Chapter 157: Gold Mining
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The gong in Daliushu Village rang again.
The village chief Wang Zhengyi announced with a smile on his face that the government had come to the village to recruit workers to dig for gold.
Each person gets fifty coins per day, and three meals are included.
As soon as the village chief finished speaking, the crowd immediately became excited.
You know, normally working in town only earns twenty or thirty cents a day.
Moreover, most of them take care of their own meals.
Even so, it is difficult to find work.
Now the wages for gold mining have doubled.
"Village Chief, I'll go!"
"Uncle, I'm going too!"
"I'm going too..."
For a time, people signed up and rushed to dig for gold.
Even some women were interested and asked if they were hiring female workers.
"Village chief, I'm very strong and can work better than you little chicken-like men." A burly woman, as strong as a man, shouted at the top of her voice.
The village chief's face darkened.
The other men's faces also turned dark.
Who is the little chicken?
However, after looking at Widow Zhang, who was taller than many men and had darker skin than men, many people opened their mouths to say something, but in the end they all closed their mouths obediently.
There was no way. Although Widow Zhang was a widow, no one dared to provoke her.
A few years ago, when her husband just passed away, anyone who wanted to take advantage of her at her house was beaten to a pulp by her.
The village chief didn't want to offend Widow Zhang, so he said, "We won't accept women, and we'll only accept men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five."
As soon as the village chief finished speaking, many people showed disappointment on their faces.
After much calculation, the Su family found that only the eldest brother Su met the requirements.
Boss Su signed up very happily.
Su Xiaoliu felt very sorry because he also wanted to earn money.
He was the one who discovered the gold mine.
Old Man Su also wanted to go, but unfortunately he was too old.
Although the family had saved some money, it was still very expensive to support three scholars.
Especially since the fifth brother passed the imperial examination and went to the county school, he had to prepare more money to prepare for the future imperial examinations.
What's more, it will cost a lot of money for the fifth, sixth, and several grandsons to get married in the future.
By the way, the richest person in the Su family now is Xiao Tangbao.
Whether it was the things given to Xiao Tangbao by her godmother Tian or the things awarded to Xiao Tangbao by the emperor, Old Man Su and Old Lady Su put them away separately, intending to keep them for Xiao Tangbao as a dowry.
In the words of Old Mrs. Su, daughters from wealthy families have been saving up their dowries since they were young.
Although their family is a farming family, they cannot let their daughter suffer any injustice.
Old Man Su agreed with this very much.
In this way, although the Su family had some money, it was not much.
"Dad, when the work in the fields is busy, I will come back to work, so you don't get tired." said Boss Su.
Old Man Su patted his filial eldest son and said, "Don't worry about home. Dad can still work."
Mrs. Su looked at her husband with a hint of reluctance in her eyes and said, "We will still be able to handle the work in the fields. We won't let Dad get tired."
The man went to dig for gold, which was not far away, but he could only come back once every ten days.
Su Laowu felt a little guilty, but also a little moved and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work."
I haven't done anything for my family over the years, but I have spent a lot of their money.
If I fail to pass the imperial examination in the future, I will be ashamed to face my family.
"Old Five, what are you talking about?" Boss Su said cheerfully, "Studying is harder for you. I only have a handful of strength. If you let me study, I'll worry until my hair turns white."
Mrs. Su also said, "Fifth brother, just study hard. Your eldest brother and I will be happy no matter how tired we are. Now when your sister-in-law walks outside, people will say, 'That's the scholar's sister-in-law. Don't you know how glorious it is to be your sister-in-law?'"
After Mrs. Su finished speaking, Brother Su patted Su Laowu on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Laowu, don't you know how many people envy you, brother, for having a brother like you who is a scholar?"
Su Laowu showed a shy smile on his face, but his eyes were shining.
After all, he is still young and doesn't know how to hide his brilliance. He exudes the youthful vigor that is unique to young people.
Old man Su looked at his scholar son and felt particularly satisfied.
"Old Five, you will go to the county school tomorrow. You must study hard and don't slack off!" Old Man Su warned.
Since Su Laowu had passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he was qualified to go to the county school.
Of course, the old scholar in the town’s private school couldn’t teach Su Laowu.
Although Su Ersao Qian Yuemei was happy that her uncle had gone out to earn money, she didn't want to stay at home anymore because the family had lost a strong laborer.
What's more, my brother-in-law is now going to study in the county.
