Ye Caiping nodded. Everyone has their own choices and path.
"Oh, it's getting late. I need to go to my second son's house to make spicy soup." Madam Du glanced at the sky. "I'll leave the lunch for the helpers to you, Mother."
"Go ahead, go ahead! I have Xiaoyan and Xiuxiu here."
Ye Caiping, arm in arm with Du Shi, said, "I'll go to my second brother's house with my sister-in-law."
The two women walked out together, and Du said, "Do you know what your elder brother meant by 'the great traitor'?"
Ye Caiping laughed and said, "That means 'sucker,' I don't know when he learned it from me."
"Oh, a real victim... that's quite novel. Seems even more wronged than a sucker."
"Hahaha!"
The two arrived at Ye Erquan's house.
Mrs. Wei was already boiling water, and Yinhua was helping her.
While washing her hands, Madam Du said, "I had to take Xuan'er to class, so I checked on Jin Hua and was delayed by the matchmaker. That's why I'm a little late."
"A matchmaker?" Madam Wei was taken aback.
"Yeah, they actually want to marry a scholar to their little sister, it's hilarious. What's their purpose? Do they think no one can't see through it?"
Mr. Wei laughed when he heard this.
Ye Caiping said, "Second sister-in-law, I plan to send Jin'er and her two maids to Master Shen's house for half a day of classes the day after tomorrow. Yinhua is too young, so she can come along too."
"Master Shen? Is that the one Xuan'er became his disciple?"
"Yes. He has a daughter, about the same age as Jin'er and the others, and there are several tutors in the family. Master Shen said that he could teach Jin'er and the others together, so that Miss Shen would have more playmates."
But Lady Wei frowned. Girls don't take the imperial examinations, so why do they need to learn so much?
To be honest, Yinhua has been learning embroidery from Yang Xiaoyan less lately because she has too many family matters to attend to.
There are so many chores to do – feeding the chickens and pigs, cutting pig feed, and gathering firewood – how can I possibly have time to attend any classes?
After thinking for a moment, Ms. Wei asked, "Is Jinhua going too?"
Du said, "She's doing fine at the cloth shop; she doesn't want to go."
Mrs. Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "Yinhua is practicing embroidery now. I think she should learn it well."
Ye Caiping frowned slightly: "You can also learn embroidery from Miss Chen, Yinhua, what do you think?"
Yinhua was tending the fire, looking somewhat lost. Thinking of her chickens and piglets at home, she quickly shook her head: "I want to stay home."
Ye Caiping sighed softly. Jin Hua and Xiao Yan were getting a bit older, but Yin Hua was the youngest in the family, only twelve years old, and had plenty of time to learn.
Seeing Yinhua's bewildered and confused look, I knew she couldn't make a decision.
After thinking for a moment, he stood up and said, "Let my second brother make the decision. I'll go find him."
"Sigh..." Madam Wei wanted to say something, but Ye Caiping had already turned and left.
Ye Caiping guessed that Ye Erquan was busy in the vegetable garden next to the house, so she went over.
Ye Er's family has a small vegetable garden of about one-tenth of an acre. The seedlings are thriving, and there is a mountain stream nearby, making watering very convenient.
"Second Brother." Ye Caiping walked over.
Ye Erquan put down his hoe and laughed, "Oh, little sister's here."
"Second brother, I'm sending Jin'er and the others to Master Shen's house to learn things the day after tomorrow. Yinhua should go too."
Ye Erquan was pleasantly surprised: "Such an opportunity? What are we learning?"
"She'll learn things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; she'll also learn to write, read, and how to interact with others; she'll even learn embroidery. And there's accounting too, everything. Anyway, no matter what she does in the future, it's never a loss to learn these skills."
Ye Erquan's eyes lit up as he listened: "Hehe, you're right."
"Alright, tomorrow morning, I'll take Jin'er, Huan'er, and Yinhua to town to buy some decent clothes."
"Thank you for your help, little sister."
