The Wang brothers moved the cabinet into Wang Xiaoju's room and then checked what other furniture was needed.
Jiang Zhi had previously bought a bed and table for the room she rented, but she has since moved out. Now, none of the rooms are occupied.
“You don’t have enough tables and chairs. I’ll take your measurements and make you a bed!” Old Wang said, looking over the rooms.
Old Wang didn't bring a ruler, but as a carpenter, his eyes were the ruler; he could walk a few steps on the ground and know exactly what to do.
Wang Xiaoju entered the kitchen with a stern face, smashing pots and pans with a loud crash, and finally brought out three bowls of fermented rice with poached eggs.
Aunt Jiang told me to boil two bowls of water, so I did.
The "boiled water" that people in Bajun serve to their guests is actually just poached eggs.
There were three bowls of poached eggs, three in each bowl. One bowl was for Wang Laoda, one for Wang Laoer, and one for Xu Genbao.
After they finished serving, Wang Xiaoju was about to pull Lei Zi, who was eagerly sucking his fingers, away.
Wang Laoda got up and went to the kitchen: "Get another bowl, I'll give an egg to Xiaoju and Leizi."
Wang Xiaoju stopped, her face contorted in a muffled voice: "Leizi and I cooked some, you eat yours, we're not sharing!"
Things are different now than before. Eggs at home used to be saved and eaten sparingly, but she cooked some for her children and herself as well.
Jiang Zhi didn't go to join the fun at Xu Genyou's house next door. She was talking to Liu Shi: "The siblings can handle it themselves, so I won't go and say anything more. Xiao Ju is stubborn. She's definitely unhappy that Wang Laoda and the others came uninvited. We'll talk it out later."
Liu nodded: "Yes, I can tell even if Xiaoju doesn't say it. She always looks unwell when she comes back from town. We should visit our relatives more often."
Jiang Zhi sat at Liu's place for a while, and when she didn't hear any noise from next door, she went back to her own home.
She wasn't worried about what the Wang brothers were up to. Whether they genuinely wanted to reconcile with their sister or were just trying to boost their business in the village, none of that mattered.
As long as they don't have bad intentions, they can be allowed to do the woodworking in the village.
If they don't behave, I'll definitely show them that I'm not made of iron.
In fact, Jiang Zhi was overthinking it. News travels fast in small towns, and the whole town knows everything that happened in Xujia Village. Anyone with a brain wouldn't want to commit suicide.
As for Wang Xiaoju...
After witnessing how the village dealt with Xu Changshou and his associates, everyone understood the consequences of theft and betrayal. Wang Xiaoju was a smart person and wouldn't cut off her own path to survival.
The Wang brothers stayed at Xiaoju's house for half a day. Before leaving, they even came to Jiangzhi's house to say hello, putting themselves in a very humble manner.
Even Xiaomanye and Xu Changming said, "After Wang Baye died, this brother became much more well-behaved and not as fierce as before."
Jiang Zhi recalled a saying: Truth always lies within the range of cannons.
There's an even more apt saying: Force can make people clear-headed.
Fortunately, Xiaoman and Errui weren't home today, otherwise the Wang brothers would have been even more obedient.
After the two men celebrated at the congratulatory hall and held a banquet, they were summoned by the county government for some business. Although they held official positions, they still needed to report for duty from time to time.
Before the village could begin building houses, there were still farm tasks to be completed, namely the annual harvesting of sweet potatoes and the sowing of winter wheat.
Once these tasks are completed, farmers will basically enter the off-season, which is also the best season for winter water conservancy maintenance, corvée labor, and house repairs.
With the house soon to be repaired, the three migrant workers now know they can exchange work with other villagers, so they are taking advantage of this opportunity to work hard for others and accumulate work points.
First, help the village head Jiang's family with their work, digging up the sweet potatoes in the field and carrying them back, then help other people's families.
Li Laoshi and Qin Shi were also working in the field. From afar, you could hear Qin Shi laughing non-stop as Li Laoshi amused her, which attracted the attention of other workers. They said that the two of them were practically inseparable, like ducks with their feet stuck together.
