"Boss, aren't our wages settled all at once at the end?" Guo Er asked hesitantly, afraid of misunderstanding her.
Nowadays, most craftsmen receive their wages all at once after the project is completed. They are always on edge during this time, afraid of displeasing their employers and having their wages deducted. Indeed, quite a few employers do find all sorts of reasons and ways to squeeze out some money from their workers at the end.
Qin San Niang didn't want it to be like that. Since someone was going to work for her, then the money and goods should be exchanged on time so that everyone could feel at ease and work for her without any distractions.
"Everyone's wages are settled every three days. Oh, and you guys will get paid at the end of the month, since you're on a monthly payroll!"
"Of course, we brothers all understand!" Guo Er replied with a smile.
"Alright, you can make the decisions here for now. You're in charge of the charity now. I'll come back in seven days. If there's anything urgent, you can go to Siji Pastry Shop and find Xiao Wu, the shop assistant. He'll find me," said Qin San Niang.
"Alright, boss, take care!"
After seeing off Qin San Niang, Guo Er continued his work. Although it was busy and tiring, he was very excited. Now, he had a legitimate business to make a living! What did this little bit of tiredness matter? It was much better than before, when he was always shouting and fighting, and being treated like a rat in the street!
After leaving the house, Qin San Niang mounted her horse and prepared to go home.
At that moment, she had no idea that a pair of eyes, gleaming like a mouse's, were already watching her from around the corner!
The woman was about thirty years old, dressed in a drab gray linen dress. Her hair was simply held up on top of her head with a wooden hairpin, but it was dry and yellow like withered grass, clearly indicating long-term malnutrition.
This woman was none other than Chen, the original owner's good sister-in-law.
Now, Chen and her group had just entered Jiangzhou City. They originally planned to settle in Lin'an, but unfortunately, Lin'an was under lockdown, so they had no choice but to follow the villagers who were heading south to Jiangzhou. Many of their clansmen died or were injured on the way, and only half of them made it safely to this place!
The mother-in-law, Qin, had some money, all of which she had saved from Li Ke. Jiangzhou was a big city after all, and a typical house cost sixty or seventy taels of silver. The family searched for a long time but couldn't find a suitable house.
Although Qin had just enough money to buy a house, she was reluctant to use it all. Was buying a house enough? Wouldn't she need to buy rice, flour, oil, and salt? Would she not need to survive?
Just then, they saw a passing merchant heading towards He County. The merchant was kind-hearted, and when he saw that there was a child in the family and the elderly man was still lying on the cart unable to move, he felt compassion for them.
The merchants suggested they go to He County, saying that although He County was not as prosperous as Jiangzhou, it had more and more fertile land, which seemed like a good place to go!
Hearing this, Qin understood everything. She immediately instructed her family to continue south to He County, which is why she said that Chen and the others had just settled here.
The reason she met Qin San Niang was that yesterday afternoon, Wang Erlang mentioned that a wealthy family was planning to set up a charity hall here. He heard that the charity hall would provide food and lodging. Qin was surprised to hear that such a good thing was possible.
Although she had money, she thought, "It's foolish not to take advantage of a good deal!"
So, having received her mother-in-law's instructions, Chen came today to see if the charity hall was a good place to go! They had endured wind and rain and finally arrived in He County, looking like refugees, so there was no need for much preparation.
What she didn't expect was to see Qin San Niang here!
Madam Chen's eyes were filled with surprise. If last time outside Dingzhou City, because of the distance, she and her mother-in-law could not see clearly whether the person was Qin San Niang or not, this time, even though they were only twenty or so steps apart, they could see clearly that the person was undoubtedly Qin San Niang!
Why do I say that? Chen had hated Qin San Niang for over a decade, and they had been together day and night for several years. How could she not know about the red mole on the back of Qin San Niang's neck, even if others didn't?
This sight was crucial, completely igniting Chen's long-suppressed hatred. She had thought that bitch was surely dead, but unexpectedly, she was living a better life than her! Not only was she wearing fine cotton clothes, but she even had a silver hairpin in her hair! Moreover, her face was still fair and firm, looking even younger than when she was in Wangjia Village! How could she be so lucky?
Struggling to suppress her displeasure, Chen quietly turned and went around the corner. She watched as Tan San Niang rode away on horseback, her questions growing ever more numerous. When did that wretched woman learn to ride a horse? And why did she look so wealthy? Glancing again at the grand mansion, and remembering Guo Er's considerate manner earlier—he had even helped her mount—Chen's heart trembled! It was as if a silver light had parted the fog of confusion.
I couldn't care less about anything else; I just had to hurry back and tell my mother-in-law.
In a dark alley on Yangliu Street, at the very back of the alley, was the place where Qin and her group had just settled.
After the ordeal, Qin Shi was no longer the sharp-witted woman she once was. Deep furrows appeared between her brows and eyes, and her thin lips drooped, making her look even more mean.
"What kind of lousy place is this? They actually charge a hundred coins!" Qin Shi swept the cobwebs by the door, not intending to clean the higher areas. Her daughter-in-law would do the cleaning, but it was enough; otherwise, wouldn't that just be letting that wicked woman renting the place off too easily? She had no decency whatsoever, not even a penny less!
"Oh dear, Mother, what are we having for lunch today? I'm starving! And where did Da Bao's mother go? Didn't she say she went to the kind man's to ask for food? Why isn't she back yet?" Wang Erlang's voice rang out at the right moment.
Having skipped breakfast, he was truly hungry. After traveling such a long distance, he had finally settled down. Wang Erlang had slept soundly last night and had just gotten up!
"Grandma, Grandma, I want to eat!"
Hearing her grandson and son's voices, Qin's face grew even colder. Her second son's wife was a lazy bum; if she had known she was so useless and ignorant of farming, she wouldn't have let her second son marry her! Humph!
However, hearing her children and grandchildren cry out that they were hungry, Qin felt a pang of heartache and quickly comforted them.
"My dear grandson, there will be food when your mother comes back! Erlang, play with Dabao for a while. If you get hungry, go to the kitchen and have some cold water."
"Alright, Mom, we're not in a hurry. Da Bao, Dad will take you to play in the yard for a while!" Da Bao pouted, wanting to say that he was really hungry, but ever since he witnessed his grandmother Qin's unpredictable temper on the way they fled, he has now begun to learn to assess the situation!
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