Chapter 125
Lin Chunxing knew that Lin Chuntao had bought mutton that morning, but Pei Ying was busy at the time, so Lin Chuntao didn't go to tell him.
The last time I had mutton hot pot was on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and more than two months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Although the flavor of mutton doesn't last long and it's easy to get tired of eating it often, the mint-braised mutton that Lin Chuntao made, paired with a dipping sauce of roasted chili peppers, was both spicy and refreshing. He would miss it after not eating it for a while. He was also thinking that Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing would both be celebrating their birthdays soon, and he would buy a few pounds of it to eat together.
I didn't expect Lin Chuntao to buy it today.
Lin Duo'er heard footsteps and peeked out of the house. When she saw Lin Chunxing and the others returning, her eyes crinkled with a smile.
"Second sister, brother-in-law, you're back."
"The food is almost ready. Come and wash your hands and get ready to eat."
As Lin Duo'er was speaking, Lin Chunxing asked, "Where is my sister?"
Lin Duo'er said, "I've gone to the backyard to call Aunt Guizhi and the others. I'll fetch water for you to wash your hands." As she spoke, she ran to get a clay basin, scooped in two ladles of cold water, and then added a ladle of hot water.
Pei Ying carried the basket into the house and put it down. Then she washed her hands and went back inside to change her clothes.
Lin Chunxing took the vegetables and meat out of the basket and put them away, then looked at the prepared dishes.
"So many dishes?"
Lin Duo'er said, "My sister said that today marks exactly one month since we started selling sauce, so we'd like to invite Grandma and Aunt Guizhi to a meal."
Lin Chunxing smiled upon hearing this, while Lin Duo'er whispered from the side, "Sister also said that we'll eat it once a month from now on."
Lin Chunxing probably understood what Lin Chuntao meant. Every month, after working hard and receiving payment, she would invite the workers to eat and chat together. However, it was uncertain whether they would eat mutton every month. Seeing Lin Duo'er like this, Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "Sister meant that we would eat together once a month, not that we would eat mutton every month."
Lin Duo'er's mouth dropped open. "Isn't that right?"
Lin Chunxing looked at the cut mutton, seven or eight catties. Even if the Feng Guan family gave her a discount, this much meat would still cost more than four hundred coins. How could she possibly eat it every month?
There were a dozen or so of them, including Aunt Guizhi and the others. They could have eaten with just two roosters, and buying two big roosters wouldn't have cost more than two hundred coins.
But seeing Lin Duo'er's simple-minded appearance, Lin Chunxing didn't analyze it for her in detail. She just said, "If you eat mutton every month, you'll get tired of it soon. It would be better to eat chicken, pork head meat, pork belly, and pig's trotters in different ways."
Lin Duo'er loved eating braised pig's head with dried chili oil, and upon hearing Lin Chunxing's words, she chimed in, "Really? Pig's head is delicious too."
As she spoke, Lin Chunxing quickly washed her hands and called Lin Duo'er to move the table and chairs to the yard. She then took out all the hot pot ingredients that Lin Chuntao had prepared. Just as they were ready, Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunhe led Lin Shuilian and the eldest grandmother over.
Two children from Lin Shuilian's family also came along. Because of the Tian family's affairs, the two children had been staying quietly at home for the past few days. If they wanted to come and see Lin Shuilian, they would ask the old lady to bring them. If they wanted to go back, Aunt Guizhi would take them back.
When Lin Chuntao went to the backyard, the two children weren't there. Lin Chuntao asked Lin Shuilian to bring them, but she waved her hand repeatedly and refused. Lin Chuntao had no choice but to go and bring the two children herself.
When Aunt Guizhi saw Lin Chuntao bring the children over, she could only say, "The children are making a fuss, so let them eat at home. Why did you go and bring them over?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Huzi and Yin'er are both very well-behaved. They haven't been making any trouble. Come on, the soup is already cooked. Go get your bowls and chopsticks and let's eat."
Aunt Guizhi knew what Lin Chuntao was thinking. The two children were still very young and were staying with Lin Shuilian here. If they were eating something delicious, she would definitely invite the two children along.
But she thought that Hu and Deng were also working here, so she only called the two from Shui Lian's family and not their children, afraid that they would have a problem with Lin Chuntao.
Many mothers want to enjoy delicious food with their children.
But Sun and the others wouldn't hold it against her. They felt that Lin Chuntao was biased. Lin Shuilian was only a few years older than Lin Chuntao, and they had watched her grow up since she was a child. She had a slight physical defect, but she was well-behaved from a young age. Aunt Guizhi had carefully chosen a husband for her, and she had suffered such a great hardship. Now she was going back to her parents' home with her two children. They felt sorry for Lin Shuilian and her mother.
Lin Chuntao felt sorry for the two children, and they understood perfectly well, so they didn't have the concerns that Aunt Guizhi had.
In Lin Chuntao's courtyard, there was a wall separating the front and back yards, as well as a door. After passing through the wall and door, a fragrant aroma filled the air. The two children followed Lin Shuilian, each holding one of her hands.
The two children were very familiar with Lin Chuntao and her sisters, but since Lin Shuilian and the others were working in the backyard, the two children wouldn't run around in the yard. They stayed close to the adults and only played in the backyard, not being very familiar with the front yard.
But as soon as they stepped through the door, they saw the big pot steaming in the middle of the yard. It smelled so good that the brother and sister swallowed in unison.
When Sun and the others smelled the mutton, they were all startled.
As they got closer, they saw the slices of meat in the pot and in the bamboo basket on the table. They estimated there were six or seven catties or more. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, their whole family only bought five or six catties. That was only because it was cheap to slaughter sheep in the village. In the city, it would cost sixty coins per catty. Six or seven catties would cost four or five hundred coins!
