Chapter 526 Lü Erniang
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At dusk, Niu Sangeng, clutching the hundred copper coins he had been allocated, trudged home through the thin snow.
The first thing the jailer gave Niu Sangeng was a string of coins that was worth about a string of cash. Niu Sangeng immediately tore it open and gave half to the jailer. He later shared the other half with Suozi and the other two.
Because he was the one who did the work of pickling human heads, he took the lion's share of the reward money.
There were about two hundred and fifty copper coins, half a string of cash. He got one hundred, and the remaining locks were divided equally among the three of them.
The snow today wasn't particularly heavy, but there were still some snowflakes falling from time to time.
When Niu Sangeng came out of his cell in Jian'an Prison and was walking home, the snow had already stopped.
However, the light snow had been falling intermittently all day, leaving a thin layer of white on the streets and alleys of Jian'an City, which would make a slight crunching sound when stepped on.
On his way home through the snow, Niu Sangeng would unconsciously reach out and touch the money in his pocket every now and then; the solid copper coins made him feel a little more at ease.
After turning through two alleys, you'll reach the small courtyard where Niu Sangeng and Lü Erniang rented their place.
Standing outside the courtyard gate, which was half-closed, Niu Sangeng peered through it and saw smoke rising from the chimney of the kitchen. The aroma of millet porridge wafted into his nostrils on the wind.
Niu Sangeng's stomach rumbled at just the right moment; the meat soup and steamed white flour buns he had eaten at noon had long been digested.
"Second Aunt, I'm back."
Niu Sangeng pushed open the creaking courtyard gate, stomped off the dirt that had accumulated on his feet along the way, and then entered the courtyard.
Niu Sangeng and Lü Erniang got married last year.
Lü Erniang's home is in Xihai Village.
Yes, that's the Xihai Village that was plagued by Japanese pirates.
The Lü family had no sons, only three daughters. No, actually, only Lü's mother and two daughters remained in the Lü family.
Mr. Lü passed away from illness a few years ago. Mrs. Lü married a traveling merchant in her early years and went to the south, where she has not returned for many years.
Although no one in the Lü family lost their lives in this disaster, they ultimately could no longer survive in Xihai Village.
Living in the fishing village meant there was no way to make a living, so Lu's mother had no choice but to seek out her old relatives in Jian'an City. That's how she arranged for Lu Erniang to marry Niu Sangeng, a lowly jailer.
Lü Sanniang was also married off by her mother to a family in Jian'an City who were engaged in paper burial.
Because this family was in the despised funeral business, it was difficult for them to find a wife.
Thus, Mother Lü had only one request for this family—the Lü family was already extinct, and if Lü San Niang was to marry into the family, then Lü San Niang and her husband had to take care of Mother Lü in her old age and see her off in her final days!
Therefore, after the Japanese pirates started causing trouble, Lü's mother, with her decisiveness, not only married off Lü Erniang and Lü Sanniang to Jian'an City without asking for a single penny of dowry, but also found herself a place to retire.
Of course, when Lü's mother lived with Lü San Niang, she didn't really not do any work. She just stayed in a house that Lü San Niang had acquired from her husband's family.
At this moment, Lu Erniang, who was in the kitchen, heard the commotion outside and poked her head out. Her cheeks were red from the heat of the stove fire, and her bangs were stuck to her skin with sweat.
She was still holding the wooden spoon for stirring porridge in her hand, and when she saw Niu Sangeng, she smiled and said, "Husband, you're back early today?"
Are you hungry? The porridge is ready soon.
Niu San responded and went into the kitchen. After washing his hands, he took out the hundred copper coins from his pocket.
Niu Sangeng presented the money to Lü Erniang and said, "Here you go, this is the reward money issued by the higher-ups today."
Upon seeing the money, Lü Erniang's eyes lit up immediately.
She put down the wooden spoon, wiped her hands on her apron, took Niu Sangeng's hand, and sat down at the wooden table. She placed the handful of copper coins on the table and began to count them carefully.
"A hundred? That's a lot!"
Lu Erniang looked up at Niu Sangeng with surprise, "Why so much? What are you doing giving out reward money?"
"Clean up those heads."
Niu Sangeng squatted down in front of the stove and added a piece of firewood to the firebox. "Uncle said that the higher-ups are considerate of how hard we work, so they specially gave us a reward."
Lu Erniang paused for a moment, nodded, and then carefully collected the copper coins one by one, strung them together, and took them into the house to hide them properly.
After hiding the money, Lü Erniang returned to the kitchen and said to Niu Sangeng, who was sitting in front of the stove, "I went to the East Market today, and the price of grain has dropped by 30%."
"Taking advantage of the price, I bought two more bushels."
As she stirred the porridge in the pot, Lu Erniang continued, "The price of salt has also dropped by 20%, and the price of other items has dropped by 10%."
This money is just in time; I'll buy some more tomorrow, and we can have a good New Year."
Niu Sangeng nodded, looking at the flickering flames in the stove. The firelight reflected on his rough face, outlining deep furrows.
"Life has become a bit easier since General Li arrived."
“It’s not just ‘easier’.”
Lu Erniang's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, her eyes gleaming, "The price of grain and everything has dropped, which gives us a way to survive."
Moreover, I heard from Aunt Wang at the entrance of our alley that General Li came to Jian'an to kill the bandits!
This is great news!
The millet porridge was ready, and Lü Erniang first served Niu Sangeng a large bowl full.
Then she took the bowl, scooped out only a little more than half a spoonful for herself, and put the spoon down.
"Second Aunt, eat more. Didn't you say the price of grain has dropped? Now that we have this much money, let's buy more grain."
“I don’t do anything at home, this is enough for me.”
Lu Erniang deftly sliced a plate of her own homemade pickled vegetables and served it to the wooden table next to her.
The two sat at a simple wooden table, facing each other, drinking porridge with pickled vegetables in the last rays of light on the horizon.
After swallowing the steaming hot porridge, Niu San felt a warm current spreading from his stomach throughout his body.
"Honey, have you heard?"
Lu Erniang stared at Niu Sangeng with her bright eyes. Niu Sangeng didn't say anything, but he looked back at Lu Erniang.
"Today I went to the East Market to buy grain. Outside the grain shop, I heard some yamen runners posting some kind of notice. It seemed to mean that General Li was looking for people to do the work."
We need to build a supply depot right there at the Zhao family mansion, and we'll need to hire women to do the work!
They said it would include a meal and thirty copper coins a day!
Upon hearing this, Niu Sangeng's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise, "Hiring female workers? What for?"
"I heard it's a job that involves sewing military uniforms and blankets."
Lu Erniang said excitedly, "Aunt Wang has already registered. According to the yamen runner, as long as you are quick and efficient, age is not a problem."
"Honey, I want to give it a try."
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