Chapter 126 Roll up your sleeves and work hard [VIP]
By mid-December, all the cotton in the field had been picked, leaving only unopened bolls in the field.
Ever since my uncle took my cousin and aunt to Jiangnan, with the help of my family, velvet flowers and furs have become increasingly popular in the local area, and they are in short supply in winter.
In order to deliver the goods to Jiangnan as quickly as possible, Chen Yao asked Chang Wei to help introduce a caravan that specializes in delivering goods to Jiangnan.
The person Chang Wei introduced was not someone else, but Yue A Shui from his team.
Ever since Yue A Shui returned from Jiangnan, he planned to lead a caravan on his own to help people transport goods.
According to Chang Wei's introduction, when Yue A Shui learned that he was going to deliver goods to Brother Xiao Tian in Jiangnan, no, to Miss Tian, he agreed without thinking.
Running back and forth like this, he became a frequent visitor to the Shen family.
Furthermore, a month ago, Tian Baozhu not only asked Yue Ashui to send back two carts of Champa rice seeds and a sum of money to her home, but also mentioned in the letter that they were going to open a shop called "Fugui Ronghua" in Jiangnan, specializing in selling velvet flowers, and had already started to select a location with the help of a noble person.
My cousin, uncle, and father and son joined forces to start the fur business.
They, father and son, rented a storefront in Jiangnan early on, not only to sell their own furs, but also to collect the good furs.
My cousin was even more daring and bold. He opened a Huangji Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Jiangnan, hired two employees, and became the hands-off manager.
The letter contained mixed feelings. When business is good, it is easy to arouse envy.
During the time when Tian Baozhu and her family were setting up a stall, they were also oppressed by local powerful people and were framed by them and thrown into jail.
Fortunately, Yang Jizong sent a letter in advance, which they could open when they encountered unsolvable difficulties. This allowed Baozhu to escape safely.
The person who rescued Baozhu was Yang Jizong's former colleague.
With his secret protection, no one dared to cause trouble for them anymore.
Shen Family School.
"Teacher Shen, I've finished reciting." Luo Dunzi stood in front of Shen Yao with his hands behind his back, looking up at her.
When Shen Yao heard his voice, she came back to her senses, flipped through the books, and checked on the next student.
The work in the fields was almost done in winter, and she was the most free at home, so Chen Yao came to the school and took turns teaching the children with the newly hired teacher.
Nowadays, their village not only has a dedicated teacher, but also a dedicated doctor.
This doctor was also invited by Chen Yao personally from Qingfeng Town. It was not someone else but Doctor Zeng and his son.
When trying to persuade Dr. Zeng to move to their village, Chen Yao explained in detail the many benefits, which convinced Dr. Zeng and his son.
As the heads of the two villages, Tian Baolai and Shen Yao not only provided free accommodation for Dr. Zeng and his son, but also provided Zeng Xiaobao with tuition and three meals a day.
Doctor Zeng felt a little relieved when he saw that his only son was able to find friends of the same age in the village, had three meals a day, and could go to school. He was also able to treat the villagers himself.
The longer he lived there, the more he realized that living in the village had more than just these benefits. He could also go up the mountain to dig herbs and plant them, which was something he had never done when living in the city.
At noon, the school serves lunch.
The students lined up with their bowls in hand to get their meals. Luo Dunzi, wearing a cotton jacket and cotton pants, could hardly move his calves. He walked towards Chen Yao with two hot eggs in his arms, wanting to share one with her.
"Teacher Shen, Teacher Yang and Brother Xiaofu, when will they come back?" Luo Dunzi asked, pulling off the hat on his head.
Chen Yao took the egg, cracked it, peeled the shell, and shared half with him. She looked at the white smoke rising from his head and smiled softly, "I don't know either, but they will definitely come back for the New Year."
Luo Dunzi sighed like a grown-up, shook his head, and said, "This job is really tiring. I haven't seen them for a long time. I miss them so much."
Hearing this, Chen Yao raised her hand and rubbed the knot of hair on his head, "Hurry up and eat, the food is getting cold."
After the children finished their meal, they cleared away their dishes and ran outside to play in the snow.
The new teacher was teaching in the afternoon, so Chen Yao returned home and planned to take a short nap.
The mountains were covered with white snow. The villagers took advantage of the fact that the wind and snow gradually subsided and expanded the trench at the foot of the mountain to make it longer, wider and deeper, and installed wooden spikes at the bottom.
In this way, there is no need to worry about wild beasts coming down the mountain and destroying food this winter.
Children from both villages were repeatedly warned not to play nearby.
In the evening, when Shen Qingshan was driving a ox cart from Wanhe Township to carry his fellow villagers back to the village, the cart unfortunately overturned on the road.
