Chapter 170 Different Strategies
From Xie Wanniang's perspective, as well as that of her family and those close to her, this might seem like a foolish thing to do. However, from the perspective of knowledge transmission and progress, Xie Wanniang was undoubtedly doing something truly great.
Haitang didn't know if others would laugh at her daughter behind her back, but she was completely impressed by her daughter's magnanimity and vision.
After a good night's sleep, Xie Wanniang went to Doctor Chen again, handed him what she had written, and asked him to keep it safe and pass it on.
Dr. Chen was overjoyed, his hands trembling with excitement. "Thank you, girl, you... no, we absolutely cannot accept this payment!"
He slapped his thigh and uttered a bold statement, which startled his wife.
The old lady didn't understand the value of Xie Wanniang's thin booklet, but she knew that her family was still relying on their sons to earn money to support the family. If their two sons and three grandsons were to work for free, their family would probably go hungry for two days and three meals a day, which was absolutely unacceptable.
She was too embarrassed to scold Doctor Chen in front of Xie Wanniang, so she could only glare at her senile old man in secret.
Dr. Chen, completely absorbed in the sea of knowledge, didn't notice the sharp look his wife threw at him, but Xie Wanniang keenly caught it.
She wasn't angry. Although she had indeed given Doctor Chen some knowledge about medicinal herb cultivation, she didn't think that this little bit of knowledge could earn her a free long-term laborer.
People need to eat, especially Dr. Chen, who has children, grandchildren, and family members to support.
Xie Wanniang wasn't the kind of person who would hire a perpetual motion machine-type laborer for a penny to work for her non-stop for twelve hours. She had also worked as a laborer and understood very well that the reason why laborers worked was because they needed wages to support their families.
She smiled and took the arm of Dr. Chen's wife, saying, "That won't do. If you secretly withhold my senior brothers' and nephews' wages, then I'll have to find someone else to help me pay and manage the accounts."
Xie Wanniang's words made Dr. Chen's wife laugh. She thought to herself, "That old man has lived most of his life, but he's not as insightful as that young Miss Xie."
He held a few pages of paper, and in his excitement, he just sat there spouting nonsense, without considering how much money his family still needed.
Not to mention the food and clothing for more than a dozen people, their grandsons will also have to get married and have children in the future.
When the time comes, won't they need to divide the family property among their sons and help them rebuild their houses?
And when the grandsons get married and have children, how do you pay for the matchmaker's gifts, the bride's dowry, the wedding banquet, and raising the children?
While inwardly grumbling, Dr. Chen's wife did not outwardly express her dissatisfaction with him.
Since her child's future employer is reasonable and won't let her son and grandson work for nothing, she doesn't need to continue to be angry with that senile old man.
Doctor Chen, however, was somewhat stubborn. He held the few pages of paper Xie Wan'niang had given him, saying, "But these things you gave me..."
"These are just some experiences that might come in handy," Xie Wanniang interrupted him with a smile. "Master, I know the rules of the trade, but I also have my own principles of conduct."
Dr. Chen sighed, "You..." He was so honest and generous that he didn't know what else to say.
"Alright, you're the boss, you call the shots." Although he said this, Doctor Chen had already made up his mind to supervise everyone, including his own children and grandchildren, and make sure they were worthy of the monthly salary Xie Wanniang paid them and the valuable knowledge she imparted to them.
The two reached an agreement, and Xie Wanniang got up and left.
Just like last time, Dr. Chen and his family surrounded her and warmly escorted her to the gate of their yard.
Xie Wanniang was actually a little unaccustomed to their excessive enthusiasm, but considering that she wouldn't see them often, she didn't say much.
After arranging the medicinal herb garden, Xie Wanniang had nothing else to do, but she still wanted to find an opportunity to meet Xie Daoheng.
To her surprise, Xie Daoheng brought her adoptive mother along as well.
After a brief moment of surprise, Xie Wanniang smiled and bowed to the two of them, saying, "Sixth Sister greets Father and Mother."
Xie Daoheng raised his hand, "Let's skip these formalities and sit down so we can have a proper talk."
His wife, Madam Hu, looked Xie Wanniang up and down with a loving expression, saying, "You look so energetic, it seems you've been doing quite well these past few years."
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Although you have to rely on yourself for everything, it is indeed quite comfortable to be able to make your own decisions in everything."
Neither Xie Daoheng nor his wife were the type to be overly sensitive or prone to overthinking, nor to dissect a single sentence into seven, eight, or ninety layers of meaning. Therefore, when speaking to them, Xie Wanniang was always frank and straightforward, without any concealment.
"If you're happy with it, then that's good." Her adoptive mother, Madam Hu, took her hand and pulled her to sit down beside her. "Your mother..."
She hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopped. Xie Wanniang looked at her but didn't respond.
"Why talk about her?" Xie Daoheng waved his hand at his wife. "Until Sixth Sister is able to protect herself, it's best if she doesn't know that Sixth Sister is alive."
Otherwise, if she causes any more trouble, Xie Wanniang might really stop acknowledging her as her biological mother.
Madam Hu glared disapprovingly at her husband, "But now that Sixth Sister is preparing for marriage, if we continue to keep it from her..."
Her husband and her sister-in-law are blood relatives, but she is just a woman who married into the family from outside. When her sister-in-law finds out about this, she doesn't know how much trouble she will suffer.
Xie Daoheng understood Hu's concerns, but he was even more reluctant to let Xie Wanniang's life and plans be disrupted by her birth mother.
He said, "This is my decision. If she has any complaints, you can tell her to come and talk to me."
Madam Hu pursed her lips, and after a moment she sighed, "Then let's leave it at that."
Xie Wanniang sat quietly, not at all surprised that Madam Hu would compromise.
After all, in her memory, Hu had never gone against Xie Daoheng. In any matter, as long as Xie Daoheng made a decision, Hu would ultimately follow Xie Daoheng's wishes, whether she liked it or not.
Xie Wanniang was both incomprehensible and amazed. In any case, she would never be able to obey anyone in the world.
The biggest disagreement was quickly resolved by Xie Daoheng, and the conversation between the three of them became much smoother and warmer afterward.
Xie Daoheng was already mentally prepared for Xie Wanniang's marriage to Jiang Yuan. Even if Jiang Yuan was still just a junior officer or a senior officer, as long as he was willing to risk his life to protect Xie Wanniang and Xie Wanniang herself sincerely wanted to marry him, Xie Daoheng would be happy to see the marriage happen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com