"But... Third sister-in-law, we don't have any skills, how can we do business?"
Hearing her say that, Ms. Yu was instantly motivated, but then she felt a little discouraged when she thought about how she had no special skills.
“Sister-in-law, you cook so well, how can you say you’re not capable? Have you ever thought about setting up a roadside stall to sell snacks? Or, you could work as a cook in a fancy restaurant, those are all good options.”
He Jiuniang spoke without hesitation. Yu Shi was indeed very good at cooking. Even though they were on the road fleeing famine and there were no good seasonings, she was still able to make a unique flavor. In particular, her control of the heat was extremely precise.
Mrs. Yu's eyes widened: "I only know how to cook some simple country dishes, how can I go to a fancy restaurant? Besides, how can a woman like me go out and show her face in public?"
“Sister-in-law, you can’t say things like that!” He Jiu Niang’s eyes widened immediately. “What’s wrong with being a woman? Women can hold up half the sky! We don’t steal or rob, and we earn money with our own abilities, which is something to be proud of. Don’t belittle yourself! If you don’t know how to cook elaborate dishes, you can learn. Start as an apprentice. Take it slow. When we get to Anzhou, I’ll help you find out more!”
"this……"
While Yu was still hesitant, He Jiuniang went straight to Qin and asked, "Second sister-in-law, what do you want to do?"
"Me? I usually go up the mountain to collect firewood and wild vegetables, and feed the chickens and ducks at home..."
Qin smiled somewhat embarrassedly. She wasn't as good a cook as her sister-in-law, and she didn't have any special skills. In particular, she wasn't very good at talking, so she was definitely not capable of doing anything great.
“That’s great!” He Jiu Niang’s eyes lit up. “Second sister-in-law, you can do whatever you’re good at. Raising chickens and ducks well is a skill! Those big restaurants need a lot of chickens and ducks every day. If we can get in touch with them, it would be a good business opportunity.”
Is it still possible to do this?
Qin was a little confused; it sounded pretty good!
"Of course! A capable person can survive anywhere!"
He Jiuniang was very confident; she had already figured out how to arrange things for her family members once they arrived in Anzhou.
She turned to Boss Lu and asked, "Brother, you..."
"Alright, alright!" Mrs. Sun suddenly interrupted her. "If everyone in the family goes out, who will do the housework? Besides, these are all unfounded rumors. Don't talk so much and make people worry! It's annoying!"
Sun glared at her with dissatisfaction. She was talking about this without even knowing what the situation was like in Anzhou. It was too early. If things didn't go well, she would have made her family wait for so long. If things didn't go well, the eldest and second wives would inevitably have complaints. How could the family live in harmony then?
He Jiuniang smiled and remained silent. "Alright, it's indeed a bit unrealistic to talk about these things now. Let's make plans when we get to Anzhou."
Anyway, there's plenty of time in the future.
Just then, Youya next to her suddenly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Third Aunt, I want to go to school too. Can I go to school?"
"sure!"
He Jiuniang's eyes lit up again. In this era, there weren't many girls who actively wanted to study.
After thinking for a moment, she added, "However, it seems that girls can't go to school, and we can't hire a female tutor for you right now. But we can let Leizi and the others go to school and then come back to teach you. Once we've saved up some money, we'll hire a female tutor to raise you at home. Our girls are just like the boys; they're all our parents' precious darlings. We don't subscribe to the idea of favoring boys over girls. Right, Mother?"
This was something that made He Jiuniang quite gratified. Although Sun Shi was sometimes quite eloquent, she treated all the children in the family equally and did not discriminate against girls.
Sun rolled her eyes: "You've said all the nice things!"
It's a good thing for all the children in the family to learn to read, and Mrs. Sun had no objection. Before, the family was too poor and never had this idea. Now that they have money, it's a good thing that the children can go to school and learn to read and write.
He Jiuniang smiled and said to Youya, "See? Your grandma has already agreed."
Ting, the second daughter of the eldest son's family, asked in a low voice, "Can I do it too?"
He Jiuniang nodded: "Youyou has already learned it, there's no reason not to let you learn it, don't worry."
Then the little girl added, "But I'd rather learn embroidery..."
Mrs. Yu chuckled and pulled her daughter aside, saying, "No one in the family knows that kind of delicate work, so no one will teach you."
They all know some needlework, such as making clothes, mending clothes, and sewing shoe soles, but they can't do delicate work like embroidery, which is not something that these rural women can learn just by wanting to.
He Jiuniang didn't take it seriously: "That's easy. When you go to Anzhou, just find an embroidery workshop in the city to learn. It's good to have a hobby. After you've learned it, you can support yourself wherever you go."
Madam Yu didn't say anything. She was very tempted, after all, her daughter was capable, and she would also benefit from it.
However, going to the embroidery workshop would definitely require tuition fees. Since the family hasn't separated yet, the children's education should be paid for by the public funds, and it's unclear whether the elderly couple would be willing to accept it.
Thinking of this, Madam Yu secretly glanced at Madam Sun.
For the first time ever, Madam Sun didn't say anything to He Jiu Niang, thinking that what He Jiu Niang said made sense. Regardless of gender, having a skill is never a bad thing.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Once we settle down in Anzhou, we'll go and take a look around the city."
Tingya smiled immediately. She thought it was a very distant dream, but she didn't expect her grandmother to agree so easily. Her third aunt is really amazing!
Then, the way she looked at He Jiuniang was exactly the same as You Yatou's, full of little hearts that were twinkling.
This incident made the children laugh even louder, attracting the attention of other families who thought the Lu family had a great attitude, still able to laugh even while fleeing famine.
As they were walking, they saw a carriage parked not far away. He Jiu Niang thought it looked familiar. She went closer and saw that it was the same carriage that had rescued them on the mountain a few days ago. But why had it stopped halfway here?
He Jiuniang was about to step forward and ask some questions, after all, the carriage looked luxurious, and she would never let go of any opportunity to make connections.
To everyone's surprise, the other party came over on their own initiative. It was the little maid with her hair in two buns who came over, and she was carrying a bamboo tube filled with water.
"Young lady, what a coincidence, we meet again."
He Jiuniang walked up to her as if they were old friends. Ling Yue disliked her overly familiar manner, but since the lady was unwell, she still had to interact with this family, so she suppressed her displeasure.
"I'd like to buy some water from you," Ling Yue said, then, remembering that water was now more precious than gold, she added, "Just a bamboo tube, any amount of silver will do."
They've run out of water and have sent people to Ganzhou City to buy more, but they haven't brought them back yet.
When Old Man Lu saw that the person who came was his savior, he realized that without this young girl's help, they wouldn't be where they are today. He immediately said, "Young lady, you're too kind. You saved our family's lives, and we are grateful enough. How could we accept your money?"
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