Lin Chuntao is good at making money, but she's also incredibly generous with her money. She's generous not only to herself but also to them.
Pei Ying changed her clothes and came out. When she saw the eldest grandmother and Aunt Guizhi, she greeted them.
Lin Chuntao invited everyone to take their seats. Everyone at the dinner was a familiar face, so they all sat around the fire.
Aunt Guizhi pulled the two children to sit down, and Lin Shuilian followed suit. Meng Yun also chose a seat and sat down next to Lin Shuilian.
In the morning, I only heard Lin Chuntao say that we would have lunch here, but I didn't expect it to be mutton hot pot. The thick, white broth was boiling, and the thin slices of mutton were also boiling with the broth. They also eat mutton where they are, but they like to stew it in large chunks. They have never eaten it like this before.
Lin Chunhe served everyone a dipping sauce. Lin Chuntao only added a little bit of chili to the sauce; the rest was prepared by Feng Guan and the others. Lin Chuntao said, "Everyone, try this dipping sauce. The mutton vendors in the county town are giving away dipping sauces now, and their business has improved a lot."
Pei Ying looked at the chili powder in the bowl and raised his eyebrows slightly. Lin Chuntao saw his expression and immediately smiled and said, "I felt there wasn't enough chili, so I added some more."
Mrs. Sun laughed and said, "I haven't been to the county town in a while, and they're even giving out dipping sauce now. Does that mean the mutton is even more expensive?"
Lin Chuntao replied, "No, it's still the same price as before. The shopkeeper is familiar with me, so he gave me a slight discount and even gave me some lamb blood and offal as a gift."
After saying that, Lin Chunxing and the others served the rice, and Lin Chuntao invited them to start eating.
With so much mutton, everyone ate their fill and their bellies were round and full.
When Hu and the others returned home that evening, they still didn't feel hungry. She said to Sun, "Mother, Chun Tao probably spent about 500 coins on that pot of mutton for lunch, right?"
Mrs. Sun nodded.
"It should be about right."
Mrs. Hu lowered her voice mysteriously and said, "Has Chun Tao made a lot of money?"
Upon hearing this, Deng looked at Sun with curiosity. Sun glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "We work here every day, haven't you calculated how much money you take from her every month?"
Hu was stunned for a moment, and Sun said, "There are four of us in our family, Guizhi and her daughter, and Meng Niangzi, making a total of six people. The five of us earn twenty coins a day, and Jia Hui earns thirty coins. We have to take one hundred and thirty coins from her every day. How much money do we make in a month?"
Madam Deng hissed coldly, "Doesn't that mean four strings of cash are gone in an instant?"
Sun said, “That’s right, four strings of cash went out. Then you can count the chili peppers and beans she bought, and the spices she put in the sauce that I saw her use. They were all very expensive. She also helped that person in the county town sell the sauce. I heard that she gave 20% to that person. She sells the sauce for eighteen coins a pound, and she has to give three or four coins to that person. She has to buy beans and chili peppers with the rest, and pay us wages. There isn’t much left.”
Hu took a deep breath, and Sun said, "So much mutton is what Chun Tao is willing to give, and our wages are the same. If she deducted a little and gave you ten coins a day, you would still come and do it, right?"
Hearing her mother-in-law's serious tone, Hu looked a little embarrassed. Sun said, "Even if she makes a lot of money, it's her money and has nothing to do with us. Don't think that just because someone makes money, they should give us something."
Madam Hu quickly replied, "No, my daughter-in-law isn't that kind of person."
Sun said, "When people get along for a long time, they should not be too greedy. Once people are greedy, they will become insatiable and lose all the affection they have worked so hard to build up."
Both Mrs. Hu and Mrs. Deng nodded.
Lin Jiahui followed behind his grandmother and two aunts, listening quietly without making a sound.
Given their current relationship with Lin Chuntao, as long as Lin Chuntao continues to work, their family will also become wealthier. Indeed, the more Lin Chuntao earns, the better.
Lin Shuilian and Aunt Guizhi, along with their two grandchildren, went back together. The two children jumped and skipped around the adults, still happy about the meat they had for lunch.
Lin Shuilian gestured to Aunt Guizhi and said, "Chuntao is really good."
Aunt Guizhi smiled, patted her head, and then said, "She has a kind heart."
Lin Shuilian listened to Aunt Guizhi's words and gestured again: "Let's go buy a big goose, kill it, and invite her and Chunxing to our house for dinner, okay? Thank her."
Aunt Guizhi nodded slightly, then said, "Mother will arrange it."
Lin Shuilian: "Use my money."
Aunt Guizhi: "No need, Mother has money here."
Lin Shuilian: "Use mine."
Aunt Guizhi said, "Why distinguish between yours and mine? Your parents only have you as their daughter, and all the money in the house is yours. Keep your own wages."
Hearing Aunt Guizhi say this, Lin Shuilian's eyes welled up with tears. Since returning from the divorce, she had heard from her children that many people were gossiping behind her back. She was afraid that her parents would be unhappy if they found out, or that they would remarry her off. Now, hearing her mother's words, she felt relieved and touched.
The sun had set, but the sky was still bright.
After seeing Aunt Guizhi and the others off, the sisters cleaned up the dishes together.
Lin Chuntao called her younger sisters to sit down in the main room, preparing to have a small family meeting.
The main point is to talk about how much money we collected today, how much we earned and spent on sauces and soup noodles this month, and how everyone will receive a share of money starting next month, which they can keep as their own little savings.
We need to discuss how much each person should receive.
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