Chapter 104: Save money and wait for us to get married, and this money will be given to you...
Finally, Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu picked out a beige cloth and a grayish-white cloth. These two colors look good on both older women and young girls. The remaining two pieces will be light brown for the men in the family.
As usual, Lin Shu used her sweet talk to ask the shop owner for some scraps of cloth as a bonus.
She had bought four bolts of cloth, and at one hundred and sixty coins, it was a considerable sum. Even the townspeople wouldn't necessarily be willing to spend so much money all at once. So when Lin Shu asked for the scraps, the shopkeeper readily gave them to her.
However, when Lin Shu received the scraps of fabric from the shopkeeper, she finally understood why he was so generous. The scraps of fabric were so tiny, they were barely usable even for patching.
So, how can a businessman not be smart? The shop must have no use for the scraps of cloth, so they generously gave them away.
However, these scraps of cloth that are of no use to the cloth shop are of great use to the villagers.
In the cold winter, you can stuff thick mattresses and quilts, and thick interlayer clothes with these rags. Stuffing with rags is much warmer than stuffing with straw or reeds.
Furthermore, you can pick out slightly larger pieces of cloth from these rags to make the thousand-layer cloth for making soles and insoles.
He Guixiang was delighted to see Lin Shu was going to get so many scraps of cloth. She would ask if they could be cheaper when she made purchases in the past, but she would just ask dryly and the shop owner would say no, so she would give up.
Unlike Ah Shu, who is good at speaking and even the shopkeeper who is unwilling to lower the price will give her a little extra in the end.
But even if He Guixiang watched the whole thing, she still couldn't learn it. The same words spoken by different people sounded different. When she said it, her back was not straight, her breath was weak, and it didn't sound like the real thing.
"Ashu, if we need to buy anything for the family in the future, can I ask you to buy it?" He Guixiang asked.
Lin Shu responded immediately, "Do I need to tell you this, Mother? It's fine for small items, but for big ones, leave it to me and Ye. Sometimes bargaining isn't just about talking. Just look at Ye and you'll understand. Although he's not good at talking, he's got a very good brain."
He Guixiang heard this and thought of the water jar that Ah Ye had brought back for the Miao family last time. That jar was much cheaper. Whenever she met the eldest sister-in-law of the Miao family on the road, she would smile and talk to her for a while, praising Ah Ye over and over again.
If the whole village hadn't known that her daughter had returned, and the head of the household hadn't made her intentions clear, someone might have considered marrying her. The person to marry would naturally be A-ye.
Before, He Guixiang didn't know that Ah Shu was interested in Ah Ye, but now that she knew Ah Shu's feelings, she wanted to arrange the marriages for the two children as soon as possible. However, Ah Shu always seemed to be in no hurry, and Ah Shu had her own ideas, so no matter how much she urged her, it was useless.
As she was thinking about all this, He Guixiang's eyes inadvertently swept over the newly bought cloth. Suddenly, she thought to herself, "A Shu, are we just going to take these four pieces of cloth back to the village like this?"
Because Zhou Ye already had the pig intestine in his backpack, which had a strong odor, it was impossible to stuff the cloth in. So Zhou Ye placed the cloth horizontally on the backpack and secured it with a straw rope.
At a glance, the four pieces of cloth can be seen clearly. There is no need to look closely. Just by looking at the color of the cloth, you can guess that it is high-quality linen cloth that costs forty cents a piece.
The villagers only bought cloth to make new clothes during festivals or other festive occasions. Even buying cloth during the Dragon Boat Festival at the beginning of the month would not be as eye-catching as this. And they bought four pieces of cloth at once!
He Guixiang thought that as soon as they reached the village entrance, that loudmouthed village woman would tell the whole village that they had bought so much cloth.
Lin Shu was wondering what had happened to make her mother look like that, but it turned out to be this?
She had never been one to care about what others thought of her, but she knew that most people in the world did. Humans are social animals, and being too solitary is not good. However, living among people meant being scrutinized and gossiped about behind one's back was unavoidable.
She laughed suddenly and glanced at Lin Xiaopu. "Why are you worried about this, mother? Didn't I tell you that Xiaopu's good health is a great thing. We should show it off. If we show it off, some villagers will ask about it. When they ask, we can use them to tell everyone in the village that our Xiaopu has recovered and is very strong now! The old doctor said it himself. If anyone dares to say that our Xiaopu is a sickly person in the future, it means that they don't believe the old doctor's words. If you don't believe the old doctor, then go and tell him. In the future, if the villagers have pain or discomfort, don't go to the old doctor. The old doctor won't treat those who question his medical skills!"
Lin Xiaopu grinned and straightened his back when he heard this.
Hehe, from now on she will no longer be a sickly woman who takes medicine every day! The villagers will no longer dare to say bad things about her!
He Guixiang's originally frowned brows gradually relaxed after hearing Lin Shu's words.
Ah Shu seemed to have this ability. No matter how many troubles and worries she had, as long as she told Ah Shu, Ah Shu could turn what she thought was a bad thing into a good thing.
