Chapter 373 Introduction
When Manbao got up the next day, she heard a commotion in the courtyard. After washing up, she walked over curiously with her small bookcase on her back.
The courtyard, filled with more than twenty women, fell silent for a moment. Then Dazhu's wife, who looked very familiar, stepped forward, grasped Manbao's hand, and said cheerfully, "Auntie Manbao, wake up! Come and see! These are all here to work. Do you think they can stay?"
Everyone looked at Manbao with sharp eyes.
Manbao was startled. Seeing the familiar-looking wife Daliang inside, he asked, "Wife Daliang, are you coming to work on the small farm too?"
"No, no, no," Daliang's wife quickly shook her head and said, "My family has enough land. It's not me who wants it, it's my aunt."
She pulled a thin woman forward and said with a smile, "Aunt Manbao, don't underestimate my aunt because she looks small. She's actually very strong and can do her job very well. If you don't believe me, just order her around for the next half day. If she doesn't do well, you can leave."
"My sister-in-law is pretty good too. She's been working in the fields since she was little. Who doesn't know how to farm..."
"My aunt is not bad either..."
The yard suddenly became noisy, and Manbao realized that among the twenty or so people, only twelve were there to work, and they were led by relatives from the village.
Manbao breathed a sigh of relief, there weren't that many people here.
Qian quickly stopped everyone from talking and said with a smile, "Even Manbao can't make up his mind on this matter. How about this? Let Manbao take you to the Bai family to meet Old Madam Bai. You don't know that Old Madam Bai is the one who makes the final decision on hiring people, and she also pays the wages."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian went to the kitchen to make a pancake, beat an egg into a bowl, sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions and salt, then poured boiling water into the egg mixture and poured it directly into the bamboo tube.
Xiao Qianshi put the two things into Manbao's bookcase and said, "Eat them after you go to the school. Don't go into the courtyard. Eat outside the door before going in, so as not to make the teacher feel the stink."
Manbao said "Oh" and led everyone directly to the Bai family.
Everyone was working for the first time and was very nervous. Even the villagers from Qili Village who had brought them here were very nervous. So they couldn't help but squeeze next to Manbao and ask her, "Auntie Manbao, are there any special requirements for hiring workers?"
"No," Manbao said, "You just have to know how to farm, be hardworking, and be obedient."
She thought for a moment and said, "It's just like farming your own land, except you can't slack off when the head of the village doesn't tell you to rest. The Bai family will provide lunch at noon. You can start working after avoiding the hottest time of the day, and then work for about half an hour after dinner before you can go home."
Manbao asked them curiously, "Do you want to go home or live here?"
The women became nervous. "We still have to live here?"
"Of course it's better to go back to your own home," Manbao also felt that there were too many of them and the house might not be able to accommodate so many people, so he said, "I'm worried that your home is too far away and it's inconvenient to go back and forth, so you can live here, but we only have one mud house and you'll have to squeeze in a lot of people, so if you can go home, then go home."
Everyone felt relieved when they heard this. Dazhu's wife smiled and said, "Don't worry about this, Manbao. At worst, we can let them live with relatives. It's not that difficult."
After crossing the river and walking a little further, you will reach the Bai family.
Manbao knocked on the door directly. Bai Shanbao was just about to go out and was surprised to see her. "Why are you coming to my house so early in the morning?"
Manbao pointed at the people behind him and said, "They are here to apply for a job. Let Grandma Liu come out and see if they can be hired."
Bai Shanbao then noticed that there was a group of people standing behind her. He turned to the doorman and said, "Go tell the old lady."
The concierge responded and left.
When the group of women saw Bai Shanbao, they dared not move for a moment. The scene immediately became quiet and everyone stood there quietly.
Bai Shanbao stood aside and talked to Manbao, "Have you finished the homework that the teacher assigned last night?"
Manbao nodded in distress, "I was so sleepy that I had to pinch myself several times before I finished writing."
Bai Shanbao breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I was the only one like this. I wonder if the teacher will assign homework tonight."
"Then come back to my house at noon to pay respect to the Lord Tianzun?"
Bai Shanbao said, "You don't talk about strange things."
"It's good to have something to rely on. If nothing else, it makes you feel better, right?"
"If you are willing to walk back for two or three quarters of an hour, and then walk to the fields for another two or three quarters of an hour, just to worship the gods, then go ahead."
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "Master Tianzun is everywhere, so it's okay for me to worship him in the wild."
Bai Shanbao:…"
Aunt Liu came out quickly and saw the two children standing at the door with their book boxes on their backs. She smiled and said, "Master, Miss Man, you two should go to school. I will take care of these people."
Manbao and Bai Shanbao left together. The women all looked a little uneasy. Dazhu's wife couldn't help but call Manbao in a low voice, "Aunt Manbao, this..."
Manbao comforted them, "Don't worry, Grandma Liu is very kind. If it's suitable, she will naturally let you stay."
Aunt Liu smiled kindly at them and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Our old lady wants to see you. As long as you can farm and are not lazy, we will keep you if you are suitable. Please follow me in."
The women felt a little relieved and followed Madam Liu into the house nervously.
Manbao followed Bai Shanbao to school.
When she arrived outside the school, Manbao did not go into the courtyard, but found a clean stone step to sit down and took out her breakfast.
Bai Shanbao was not in a hurry to go in. He sat beside her and looked at her, "Why don't you have breakfast?"
"They came too early. I just got up and they were waiting in the yard."
Manbao opened the bamboo tube, drank a sip of the still hot egg water, then took out the warm pancake wrapped in the lotus leaf and took a bite.
Bai Shanbao watched her eat and couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
Manbao tore off half of it and gave it to him.
Bai Shanbao sat beside her and ate together, saying as he ate, "Your sister-in-law's cooking is really good. I can no longer eat her cooking since the school closed."
Manbao said: "Come to my house for dinner tonight. My sister-in-law will definitely make pancakes and boil eggs."
Bai Shanbao thought about it and nodded, "Okay, I'll go to your house for dinner."
Bai Shanbao took out a bag of snacks from his book box and shared several pieces with Manbao. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they sat down to rest for a while before Bai Erlang came over yawning and listlessly.
He carried his bookcase and walked all the way to the front of the school before he saw people sitting in rows on the stone steps. He struggled to open his eyes and asked, "What are you doing?"
Manbao said, "We said we were waiting for you, do you believe us?"
Bai Erlang said expressionlessly: "I don't believe it."
Bai Shanbao and Manbao patted their buttocks and stood up together, "What else is there to say? Let's go in."
It was seven o'clock, and the sun had just set below the mountain. The sunset still covered half of the sky. It was so beautiful.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
