Chapter 16 The prince went to work as a bricklayer to make quick money
Sang Zhixia lowered her head and focused on the noodles in the bowl. She said lightly, "If you want to eat, make it yourself. I also made extra noodles today. I'm not sure if I'll make them in the future."
It would be fine if Xu Yanran from my third uncle's family was only eight years old.
But the two sons of my second uncle, Xu Minghui, sixteen, and Xu Mingyang, ten, all followed their parents into the house and never showed their heads, not talking or doing anything, and acting like young masters, waiting contentedly for their meals.
Three-year-old Xu Mingxu knew that he had to help dig wild vegetables, so why should they just sit there and do nothing?
She has never enjoyed the treatment of a wealthy family, and she cannot serve such a person!
Sang Zhixia's condition improved and she became more energetic. Seeing this, Xu Yu silently picked out the fried egg in his bowl and put it in her bowl.
"You're not well yet, eat more."
Xu Wenxiu looked at the half-egg in Xu Mingxu and Xu Jinxi's small bowls, and she mustered up the courage to help out: "You should take good care of yourself. After you finish eating, go and rest. I'll wash the dishes."
The eldest family is of the same blood, but Sang Zhixia's reasoning is hard to refute.
The old lady wanted to talk too much, but the cooked noodles were right next to her.
She wasn't starving, so what could she say at this time?
The old man looked at the poached eggs in his bowl with an ambiguous expression, lowered his eyes and said, "Why are you making such a fuss while we're eating?"
"If you're not hungry, go back to your room."
Sang Zhixia raised her eyebrows and agreed with a smile: "That's right, there are everything in dreams anyway, so a bite of food won't be a big deal."
With the old man's words setting the tone, no matter how much dissatisfaction there is, you can only swallow it with a gloomy face.
The second and third aunts, who insisted on staying out of the kitchen, rolled up their sleeves with stern faces and frantically tried several times before they finally managed to get the noodles in the pot into the bowl.
It’s just that the roots of the mulberry branches cooked in summer are distinct and very tough.
The porridge they cooked was like paste and tasted terrible.
After everyone finally had their meal, Aunt Xu, filled with resentment, gritted her teeth and said, "Xu Yu, I heard you went out to make money? Where's the money you earned?"
Uncle Xu, who had a belly full of batter, said coldly, "The old lady is in charge of the household expenses. You can't keep the money you bring back privately."
The old lady glanced at Xu Yu with a serious look, her meaning was self-evident.
Sang Zhixia's eyebrows jumped and she was about to interrupt when another egg was added to the bowl.
She only put two for Xu Yu, one in front and one in the back, and they were all in her bowl.
"you……"
"I'm stuffed."
Xu Yu waved his palms back at her, picked up Xu Jinxi, who still couldn't use chopsticks, and fed her with chopsticks while saying lightly, "That's what I wanted to say."
He looked calmly at the people who were staring at him eagerly, and said slowly, "I went out with the villagers today to find a job. I can earn six copper coins a day."
An egg could be sold for one penny, and he could only earn six eggs in a day even if his shoulders were worn out.
Sang Zhixia looked at the eggs in her bowl and suddenly found it difficult to swallow, but Xu Yu's tone remained calm.
"I've asked around, and they're still short of workers. Who's going with me tomorrow?"
The conversation shifted, and the problem fell on everyone. Aunt Xu, who had been the first to challenge him, asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"What else can I mean?"
Xu Yu wiped Xu Jinxi's mouth and said, "Second Aunt, there is no such thing as sitting back and enjoying the fruits of others' labor."
"Now that we are here, we must adapt to the rules here."
He ignored everyone's sullen faces and said to himself, "Zhizhi is right. Grandpa and Grandma worked hard all their lives and don't need to work any harder. It's only right for the eldest son to support them, but you can't."
"The food we have now won't last long. And when winter comes, keeping warm and full will be a problem. I won't survive if I lie in the house all day."
It is his unshirkable responsibility to support his elders, take care of his younger brothers and sisters, and look after his wife.
But there are no more irrelevant people in his responsibility.
Seeing that no one had a sullen face and refused to answer, Sang Zhixia smiled and said, "Grandfather, do you think what Xu Yu said is true?"
