Chapter 42 Money Comes Easily
"OK."
Song Li agreed.
Three hundred coins a month isn't much, and it's Qian Hutao who has to support the Qian family, not her. She shouldn't interfere in other people's family affairs.
"Thank you." Qian Hutao looked at Song Li with reddened eyes.
There are still three or four months until spring. She has food and lodging here for free. By then, she can save up more than an ounce, enough for her family to get through spring by living frugally.
Moreover, she will receive 300 coins every month from now on.
This income could save their whole family's lives!
That day, Qian Hutao didn't cook dinner. She excitedly received her first payment of three hundred coins and happily returned it to the Qian family.
Before leaving, Qian Hutao said she would come back after finishing her meal.
Qian Hutao was only sixteen years old, which is the traditional Chinese age reckoning. In modern terms, that would be equivalent to just graduating from junior high school. It's not unusual for him to be so careless and inconsiderate. Song Li didn't think much of it.
After Qian Hutao left, Song Li still made instant noodles. She ate pickled cabbage, and Song Xiaoxiao ate fresh shrimp and fish cakes.
Considering nutrition, Song Li added eggs and cheese, and also cut a few slices of meat to cook in the broth.
Song Xiaoxiao should not drink the spiritual spring water now; she must obtain nutrition from food.
The Qian family.
When Mrs. Wu opened the door and saw her eldest daughter return, she was quite happy.
He grabbed Qian Hutao's hand and was about to go inside when Qian Sanhu put down his pipe and coughed a few times.
"Cough cough cough!"
He then picked up his pipe and tapped the spittoon hard.
"Bang Bang Bang!"
Ms. Wu was adept at reading men's expressions, so she had no choice but to stop and let go of his hand.
"It's cold, and there's not much food left at home. You should go back quickly, don't catch a cold, and don't go hungry," she said with concern.
But he didn't forget to accept the three hundred coins.
Qian Hutao: "..."
Seeing the family's expressions that said, "As long as the money comes, why bother bringing anyone else?", I felt a mix of emotions.
She had thought that they would at least invite her to stay for dinner, considering that she could earn money for the family.
She's overthinking it...
When they got back, the sun had already set, the wind had picked up, and the temperature was colder than during the day. Qian Hutao rubbed her arms, her stomach growling—her mother was right, she was both cold and hungry now.
It was pitch black, and there wasn't a soul on the village road.
"Hey, Qian Hutao!"
In the darkness, someone suddenly called her name.
Qian Hutao's heart tightened, and she quickly quickened her pace.
It wasn't that she was afraid of encountering bad people; in fact, she recognized the voice calling her name.
Muni called out a few more times, but when she couldn't get through, she ran over and stopped her.
The henchmen following behind her hurriedly caught up.
Moonie said, "Qian Hutao, you're turning your back on me now, aren't you?"
She looked every bit the delinquent girl.
Qian Hutao was frightened and quickly shook her head, "No, I didn't..."
Moonie played with the small knife she had stolen from the blacksmith shop, while holding Qian Hutao with one arm.
"Hey, Qian Hutao, we've all been through thick and thin together, we're brothers who've been through thick and thin together. We have nowhere to stay and nothing to eat right now, how about you treat us sisters for a few days?"
They were all women sold to Wang Laocai. They had lived together in the inner quarters of the Wang family. After Wang Laocai was convicted, the Wang family was sealed off, and they were released by the authorities.
Some of them were abducted, and some were sold by their families, but no matter what the situation, with the Wang family gone, they were homeless.
When Qian Hutao was released a few days ago, the Qian family didn't want her, so she hung out with Mu Ni and a few others, stealing, robbing, and cheating, doing anything to make a living.
Moreover, it seems that because she had partnered with Hu Dan to rob Song Daya a year ago, Qian Hu Tao was more adept at this kind of thing than Mu Ni and the others, and almost always ranked first in performance.
But Qian Hutao is now living at Song Daya's house, with food, lodging and clothes, and she just settled her wages. She has a wonderful new life and doesn't want to have any more ambiguous ties with Mu Ni.
“My family kicked me out again, and I have nowhere to live,” Qian Hutao said coldly.
Moonie: "Do you think we sisters are stupid? You haven't come to see us for almost half a month. If you hadn't found a good place to go, where could you go in this freezing weather?"