Although the fall was not serious, Shen Qingshan still felt bad and asked the villagers to go see Doctor Zeng. If they felt unwell, they would not have to go to reel silk tomorrow and could stay at home to rest and get paid.
Luo Dunzi and Zhang Chunya's mother brushed off the snow on their bodies and said to Shen Qingshan, "It's almost New Year, and it's a busy time. We have to hurry and make the last batch of goods and send them to Baihe Town. It's just a fall, and the skin is not even broken, so why are they so delicate?"
"That's right, Ayao's father, see you tomorrow."
The silk-reeling women returned home arm in arm, talking and laughing.
Shen Qingshan tied the ox cart to the shed and carefully checked the ox. After making sure that the ox was not seriously injured, he saw that there were no outsiders around, so he limped into the house on his knees.
"Dad, are you hurt?" Chen Yao was making dinner for his family in the kitchen. When he heard the noise, he came out to take a look and saw his father sneaking into the house.
Shen Qingshan grinned and said, "The mountain road is too slippery. Dad accidentally made everyone fall. Ayao, do we have any medicinal wine at home?"
"Yes, I know where my mother put it. I went to the door and helped her father into the house to sit down, then turned around and took out the medicinal wine.
On the side, the trouser legs were rolled up, revealing the knees, which were covered in bruises.
"Dad, why don't you let Doctor Zeng come and give me a sympathetic look? Dad has an old leg injury, and it hurts unbearably whenever it rains or snows. But this knee pad is torn, which shows that he fell very badly.
Shen Qingshan took the medicinal wine and poured it into his palm to warm it up before rubbing it on the bruise. "It's okay, you're not cooking. Go to the kitchen and take a look. Don't mess it up."
Chen Yao was driven out of the door. She turned down the fire on the kitchen stove and went to find Doctor Zeng wearing a hat and scarf.
"Head, why are you here? Are you not feeling well?" Doctor Zeng was having dinner with his son. The room was very warm because of the charcoal brazier lit in the room.
As soon as Shen Yao told Dr. Zeng about her father's illness, Dr. Zeng agreed on a time with Shen Yao and went to see Shen Qingshan after dinner.
Before leaving, Chen Yao bought several more bottles of frostbite cream from him, planning to take them to the folks in Wanhe Township tomorrow.
Zeng Xiaobao drank the noodle soup, raised his spoon and looked at his father who came in from outside. He said in a baby voice, "Daddy, go and see the patients. I'll go play with Brother Chunwang after dinner."
"Xiaobao, you're so good. Finish your noodle soup. I'll make you a bowl of sugar-water eggs when Dad comes back."
When Zeng Xiaobao heard that there were sugar-coated eggs, he finished the noodles in the bowl without saying a word.
Guessing that the Shen family had finished dinner, he went over with his medicine box.
Chen Yao was practicing calligraphy in her study at home. When she heard a knock on the door, she went to open it and welcomed the person in.
When Huang Xing saw Dr. Zeng coming to her house, she thought her daughter was unwell, but she didn't expect that her husband was injured.
While eating, the husband pretended to be fine. If Dr. Zeng hadn't come to visit, he would probably have kept it a secret.
Watching Dr. Zeng fumigating her husband with moxa, Huang Xing immediately went to the kitchen to make ginger and jujube tea for everyone to drink.
"Your father's legs cannot withstand the cold. Keep warm and rest. It's best not to fall again, otherwise it will easily cause bone fractures in the future." After Doctor Zeng finished treating him, he stood outside the door and spoke to Chen Yao in a low voice before leaving.
Chen Yao kept his instructions in mind. After returning to the house, she told her parents that she would take everyone to Wanhe Township on behalf of her father the next day.
"That won't do. Dad's injury isn't a big deal. We can't delay everyone from making the last batch of silk." To show that he was really fine, Shen Qingshan stood up and paced back and forth in the room, gritting his teeth, despite everyone's attempts to stop him.
Huang Xing hurried forward and forced him to sit down. "Don't be so stubborn. Let A Yao go. She's much better at driving an ox cart than you are. Just stay home and rest."
"But."
"Don't say but, I have the final say in this family." Huang Xing asked her daughter to go back to her room to sleep, and then reminded her, "Ayao, you will be driving the ox cart tomorrow, so dress warmly. Didn't mother make you a rabbit cloak? Wear it tomorrow, okay?"
"Mom, please don't blame Dad. Doctor Zeng said that Dad's legs can't stand the cold anymore, and he can't fall again."
Huang Xing patted her daughter to show that she understood.
When Chen Yao returned to the house, she saw Yang Wenying standing up with the hot water bottle in her arms, "Is uncle's injury serious?"
Chen Yao sighed.
Yang Wenying understood and came closer to Chen Yao: "Why don't we invite a skilled doctor from the capital to come home and see uncle."
