The people of Shanshui Village are now only busy, and even busier.
We were busy harvesting potatoes, but once they were all harvested, we were more at ease and focused on making dried potatoes and potato flour, since they were meant to be our staple food. If we left so many potatoes to sprout later, it would be like we were risking the lives of our entire family.
The women and children at home are busy making dried potatoes and potato flour for storage, and they can't rest in the fields either, as they need to quickly cultivate the land and plant medicinal herbs!
Before the plowing was even finished, the herbal medicine shop had to send the processed herbs to Yuhang. Not only was there one less man to work in the fields, but even the donkey used for plowing had to be taken away. Fortunately, the herbal medicine shop had stopped operating, and the women working there returned home, providing additional labor. The whole family worked from dawn till dusk, trying to plow as much as possible.
They managed to tidy up the land enough to grow medicinal herbs, so the herb shop was converted into a calligraphy brush shop, and then later into a toothbrush shop. The woman who had stopped working went back to work.
It's nothing, after all, a day's work can earn twenty coins! That can buy several kilograms of grain. Farming doesn't yield this much. The rest of the family can help out, and we should work hard to grow the crops.
After only a few days of planting, the toothbrush workshop expanded its workforce again, and a few days later, they started making toothbrush handles for everyone in the village! Each handle cost one penny!
Who could stand this? But as farmers who depend on the land for their livelihood, the land cannot be left empty. So now, at dawn, the men and women go to the fields to plant medicinal herbs, while the older children at home are responsible for feeding them.
After returning around noon and having lunch, we started doing the less strenuous polishing work. We would work for about two hours and then take a break. In the afternoon, we would go to the fields to plant medicinal herbs.
The elderly and children in the family who are physically capable also participated throughout the process.
Even Wang Guifen, who is known for her diligence, felt that her days were more fulfilling than ever before—so fulfilling!
The days were busy, and on March 28th, the biggest event in the village was the wedding of Fan Dazhu and Zhang Chunhua!
Marriage is a big event, especially in a village. People with a love for watching the excitement will come and take a look whenever they have a chance.
Zhang Chunhua's parents didn't have a good relationship with the villagers, so since they didn't hold wedding banquets, they didn't need to hire anyone to help with the arrangements. As the only thatched house in the village, it was undecorated and deserted, with no lanterns or red "double happiness" characters, making it look no different from any other day.
Zhang Chunhua, the newlywed, did not have a bright red new dress, but she did have a bright red veil and a brand-new linen outfit.
"I never expected that Zhang the Bald's family would make a new outfit for Zhang Chunhua. Even without a bright red wedding dress, a red veil is not bad," Aunt Wu said with a sigh.
Looking at Zhang Chunhua's gray linen clothes, Aunt Li said indignantly: "His family asks for a lot of betrothal gifts. In the past, seven or eight taels would have been enough. Fan Dazhu is lame and he only married Chunhua to serve his whole family, so he was willing to pay ten taels of silver."
That's ten taels of silver! Zhang the Bald and his companion would need to buy Chunhua a new wedding dress. If you ask me, two taels of silver would be enough to get her a red wedding gown, a red veil, and red cloth shoes. A woman only has this one wedding in her life; it's one thing if she couldn't afford it before, but if he asked for ten taels, giving him two taels wouldn't be impossible.”
These parents are so pathetic!
"No, no, even parents who can afford two taels of silver wouldn't do something like accepting a high dowry to marry their daughter off to a cripple who has to serve the whole family," Granny Xu sighed.
Zhang Hui and Zhao Lan, among the few who knew the truth, couldn't help but reveal: "These clothes and veils were not provided by Zhang the Bald and his wife!"
The other women were shocked and all turned to look at the two of them.
Zhao Lan lowered her voice and said, "This is the linen that her brother Zhang Xiaogou earned by making toothbrushes day and night. He found my sister-in-law and bought it. The money for the red veil wasn't enough. My sister-in-law is a native of the village, so her feelings are different. She told Zhang Xiaogou to take it back and pay him later when she has more money."
Actually, it's because Zhang Xiaogou is hardworking and reliable. If it were Zhang Tuzi, even if his sister-in-law was a native of the village, it wouldn't work! There's no affection between them at all.
Upon hearing that it was Zhang Xiaogou who made the purchase, Aunt Li praised, "This child is thoughtful, unlike his parents who are reluctant to spend a single penny."
So many parents are unreliable, and their sons are unreliable too!
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