Tong Wen Yao took out some fruit, washed it, and placed it in front of them, intending to eat the fruit while asking them how they were exiled here.
"Xing'er, how did you and your sister get exiled here?" Tong Wenyao asked in confusion. Xing'er shook her head and said, "I don't know either. We were sold by the officials on the way to exile. They sold us to human traffickers for one tael of silver per person.
Then they wrote "died of illness" on the document. At that time, I desperately begged my sister and I to go together, otherwise I would commit suicide. The official did the same. After that, we followed the traffickers to move around several times. The last time, we took a boat to Cangzhou, and then they bought us to Yuguan County.
Mother Qian looked at the scars on Guo'er's face, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes, and she asked, "How did Guo'er get the scars on her face?"
Xing'er looked at Guo'er and said with a wry smile, "I scratched it!" There was a hint of shock in Qian's mother's eyes. She couldn't imagine that the weak little girl would actually destroy her sister's face with her own hands.
"At that time, I was taken away by the police and raped. They even wanted to violate my sister. I picked up a stone and scratched my sister's face. Only in this way would they lose interest in her."
She knelt down in front of Tong Wenyao and Qian's mother and said, "I know my innocence is gone and I have no face to stay in this world. I only ask my lady, my lady, to consider my past dedication and allow my sister to continue to serve you. My lady, Xing'er will end her own life. Your lady, don't worry about me tarnishing your reputation."
If Qian's mother were still in the capital, and Xing'er lost her innocence, she would have sent her to the farm to be raised. But now things are different. Qian's mother feels that staying alive is the most important thing. Qian's mother thought that if Tong Wenyao didn't want Xing'er to serve her, she could arrange for her to work in the spicy noodle workshop, where she could earn a salary and support herself.
After listening to her, Tong Wenyao sneered, "Xing'er, you're the victim, why do you want to commit suicide? The one who should commit suicide is the one who insulted you! Xing'er, you must remember that death can't solve problems. Only by living can you avenge yourself!"
She glanced at Xing'er, her eyes filled with seriousness and determination. "Xing'er, I'm telling you, one day we'll return to the capital. When the time comes, you'll personally send any officer who bullies you to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Xing'er murmured, "Is that really the case?" Tong Wenyao saw that her will to die had weakened, and continued to comfort her, "Of course, Xing'er, don't you want to avenge yourself in the future?"
When Xing'er heard the word "revenge", she subconsciously muttered, "Revenge, Miss, I want revenge! I want to send those who bullied me to hell!"
Tong Wenyao was very relieved when she heard this, "Xing'er, you are very good. You and Guo'er will be my left hand and right arm in the future!"
Tong Wen Yao felt much more relieved after Xing'er no longer had the will to die.
"Xing'er, you and Guo'er should take a shower and wash your hair now." Xing'er glanced at Guo'er's hair with a shy expression.
"Okay, miss." When they went up the back mountain, Tong Wen Yao gave Xing'er a piece of soap. They hadn't washed their hair for many days, and they didn't know if there were lice or anything, so it would be better to wash it clean with soap.
The second brother and second uncle were slaughtering sheep in the backyard. Tong Wenyao went to the back mountain to cut a bamboo. In the green bamboo forest, she saw a bamboo on the edge. This kind of bamboo was relatively old.
And it is just right for making barbecue skewers. The hatchet was used to chop at the root of the bamboo. When the hatchet came out, bamboo fragments were brought out. When half of the bamboo was chopped, the bamboo already looked shaky. After Tong Wen Yao chopped at the root of the bamboo a few more times, the bamboo fell down in front of her.
Tong Wenyao cut off the bamboo branches and then dragged them outside the yard. The bamboo was not big, and her small hands could just hold it. After dragging it back, she used a hatchet to peel it in a cross shape for about ten centimeters. Then she put a cross wooden stick into the gap and hit the stick with the hatchet. The stick in the bamboo broke the bamboo little by little.
Soon, the bamboo was divided into four parts. Tong Wenyao took one of them and began to chop it, then chopped it into thin bamboo strips, and then cut the bamboo strips into bamboo sticks. Xing'er saw her busy and hurried over and said, "Miss, let me do it!"
Guo'er also followed behind Xing'er, a little timidly, and did whatever Xing'er did.
Tong Wenyao thought it would be better to distract her now, so she asked her to use a dagger to sharpen bamboo sticks.
Seeing the scars on Guo'er's face, I couldn't help but regret why I didn't think of buying some herbs when I was in the county town! I plan to go to the county tomorrow to buy some herbs and make some ointment for her!
After she had shaved the bamboo strips, she went to the kitchen, took out the deer leg, cut it into small pieces, and then strung it into skewers with the shaved bamboo sticks. Thinking that roasted lamb would be good too, she went to the backyard and got a leg of lamb, cut it into small pieces, and strung it into skewers later.
After Tong Bo divided the mutton, he went to borrow a cart from the village chief. Tong Wenyao skewered the mutton and marinated it in a basin. She divided it into two portions, one non-spicy and one spicy. After finishing, Tong Bo also loaded a cut-up lamb onto the cart. Second Uncle didn't go with him, but Tong Wenyao was free at the moment, so she brought the others along, with Xing'er following behind her.
The ox cart was pulling the mutton, and many people in the village followed behind it. Some of the wealthier families had already started asking Tong Bo, "Second Brother Tong, how do you buy this mutton?"
Tong Bo looked at him and said, "We're not buying this mutton!" Another person said, "If you don't want to buy it, why don't you take it to the village and share it with us?" Tong Wenyao said from the side, "This mutton is for the workers in the spicy noodle workshop. It's almost Chinese New Year, so we have to give them a good meal so they can keep working hard next year."
After hearing this, many people were envious. If they had known that the Tong family was recruiting, they would have signed up. However, the job requirements were a bit strict. The hair had to be wrapped with cloth, and the nails could not be left open, not even mud on the nails. With this requirement, in the end, only a dozen people were selected!
The women who work in the workshops now come back in the evening every day and have four days off a month. Their families don’t let them work in the fields anymore, so that they can keep their hands clean. They can earn 400 coins a month for the family.
You know, a man who goes to the county to carry bags can only earn ten cents a day, and fifteen cents at most without food. Sometimes he doesn't even have the work of carrying bags, so he can earn at most three hundred cents a month, which is not as good as the four hundred cents they can easily earn in the workshop. I heard from them that if they perform well, they can get a reward of one hundred cents every month!
When Wu Jia in the crowd heard that the mutton was for the people in the spicy noodle workshop, he couldn't help but laugh. His wife also worked in the workshop and could bring more than 500 coins to the family every month. The work was easy.
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