The mother and daughter chatted and cooked at the same time. Nanxing had bought ten catties of pork, but since it was summer, it wouldn't keep long, so Nanxing's mother, Feng, wanted to render all the pork into lard.
Seeing that her parents, younger brother, and younger sister all looked pale, Nanxing took the kitchen knife from her mother and separated the fatty and lean meat. Her mother rendered the fatty meat into oil, and she chopped half of the lean meat into minced meat. She also ordered a small pot of spinach and meatball soup to be made on her own, and made shredded pork with sweet bean sauce.
Fortunately, this piece of meat had more fat than lean meat, otherwise Mrs. Feng would have been tempted to take it back.
To prevent the minced meat from falling apart, an egg was added, which made Mrs. Feng feel heartbroken and distressed.
Nanxing saw this and comforted him.
"It's just an egg. In the future, our family will definitely be able to have eggs freely. Before long, you can eat eggs as your main meal."
Feng felt a pang of heartache as she listened, muttering...
"That's the life the princess lives. We commoners wouldn't even dare to dream of that. You've been spoiled by the princess, your standards have gotten too high, and you don't know how to manage a household at all."
Even if you're earning a monthly salary, you need to be careful with your spending. You can't just keep throwing money around. Everyone needs to have a backup plan.
"I know, Mother. You're in a good mood today, so don't worry about these things. I learned several signature dishes from the Princess, so you're all getting special treatment today. Just enjoy it."
When Madam Feng heard Nanxing say this, she felt that the child had finally come back, so she agreed to her request.
While frying oil, Madam Feng asked her daughter how she had been that year, whether she had a good life, and whether anyone had bullied her.
Although I can tell from Nanxing's current appearance that her daughter is doing well, as a mother, I always want to ask and hear from my daughter herself to feel at ease.
Nanxing was cooking, making a racket as she talked to Madam Feng about her daily life at the manor, but nothing of it involved any secrets.
It usually consists of four or five dishes per meal, including meat, vegetables, and side dishes.
The princess didn't need many servants; they spent half their time practicing martial arts and occasionally went out with her on errands.
She got along very well with the maids around the princess, and they would get together to eat snacks and chat when they had nothing to do.
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng felt not only relieved but also filled with envy.
"Oh my! The princess is so kind-hearted, allowing you to eat snacks and chat idly. With this kind of lifestyle, you dare to live like the daughters of landlords!"
"Pretty much! Your daughter of mine can now order a few little girls around to deliver messages!"
Hearing her say this, Madam Feng was completely relieved.
The mother and daughter chatted for a while and soon finished cooking.
Using the bottom of the oil-refining pot, Feng made several large white flour pancakes.
Nanxing made a spinach and meatball soup, shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, a scallion pancake, and also took a picture of a cucumber.
There were dishes and soup, meat and vegetables; this meal was better than what they ate during the Chinese New Year.
Although we didn't have many seasonings at home, the dish didn't quite taste like the one from the mountain villa, but it still smelled delicious to the whole family.
A flatbread rolled with shredded pork, served with meatball soup, and topped with an egg pancake and cucumber to cleanse the palate—it couldn't be more delicious.
Although the group ate with gusto, Wu Tiezhu and Feng Shi were strict with their children and never allowed them to fight over food like madmen. So there was no fighting, and the family was considerate and yielding to each other, enjoying their meal comfortably.
While eating, Nanxing said...
“The princess has built several factories outside the manor, and they will be opening in a few days. She is recruiting workers these days. She thought that our family members are honest and hardworking, and wanted to help you out, so she sent me back to ask if you would like to work there.”
The female workers had light jobs, which involved sorting and selling goods and cleaning the store every day. They were provided with food and lodging and earned 300 copper coins a month. If they worked a full month without taking any leave, they would receive an additional 50 copper coins as a full attendance bonus.
If male or female workers need to exert physical strength, they receive 500 copper coins, plus a 50-copper-coin full attendance bonus, and can rest for three days each month.
"This doesn't require you to sell yourselves. If you want to quit, just give two months' notice, and they'll hire someone else. You can leave, and your monthly wages won't be delayed. What are your thoughts?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Tiezhu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
"With such a good opportunity that we'd sell ourselves for a lifetime, would anyone still refuse and want to leave?"
"Yes, Da Ya, you're telling me this is true?"
"It's true, my mistress is a princess, would I lie to you? I only thought of you because I'm always by her side."
Also, I have a name now, given to me by the princess, it's Nanxing.
Isn't it nice to listen to?
The princess is so kind; she treats us like her own sisters. All the maids and boys in the manor who were called things like Daya, Erya, Zhaodi, Gou Dan, and Gou Sheng, the princess changed all of them and gave us nicer new names.
They also taught us not to belittle ourselves; in short, they taught us a lot, not only skills but also how to conduct ourselves in society.
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng nodded.
"It is your great fortune to be able to come to the princess's side."
Wu Tiezhu couldn't help but ask
"Which member of our household does the princess wish to send? How many people can go?"
"The princess has no time to concern herself with such trivial matters. Since she sent me back to tell you, it's for you to decide for yourselves. As for how many people to go, one or two is fine, as long as they can do the work."
"Right now, only you, Mom, and my younger brother Mancang are capable of doing chores in our family. My younger brother and sister are too young; they definitely can't manage."
Upon hearing this, Feng and Wu Tiezhu began to ponder it.
Wu Tiezhu wanted him and his eldest son Mancang to go. Firstly, male workers earned higher wages, and the two of them could earn more than one tael of silver a month. Secondly, Wu Tiezhu had old-fashioned ideas and believed that women should not go out and show their faces in public.
So he shared his thoughts.
But Feng thought the opposite. After the father and son left, she, a woman, had to raise two ignorant children and live a difficult life. Not to mention dealing with a shrewish mother-in-law, there were always idle people in the village. If something happened, it would be hard to explain.
When Madam Feng hinted at something, Wu Tiezhu understood and finally decided to let Madam Feng and his eldest son Mancang go, while he stayed home to take care of the family.
After the decision was made, the mother and her two children went to the resort early the next morning.
Before leaving, Nanxing left two taels of silver for Wu Tiezhu, telling them to eat and dress as they pleased at home and not to mistreat themselves.
Wu Tiezhu readily agreed.
What they wear doesn't matter. After all, in the village, people toil in the soil and roll in the mud, so they won't get nice clothes anyway. But when it comes to food, he really wants to buy a bag of flour so that the little ones can eat better, grow up quickly, and find a job.
Now, with two people working away from home, the family earns ten taels of silver a year. The eldest son is fourteen; after two years of work, he can buy six acres of wasteland, and then the family will have more than ten acres of land.
If the mother and daughter work for another year, and with the harvest from the fields, they can renovate the house and have enough money to help their eldest son get married.
When the younger ones grow up, they can also go to work and earn their own dowry and bride price, and then they won't have to worry about anything. Suddenly, they'll have something to look forward to.
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