"Is everything done?" Jiang Nuan asked in surprise.
“Hmm,” Xie smiled sweetly, “I made some last night, and there’s not much left.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan's eyes flickered.
The Huang family has fourteen members, plus their parents from both families and Jiang Chao, and they need to make nineteen pieces of clothing.
Even without embroidery, it wouldn't be that fast.
These three daughters-in-law probably stayed up for two nights in a row.
"No need to rush, there are clothes at home, just take your time," Jiang Nuan felt sorry for Xie Shi when she saw her bloodshot eyes. "Go to sleep first, we can talk about it after you wake up."
"Mother, I'm not sleepy," Xie Shi said, then yawned uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You still say you're not sleepy," Jiang Nuan tapped her head, "Go to sleep. There are many people in our family, so you don't need to worry about us."
“Yes,” Xie wiped away her tears, “Mother, don’t forget to let my sister-in-law and brother’s wife sleep together. They stayed up for two nights just like me.”
"Don't worry, go to sleep."
Jiang Nuan urged her other two daughters-in-law to go to sleep before walking into the yard.
"Yaya, what are Dachuan and the others going out to do? Buy cattle?" Old Mrs. Jiang sat in the corner with her eyes closed, not even opening them to speak.
“Hmm,” Jiang Nuan sat down next to Grandma Jiang. “Mother, I’m going to buy cabbages. They’re one coin per pound. Jiang Xu can send over whatever he has, and I’ll pay him.”
"So expensive?" Grandma Jiang opened her eyes in surprise. "What do you want the cabbage for?"
“Make it into kimchi and sell it,” Jiang Nuan pointed to the earthenware pot in the yard, “it’s in there, it’s especially appetizing and goes well with rice.”
"Will they sell?" A hint of worry flashed in Grandma Jiang's eyes. "What if we lose money?"
“No,” Jiang Nuan explained, “There’s a food shortage right now, and many people want to try something different. They won’t lose money; on the contrary, they’ll make a fortune.”
"Hmm," Grandma Jiang nodded gently, then came to her senses, "Wait a minute, why did you suddenly make this decision? Don't we have plenty of money at home? Isn't it enough?"
“Mother,” Jiang Nuan lowered her head and said softly, “I want to build a school in Huangjiakou. There are many places where I need money, so I want to make a fortune.”
"You want to build a school?" Grandma Jiang looked at her daughter incredulously. "Yaya, are you sure?"
“Well,” Jiang Nuan explained her reasoning, “There are too many people in my family. Sending them all to school would be a huge expense. It would be better to build a school, which would also benefit the whole village.”
The news was so shocking that it took Grandma Jiang a while to process it.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, "This is a good thing. Do it if you want."
Although it costs a lot of money, this kind of thing benefits future generations and provides blessings for posterity, so the money is well spent.
Thinking of this, Grandma Jiang glanced at her daughter with a complicated expression.
Ya Ya has really changed.
Gone is the harshness and extremism, replaced by kindness and generosity.
As expected of an immortal, he managed to teach even such a piece of rotten wood well, as if he had been reborn.
Grandma Jiang felt a mix of emotions; she was proud of her daughter, but also somewhat regretful.
It's a bit heartbreaking that such a good daughter could only end up with the Huang family.
“Mother,” Jiang Nuan was very happy to receive her mother’s approval, “If there’s nothing going on at home, you can stay here and enjoy your life. Your daughter can earn money and support you.”
"Come on," Grandma Jiang waved her hand. "Three to five days is the limit. How can we stay here forever? Your father and I will leave in a couple of days."
"Why are you leaving so early?" Jiang Nuan asked, puzzled. "Is something wrong at home?"
"Spring plowing," Grandma Jiang shook her head. "It's February, time to get busy in the fields. Your father and I can't do heavy work, but we can manage as gatekeepers."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan could no longer utter any words to persuade him to stay.
Only those who have experienced it firsthand know how heavy farm work is.
Bending over and working the ridges non-stop for less than half an hour can make a person's back ache so badly they can't get up. Even a strong laborer would have to work for several days to cover an acre of land, and they have to be on time for the season, so there's no time to delay.
After a moment of silence with her head down, Jiang Nuan comforted her, "Mom, the ox can be used for plowing now that we've bought it, so things should be easier this year."
“That’s right,” Grandma Jiang said with a smile in her eyes. “One ox is equivalent to two strong laborers, so it will definitely be much easier.”
After talking with Grandma Jiang for a while, and instructing Jiang Chao and Huang Xiaosi to look after the house, Jiang Nuan went to the village chief Huang's house.
She remembered what Huang Lao Er said and wanted to do something as soon as possible to change the villagers' opinion.
At the very least, it shouldn't be something we can't avoid.
In the main hall of Village Chief Huang's house.
When Village Chief Huang heard Jiang Nuan excitedly say that she would personally go to the village to collect cabbages, he couldn't help but spit out his water while he was drinking it, and it took him a while to calm down.
“Sister-in-law,” Village Chief Huang wiped his mouth and said with a troubled look, “Leave this to me, you can stay at home.”
"Thank you, big brother," Jiang Nuan smiled, "but I still want to do it myself."
This is the most effective way to win people's hearts. If we back down now, when will we be able to change people's opinions?
"Yaya," Grandma Huang quickly took a sip of water to calm herself down, "Listen to your older brother about this, just leave it to him, he'll definitely handle it well for you, you just keep your mother company and chat."
“Mother is right,” Sister-in-law Huang quickly agreed. “Those cabbages are heavy and dirty. Just teach them to your older brother, that rough man. We can stay home, chat, and do some needlework.”
“No, that won’t do,” Jiang Nuan said helplessly. “Father, Mother, elder brother, and sister-in-law, I have to do this myself. No one can do it for me.”
Others may win people's hearts, but when will she be able to clear her name?
The villagers already had a prejudice against him, and they wouldn't believe he would be so kind unless he personally intervened.
She felt that Village Chief Huang was deliberately trying to improve her reputation, or simply to attribute the credit to him, thanking him for his understanding of the greater good and persuading her to reform.
Of course, these were all her petty speculations, but she didn't mind taking precautions.
“Who said that?” Village Chief Huang retorted. “No one knows more about the village’s affairs than I do. I know exactly how many cabbages each family has left and how many radishes each family has. If you leave this matter to me, I will definitely handle it perfectly.”
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Sister-in-law, I forgot to ask you, how much money are you planning to give?"
"I'll pay one coin per pound," Jiang Nuan quickly added after thinking for a moment. "This price is only for our village. It's a special consideration for the villagers. Only the freshest cabbages are acceptable; rotten or bad ones are not accepted."
"One penny a pound?" Startled, Old Lady Huang's voice suddenly rose a notch. "Ya Ya, are you running a fever? Your head isn't quite clear?"
"No, that's not true," Jiang Nuan lowered her head and explained softly, "I offended people too badly in the past. The whole village avoids me when they see me. This can't go on forever."
"Why bother with those people?" Old Mrs. Huang said with a disdainful snort. "You didn't do anything wrong. There's no man in the house, so you have to be more assertive. They're picking on a widow like you. Don't they have any shame?"
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