Unconsciously, He Guixiang had developed the habit of telling Lin Shu about everything at home, big or small. As a result, Xiao Pu also knew more and more.
In the past, she didn't want her two daughters to share her worries, and she kept things in her heart and never told them to others. But now she doesn't think so anymore.
"Mother, are you done bothering me?" Lin Shu asked.
Not only was He Guixiang no longer bothered, she was also beaming with joy. "Ashu is right. The more outspoken we are, the better. I'll be waiting for them to ask when I get home today!"
Even He Guixiang herself didn't notice that since Lin Shu came back, not only did she smile more often, but she also worried less and less.
People are in high spirits when they are happy. In the past, you could always see a hint of sadness on her face, which made her good complexion a little worse, but recently, she looked even better. Among the village women of her age, her face and figure were always one of the best in the village. Now, no one would object to saying that she was the best in Tianshui Village.
"Mother, it's still early. I just saw a wonton shop at the end of the street. How about we stop by and have a bowl of wontons?"
Although they ate two meals at home, they had already eaten a flatbread on the oxcart with mountain spring water in a bamboo tube when they arrived, which counted as breakfast. But it was still early, and eating early made people hungry early. Even if there was still some flatbread left, Lin Shu didn't want to eat it anymore.
A bowl of wontons is not a big portion, just enough to fill your stomach.
He Guixiang said, "I've asked you to spend all the big bucks, so how could I not ask you to spend this little bit? But all this money was made with the copper coins you earned from selling chicken mushroom sauce. I haven't spent much of the money I brought with me yet. Let me pay for these bowls of wontons."
Lin Shu chuckled, "Look at what you're saying, Mother. You and me? The money we earn today is spent by everyone, and the rest we take home is all handed over to Mother. You're the one who manages the money. I just asked Mother in advance to allocate the money, but why do you act like I don't intend to give it to you? Mother, you're being too polite!"
He Guixiang hesitated for a moment, and just as Ah Shu mentioned this, she took the opportunity to tell her her thoughts, "Ah Shu, how can this person not have any money to support himself? When I was a daughter-in-law, I always wanted to secretly hide a few copper coins. Even if it wasn't much, at least I could buy a piece of maltose when I wanted to go to the market, or drink a bowl of mung bean soup when I wanted. People always want to buy things for themselves without others knowing. I've thought about it for a long time. In the future, you and Ah Ye can save the money you earn by yourselves. You don't have to give it to me."
Lin Shu couldn't help but laugh at her, "Mother, what are you thinking? You and mother-in-law are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but we are mother and daughter. How can they be the same? Mother is embarrassed to ask mother-in-law for anything she wants to buy, but should I be embarrassed to mother-in-law? Xiao Pu and I always say we want to eat meat and wear new clothes without hiding it. We have never felt inconvenienced. As for Aye, he has no desires. Last time I asked him to go to the teahouse for tea, he didn't even go. What else can he spend money on?"
He Guixiang thought to herself: You don’t understand this. Aye has so many places where he can spend money!
Lin Shu continued, "Besides, I spend money lavishly, and my mother saw it today. If you really ask me to save money, aren't you afraid that I will spend all the money I earn in a short time?"
He Guixiang: ...
That's a problem.
If Ah Shu continues to spend money like this, no matter how much money she earns, she will spend it all. How can she save money if she has nothing left?
Without going into too much detail, let's just say that after buying wontons, Ah Shu didn't have much money left from selling chicken mushroom sauce today. I'm afraid it wouldn't even be enough to pay for the ox cart fare back!
He Guixiang thought about this and changed her tone slightly, "Then the money Ah Shu earns should be given to Ah Niang. Ah Niang will keep it for you. You can ask Ah Niang for withdrawal at any time, but Ah Ye doesn't have to give me the money from selling wild game in the future."
Zhou Ye frowned slightly and opened his mouth to refuse.
But before he could say anything, He Guixiang gave him a meaningful look. "Aye, don't be so quick to refuse. Actually, I have my own selfish motives. I want you to start saving money from now on, as much as you can. When you and Ashu get married in the future, this money will serve as your betrothal gift."
Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment, his half-open mouth slowly closed, and his eyes couldn't help but drift towards Lin Shu.
Lin Shu hadn't expected this to happen to her. She stamped her feet in shame and anger, "Mother, didn't I tell you not to mention these things in front of Aye?"
He Guixiang covered her mouth innocently, "Mother thought you and Aye had talked it out, haven't you?"
Lin Shu: ...
She had indeed spoken out, but she thought her mother still didn't know. The last time Ah Ye talked to her alone, it wasn't necessarily about that kind of thing, right?
Lin Xiaopu on the side shook his head like a little adult. Only my sister would think that my mother didn't see it. The look in my sister's eyes and that of my brother Aye was almost tearing out of each other. How could my sister think that my mother didn't know?
Lin Shu coughed uncomfortably, "Ahem~ Ah Ye, what do you think of my mother's opinion?"
Zhou Ye stared at her and said seriously, "I think what Auntie said makes sense. Ah Shu, I will start saving this money from now on until the day you agree. When we get married, I will give it all to you."
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