As for Niu Ma Yinle, he touched his nose awkwardly, not knowing whether he should tell his sister-in-law such a cruel reality.
Forget it, I won’t say anything more.
The master said that it is not easy for ordinary people to survive, and understanding the underlying operating logic of this dynasty will only deepen the suffering of those who cannot change their own predicament.
"Go to sleep, sister-in-law. If you don't sleep now, you won't be able to get up tomorrow to see where I work." Yin Le said deliberately.
Mrs. Yin nodded quickly. After hearing what her sister-in-law said, she became even more curious about what the situation was like in the stationery factory and didn't want to miss it.
So they blew out the candles, and the two aunt and sister-in-law huddled together, closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Mrs. Yin felt that she had not slept for long when she heard a rustling noise beside her.
She has always been a light sleeper and has to worry about household affairs, so she will wake up at the slightest noise outside.
I slowly opened my eyes and found the blurry shadow of someone getting up and getting dressed in the darkness.
"Sister-in-law, sleep a little longer. I will call you after I finish the morning exercises arranged by the master." Yin Le whispered.
Sister Yin asked curiously, "Morning exercise?"
Yin Le hummed and explained in a low voice, "Master said that you should train hard in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter. The key to practicing martial arts is persistence. You must not slack off."
Mrs. Yin then vaguely remembered that her younger sister-in-law came to learn martial arts.
Out of curiosity, Sister Yin also got up and wanted to go and take a look. The two of them quickly packed their clothes and went out before dawn.
During the coldest season, Sister Yin put on an extra cotton-padded jacket belonging to her younger sister-in-law, but she was still shivering from the strong mountain wind.
He looked up and saw his aunt, who was only wearing two padded jackets, carrying two triangular wooden buckets in her hands, walking briskly on the slippery frozen snow. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from the range illuminated by the lantern.
Oh, yes, this lantern was used to light her way. In the dark late at night, her aunt seemed to be able to see, and she accurately dodged every stone that could trip her.
"Sister-in-law, take your time." After leaving these words, Yin Le ran towards the well in the village.
She had to use the two new buckets, which were more difficult to draw water from, and try to fill the three large water tanks in the house within half an hour.
The new wooden barrel was specially made by Qin Yao and asked Carpenter Liu. The bamboo strips at the bottom used to tighten the wooden boards were made very loosely and leaked water loudly.
If Qin Yao hadn't stepped in, Carpenter Liu wouldn't have dared to make a bucket that would destroy his own reputation.
Soon Yin Le fetched two buckets of water and ran past Yin Dasao who had just walked onto the bridge. He raised a gust of cold wind and ruffled Yin Dasao's hair.
In the blink of an eye, the sound of wind rushed down from the mountain and flashed past Mrs. Yin's eyes. She was so scared that she screamed and almost thought she had seen a ghost.
"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law, it's me!"
Yin Le's apologetic explanation was heard from afar, and Yin's wife was stunned. How could her weak and gentle sister-in-law become so fierce?
Unable to catch up with her sister-in-law, Sister Yin simply found a sheltered place, holding a lantern and silently watching the woman running back and forth between the village well and Qin Yao's house like the wind.
I turned my head to the left and then to the right. My neck, which had been a little sore, miraculously felt much better after turning it for the whole morning.
There was a glimmer of light in the sky, and Yin Le finally filled the three water jars in his home.
Li and Awang also got up, one prepared the meal, and the other picked up Dalang from his bed and went to the backyard to practice martial arts.
There were gradually busy sounds in the house. Sister Yin followed her sister-in-law back to the yard and was about to ask her if she was tired, but in the blink of an eye, she saw someone picking up a heavy axe and going to the woodshed.
Master Yin and Brother Yin woke up from their sleep amid the sound of chopping wood. Mrs. Li prepared breakfast for the guests and then went back to work.
Master Yin looked around and said, "Ah Yue, shouldn't we ask your master and master to have dinner together?"
It's not appropriate that they are the only family having breakfast.
Yin Le sat down without hesitation, picked up the steamed bun with one hand and chewed it, while waving his other hand, he explained vaguely:
"Don't worry about Master and the others. We will eat our own food. Everyone in the family has different meal times. We will eat first."
Seeing that everyone was still hesitant and didn't dare to start, Yin Le urged them: "Eat quickly, I'm going to be too late for work."
When Song Yu went out in the morning, she had already reported in advance that she would bring her family to the factory for a visit today. Manager Song only agreed for one hour, as time was tight.
Seeing this, everyone in the Yin family had no choice but to pick up the exquisite breakfast and eat it with trepidation.
Fine food is delicious. Apart from being expensive, it has no other disadvantages. Mr. Yin and his two sons, who usually have a pretty good diet at home, couldn't help but eat more.
She could eat fine grains for breakfast, and Mr. Yin had already believed most of what his daughter said. She really ate better here than at home.
After filling his stomach, Yin Le immediately led his family to rush to the stationery factory.
All along the way from the village, there were villagers who were walking in a hurry like Yin Le, with hope in their eyes.
The guys went to the stationery factory in groups of three or five, talking and laughing. There were both men and women. If you counted carefully, there were more women than men.
Why this is so? We have to start with the corvée system of the Sheng State.
"Men have to perform corvée labor once or twice a year, which can last from half a month to three months. If you factor in the round-trip travel time, the delay is even greater. Therefore, most women in the village will replace the men in their families and continue to work in the stationery factory."
Master Yin asked curiously: "Are the monthly wages of men and women equal?" After all, men and women are different, and women may not be able to do as well as men.
Yin Le smiled and said, "It depends on one's ability. Everyone is good at different things, and different jobs have different wages. In our factory, the more you work, the more you get paid. Sometimes female workers earn more than male workers!"
As they were talking, Qiao Yun led her apprentice Yang Fang over. Qiao Yun methodically assigned the tasks for the next batch of spring ladies' boxes. Yang Fang took notes quickly with a pen and paper in her hand. When she encountered a word she didn't know how to write, she replaced it with a symbol.
"Manager Qiao." Yin Le greeted him hurriedly.
Song Yu had already said that there were outsiders coming to visit today. When Qiao Yun saw the unfamiliar faces in front of her, she guessed that the outsiders were referring to them, so she nodded politely and said to Master Yin and Sister Yin with a smile:
"Yue Niang is a very hardworking girl. Thanks to her, we can have a safe and delicious meal at noon."
She still had things to do, so she smiled slightly and walked quickly towards the next production group with her apprentice Yang Fang, looking very decisive.
Male and female workers whom she met on the road would greet her, showing both respect and admiration.
Mrs. Yin had never seen a woman receiving such attention before. She stopped where she was, stunned for a moment.
Brother Yin stepped back and pulled her away, then he came to his senses and looked at the female workers around him, each doing their job, smiling, exuding confidence, and walking with their heads held high. He felt dazzled.
Seeing the strange foreign men, Mr. Yin and Brother Yin, they did not shrink back or dodge, but smiled and nodded, and continued to concentrate on their work.
Mr. Yin and his son looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
These brilliant women are radiant and dazzling.
This kind of beauty has nothing to do with whether she has a peerless appearance, nor whether she is gentle, filial and chaste enough.
It is a kind of vigorous and optimistic attitude, full of hope for life, and I feel from the bottom of my heart that I can get all the good things by relying on my own hard-working hands, and I don’t need to rely on anyone or any identity. I am just confident.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
