Zhao Xiangxiu glared at her two sons, "Why would I lie to you? Sit down properly, you're all grown up, why are you still so jumpy!"
"It's not that we're overreacting, we just can't believe it..."
"Yes, we never earned this much money when Dad was alive."
The two brothers looked at each other, feeling dizzy.
Zhao Xiangxiu felt sad for a moment when she thought of Liu Dazhuang, and then said, "Let's not talk about the past. What's important now is to help your Aunt Cheng Yue do her job well. We can't let down the wages we've been paid."
From now on, you two brothers should take care of things at home. Your mother and your younger sister will focus on managing the chickens and ducks. With wages, our lives will be better, and we won't even have to worry about your marriages.
Also, don't tell anyone about this, especially not your grandparents.
"We know, Mother. You just focus on your work and don't worry about the housework."
They know their grandparents' character better than anyone else; they only talk to them about these things when they have nothing better to do.
The children were sensible and could distinguish right from wrong, so Zhao Xiangxiu was relieved. She then added a final instruction:
"You must remember the kindness of Aunt Cheng Yue's family. No matter what happens, you must stand by their side. You must also take good care of your younger brother and sister, understand?"
"Mother, we remember everything!"
The three children solemnly promised that they knew in their hearts who was good to them, and they would naturally repay those who were good to them, while they would not care about those who were not good to them.
When the family divided the property, the grandparents didn't care about them at all. If it weren't for the village head's firm attitude, they probably wouldn't have even gotten two acres of land.
The mother raised her three children alone, often going hungry, and they all felt that this was how their lives would be.
They never expected that Aunt Cheng Yue would be willing to lend them a hand, giving them hope again. How could they be so heartless?
What they hate most are people without a conscience!
Zhao Xiangxiu was very pleased and said to Liu Zhuzi, "Zhuzi, go to your maternal grandmother's village again tomorrow and bring back a few puppies. Your Aunt Cheng Yue wants them."
"Okay! I'll go first thing in the morning!"
Liu Zhuzi readily agreed, and he was happier than anyone else to have found a home for the puppies.
The next day, Zhao Xiangxiu and Cuicui went up the mountain just as dawn was breaking.
Cheng Yue had also gotten up early and was moving wheat bran with Chen Lin. They were going to the county town soon and needed to prepare food for the chickens and ducks.
Since the whole family was going out and no one was home, Zhao Xiangxiu and the others certainly wouldn't go into the kitchen, so they could only move the wheat bran to the yard.
I just moved out and saw Zhao Xiangxiu and her daughter coming up. They're so early, they're really eager to come.
"Sister Xiangxiu, it's just in time for you to come up. Here's some wheat bran, I'll leave it by the gate. There are vegetable leaves in the garden, you can pick them directly and use them to feed the chickens and ducks in the yard."
Zhao Xiangxiu readily agreed, "Okay, don't worry, just lock the house! We'll watch the house for you."
"These perfectly good vegetable leaves are such a waste to feed to chickens and ducks! There are plenty of wild vegetables on the mountain; you can just dig them up easily, and they're much better than these vegetable leaves!"
At that time, there were not many vegetables in the garden, and not enough people to eat, so how could they feed them all to chickens and ducks?
Besides, even with so many chickens and ducks, it wouldn't be enough to eat, unlike wild vegetables, which are everywhere.
Cheng Yue had plenty of vegetables in her space, but she couldn't tell Zhao Xiangxiu, so she just let her be. Wild vegetables are edible for people, and chickens and ducks don't lack nutrition from them either.
They then handed over two pens, and Zhao Xiangxiu and the other woman took the pens and ran off to dye the chickens and ducks.
Before long, the Chen sisters, Chen Tong and Chen Ning, had prepared breakfast. They made two scallion pancakes, cooked a pot of white rice porridge, and served it with pickled vegetables that Cheng Yue had made. They ate it with great relish.
After the meal, the family said goodbye to Zhao Xiangxiu and the others and went to the county town.
Business today was no different from the previous two days, still very booming. However, after these two days, the family members are more familiar with weighing and calculating, and their speed has increased considerably.
"It's so hot!"
All the braised food was sold out. The Chen sisters, Chen Tong and Chen Ning, sat on small stools and fanned themselves with their hands. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and they had been busy all morning, working up a sweat.
If their mother hadn't said they shouldn't wash their faces with cold water after sweating, they would have loved to plunge into the basin.
Chen Lin and Chen An's foreheads were covered in fine beads of sweat.
Cheng Yue wiped her face; she was so hot too! She missed the days when there was air conditioning, or even just a fan!
"We'll go to town later and buy some fabric to make some summer clothes."
We're still wearing the clothes we made at the beginning. They're thick enough for spring and autumn, but it's already May, summer is here, no wonder it's hot to wear them.
I was so busy that I forgot about it, and the village has lots of trees and water, so the wind is always chilly. I didn't even think about making new clothes.
Now that the temperature has suddenly risen, and the whole family is crammed into a window to do their work, they feel even hotter.
This reminded Chen An, "A-Yue, the wheat harvest will be in about half a month at most. We need to keep someone at home. What will we do with the shop then?"
They definitely can't harvest the wheat. No matter who comes to help, they have to provide food. Even if they can't provide food, their homes can't be left unattended.
"I'm looking to hire a helper, but I don't know who to ask."
"Leaving aside the wheat harvest, our family can't stay at the shop every day; otherwise, we won't be able to get anything else done."
There are no age restrictions for manual labor; as long as you are clean, healthy, and can read and write, you're good to go.
However, there were very few literate people in the entire Houshui Village, and this one requirement alone blocked many people from accessing the village.
She doesn't trust anyone else whose background she doesn't know, and buying people is out of the question for now, because she doesn't have the means yet.
Chen An paused for a moment and said, "Among my peers in the village, I don't remember anyone who has never been to school, and I don't know much about the others. Why don't we go back and ask the village head?"
Apart from Chen Ping, he had never heard of anyone who was literate. Later, he often went out to work, and he had no idea whether any of his younger relatives were literate.
The three Chen siblings were also unaware that before the family split up, they were always busy with chores and rarely had time to go out and play. The only people they were familiar with were Liu Shuanzi, Liu Zhuzi, and Liu Cuicui.
Cheng Yue nodded and said, "Okay!"
Actually, it's okay if we can't find one right away. Once the business stabilizes after the first few days of opening, the two of us will be able to manage.
In the afternoon, the family went to Wu's place in town to get the pig's head, trotters, and offal, and then bought some clothes before returning home.
They originally intended to buy fabric, but since making clothes would take time and they needed to wear them soon, they bought ready-made garments instead.
However, ready-made clothes are much more expensive than cloth. A family of five needs at least two changes of clothes, and ten sets of fine cotton clothes cost her nearly three taels of silver.
It is indeed expensive, almost like a luxury item, but when she thought about it, three or four taels of silver could last for a season, or even for several years, and Cheng Yue felt less upset.
Considering her current income, it's only half a day's wages, which is a great deal!
Washing your head regularly really makes you feel much clearer!
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