The extra chapter about Zhao Tieniu's family takes place on the day the bridge opened, around the time Ye Caiping returned to the village from Beijing.
......
"The bridge is open! The bridge is open!"
Amidst the sounds of firecrackers and cheers, the bridge officially opened to traffic.
The villagers of Qinghe Village, He'an Village, and nearby villages such as Wangjia Village and Xiahe Village were all overjoyed.
The people of Lijia Village saw from afar that people from several villages had gathered at the head of the new bridge to share the pork and snacks offered to the gods, and some of them were envious and some were disdainful.
Before the Lunar New Year, Ye Caiping's glass workshop was hiring, and villagers from several nearby villages joined the workshop, but no one from Lijia Village joined.
This made Lijia Village secretly regretful.
But then she thought, given Ye Caiping's hatred for their village, she wouldn't want anyone from their village, regardless of whether she was allowed to build the bridge or not.
If that's the case, why should they do as she wishes? It would only make it easier for her to make money!
"It's just a few pieces of meat, what's the big deal?"
"Let the people of He'an Village laugh now. After a while, when those carriages and horses have damaged the roads in their village, let's see if they'll still be laughing."
"The constant traffic is so noisy."
“Those carriages are blind; they'll hit people.”
"The villagers of He'an Village are a bunch of idiots! Hahaha!"
Lijiacun looked at the bustling bridgehead and burst into laughter.
He was even somewhat smug.
Now that the bridge is being built in He'an Village, He'an Village not only bears all the risks and harms, but also benefits Lijia Village.
After all, the bridge is there now, so people from Lijia Village can use it too!
......
Tie Niu's wife brought home half a pound of roasted pork, her smile so wide it was almost blinding.
"Mother!" At this moment, Zhao Jinshan, with a large cloth bag slung across his body, rushed into the door.
Tie Niu's wife laughed and said, "You're off today? You're back just in time. We'll have roast pork today."
Zhao Jinshan said, "I heard that the village head asked each household to contribute five taels of silver to build an inn."
“Yes.” Tie Niu’s wife carried the meat into the kitchen. “We don’t know what it’s for, but Cai Ping asked us to cover it, so we were all willing to pay.”
Zhao Jinshan followed behind, muttering, "It will definitely make money in the future. The inn was built because more outsiders are coming!"
"Of course." She took a basket of vegetables, left the kitchen, pulled over a small stool, and began to prepare the vegetables.
Zhao Jinshan quickly pulled over a stool and sat down: "Mother... I don't want to study anymore."
Tie Niu's wife was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
Zhao Jinshan twisted his sleeves and said, "I'm seventeen years old this year, and I haven't even passed the preliminary examination."
"Isn't it just seventeen? Your second brother Xuan was also a student and a scholar at the seventeenth school."
Zhao Jinshan said dejectedly, "I'm different from Second Brother Xuan; I have no talent. I've taken the exams for so many years, and I still can't pass the prefectural exam. I've always been afraid to tell you that I don't want to study, and I don't like studying..."
He doesn't like reading.
But his parents always hoped he would take the imperial examinations. In addition, since the tutor Qian didn't charge any fees, he reluctantly went to school.
Tie Niu's wife was stunned: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I was afraid you'd be disappointed..."
Tie Niu's wife sighed softly: "Well... if you don't like it, then don't study. The new factory building for the glass workshop has been built, and they're going to expand recruitment soon. You've studied for so many years, maybe you can become an accountant."
Zhao Jinshan frowned: "I don't want to be the accountant."
"Then go build outhouses with your dad? Your third uncle has stopped building them; he went to work as a surveyor in a glass workshop. Your dad and your second uncle occasionally take on some jobs together. But judging from the situation... your second uncle probably won't be able to build many either. In the end, your dad will be all alone."
Whether it's a three-piece or two-piece set of furniture, they all have shares in the furniture workshop, earning several hundred taels of silver a month. They don't care about the income from building the outhouse at all.
In addition, the outhouse business was dwindling and prices were dropping, so Sanquan switched to another job early on. Erquan persisted mainly because he felt there were too many troubles at home and wanted to use work as an excuse to escape.
Zhao Jinshan said, "Mom, can I set up a stall? Right in front of the glass workshop!"
Tie Niu's wife was stunned: "You can't set up a stall in town, you can set up one in the village?"
“Yes!” Zhao Jinshan said excitedly, “Our village is bustling with people now, with merchants coming and going in droves. I’ve been tempted for a long time, but I was a little hesitant to do it, until Aunt Ping suggested that the village pool resources to open an inn.”
“That proves there must be business! When I was in town, I often saw merchants who were hauling goods eating in town! They didn’t necessarily go to restaurants; many porters ate at small stalls. Why don’t we set up a stall in the village? As long as the food is good, the porters and merchants won’t go to such lengths.”
Tie Niu's wife's eyes lit up as she listened: "You're right. But my cooking skills are terrible!"
Zhao Jinshan patted his chest: "I'll be in charge of cooking!"
"you?"
“Yes! Since Master Qian has waived my tuition fees, I naturally can't slack off. I usually help Master Qian's family with whatever chores I can. I often cook! I've even honed my skills.”
Tie Niu's wife smiled and said, "Well... we can give it a try. Just you alone, is that alright? I still have to go to work!"
Tie Niu's wife works at the spicy soup workshop.
"We'll find out if it works or not by trying. Besides, Dad's been out of work lately, right? Let him help me out for now. If it works out, Mom can quit her job later."
Tie Niu's wife hesitated, then finally nodded: "These workshops all belong to your Aunt Ping. I don't know if she'll allow us to set up stalls. Let's ask her."
After making their decision, the mother and son put down the vegetables they were holding and went to find Ye Caiping.
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