She then threatened, "Fine, if you don't want us to stay, we know all about the petty theft you did the other day. We'll report you to the authorities right now, and nobody will get away with this!"
“You guys…” Qian Hutao gritted her teeth in anger.
His fingers clenched tightly under his sleeves.
If she were as good at fighting as Song Daya, she would definitely have smashed Moonie's head with a single punch right now!
But after a moment, she calmed down and said, "Go ahead and report it. Ordinary people have to roll on a bed of nails in court before they can report to the authorities. If you're so capable, go ahead and report it!"
She didn't believe Mooney was that brave!
Mooney wasn't afraid and said, "We're starving, what's there to be afraid of rolling on a bed of nails?"
She truly regrets it; if she had endured the pain and rolled on a bed of nails to file a lawsuit when Wang Laocai was exposed, she wouldn't be in such a predicament now.
Qian Hutao pursed her lips helplessly.
He reached out and hugged Muni back, laughing, "Alright, come with me. I'll take you to a great place where you'll have plenty to eat and drink."
She beckoned, and the group of young delinquents huddled together, whispered amongst themselves for a while, and then exchanged knowing smiles.
...
"Sister, sister, tell me a story."
Song Xiaoxiao pestered Song Li, who was washing dishes.
In the past two days, she has heard less and less gossip in the village, her mood has improved, and she has become more lively and cheerful.
Song Li carefully observed Song Xiaoxiao's expression.
These past two days, she deliberately didn't give Song Xiaoxiao the spiritual spring water, and Song Xiaoxiao gradually returned to normal, no longer possessing "Sanli Ear".
"It seems that the spiritual spring cannot cleanse the marrow and essence, but is like a stacked buff, which has an effective time. You get the buff when you drink it, and it disappears when you stop drinking it."
Song Li came to a conclusion in her heart.
She felt relieved, but also somewhat dissatisfied.
In novels, the spiritual springs are supposed to cleanse the marrow and refine the essence, so why does it have an expiration date for her?
Just as he was wondering about it, he saw Aunt Zhao, who rented a room in the front yard, walk over.
“My son went into the mountains with his father to hunt roe deer, and I was feeling a bit lonely by myself, so I came here to sit for a while.”
She said with a smile.
The Zhao family fled here, and their household registration was delayed due to the war, so they were not included in this conscription of laborers.
This time, they don't need to provide any men or food for the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
If the emperor, sitting on the highest throne in the palace, knew that Zhao Youchang was the crown prince he had been painstakingly searching for, he would definitely be furious.
Song Li smiled and said, "Aunt Zhao, please sit down."
Although the Zhao family members were in disguise, they had never harmed them. She didn't need to expose them; she simply assumed that the woman in front of her, who was in her early twenties, was a genuine village woman.
Song Xiaoxiao was sensible and poured a cup of hot water for Aunt Zhao, adding a spoonful of brown sugar.
"Auntie, would you like some sweet soup?"
The little girl didn't have Song Li's discerning eyes and genuinely mistook the old woman in front of her for an old woman.
"Oh my, Xiaoxiao is so well-behaved." Aunt Zhao took the water and smiled as she touched Song Xiaoxiao's twin buns.
She then turned to look at Song Li.
Last night she secretly used the whitening cream that Miss Song gave her. It worked really well. Her overly mature complexion finally returned to the appearance of a twenty-year-old young woman. She liked it very much, but unfortunately she couldn't use it because of her mission.
"Where is Miss Qian?" Aunt Zhao looked around the kitchen and found that Qian Hutao was not there.
“She’s gone home, she’ll be back in a bit,” Song Li said.
Aunt Zhao pursed her lips, recalling what Wu had said when she came to find Qian Hutao that afternoon.
“You have plenty of food and drink now, so there’s no use in making money. You might as well keep it for me.”
“Your younger brother is still young, and your younger sister is also getting engaged. This money is for them. You are the eldest sister, so you have to take responsibility as the eldest sister.”
“Didn’t you say that Da Ya got twenty taels from Wang Laocai? You’re living in the same room as her now. You’ve stolen and robbed before, so why not do it again? Anyway, Song Da Ya’s money comes easily, so even if she finds out the money is gone, she won’t care.”
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