Ye Erquan was at a loss for words to express his gratitude.
After Ye Caiping finished speaking, she went home.
...
After the hot and sour soup was ready, Du went home, while Ye Erquan and Wei delivered it together.
"What? You promised your little sister that Yinhua would learn something?" Madam Wei frowned.
"Why not take the opportunity if you have it?"
“There are already few people in the family. Peng’er is at school, and now Yinhua is gone too. Who will do the housework? I can’t manage it all by myself. We rely on Xiuxiu and Yinhua to bring back firewood every day to make the spicy soup. Now that Yinhua is gone, will Xiuxiu still be willing to do it?”
Ye Erquan said irritably, "Then hire someone to chop firewood! When my little sister used to make soup, she paid Ye Xing and Ye Wang to chop firewood for her. It only cost 2 coins per bundle, and she used three or four bundles a day, which was less than 10 coins."
Ms. Wei frowned.
Ye Erquan continued, "My little sister is doing all this for Yinhua's good. What did I say last night? No matter what, it's always right to listen to my little sister and our parents."
Although Mrs. Wei was reluctant, she nodded, thinking that it was Ye Caiping who insisted, "Alright, then let Yinhua go."
When the couple returned after delivering the goods, they saw Yinhua feeding the chicks.
"Yinhua." Madam Wei beckoned her over. "Tomorrow, go to town with your aunt to buy a couple of sets of clothes. The day after tomorrow, go to Master Shen's house to learn something."
Yinhua's eyes lit up: "I...can I go?"
"Alright, your father wants you to go. But you have to be careful. I heard that Master Shen is a formidable man, and his daughter is a young lady. Don't offend them. Be careful when you walk, or we can't afford to pay for their valuables."
Yinhua's heart tightened, and she nodded: "Yes. But what about gathering firewood and taking care of the chicks at home..."
"Let Ye Xing and Ye Wang go gather firewood. Don't worry about the chicks, Mom will feed them well."
Yinhua then grinned.
...
Ye Caiping's house is bustling with activity right now.
The helper at Ye Daquan's house had finished work and was having lunch there.
After they started earning money, Ye Daquan and his wife became very generous. Although they couldn't afford to eat pork belly and lean meat every meal, they still enjoyed eating offal.
Today I'll stir-fry pork liver, tomorrow I'll stir-fry pork heart and pork kidneys.
This was all Hu Xiuxiu's doing.
She didn't know how to do it at first, but Ye Caiping taught her how to marinate and how to use plenty of oil. She learned it once and remembered it, and her stir-fries were incredibly fragrant.
When Ye Xuan arrived home, he saw Granny Zhao sitting in the corner, mooching a meal.
His lips twitched. Oh well, let him rub it in. At least that mouth of his had helped his aunt vent her anger a few times.
Ye Caiping was talking with Jin'er and her sister in the study.
"We're going to class the day after tomorrow? Who's going to do all the work, like buying and selling goods?" Ye Jin'er asked.
"Don't worry, I already have someone in mind."
She had long ago decided to find female tutors for her two maids, so she was naturally prepared. The reason she had them work in the workshop was simply to train them.
Let's go eat first!
Ye Caiping took her two daughters to the yard to get food.
They ate whatever the helpers ate, too lazy to cook anything else.
After Ye Caiping got her food, she saw a group of helpers chatting and laughing together, except for a boy of about eighteen or nineteen years old in the corner who looked rather sullen.
Noticing Ye Caiping looking at him, the man smiled and then lowered his head to continue eating.
This is Zhao Fan, the son of Dr. Zhao.
Zhao Langzhong had a decent relationship with the Ye family. Later, when the Ye family encountered difficulties, he even lent them money.
However, Ye Caiping's workshop failed to select Zhao Fan twice in a row.
Because of this, the Zhao family was very upset.
But Ye Daquan had helped build Zhao Langzhong's house before, so even though he was upset, he still came to repay the favor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
