Chapter 327 You, Me, Them
Early morning, Changshoufang.
Chou Niangzi's biological clock woke her up at dawn. Before she even opened her eyes, she reached out to touch the person beside her and felt that Chou Xiao Niangzi was warm. Only then did she carefully get up.
After Lady Qiu went to the kitchen and brought out a basin of warm water that she had specially reserved from the bottom of the pot the night before, she gently woke up Lady Qiu.
The mother and daughter washed up in the warm water. Madam Qiu reminded them, "Hui Niang, smooth out those stray hairs to make you look neater. Mr. Qin likes a clean and tidy lady."
“I know, Mother.”
Lady Qiu turned around and went to the kitchen. The rice porridge she had cooked last night had already started to bloom.
Ever since Qiu Niangzi took on Li San Niang's job, her family's living conditions have improved, and they can afford to eat a boiled chicken for breakfast every day.
Hui Niang stubbornly cut the egg in half and put it into Qiu Niangzi's bowl.
“If your mother doesn’t eat, she’ll save it all for you. According to Doctor Li, your mother is at the age where she’s growing, so you should eat more.”
Hui Niang, without even looking up, said, "If Mother doesn't eat, I won't eat either."
Left with no other choice, Lady Qiu had to eat the half-boiled chicken.
Seeing the time, Qiu Niangzi stuffed a large piece of wood under the stove, then took Hui Niang, locked the door, and headed to the Women's Assistance Association next to Li Family Medical Hall on the same street.
Before leaving, Madam Qiu specially carried a basket containing radishes she had grown in her own little courtyard. She picked out two of the best-looking ones to give to Madam Qin.
Lady Qiu thought she had arrived early, but Wu Qiaolan and Bao Ya had arrived even earlier and were cleaning the school.
Wu Qiaolan looked up and saw Qiu Niangzi and Hui Niangzi, and greeted them with a smile: "Qiu Niangzi is here early, and Hui Niang is here too."
Mr. Qin hasn't come out yet; please sit and wait a moment.
Wu Qiaolan turned to Bao Ya and said, "Bao Ya, quickly go and bring a pot of tea."
"Madam Wu, no need to trouble yourself, no need to trouble yourself."
I only brought two radishes for Mr. Qin. I left Hui Niang behind and had to go outside the city to find the wives who had taken on the jobs to check them.
"If there's any work, just ask Hui Niang to help; she can do it all."
After exchanging a few more words, Lady Qiu gave Hui Niang some more instructions before leaving the alliance meeting place.
Earlier, when Madam Qiu came to check the order for the set of surgical supplies that the Imperial Medical Bureau had ordered, she heard that they had hired a female teacher who could speak and write and teach literacy. She then had the idea of letting her own daughter learn as well.
After asking around, I found out that I could register first and then be scheduled to learn to read starting next month, so I registered myself and Hui Niang directly.
Qin Niangzi, who happened to overhear this, said that since that was the case, Hui Niang could learn to read with the women in the midwifery school. She was just a little girl of twelve or thirteen years old, and she wouldn't take up any spots in the midwifery school.
If taught well, he might even be able to help Lady Qin with some chores.
Thus, Hui Niang began learning to read from Qin Niangzi ten days ago.
Madam Qiu was grateful for Madam Qin's kindness, so she would come every two days to bring a little something. It wasn't anything precious, just a few fruits and two radishes.
...
Before noon, many families in Houshan Village outside Chang'an City were already drying their autumn-harvested sweet potatoes on the drying ground.
Seeing that the Wang family had brought two more baskets of sweet potatoes, Mao Da asked in confusion, "Uncle Wang, why do you still have sweet potatoes? I saw you had so many drying in the sun."
Uncle Wang put down his basket and sat down on the edge of the drying ground to rest. He replied, "Hey, it's from my eldest son-in-law's family. He went to the city to work with my daughter Chunhua, so there's no one at home. The kids are all with us, so I'm helping them dry. That way, we can sell them for a little money."
Mao Da then remembered that the village head had said that the government was not only collecting the dried sweet potatoes, but also that if one had the strength, one could go to the city to find a job brewing wine.
Thinking of this, Mao Da squatted down next to Uncle Wang, smiled ingratiatingly at him, scratched his head, and asked, "Uncle Wang, is it good to work in the city? How many coins do I get a day? Are I paid on the same day?"
As soon as Mao Da said this, several more people gathered around the already crowded drying ground.
One of the men was quick-witted and handed Uncle Wang a stool, saying, "Uncle, sit down. It's sunny, but it's still cool on the dam."
Another man grabbed a handful of wild fruits and handed them over: "Uncle Wang, try some. They're from behind my house, sweet and sour."
They were all from the same village, and Uncle Wang wasn't the type to wait five or six minutes. Seeing that everyone was interested in going to the city to work, he raised his voice and started talking.
“My daughter Chunhua went to Chang'an to sell the vegetables I grew. She learned from the girls who sold the vegetables that there was a place that helped girls find work, so Chunhua went to look for it.”
They didn't charge any money. They asked Chunhua a few questions, like where she lived and how many people were in her family. They reserved a plot of land in our village and told Chunhua to go back and wait for news.
A few days later, when the eldest son of the Zhou family at the village entrance went to town to sell tofu, a doorman on the street came to him with a message for Chunhua, asking her to bring her eldest son-in-law along, saying there was work to be done.
"Uncle, my sister Chunhua believed it? And she just took Tietou with her?"
Uncle Wang took a bite of the sour fruit before replying, "Hey, I didn't believe it either, that such a good thing could happen."
However, Chunhua said that it was a legitimate alliance or something, which I don't really understand, but it wasn't a scam.
Later, when the village head was talking about the government collecting and drying sweet potatoes, he also mentioned that there were many jobs being offered in the city.
"Uncle Wang, what can Tie Tou do there?"
"Chunhua said that the alliance introduced him to work as a laborer in that winery. Tietou was strong and did a good job, so the manager even gave him extra pay for his work."
Eighty copper coins a day, paid right after work, plus a full meal at noon.
As soon as the wages were mentioned, the people on the threshing floor erupted in a clamor of discussion.
"Wow, that's a lot of money, and it even includes meals."
"Iron Head is strong, and so am I. I'm the same height as Iron Head, can I do it?"
"Really? Eighty a day? That's a lot of money!"
The surroundings were noisy, with everyone talking at once about going to Chang'an to work.
Earlier, Mao Da asked again, "Uncle Wang, what about my Chunhua? Didn't that association introduce her to a job? Do they not want girls?"
My wife is stronger than me, I wonder if the distillery will want her?
Mao Da's words made everyone around him burst into laughter. One of the lively men immediately followed up with a question: "Mao Da, when you sleep with your wife at night, does she always sleep on top of you? You don't have to do any of the work yourself, do you? Haha, haha."
The laughter continued, and Mao Da's face turned red, but he still shouted back: "What's wrong? What's wrong? Lying down doesn't affect my comfort. It's your wife's fault for being weak, so you have to work hard while she enjoys herself!"
After everyone had laughed for a while, Uncle Wang said to Mao Da, "Chunhua said she introduced me to a place that does laundry, saying it's not tiring, just that my hands get a little cold."
After inquiring, everyone got up to check the sweet potatoes they had dried at home. They were waiting for them to dry for a while before going to the village head to register them so they could sell them to the government.
However, everyone was also concerned about Wang Jiachunhua and Tietou going to the city to work, wondering if their own families could also go and work, earn some money, and have a prosperous New Year.
After all, there were only two months left until the end of the year, and there was no work to be done in the fields, so it was the perfect time to go out and work.
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