Chen Yao looked up at Yang Wenying: "Do you have any acquaintances who can introduce you?"
"Yes, but it's almost Chinese New Year now, so I don't think he'll be back."
Chen Yao thought about it and realized that the two places were far apart, and it would take a lot of time to travel back and forth.
"Ayao, don't worry. After the New Year, I will definitely write a letter to the doctor in Beijing. If it really doesn't work, we can take my uncle to Beijing for treatment."
"Thank you, Wenying."
"Let's not talk about this. I'll go to the silkworm room with you tomorrow. Go to bed early." After seeing that Chen Yao was in a better mood, Yang Wenying waved to her and left back to her room.
The next day, after the two had breakfast at home, Chen Yao and Yang Wenying drove a ox cart to take the workers to Wanhe Township.
Huang Xing prepared hot water bottles for the two children and carefully checked their clothes. After making sure that there was no problem, she let them set off.
Tian Baolai originally wanted to send his fellow villagers there personally, but he had to continue threshing wheat with them, so he could only watch his cousin drive away in the ox cart.
There were several snowfalls in a row. Although the snow was not heavy, the roads were already frozen.
The snow on the country roads was cleared by the villagers, and even the stone bridges were covered with grass mats to prevent slipping.
After the ox cart left Shanghe Village, snowflakes began to fall from the sky again, hitting my face, cold and icy.
Chen Yao exhaled a breath of cold air and looked at Yang Wenying who was covered tightly beside her, "Are you cold?"
Yang Wenying shook her head, but did not forget to reach out to tidy up Chen Yao's rabbit cloak and stuff the hot water bottle in her arms into her cloak so that Chen Yao could be warmer.
Chen Yao felt the warmth, smiled at her, raised the reins in her hand, and made the ox cart go faster.
The road was bumpy and made everyone dizzy. The family's ox cart got stuck in the muddy snow and the ox refused to move no matter what. Fortunately, Chen Yao brought a bag of dried soybeans. After feeding the ox, she pushed the cart with the aunts and they were able to continue on their journey.
"Ayao, it would be great if Lord Li could continue to repair the road. This way, our carriages would not only be faster but also safer."
"Next year, with your brother taking the lead and our family contributing funds, we should at least repair this mountain road we often travel on."
"That's great."
After everyone arrived in Wanhe Township, the elders in the village immediately brought everyone hot sugar water to warm them up.
When Grandma Wang learned that Shen Qingshan had injured his leg while driving the cart yesterday, she quickly returned to the kitchen to get a pair of pig's trotters and handed them to Shen Yao: "Eat what you need to replenish your body. Go back and tell your father that we will finish the last batch of goods on time, and you two children don't need to come here anymore."
The women drank the sugar water and felt warm. They said to Chen Yao, "Ayao, we will stay in Wanhe Township for the next few days and return to the village after we are done with our work. Please bring a message home for us when you go back today."
"That's right, it's too much trouble for you two kids to drive the car back and forth, and the road is really dangerous. We will come back after we finish this batch of goods."
"Okay, then I'll listen to you aunts. I'll come to pick you up and take you back to the village on New Year's Eve." Chen Yao put down the bowl in her hand.
"Ayao, you don't have to come to pick us up. We will come back together after we are done." After drinking the sweet soup and talking, the villagers went to work.
Maizi looked at the rabbit cloak Chen Yao was wearing with envy in her eyes, "Sister Yao, can I touch it?"
Chen Yao saw that Maizi and Goudan were both wearing cotton coats and trousers, but they were still wearing linen gloves. She untied the rabbit cloak and put it on Maizi and asked, "Why don't you wear rabbit fur gloves? Don't worry about damaging them. Keeping warm is the most important thing. That's what we do."
Maizi smiled and replied, "It's not that I don't want to wear it, it's just that the rabbit fur is too thick and not conducive to reeling silk thread. I usually wear it after work."
Maizi happily touched the rabbit cloak on his body, holding the hem to avoid getting it dirty, and turned back to ask Goudan: "Does it look good?"
Both children had frostbite on their faces, but their complexions were much better than before.
"It looks good." Goudan replied with a smile.
After trying it on, Maizi took it off and returned it to Chen Yao. Chen Yao hung the rabbit cloak aside, put the frostbite cream away with the grandmothers, and went to the kitchen with Wenying to help boil the cocoons.
The kitchen was warm. The grandmothers looked at Chen Yao and Yang Wenying's rosy faces and said, "Ayao, didn't we buy wasteland before? Yesterday, when your uncle Chen was delivering goods to the city, he met the manager of the government office at the restaurant. The manager asked us if we should buy the fields in the village before the New Year. Although it is more expensive than wasteland, it is cultivated land after all."