The two of them were shameless and didn't care what others thought of them. They showed off their affection without any regard for others' feelings, and they were always seen together.
Qin was incredibly attentive to Li Laoti, even taking the hoe from him when digging sweet potatoes: "Laoti, don't tire yourself out, I'll dig, you just pick them up from the side!"
Li Laoshi wasn't one to be lazy, and he stepped aside with a grin: "Sister-in-law Qin, I'll massage your shoulders and bring you water to wash your feet tonight!"
Qin's eyes were practically brimming with sweetness!
After digging, Qin carried the sweet potatoes on her shoulders, while Li Laoshi used an old mule to carry them all the way back to Xu Genqing's cellar.
Lianhua was chopping greens and sweet potato vines to prepare pig feed when she saw her mother-in-law and Li Laoshi carrying sweet potatoes back. She quickly went out to help take the baskets: "Mom, Genqing won't be back from his night shift today. I made wheat cakes and boiled salted eggs. Let Uncle Li stay and eat with us, and have a drink to relieve his fatigue!"
Qin glanced at Li Laoshi, who was pretending to style the mule's hair, and nodded, saying, "Your Uncle Li has been working hard these past few days helping to harvest sweet potatoes, so he deserves a drink."
Only after finishing speaking did he ask, "Where's Nan Nan?"
Lianhua was busy in the kitchen, but she didn't see her granddaughter beside her.
Lotus said, "They're sleeping on Big Incense's back! They're spinning thread in the room!"
"Sigh, you just spoil him! Who will carry him to sleep every day? What will you do in the future?" Qin said angrily in a loud voice.
Lianhua smiled and said, "Mother, you once said that Qing-ge grew up on your back."
"I have to carry you around for meals, and I have to carry you around for work. You often get wet in your clothes and I can't change you, so I have to wear your wet clothes until they're dry. You forgot?"
Qin was taken aback, then lowered her voice and muttered, "I've forgotten all of that!"
In Jiang Zhi's Sishuitang, she was also preparing to eat. Grandpa Xiaoman, Grandma Xiaoman, and Xiaoman were all there.
From the moment the house was being renovated, Madam Tan took charge of cooking. At this point, she had already prepared three dishes and placed them on the table.
Everyone sat down to eat, but Madam Tan didn't eat herself; she stood by and served them.
She had gotten used to serving the whole family in the Yang family before eating the leftovers in the kitchen, which made her feel comfortable.
Jiang Zhi didn't force her to eat with them anymore, but only told her to remember to save some food for herself so she wouldn't go hungry.
Errui glanced at Madam Tan and then told his mother about the notice issued by Magistrate Zhang.
It was time to collect taxes and perform corvée labor again, and he and Xiaoman also had tasks, so they were assigned to Lihua Town.
Now he's asking what to do?
While eating, Jiang Zhi said, "Pay your taxes and grain as you are due. Find Song Tingzhang to guide you. Don't talk too much. Just follow his instructions."
And don't betray your conscience by using your insignificant power to deliberately make things difficult for others, and above all, don't be greedy for money!
This is the first time Errui and Xiaoman have participated in this kind of activity, so they need to learn from the experienced ones first.
It's now October, and the harvest season for the medicinal herbs needed by the government for making medicine has long passed, so the requisition of herbs has stopped, and it's time to start requisitioning grain.
Xiaomanye also said, "Last year's corvée labor was leveling the foundation of the post station. This year, why not take charge of clearing a section of the official road ditch?"
Jiang Zhi immediately realized: That's right, these ditches along the official road need to be cleaned every year, so why don't I ask Magistrate Zhang to contract out the daily maintenance work for a section of the official road?
Although it was another arduous task that they had to take on themselves, this ensured smooth access to the official road and prevented villagers from having to travel dozens of miles from home and endure the hardships of the outdoors every year when performing corvée labor.
As soon as she mentioned this idea, Errui said, "That way we can arrange our own time to repair the road without the county government supervising us. But, Mother, shouldn't we discuss it with the county government's construction office first?"
He was on temporary assignment at the workshop, in charge of agriculture and water conservancy, so naturally he was the one to discuss this matter.
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