She now had another excuse to go to the county.
So, after thinking about it, he happily ran to help Xiao Tangbao feed the ducklings.
"Aunt, your second brother said he bought you a lot of fun things. Do you want to go and see them?"
Qian Yuemei looked at Xiao Tangbao with a flattering expression, like a human trafficker holding candy.
Little Tangbao blinked his eyes and said in a baby voice, "I don't want to."
Qian Yuemei, “…”
Why so straightforward?
"Aunt, my second sister-in-law heard from people that there is a lot of fun in the county town, with people selling lanterns and performing acrobatics...Aunt, do you want to go and see it?" Qian Yuemei continued.
Little Tangbao blinked his eyes, "Does Second Sister-in-law want to go?"
Qian Yuemei, “…”
Of course she wants to go.
But--
She wants to go, but can she?
Qian Yuemei had no choice but to say, "If you want to go, my second sister-in-law will take you there. We'll go find your second brother and have him take us to play in the county town. We'll go wherever there's fun. My second sister-in-law will buy you some candy figurines and flowers to wear..."
After hearing what Qian Yuemei said, Xiao Tangbao tilted his head and looked at Qian Yuemei with his black and white eyes, as if he was thinking.
For some reason, Qian Yuemei had a strange feeling as if she was seen through.
"I don't want to go." Little Tangbao shook his head.
Qian Yuemei, “…”
Why is my sister-in-law different from other people's children?
Qian Yuemei returned empty-handed, but she was unwilling to accept the result.
So, he gritted his teeth, changed his position, and ran to find Old Mrs. Su.
"Mom, you see, my aunt is now a village chief. She can't stay in our village forever, otherwise she will be laughed at for being worldly-wise in the future." Qian Yuemei looked like she was thinking about little Tangbao.
Old Mrs. Su was sewing a summer shirt for Old Man Su. Upon hearing this, she paused and looked up at Qian Yuemei.
"Second son's wife, according to you, if Tangbao doesn't live at home, where should he go?" Old Mrs. Su asked calmly.
Qian Yuemei was delighted and immediately said with a smile, "Mom, I've been thinking that since Erhu and Fifth Brother are both in the county town now, why not bring my aunt over there as well? We can buy her a house there and let her live there in luxury. She can make friends with the ladies from wealthy families without disgracing her status."
"Do you know how much money it would cost to buy a house in the county town?" Old Mrs. Su asked, "Do you have that much money at home?"
"Why not?" Qian Yuemei said immediately: "The gold and silver jewelry given to me by the prefect's wife, plus the rewards given to me by the emperor..."
Qian Yuemei's voice became lower and lower.
There was no way, my mother-in-law's eyes became more and more fierce.
She couldn't handle it anymore.
"What? Second son's wife, you even want to take over your sister-in-law's things?" Old Madam Su's voice was intimidating without even being angry.
Qian Yuemei's scalp tingled, and she quickly said, "Mom, I didn't mean that. I just, I just..."
"You just want to go to the county town to avoid being lazy, right?" Old Mrs. Su said bluntly.
Qian Yuemei's thoughts were exposed by Old Lady Su, and she quickly said dryly: "Mother, no, I don't mean that. Even if my aunt goes to the county town, someone must go with her to serve her. My eldest sister-in-law needs to manage the family and she can't leave. My third sister-in-law is a widow, so she can't go either..."
"Widow?!" Old Madam Su's face darkened. "Do you mean that the third child is definitely dead? Or are you hoping that the third child will die outside?"
Qian Yuemei was shocked, "This, this is not..."
Isn't this obvious?
Didn’t the family members agree to this?
Not only did my family members agree with it, but didn't the entire village think so?
"Second son's wife, if you feel that your son is on an official mission and that you, the wife of an official, are being wronged in Daliushu Village, then you can go to the county town to find your son," said Old Lady Su.
Qian Yuemei, “…”
Does she dare to go?
She doesn't dare!
"Mother, his fourth uncle and aunt are back." Mrs. Su hurried in with a strange expression on her face. "And... there are also the children and the town's shopkeeper Li and his wife."
Old Mrs. Su was stunned.
Although the old man recognized the fourth son and his daughter-in-law, the fourth son had never come to the Su family.
There are reasons related to the Su family, and there are also reasons related to the Li family.
As for the two families, they have never met each other.
Why did the entire Li family come to the Su family today?
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