The group laughed and joked for a while. They unloaded the bricks, drank some water, and fed the mule. Huang was surprised to see Zhao Minggeng preparing to drive the cart out again.
"Third brother, where are you going now?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell Mother that I also ordered ten vats from the Chen family's brick kiln. I'll go and bring them back right away."
If we hire someone to deliver it, it will cost an extra 50 coins.
Zhao Minggeng answered.
Huang choked upon hearing this.
"Hehe, you've learned to save money, kid. If you're so good at managing your finances, why are you buying maltose? Isn't that money?"
Zhao Minggeng awkwardly touched his nose.
"How can that be the same? Buying candy is for children to sweeten their mouths. If they eat it, then it's not a waste."
"We have a cart, it's just a bit of a hassle. It's nothing to make a trip there; fifty coins is enough to buy several pounds of pork."
Upon hearing this, Huang was at a loss for words.
After all, nobody knew that he had once spent over a hundred taels of silver on a single meal with his granddaughter, not even his foolish son.
Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore.
"There's still so much work to do at home, so Qingling and Qingluan can go together."
"You'll all be rushing to catch your trains, so the most practical thing for you to do is quickly set up the kang (heated brick bed) in my room at home."
Well, Zhao Minggeng, who thought he could still go out for a ride, quickly ran like a lackey to his mother's room to draw lines, move bricks, and build a kang (a heated brick bed).
The red bricks weren't heavy, so Zhao Minggeng was in charge of building the kang (heated brick bed), while the children, Qingyi, Qingyang, and Qinghe, helped carry the bricks.
As for who mixes the mud, it has to be Zhao Minggeng himself.
His mother, Huang, said she wanted him to mix the mud, but he dared not, fearing his father would smash his head with a pipe.
Zhao Qian's mule cart made two round trips back and forth today, finally alerting the villagers.
With the young people all out working in the fields, some older folks who considered themselves to have a good relationship with Zhao Qianci's family came to visit.
And here comes Aunt Ge, who lives closest to us.
"Hey, what are you busy with at your house?"
"What great money-making opportunity must be at play? I've seen your mule cart go out twice already."
There was so much work to do in the yard—planting seedlings and tending the fields—and inside the house—setting up the kang (heated brick bed)—that there was no time to chat with her.
Aunt, straighten up.
"Oh, Sister Ge, why are you so free today? Who's taking care of your little grandson?"
Aunt Ge chuckled awkwardly.
"My little grandson is asleep, and besides, his mother is home today, so I just had some free time to come over and visit. What are you all doing here?"
As he spoke, he stretched his neck and walked towards the nursery.
"Oh my, what are you doing here? You've turned the soil quite meticulously."
What are you planning to plant? Why not make ridges? Nothing grows well if you don't make ridges.
Not to criticize you, but Chang-Geng's family, your dozens of acres of land are all lying fallow.
Why don't you go and farm? This land is the foundation of our farming families. If we don't farm, what will we eat and drink?
"A large family of over twenty people—if we run out of food, we won't be able to borrow from anyone."
Wang Caixia's words sounded unpleasant; they seemed to be genuinely concerned, but the last sentence was the key point.
"Look at what you're saying, elder sister. Farmers naturally have to farm."
As for what to plant and when to plant it, my in-laws have made all the arrangements.
Thank you for your concern, Sister Ge.
Besides, my family has more than twenty people, all of whom need to eat and drink. If we don't make proper arrangements, we really won't be able to borrow from anyone.
Besides, I know that everyone in Zhao Family Village is struggling financially.
Sister Ge, look, I'm so busy, I really don't have much time to chat with you.
"Why don't you sit in the west wing for a while, or go back?"
The west wing of the Zhao family home has a stone table and stone benches. The whole family sometimes sits there to cool off, since it's not sunny there.
Hearing Wang Caixia's words, Aunt Ge's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
"Hmph, whenever I go to someone's house, they always respectfully invite me into the main room and serve me tea."
"Why are you kicking this old woman out of your house as soon as we arrive? Looks like there really is something you're hiding. You think you can make me leave? Not a chance!"
After thinking it over in my mind,
"Oh dear, I'm going to go talk to your mother-in-law while you're busy here. Is she home?"
Before Wang Caixia could answer, he turned and walked towards the main room.
At this moment, Madam Huang was sitting in the main room with Zhao Qianci, working on the account books and keeping accounts.
She can calculate everything perfectly, including how much income and expenses each room has.
Previously, they used traditional methods to keep accounts, but ever since Zhao Qingyan bought pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, Huang Shi started using pens to keep accounts.
Although his handwriting wasn't great, it was legible. Zhao Qianci, who was giving him guidance, felt proud of it.
That's why we're recording all the expenses today, so that we can be fair and just when we divide the assets in the future.
The supplies that Zhao Qingyan provided to her family should all be recorded as money.
Of course, Zhao Qingyan didn't know this, but Huang Shi and Zhao Qianci couldn't ignore it.
What belongs to the granddaughter belongs to the granddaughter. No one in the family should take advantage of a little girl.
Aunt Ge was actually about the same age as Huang, but she was of a lower generation, which is why she and Wang Caixia could call each other sisters.
Upon entering, one could see Mrs. Huang holding a pen and sketching on a piece of paper.
A flicker of jealousy flashed in Ge's eyes; the heartwarming scene before her stung her.
Why is it that we're all around the same age, but the man I married wasn't good-looking, and when I was young, I had such a wicked mother-in-law who bullied me every day?
After finally outliving her mother-in-law, there was no one to set rules for her anymore, but life at home wasn't much better.
Not only do they rarely eat meat throughout the year, but they also have to drink thin porridge for two months to get through the spring.
Look at Huang Shi. The two are about the same age, but Huang Shi looks more than ten years younger than her. The man is good-looking and considerate.
Now that they're wasting such expensive writing materials, Ge really wanted to go up and snatch them away.
She was still rational and dared not.
There wasn't a single person in the entire village who dared to challenge the Huang family.
Seeing Huang look up, Ge quickly adjusted her facial expression, though it looked a little strange.
Huang didn't take it seriously. "Ge is here. Your little grandson should be able to walk by now, right?"
"Yes, yes, she'll be walking soon. She's crawling around everywhere now, and she's so hard to take care of."
His mother happened to be home today, so I came over to my aunt's house to take a look.
What's Auntie busy with?
Without any politeness, he walked over to the table where the Huang couple were sitting and plopped down on a stool.
Due to the strict separation of men and women, Zhao Qianci quickly stood up and walked outside.
Ge was illiterate, but when she saw the account books in Huang's hands, she wanted to take a second look, as if she could understand them.
It's fine to glance at this, but don't get too close. A mouth that hasn't brushed its teeth for decades can produce very dangerous breath.
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