gone, and he nodded with a smile, "It's unexpectedly good, it's all sold out.
Today, when I just arrived at the river, I saw a few people waiting to take a boat. They kept asking about the food they smelled. I told them it was the food we sell at home, and they answered for a long time. Maybe it was because it was freshly made and it smelled especially good, so everyone couldn't help but buy some.
Some people asked me how it was made, and I didn't hide it from them. After all, what's important is the seasoning and filling, and they can't make them.
When we arrived at Dahe Town, I set up my stall in the same place as yesterday. As soon as I put the wicker basket there, passers-by began to ask about it. Everyone followed suit, and soon several people gathered around my stall. Even Shopkeeper Li came out to watch the fun.
He also showed his support and bought one of each, saying he wanted to try what they tasted like. Unexpectedly, he rushed out less than fifteen minutes after we left and insisted on buying all the remaining pot cakes in our house, saying that several customers in the store were asking about them.
I was in a hurry to start the ship, so I sold all of it to him. I don’t know how he sold it.”
Su Tai nodded thoughtfully, "That's good too. If Shopkeeper Li can buy some from you every day, we can make a little more money."
I have earned nearly two hundred coins today, including the forty coins I earned from rowing the boat, which makes about two hundred and forty coins. It can offset the wages of Huang Xinghua and the others, and I can save some money, which is enough for the family's daily expenses.
"I thought so too. Let's prepare the same amount tomorrow and see what happens with Shopkeeper Li." Shen Yi said.
Su Tai thought so too. When she came to her senses, she found that Shen Yi was already sitting in the vegetable garden. He quickly took a few grape seedlings out of the pots and dug a big hole with a shovel. Within a few moments, three or four big holes appeared in the ground.
Then throw the fruit seedlings into the pit one by one, fill it with soil, and four grape seedlings are planted.
Su Tai was surprised by his speed. She swallowed hard and turned away tactfully. "I'll go to the kitchen and make you something delicious."
Seeing her fleeing in panic, Shen Yi couldn't help but smile and continued to work with his head down.
Without Su Tai by his side, he moved more skillfully. He dug a row of holes in one go, pulled up the fruit seedlings and threw them in one by one, then filled them with soil and pumped water for irrigation, all in one go.
In less than an hour, sixty fruit seedlings were planted.
It was getting late, so he left the vegetable garden.
The next day, after he left, Huang Xinghua came with her eldest son Shen Dagou and second daughter Chenxiang.
Su Tai saw a question mark on their faces.
Huang Xinghua pushed her two children forward and smiled shyly, "Before Chen Yi left, he came to my house and asked me to call someone to help you plant the fruit seedlings. It just so happens that my two children can work. Chen Yi agreed, so I brought them here."
Chen Xiang said nervously: "Sister Su Tai, although I am still young, I work very fast."
Shen Dagou was not to be outdone, "I can carry two buckets of water at a time."
Su Tai couldn't help but laugh when she saw them like this, "Okay, then you guys stay and help me with the work today."
Huang Xinghua breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly let the two children into the yard, and continued to work in the fields.
It was the first time for the two children to visit Sutai. They felt particularly cramped when seeing the high walls and the clean and tidy yard.
Su Tai invited them to come into the house and sit for a while, but they refused and were only focused on their work.
She didn't force them and led the two of them through the small door behind the kitchen to the vegetable garden.
"Your job today is to transplant the remaining grape seedlings. Just dig a hole, bury the seedlings, and water them. It's not difficult."
The two men walked forward to take a look and nodded. Shen Dagou picked up the shovel to dig the soil, while Chenxiang was responsible for removing the grape seedlings from the pots and transplanting them. The two men cooperated very well.
Su Tai looked at it for a while, then nodded with satisfaction and left.
Without Su Tai watching over them, the brother and sister breathed a sigh of relief at the same time and hurried to speed up. In one morning, they had transplanted eighty seeds, and they only needed to work on it for a while in the afternoon.
At this time, Su Tai came over and invited them to eat.
Both of them shook their heads.
Su Tai sneered and said without giving way to resistance: "You come to work for me, so it is only natural that I will take care of your food. It's not some fancy food, so don't be so polite to me. If you don't come over, I will personally bring it to you."
The brother and sister then obediently followed her out.
After they washed their hands and sat on the stone bench in the yard, Su Tai immediately brought two bowls of goat's milk and a plate of rough-surface pot cakes, all of which were filled with braised pork with preserved vegetables and sweet flavors.
The two were a little overwhelmed when they saw such a sumptuous meal.
Su Tai explained, "We have two sheep at home, and we have enough goat milk every day. If you like, you can pack some and take them back later. Guokui is specially made by your elder brother Shen Yi and sold on the boat. I am impatient to cook, so I will eat these ready-made ones. You can try them too."
"Thank you, Sister Su Tai." The brother and sister thanked her before starting to eat.
After just one bite, the two were conquered by the Guokui and couldn't stop eating. After they burped, they realized that the plate of Guokui was empty and their faces turned red with embarrassment.
Su Tai didn't care and even prepared some mountain tea for them to quench their thirst.
The brother and sister drank a few sips of water and hurried back to work.
The rest of the work was completed in just one hour.
When Su Tai saw that they were about to leave, she immediately gave them the goat milk and a few rough-wheat steamed cakes that she had prepared in advance, as well as their wages.
The brother and sister had a hearty meal at Su Tai's place and were given goat's milk and pot-cakes. They didn't even dare to think about getting paid.
It was when Mrs. Chen was groping around in the oil-paper bag that she found the thing and took it out.
When it was almost dark, Chen Mu and Huang Xinghua came back, and Mrs. Chen hurriedly told them the situation, "Mrs. Chen Yi is so polite. She not only gave the two children food but also paid them for their work."
One of the couple went to check something while the other called the two children over to question them.
Chen Xiang was very eloquent and immediately told Su Tai everything that happened today. "Sister Su Tai said that they have sheep at home and no shortage of goat milk, so she packed some for us. The pot cakes were made by Brother Chen Yi and sold on the fishing boat. Our family specially kept some, and Sister Su Tai asked us to bring some back for our family to try.
We didn’t want to be paid, it was grandma who found out.”
Mrs. Chen nodded. "I counted it. There are sixty coins! It's the same as my daughter-in-law's salary."
Huang Xinghua said hurriedly: "Mom, the food they ate today cost several cents! No, I have to pay them back tomorrow. We can't take advantage of them just because they are well-off."
She took on this job for her children today in order to save some food for the family and let the children have a full meal. She never thought about letting them earn wages.
Chen Mu nodded, "The mother is right. We can't always take advantage of others. Now the mother earns thirty cents a day, which is much better than in previous years. We can't be too greedy."
Mrs. Chen said, "I thought so too, so I have packed the money and Xinghua will take it over tomorrow."
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