Chapter 75 Li Zhaodi
She went straight to the village head Chen Dequan and told him her idea.
After hearing this, Chen Dequan excitedly stood up from his chair and grabbed Feng Lan's hand: "Kang Bo's family! You...you have found a way out for our entire village!"
During the severe drought, the villagers relied on kudzu root to temporarily avoid starvation, but who wouldn't long for a proper meal of white rice? But without money, all this was just wishful thinking.
Feng Lan's proposal is like timely help!
"Don't worry! I'll take care of it!" the village head promised, patting his chest.
"I'll go door to door and tell everyone to come over! Have all the skilled women in the house come to you! If anyone doesn't appreciate their blessings and dares to cheat and muddle through, I'll be the first to show them no mercy!"
With the support of the village head, things went smoothly. Once the news spread, the entire Pingjiang Village was in an uproar. Women rushed out of their homes and surrounded the east courtyard gate.
Feng Lan divided people into three categories according to the sophistication of their craftsmanship.
The best craftsmen make fine embroidery and are paid the highest wages.
Those with average skills can make ordinary purse handkerchiefs.
Those with lesser skills could only do some simple sewing work. Although the wages were low, they could still earn a few cents.
Looking at the faces full of hope and gratitude, Feng Lan felt very at ease.
With this good news, Feng Lan happily rushed to the county town.
The ox cart passed the west end of the village. When it was almost at the entrance, a burst of shrill sounds of beating and scolding and a girl's crying suddenly came from a dilapidated adobe house on the side of the road.
"I'm going to beat you to death, you money-loser! Just eat what I told you to, why are you talking so much nonsense!" A rough man's voice rang out.
"Dad! I don't want it! I don't want to be sold! Wuuuuuu..."
Feng Lan's brows immediately furrowed.
She recognized the family; it was the home of Li Guaizi, a notorious lazy man in the village. Li Guaizi, who hated work and was lazy, had a daughter whom he named Zhaodi, hoping to have a brother. However, he had three daughters in a row, and he took out his anger on the eldest, beating and scolding her.
Feng Lan jumped off the ox cart and pushed open the half-open wooden door.
The scene before her made her rage boil over.
I saw Li Guaizi holding a thick branch and beating a thin girl fiercely.
The girl was about ten years old, wearing patched and tattered clothes, and was as thin as a bean sprout. Her face and body were covered with bruises and scars. She tightly protected her head, curled up on the ground, and cried heartbreakingly.
"Stop!" Feng Lan shouted sternly.
Li Guaizi was startled by the sudden shout. He turned around and saw Feng Lan. He was stunned for a moment, then an impatient look appeared on his face: "It's Kang Bo's family. This is my family's business. It's none of your business, right?"
"Whether I care or not, put down what you're holding first!" Feng Lan looked at him coldly. "In these famine years, you have the energy to not think of ways to survive, but you have the energy to beat your own daughter!"
Li Guaizi was embarrassed by what he said. He dropped the branch in his hand and said angrily, "What's wrong with me hitting her? I'm doing this for her own good! My family can barely make ends meet. I'll sell her to Zhang the butcher in town as a child bride. I can get ten taels of silver and half a bag of grain in exchange. It's better than starving to death with me!"
The girl on the ground cried even harder when she heard this.
Feng Lan walked over to the girl, helped her up, and asked softly, "Your name is Zhaodi, right?"
The girl looked at her timidly and nodded.
Feng Lan turned around, looked at Li Guaizi, and sneered, "Ten taels of silver? Li Guaizi, you're really calculating. You sold your daughter, and the silver and food you got in exchange for it, how long will it last? A month? Two months? What if they're all gone? Are you going to sell your second daughter, or your third daughter?"
"I..." Li Guaizi was speechless after being asked.
"Let me do the math for you." Feng Lan said slowly.
"If you give Zhao Di to me, not only will I not ask you for a penny, I will also let her be an apprentice in my embroidery shop.
"I'll provide food and lodging. After you finish your studies, I'll give you an extra two hundred coins every month as a token of my filial piety. As long as my shop doesn't go bankrupt, you can get this money every month. Tell me, is this constant flow of two hundred coins more cost-effective, or a one-time payment of ten taels of silver?"
Li Guaizi was stunned. He counted on his fingers and his eyes lit up instantly.
Feng Lan saw his expression and knew the deal was done. She took Li Zhaodi's hand and said to Li Guaizi, "I'll take her away now. I'll advance you 200 coins this month."
She took out two hundred coins from her bosom and threw them on the ground.
Then, without even looking at Li Guaizi, she pulled Li Zhaodi, who was still in a daze, turned around and walked out of the suffocating adobe house.
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