"Gui Xiang, blanch the meat in water, cut it into palm-sized and half-finger-thick pieces, and stew it in the dish. Everyone should have a piece so they can eat some meat!"
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. Qin San Niang understands this principle, and so do capitalists. It's just a matter of finding the right balance!
For villagers who have long lacked meat and vegetables, such a small piece of meat is enough to make them grateful. Anyone with a conscience would work hard.
"Okay, I got it. Just you wait and see!"
Thinking that her husbands had also come to work and that they would be able to eat such big pieces of meat for lunch today, Wang Guixiang and the other two were very happy. All of them, the women in charge, were helping out!
"Zhou Meizi, A Xing, you two chop up those cabbages. Even if there's not enough meat, there must be enough vegetables! Also, wash those pickled vegetables. They're made by Sister Wu. They're so fragrant when stir-fried with eggs! They go really well with rice!" Although there are only two dishes, they're being prepared in large quantities, so there's definitely enough to eat. The rice also needs to be steamed quickly.
"I know, Third Sister-in-law, don't worry! The food here is already good enough, everyone will definitely eat and drink well!" He Xing replied with a smile. How could she not be satisfied? Just this big piece of meat is delicious enough, not to mention there are eggs! This is all meat!
But Qin San Niang discovered that there was no stove!
Oh no! She didn't even think of building a stove!
"Mother, Mother, we don't have enough stove space!" Calling for Mother in a pinch is always the right thing to do; she can't do anything about the stove!
Hearing the noise, Liu quickly came out from the next room, where she hid her grain. The family had recently bought a lot of grain, so naturally it needed to be stored carefully. There was no one watching the kitchen at night; what if a thief broke in?!
"You're a grown woman, don't panic!" After locking the door, Liu turned to her eldest daughter and said.
"The stove is definitely not enough. I've already had Qingshan build one in the backyard! It's enough for cooking rice."
"Oh my, it's true what they say, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure! Mother, you are the pillar of our family, always keeping things stable!"
Qin San Niang's face was full of flattery, and she was quick to offer compliments! Liu Shi could solve most of the problems in daily life and was a good helper for her to survive in this world.
"Alright, hurry up and wash the rice and cook it, otherwise there won't be enough time!" After saying that, he handed the two buckets of rice to his eldest daughter.
Upon closer inspection, one bucket contained white rice, while the other contained sorghum.
"Mother, shall we cook sorghum rice?" Qin San Niang asked with a frown. Sorghum rice is a coarse grain that can help with weight loss, but Qin San Niang didn't like to eat it because sorghum rice in this era was particularly hard on the throat.
"It's already good enough to have sorghum to eat! Building a brick house is already enough to attract envy. Let's not be too ostentatious about food. What if someone with bad intentions gets the idea?!"
Also, don't worry, the villagers love this sorghum rice. They won't complain about it; in fact, they'll think you cooked it well!
Liu said confidently, "I have a lot of experience living in the countryside!"
Qin San Niang nodded, indicating that she would listen to her!
After preparing the meal, the women would push carts to deliver it to the construction site, which was neither too far nor too close, but still required crossing half of the village.
Liu Meixiang sat on the dilapidated threshold of her house, holding a rice bowl, her eyes gleaming as she glanced at the cart that He Xing and the others were pushing over.
"Hey, Gui Xiang, He Xing, oh, and Zhou Meizi, are you guys planning to deliver food? What are you making? It smells like meat!"
Liu Meixiang strained her nose, intending to say something offensive, but unexpectedly she could actually smell the meat!
Wait a minute, how come Qin San Niang's family is actually willing to cook meat for those rough old men?! Are they out of their minds?!
"Sister-in-law Meixiang has a really sharp nose! The Qin family is so generous; the food they provide is excellent, with plenty of meat!"
Seeing Liu Meixiang approaching, He Xing quickly tightened the lid on the wooden tub and covered it with a cotton cloth, as if she had encountered a raging flood!
Everyone knows that Liu Meixiang is a gluttonous woman. Years ago, she and her husband even stole corn from someone else's field, and the woman from that family chased them for two miles with a broom.
Given that the two had mostly been at odds, He Xing felt very uncomfortable, but she didn't want to have a conflict with her at this critical juncture.
She came to work for Third Sister-in-law. If she spilled the food in a fit of anger, delaying the men's meal and affecting the progress of building the house, how could she explain it to Third Sister and the others?
"We're planning to deliver the food. It's getting late, it's time for lunch. Sister Meixiang, you should hurry back and cook!"
Clearly, this tolerant attitude was interpreted by someone like Liu Meixiang as He Xing hiding something from her to prevent her from taking advantage. She had initially intended to use her age to give them a good scolding, but then, remembering the meat, vegetables, and grain in the bucket, her eyes darted around, her voice softened, and she said…
"Oh dear, look at you all, what do you think I am? This is a joyous occasion for Scholar He's family to build a house, I can't just stand by and watch. You wait here, I'll go with you to help!" After saying that, she turned around and prepared to lock the door.
"Alright, sister-in-law, stop bothering. What do you have that's worth stealing? Besides, isn't Shuanzi's father still home? You should hurry up and cook! We have enough people here, so don't trouble yourself!" Wang Guixiang wasn't afraid of her, and seeing her taking advantage of her, she couldn't help but retort. Last night, she saw Shuanzi's father staggering back from the blacksmith's shop.
Seeing that it was Wang Guixiang, she was still a little scared. Putting aside everything else, this woman's husband was a doting husband, and her brother-in-law was a镖头 (bodyguard) in the county. They were both strong and powerful, and her husband Shuanzi's father was no match for those brutes.
Seeing the group arguing, Zhou feared a conflict was brewing and quickly intervened to smooth things over.
"Alright, Guixiang, Axing, let's hurry up and deliver the food, it won't taste good if it gets cold! Sister-in-law Meixiang, if you want to work, you should sign up with Madam Qin. Only after you pass the employer's approval can you be considered a worker. How can we helpers have the final say? Besides, we're not the ones paying the wages, are we?"
Seeing that they were the village head's daughter-in-law, Liu Meixiang, though indignant, didn't say anything more. She simply mumbled "yes" and then let them leave. But she was even more resentful. Why were these women allowed to work? He Xingrou was so weak and frail, not nearly as strong as her! And her husband was a man too, why wasn't he notified to go to work? They'd wasted over ten coins! This project looked like it would take a month or two, and that would cost nearly a tael of silver!
Oh my god, I didn't realize how much I had to calculate!
"Husband, husband! Wake up, get up now..." Liu Meixiang rushed into the house. Shuanzi's father was still sleeping inside! If he knew how much money she had lost, would he still be able to sleep?!
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