In the past, Chen Yourun used to make new clothes for his child. If Madam Yin hadn't sent the clothes to her parents' home, she wouldn't have been able to spend so much money now!
Besides, it's enough to make clothes for the child. Doesn't Madam Yin already have clothes to wear? She's quite the one who knows how to enjoy life. She wants a brand new winter coat for herself. Looking around the whole village, which family has old clothes to wear and would make new ones?
She seems to have changed a little, but deep down she's still a hopeless spendthrift woman!
Looking at the cotton and cloth in front of her, Old Mrs. Chen felt a pang of heartache.
“And another thing,” Yin Lan continued, “we don’t have much money on hand right now. How about five coins per piece of work, Mother?”
Old Mrs. Chen was still cursing Yin Lan for being wasteful in her heart, but she didn't care about the money.
But as she listened, she realized that her son, who worked so hard to earn his allowance, hadn't lost a single piece of clothing.
She already has three kids, but they're small and don't go out much. They just sit on the bed and the winter is over. Why bother making them new clothes? It's just a waste of money!
However, Mrs. Chen thought again that her son was coming back soon, and perhaps there would be four, five, six, or seven more children in the future. In that case, the clothes wouldn't go to waste.
On the other side, Ms. Hu, with her sharp ears, immediately caught the word "wages".
What? There's still wages?
Five coins for a piece of clothing isn't much, but there's not much income from the fields in winter, and few men go to work in the county town. Even after a long day's work, they only earn ten coins.
Women don't find it difficult to make clothes; when they hire someone to do it, they usually only get an egg or something in return.
This Yin family actually wanted to pay wages.
Hu's expression changed immediately. "Um... Sister-in-law, Mother is getting old and her eyesight isn't very good. Let me do it. Didn't you just say I'm good at cooking? Let me do it and lighten Mother's burden a bit, right?"
The reason Yin Lan asked Hu Shi first was to prevent her from taking it from her. "I need it urgently. My second sister-in-law is busy making clothes for XX. I can't force her to do something she can't do."
Hu: ...
"Besides, my third sister-in-law just said she could help Mother, so she'll only get one penny as payment, is that alright?"
The third son's wife looked delighted; she could help make clothes now?
She still has money to take?
She rubbed her hands together happily, "Of course, no...no need to pay..."
Yin Lan shook her head, "Since we're doing this, money is necessary. As long as you don't mind the amount."
How could the third son's wife complain? She could help out, learn, and even get paid. It was a fantastic opportunity!
Hu's face turned even uglier.
"I..."
Yin Lan interrupted her directly, "Then it's settled. I have other things to do, I'm leaving." After saying that, she turned around and left.
Mrs. Hu was so angry that her face turned pale. She snorted and turned to go into the house.
Chen Lao Er was still lying in bed inside. She roared angrily, "All you do is sleep, sleep, sleep! Don't you even know how to go out and say a few words for me?"
A piece of clothing costs five coins, so four pieces would cost twenty coins. Thinking that all the money she had was gone, Hu was so angry that her heart ached.
Chen Lao Er glanced at her. "Didn't you refuse first?"
Mentioning this only made Mrs. Hu angrier. "How was I supposed to know she wanted to pay me? I won't do it for free!"
Chen Lao Er closed his eyes. "Mother thought it would be a waste of money, but she still agreed. Third sister-in-law didn't know there was money involved and still offered to help. You, you're just too greedy. Sometimes, doing things without expecting anything in return can bring unexpected rewards, like growing crops..."
Hu interrupted him angrily, "Are you on my side or on the side of outsiders? What? You've taken a fancy to that bitch Yin? Don't think I don't know, back then..."
Chen Lao Er got up and said, "What do you mean by 'back then'? I'm too lazy to talk to you about it."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Mrs. Hu was so angry that she gritted her teeth; she was furious.
When he heard that there was money to be made, Old Master Chen's expression softened a bit, but he still said to Old Madam Chen, "Why are you taking away your second daughter-in-law's work?"
Grandma Chen pursed her lips.
This wasn't the first or second time this had happened, and she had long since lost the desire to explain.
She only feels sorry for her eldest son now. She has felt sorry for him since he was a child. Now, his wife, sigh... This Madam Yin is probably also thinking that her husband is coming back. She is making new clothes to save face, but how can she hide the fact that her three children are pale and thin and the house is in such a dilapidated state?
Now they're giving her money under the guise of making clothes, just so she'll say a few good words about them to her son.
Sigh, Old Mrs. Chen just felt sorry for her son.
After leaving the house, Yin Lan headed towards the village head's home.
The cabbages and radishes in the fields are turning yellow, but they still look edible. The soil salinization shouldn't be too serious yet. I just wonder what it will be like next year.
If crops cannot be grown in the fields, or if production is drastically reduced, it will be impossible for villagers who are already struggling to make ends meet to survive.
Yin Lan herself has a system, so she is naturally not afraid. However, after being here for some time, she has also discovered that there are bad people in the village, but there are also good people. Moreover, once a famine breaks out, it will be a very tragic scene.
Selling children, eating tree bark and soil, and even cannibalism are all possible. In such an environment, it would be almost impossible for her to raise her child alone and remain unscathed. Therefore, she must find a way to solve this problem.
As Yin Lan was thinking, a cold wind came, and she wrapped her thin clothes tighter around herself. Why is it so cold?
At the village head's house, everyone ate a bowl of brown rice porridge early in the morning. Being able to eat breakfast is already considered a good condition in the village.
Grandson Dashuanzi wanted to eat eggs, but his mother tapped him on the head, saying, "You just ate them last month, and now you want them again? Why are you so greedy?"
Eggs can be eaten more frequently in summer and autumn, but in winter, it's considered good if you can eat them once a month.
"Go put on another layer of clothing. I feel unusually cold this winter."
The village head was smoking his pipe in the courtyard when his wife asked, "Should we make another coat for the family?" The village head's wife also felt that this year was colder than the coldest time of last year.
Cotton, fabric...
The village head glanced at the yellowing vegetable leaves in the field, his brows furrowed. "Carry them for now. If it really doesn't work, everyone go back to your rooms and stay in bed."
We need to save the extra money; who knows what next year will bring.
If things get worse than last year, I'll have to buy some food in advance and stock up. I wonder how much the price of food will rise by then... Sigh...
Just as he was quietly sighing, Yin Lan's voice rang out from outside, "Uncle Village Head..."
The village head's wife and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance and frowned together.
What's Chen's eldest daughter-in-law doing here? I think I just heard someone say she went to the Chen family. Could it be that she went to the Chen family to ask for grain but failed, and now she's here to the village head to play the victim and beg?
A hint of disgust flashed in both of their eyes.
Just as the village head stood up, Yin Lan walked in.
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