Li Zhen's needlework was among the best in the village; she could even embroider handkerchiefs to sell. Wang Lan had seen her once before; her stitches were dense and quick, perfect for having someone make two sets of handkerchiefs for her.
Wang Lan decided to pay 25 coins a day to invite the person over.
Although it hurt to spend the money, the workers instructed by his granddaughter-in-law needed to finish the job quickly. As long as his grandson and granddaughter-in-law made money, they both had a conscience and wouldn't abandon Lu Yu.
Li Zhen's home was also extremely poor, so Wang Lan didn't stay long and only explained her purpose for visiting.
Li Zhen had long heard that Wang Dahe was paid for his work for the Lu family, and now that he had come knocking on her door, how could she refuse? Her eyes welled up with tears of joy. "Auntie, I'll come tomorrow morning."
The next day, Li Zhen arrived at dawn. Since there wasn't enough room in the Lu family's house, the two women sewed clothes under the trees in Qingzhugou, while also looking after the chickens and ducks. The fabric had been cut to size by Chen Fang and Wang Cuilan, so all they had to do was sew.
Li Zhen was a little flustered looking at the fine fabric, and didn't even dare to touch it. "Auntie, my hands are rough and I'll snag the fabric. Why don't you ask someone else to do it?"
Twenty-five coins a day was the only wage one could earn by carrying heavy loads in the county town. Although she was reluctant to give up so much money, the cloth was precious, and she was afraid of ruining it for someone else.
Li Zhen didn't know whether she was anxious or hated herself for being useless, that she couldn't seize such a good opportunity, and tears were about to come out of her eyes.
Wang Lan persuaded him to stay, saying, "Look at my hands, they're just as rough. Don't worry about it, your auntie trusts your skills."
Li Zhen became increasingly meticulous in her work, paying attention to every stitch and thread.
Lu Yunxing was catching eels and loaches in Qingzhugou when he came out carrying a wooden bucket. "Grandma, let's stew eels for breakfast this morning."
Wang Lan put down the clothes. "Okay, I'll go kill them."
Then Li Zhen was asked to make clothes by the duck pen and keep an eye on the ducks.
Wang Lan came out with a kitchen knife, killed the eel, gutted it, chopped up the innards, and threw them to feed the chickens. At this time, the chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits were still small, so there were no chickens or rabbits to eat at home, and they could only eat the pork they bought.
Lu Yunxing picked up his basket and was about to leave. "Grandma, I'm going to Lijia Dam to buy tofu and two jars of wine. It will cost more than thirty coins in total."
Wang Lan wiped her hands, gave her grandson some copper coins, and said with a smile, "Keep the extras; if you don't have enough, just buy less."
Lu Yunxing was a little confused, then chuckled, "Ah? No need, no need. Grandma manages the money at home now, I won't spend a penny more than necessary."
He's over ten years old, how can he not have some money to his name? "Keep it, it's alright."
At noon, Li Zhen joined us. Wang Lan stewed eel, stir-fried pork, and cauliflower. She also lit a charcoal fire in the yard and grilled four eggplants, along with some spicy tofu.
When it was time to eat, Li Zhen insisted on leaving. Wang Lan couldn't stop her and blocked her way, saying, "Hurry up and eat. You can go back for a while after you finish eating."
Doing needlework can strain your eyes, and there's no reason to keep people cooped up at home all the time. Going for a walk or two is a good idea.
Li Zhen's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude, but she couldn't cry in someone else's house, as the host would consider it bad luck. She had to hold back her tears. It was the first time she had ever seen eggplant prepared this way. The eggplant skin was split open, and the eggplant flesh inside was drizzled with minced meat, minced garlic, chili oil, and a handful of fresh chopped green onions and cilantro. "Auntie, this eggplant is so delicious! I... I want to learn how to make it."
Wang Lan wasn't angry. "There are plenty of eggplants later. You can watch when I make them again tonight. My granddaughter-in-law taught me how to make them."
Li Zhen smiled and agreed. Everyone at the table ate happily. After four days of hard work, they finally made new quilts and clothes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