Don’t you want to respond?
Then bring in someone who is important. We must take this opportunity to explain this matter thoroughly today!
The old man looked at her deeply but said nothing.
Sang Zhixia didn't feel discouraged and said slowly, "Xu Yu only earns six copper coins a day. How can he support so many people?"
"But if my second and third uncles also started working, it would be eighteen cents a day, barely enough to support the family."
To show she had no selfish motives, she added seriously, "The third family provides one worker to earn money, and the rest of the family divides up the chores around the house. Isn't that fair and just?"
We eat together and work together.
This kind of philosophy makes sense at any time.
The old lady opened her mouth repeatedly but could not utter a word of rebuttal. She looked at the old man with a dark face: "Old man, this..."
"That's how it should be."
The old man quickly closed his eyes and said hoarsely, "Second and third sons, you will go with him tomorrow. From today on, every family will contribute to the work inside and outside the house."
The eldest branch should set an example in everything, and the second and third branches should not sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor too much.
Otherwise, this broken family will fall apart sooner or later.
Sang Zhixia took advantage of the old man's stubbornness in refusing to divide the family property and struck home with one blow. Once his goal was achieved, he wisely stopped talking.
Uncle Xu, who was suddenly assigned a task, looked extremely ugly.
"Dad, Xu Yu is willing to do rough labor with others. How can I do such a thing?"
"I'm used to being rough and can't find an easier job for now, so you might as well give it a try, Uncle."
Xu Yu smiled and said, "If you can find some elegant work that doesn't require much physical effort to make money, I can do the rough work myself."
"you……"
“I’ll go!”
Uncle Xu, who had always been in poor health, said with a sullen face, "Isn't it just about making money? It's not bad if everyone gets a share!"
"Xu Yu, I'll go with you!"
Xu Yu nodded obediently, and Uncle Xu San turned around and went back to the back room.
It was a rare meal without porridge, but the atmosphere was a little heavy by the end.
Sang Zhixia stopped Xu Wenxiu from washing the dishes on the grounds that she had cooked the meal, and threw the remaining work to her third aunt, indicating that she should take the child back to the house by herself.
Xu Yu had just handed the pitiful six copper coins in his pocket to the old lady, prepared the medicine for Sang Zhixia and returned to the west shed, when he saw her gesturing with her coat.
His tongue felt dry and he said in a hoarse voice, "Why..."
"You've arrived just in time."
Sang Zhixia waved and threw an old piece of clothing she wasn't going to wear at him. After confirming its location, she said, "I can't find any scissors. Can you help me tear this into palm-sized pieces of cloth?"
Xu Yu couldn't understand what she was going to do, but her hands moved very quickly.
After he had torn the old clothes, Sang Zhixia also picked up the needle and thread.
She folded the torn pieces of cloth into several layers and sewed them into the inside of the black coat stitch by stitch, right at the shoulder.
"You don't have many clothes, and every piece is worn out. You still have to spend money to buy thicker and more durable clothes."
"It's just a small stitch, so the size might be a little off. Would you like to try it later?"
Xu Yu didn't expect her to notice such a detail. He was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and said, "Okay."
Sang Zhixia pretended not to notice his discomfort, bit off the thread in her hand, and said straight to the point, "From what I hear, the job you found with Brother Wu is only short-term, and you won't be able to do it for long."
Xu Yu stroked the mended clothes and said absentmindedly, "It will probably take about a month. Winter comes early here, and we can't fire the kiln when it gets cold."
Kiln firing?
There is no need to burn coal in black coal kilns.
The soil in the Northwest is special, and the blue bricks produced therein are famous.
In addition, Xu Yu's clothes were only torn at the shoulders, so he was probably from a brick kiln.
The prince really went to work as a bricklayer to make quick money.
Sang Zhixia came to a conclusion in her mind and said calmly, "Waiting for a month isn't a long-term solution. I want to discuss something with you."
"After you've been busy for a while, how about we try to find a way to make money?"
Xu Yu asked in surprise, "Another way?"
"Do you have any ideas?"
Sang Zhixia smiled mysteriously: "Of course."
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