Chen Yao stirred the cocoons in the pot with a wooden stick and looked at the grandmothers, "This is a good thing. Take advantage of those wealthy families to buy them. If you don't have enough money, I will send them to you tomorrow."
Just as Grandma Wang was about to say that they could pool their money to buy it, Chen Youfu and his brothers came in from outside, lifting the reed curtain.
They looked at the ox cart parked in the shed and thought it was Shen Qingshan, but unexpectedly it was A Yao and Wen Ying.
While they were there, Chen Youfu mentioned the matter: "The land in our village produces a lot of cassava and peanuts. I think it would be better to buy it. In the future, we will only have to pay taxes."
"Uncle Chen, we were just discussing this with Grandma. I also think we should buy this land. Do you have the money handy?"
Chen Youfu did not hide it from Chen Yao. The money they saved was just enough to buy this piece of land. "Ayao, we all understand your intentions. As the saying goes, help in times of emergency, not in poverty. We are much better off now than before."
"That's right, A'yao, you don't have to lend us money. If you really reach the end of your rope, we will ask you for money." Grandma Wang took out the cooked silk cocoons and asked Chen Youfu and the other two to take them out.
After having lunch in Wanhe Township, Chen Yao and Yang Wenying returned to the village carrying two pig's trotters, a basket of cassava and a basket of dried peanuts.
After the beginning of winter, Chen Yao picked all the unopened cotton bolls in the cotton field behind the house.
Every night their family had to do a hard and long task - peeling cotton bolls.
Because the cotton boll loses moisture and becomes dry and hard, although white cotton wool is exposed inside the boll, most of it is still in the hard shell. You have to open the cotton boll with your hands to take out all the cotton inside.
At night, after Shen Qingshan finished drinking the pig's trotter soup, he sat with his family, peeling cotton balls and chatting. He learned from his daughter that the villagers of Wanhe Township wanted to buy the land, and he was happy for them.
Everyone’s hard work this year has finally paid off.
At the same time, Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu rode back home with Li Xin and Liu Chuang.
There was constant wind and snow along the way, but the four people were very determined to return home. They were busy for nearly three months and finally taught the tenant farmers how to grow winter wheat. All that was left was to wait for the harvest next year.
When they reached the fork in the road, Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu dismounted, carried their bags on their backs, and bowed to the two men and said goodbye.
It was already night when the master and apprentice entered the village, but there was still a faint light coming from the windows of a few houses in the village, and the sound of children reciting their lessons could be heard from inside.
Bang bang bang!
Hearing an urgent knock on the door, Tian Baolai stood up holding an oil lamp on the table and went out to check.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Yang Jizong, who looked exhausted, carrying his bag and shouting at him, "Cousin, I'm back."
Tian Baolai protected the oil lamp in his hand, afraid that the cold wind would blow it out, and turned around and shouted into the house: "Ayao, Wenying, Zi'an is back."
He shouted and asked Yang Jizong to come in quickly.
Everyone stopped peeling cotton balls and got up from their mats and ran out.
Yang Jizong was warmly welcomed back into the house by his family.
On the other side, Zhao Xiaofu was also welcomed into his mother's home and asked about her well-being.
"Brother, why have you become darker and thinner, and even grown a long beard? If the clothes you are wearing were not made by my aunt, I would not dare to recognize you." Yang Wenying brought the red date tea to him, with red eyes.
Yang Jizong looked at his family members in front of him, revealing a rare hint of embarrassment: "I have too many things to do, so I don't have time to take care of myself. A Yao, am I really too sloppy?"
Chen Yao shook her head and poked his sunken cheek with her hand: "Not sloppy at all, just a lot thinner."
"As long as the person returns safely, nothing else will be a problem." Huang Xing closed the door and asked, "You won't leave again this time, right?"
Yang Jizong placed the bundle on the table and nodded. "Mom, I won't leave for now. I'll wait until next spring when the winter wheat is harvested in the villages. If it's a good harvest, I'll take up my post directly."
"Okay, okay, just don't leave." Huang Xing was so happy when she heard him calling her mother.
After Yang Jizong finished drinking the red date tea, his body warmed up and he felt a little hungry. He shamelessly asked, "Mom and Dad, is there any food at home?"
Huang Xing and Shen Qingshan saw that he had become much more frank after going out, and the couple smiled at each other.
"There's still some pig's trotter soup left in the pot. I'll use it to make you a bowl of noodles. Please wait in the room for a while." Huang Xing went to the kitchen holding the oil lamp.
Yang Jizong ate up the entire bowl of noodles, not even a drop of soup was left.
After Yang Jizong had eaten and drunk his fill, he couldn't help but burp, and the burp shocked everyone present.
If it wasn't too late, everyone would ask him what he had experienced in promoting winter wheat in various villages these days and how it turned out like this?
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