Since no new houses were being built, Niu Cuihua hung a sign at her stall that said two coins per foot, with a free foot for every ten feet sold, attracting many customers.
However, after the start of spring, some poor families were reluctant to buy new clothes, and the fabric did not sell as well as last year. Last year, even after the fabric sold out, there were still pre-orders, but this year there were none.
It disappears even more when it's hot.
Niu Cuihua brought home three bolts of coarse cloth for a single garment every day.
Niu Cuihua said, "Mom, we've run out of cloth!"
"What's left is left. Last year we only bought winter clothes, but we didn't buy any spring or summer clothes. So we're not worried about having extra fabric!"
"Come on, let Mom take your measurements!" Chen Yu measured the seven girls' figures. "Little sister, let me measure you too!"
Niu Xiaomei, who was holding Xiao Fubao, said, "Sister-in-law, no need, I'm not going out. These two outfits are enough! You should keep them for yourself, your older brother, and your younger brother!"
"Just because you're not going out doesn't mean you shouldn't wear clothes! Besides, you go to the clinic every day to see Dr. Xue. If you dress nicely, your older brother will look better, won't he?" "You're at the prime of your life; how can you not dress up?"
Niu's youngest daughter is twenty years old this year.
Hearing this, Niu Xiaomei couldn't argue anymore. Although she was reluctant to spend money on her own food and clothing, she was still very grateful.
"Thank you, sister-in-law!"
"The girls of our Niu family, young and old, all have to be beautiful. Little sister, you are already beautiful. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and your sister-in-law will take you to the market to pick out two boxes of rouge!"
"Rouge? That's so expensive! I don't even know how to use it!"
"If you don't know something, you can learn. My sister-in-law is also looking forward to learning! She's at the prime of her life, and she doesn't lack food or clothing."
Chen Yu used the leftover fabric each day to make spring and summer clothes, four spring clothes and four summer clothes for each person. The autumn and winter clothes were made from jacquard fabric that she bought.
Shen Yu is good at making clothes and pickling vegetables. Niu Cuihua and Niu Er help feed the pigs, chickens and geese at home, and then eat breakfast made by Shen.
Chen Yu took out the dozen or so jars of pickled vegetables and sauerkraut that she had been making for a month, dried them, and then ate them with steamed white flour buns for her family.
"Sister-in-law, your pickled vegetables are still as delicious as ever! I've tried other people's pickled vegetables, but none of them are as good as yours!" Niu Er said.
Shen Yu just thought he was being sweet-talking, smiled, and didn't say anything. In farming families, almost every household knows how to do this.
Niu Da had always known that his wife's pickled vegetables tasted better than others', so he wasn't surprised.
"After paying taxes, we still have over 40,000 jin of grain left at home. We really can't eat it all, and it would be a shame to sell it to someone else at a low price. Honey, what do you think we should do about this?"
Fifty catties make one dan, so more than forty thousand catties is equivalent to eight thousand shi, which is enough to open a grain shop.
Although Niu Da has been busy lately, he hasn't forgotten that a little over a month ago, Aunt Zhou, the manager of Jia Dafu's house, mentioned that Jia Dafu's family was planning to sell their shop in Jiangzhou and move to the capital.
“A month and a half ago, I heard from Aunt Zhou, the steward of Jia Dafu’s house, that Jia Dafu’s family was planning to sell their shop and move to the capital. I went to inquire and see if there was any chance of success!”
Niu Da took a large basket and put seven or eight watermelons, a basket of chili peppers, about ten pounds of pork, and a bag of rice inside. He then drove his newly bought half-grown ox and cart to town.
Chen Yu smiled and said, "Alright then."
The Niu family's watermelons sold quite well, but the yield was small. Niu Da was thinking of buying a shop so he could sell some grain.
After eating, Niu Er started preparing the pig feed that had been cooking. In early July, Niu Da bought a handmade windmill and a rice milling machine. During the autumn harvest season, everyone in Niujia Village had to carry rice to a place more than ten miles away to have it milled, and even the clan chief and Niu Xiaocao's family were no exception.
Niu Da didn't charge them for milling rice; he only charged them for the chaff from a thousand catties of rice, which covered the milling fee. The chaff in the market cost one coin for fifty catties, so a thousand catties of chaff would cost twenty coins.
Those who didn't raise pigs naturally didn't need so much bran, so they used the bran as payment for their labor. Some pig-raising families gave them twenty coins to take the bran back to feed their pigs.
