Aunt Zhang Chunhua remained rooted to the spot.
Why did opening a herbal medicine shop not work, and now you're making calligraphy brushes too?
They knew that calligraphy brushes were something only scholars used, and they were extremely expensive!
Anyway, anything a scholar owns is expensive, so why did Hu Shuiqing suddenly decide to make calligraphy brushes?
They both looked at Zhang Xiaocao.
Zhang Xiaocao was also completely bewildered; there hadn't been any commotion or whispers at the herbal medicine shop before.
Aunt Zhang didn't care. She believed whatever Shui Qing said and supported whatever Shui Qing did!
She replied with a beaming smile, "Of course! If Xiaocao doesn't do a good job, I'm still here! Either I or she is fine as long as you need me!"
"Well, we just started this year, and no one knows how to do it yet. We'll learn as we go. The pay is still 21 yuan a day, including lunch and two sets of summer clothes. I'm going to the next place later. If Xiaocao does well, I'll take a share." Shuiqing was also determined to support Xiaocao and explained it clearly.
Aunt Zhang Chunhua swallowed hard.
Good heavens, learning on the job while working outside, let alone getting paid, you'd be grateful for even a meal and clothes! Isn't that just like an apprenticeship? Which apprentice doesn't respect their master, even working for free for three years!
Aunt Zhang Er wore a fawning smile and was walking towards Shui Qing when Zhang Xiaocao, with her sharp eyes, saw her. She stepped forward and blocked her aunt's path, saying meaningfully, "Alright, has Sister Shui Qing been chosen yet? Should I go and tell everyone?"
Everyone would love such a great job! Knowing the news and getting it finalized early means we don't have to worry about someone else snatching it up.
Shui Qing understood, waved her hand dismissively, and said, "It's still you guys. You're all doing a great job. I'm very comfortable using you. Why would I want to change?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang thought there was a chance. She took two steps forward, pushed her niece Zhang Xiaocao aside, and said with a big smile, "Shuiqing, look at my Chunhua, she's so efficient at her work!"
She's incredibly strong, and she's skilled at everything from cooking and laundry to tilling, planting, and harvesting in the fields. If you hire her, she can work from morning till night—she's as good as two, no, three! You definitely won't regret it!
Shui Qing looked at Xiao Cao, who had been pushed and stumbled by Aunt Zhang, and her smile faded. She said indifferently, "When I hire people to do work, they just need to do their job properly from the start of the workday to the end. If I make them work from morning till night without a break, who knows what they'll be cursing me for."
By the way, I overheard outside that Chunhua has agreed to marry into a good family? Well, you should focus on preparing for the wedding and not get distracted.
Aunt Zhang was not about to let such a good opportunity slip by. Thinking of her son-in-law, her expression turned smug. She tried to establish a connection by saying, "Shuiqing, you didn't hear clearly outside, do you know who my Chunhua's husband's family is?"
"Let me tell you, from now on we're all in-laws! Chunhua and you are both part of Lao Fan's family, so tell me, shouldn't we take better care of our own people?"
Zhang Chunhua twisted the hem of her dress, her mind in turmoil.
Getting married is good, but the dowry money goes to her parents and not a single penny reaches her. Although her mother also takes her wages from working at the herbal medicine shop, she has heard that the girls and wives in the village all keep sixty coins in their hands as their private savings and don't have to hand them over to the public.
She can make the same request to her mother then, and if her mother dares not agree, she will threaten not to do any work!
With sixty coins a month, that's over seven hundred coins a year! You could even buy yourself a silver hairpin! Not to mention four sets of clothes, all new cotton clothes.
Her hand instinctively touched the silk flower in her hair. However, the silver hairpin was too far off, not even a year away. The silk flower, on the other hand, was real... and from now on, she and Hu Shuiqing would be members of the Fan family, belonging to their own people.
Thinking of this, she deliberately straightened her back, took a deep breath, and looked at Hu Shuiqing, waiting for her to say something intimate.
Shui Qing wanted to laugh, but tried her best to hold it in.
The Fan family? One of our own?
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