So, the family no longer needed to buy bran and rice to feed the pigs. Niu Er was overjoyed to see the dozen or so healthy pigs in his house.
Little Fu Bao, like a slippery little mudfish, slipped off the bed when no one was looking, and walked step by step while holding onto the bed.
"Mom, big sister, second sister, aunt, come quick! Little Fu Bao can walk!" Niu Baozhu exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu put down the bowl she was washing, and Niu Cuihua quickly put down the basin containing eggs and goose eggs.
Niu Xiaomei also put down the clothes of the little dolls that she hadn't finished washing and ran over.
The six older girls all stared at the toddler, Fu Bao, and Mrs. Shen exclaimed excitedly, "Our little Fu Bao can walk now!"
"Little Fu Bao, come to Auntie quickly!" Niu Xiaomei said, staring intently at the toddler Fu Bao as he learned to walk.
Niu Cuihua was extremely worried: "Mom, what if Fu Bao falls?" She didn't dare to move her eyes for a moment.
Little Fu Bao took two steps along the edge of the bed, then let go of her hands and stood there. She carefully moved forward a few steps, but perhaps she was walking too fast, because after a few steps she sat down on the ground with a thud.
Although the floor was made of stone slabs, Xiao Fubao was dressed warmly, so the fall didn't hurt. However, she immediately pouted, looking pitiful as if she were being spoiled.
"Mommy, Auntie, hug me!"
Her delicate features are so charming that they melt anyone's heart.
Shen Yu still felt sorry for Xiao Fubao and picked her up, kissing and coaxing her, "Xiao Fubao, we're not in a hurry, let's take it slow, we're not in a rush!"
"Sister-in-law, let me hold Xiao Fubao, you can rest for a while! You've been busy weaving and cooking since early morning, it must be hard work!" Niu Xiaomei took Xiao Fubao in her arms.
"Auntie, Auntie!" Little Fu Bao was so happy that he danced around and gave Niu Xiao Mei a big kiss on the cheek, then touched Niu Xiao Mei's face with his soft, chubby little hands.
Niu Baozhu jumped up and down, saying, "Sister, kiss me, kiss me!" Niu Xiaomei lowered her body, and Xiao Fubao stretched out and gave Niu Baozhu a big kiss.
Niu Baozhu was overjoyed.
The day the Niu family decided to build their house was the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the bricklayer finished the roof, he scattered wedding candies below.
Niu Da bought two shops, one large and one small.
When the people of Niushan Village learned that the Niu family had built a new house and were going to have a feast, they came early in the morning to offer their congratulations. Some of them were genuinely happy for the occasion, while others were secretly envious.
For example, Da Tan and Da Niu Li felt uncomfortable seeing that the Niu family was living a better life than them. Despite their discomfort, the two of them started causing trouble.
“Honey, I don’t seem to see Niu Dajia’s eldest and second youngest sisters! Aren’t they Shen Yu’s older sisters from her maternal family?” said Madam Tan.
“I didn’t see them, but what does it matter to us whether they come or not?” Niu Li glanced at them, but he wasn’t familiar with the eldest sister of the Shen family, and his memory wasn’t as good as that of the eldest sister of the Tan family, so he said, “I don’t know them, I don’t recognize them!”
Niu Da didn't want to acknowledge his two younger sisters. His second sister married into a family surnamed Zhuo in Haijia Village, and they were considered prominent figures in the village. His second sister had given birth to a daughter, but she couldn't conceive again after losing her last child.
Although sisters should be united, his two younger sisters were truly wicked and wicked.
“There’s meat! Tell me, this Niu family, who used to be just like us, came from a poor family, how come they’re doing so well now? Is it really because they sell eggs?” Chen said, pursing her lips.
"How come his chickens lay so many eggs?"
"You know what, ever since Niu Da picked up that little girl, apart from not being able to give him a son, his fortune has been getting better and better every year!"
The banquet wasn't lavish, but it included meat, chicken, duck, goose, pork intestines, and ribs, making it an excellent feast in Niushan Village. Pickled cucumbers made from dried fish were also served on the table.
"Their pickled cucumbers are so delicious! I wonder where they buy them!" said Mrs. Tan.
The pickled vegetables that Chen Yu made were all eaten up by everyone at the banquet, so Chen Yu thought about making some more.
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