The entire venue fell into a state of absolute silence once again.
Liu Yingying's clear voice reached everyone's ears.
"Although there are only ten spots for the bonus this year, don't be discouraged. Work hard next year, and hard work will be rewarded. I won't let any of you down!"
"And now I have another job. If anyone is willing to work overtime during the New Year period, I will pay you twenty coins a day!"
Then Liu Yingying announced her plan to produce a batch of dry rations in a short period of time.
In an instant, the crowd below erupted in uproar again!
In an era when the lives of ordinary people at the bottom of society were not secure at all, everyone tried their best to earn as much money as possible. If you could earn money, why wouldn't you be happy?
They all couldn't wait to work overtime.
Yes, that's right!
Liu Yingying planned to process all the unsold grain from the farm into dry rations and send them to the Zhennanguan military camp to relieve Huo Huaizhi's urgent need.
Although she knew very well that doing so would definitely win Huo Huaizhi's favor, she did not think that was her main purpose.
As the saying goes, "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen!"
Her sacrifice was so that the soldiers would not suffer from hunger and cold in the winter.
It's also to ensure the safety of myself and the people I care about!
Because of the tight schedule, although everything that needed to be prepared at home had been prepared for the New Year, Liu Yingying was so busy that she only managed to swallow a few mouthfuls of New Year's Eve dinner before plunging into the workshop to supervise the work.
Seeing how busy and hard-working Liu Yingying was, Zhao Di, Hui Yun, and the other children felt sorry for her and joined in to help out at the workshop.
On the morning of Lunar New Year's Eve, Zou Xiuzhi, Lu Daikui, and others delivered all the cotton that Liu Yingying had previously bought in Baotian Town.
Although these cottons have many flaws and are yellowish in color, at least their warmth retention effect remains unchanged.
Liu Yingying then organized everyone to make quilts from the cotton as quickly as possible...
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Yingying did not sleep in. Except for the two elders of the Zhu family old house, Zhu Erqiang's family, and Zhu Dongxi's family, everyone else in the village came to pay New Year's respects to her, the Lady of Ning'an County.
Among them, Lü Sufeng was the most attentive. Her children would run up to Liu Yingying affectionately and call her "Auntie, Auntie" as soon as they saw her.
These children now treat Liu Yingying even better than they would their own mother!
This is because Liu Yingying never skimped on food for them.
Lu Sufeng was also smart. Unlike Ma Qiumei, who was foolish enough to not cling to her powerful sister-in-law and enjoy a life of luxury, Lu Sufeng was actually going against her. It's hard to understand what Ma Qiumei was thinking!
Liu Yingying knew beforehand that there were many children in their village, but today all the children were present. When she looked at them, she saw that their ages ranged from just a month old to twelve or thirteen years old.
There were dozens of people!
Fortunately, she had prepared enough red envelopes in advance!
The children lined up in two long rows, and two by two, they knelt down to wish her a Happy New Year.
Happy New Year, Auntie!
"Happy New Year, sister-in-law! Wishing you good health and a long life!"
…
Each of these children called her a different name, simply because they were of different generations.
Liu Yingying married into Taoyuan Village, naturally following Zhu Jianqiang's generation.
So, the following situation arises: she might call a newborn baby "auntie," while an elderly person in their seventies or eighties would call her "auntie"...
Liu Yingying gave each child a red envelope containing a uniform amount of eighty-eight coins.
This New Year's money is equivalent to two months' wages for an ordinary laborer.
Therefore, the money only passed through the hands of the children before being kept by their adults.
"You need to save this money for me; it'll be used when you get married..."
As a result, several children burst into tears.
Some of the more mischievous ones would directly ask their parents, "This is the New Year's money Aunt Liu gave me. If you want New Year's money too, go ask Aunt Liu yourself!"
The parent immediately blushed and awkwardly explained to Liu Yingying, "The child is still young, and I can't let him develop the habit of spending money recklessly. I have to keep an eye on him."
Well, it seems that whether it's thousands of years ago or thousands of years later, the excuses parents use to confiscate their children's New Year's money are the same.
Liu Yingying didn't speak, but Lü Sufeng took the lead and set an example.
Like other parents, she kept all the New Year's money from her two children, but returned the remaining eight coins to them, letting them spend them as they pleased.
This approach gained Liu Yingying's approval, and others followed suit in order to curry favor with her.
The children stopped crying after receiving the money.
After exchanging New Year's greetings, the men in the village went home one by one.
Most of the women were still at Liu Yingying's house, warming themselves by the fire, drinking milk tea and eating fruits, making it quite lively!
While Liu Yingying's side was adorned with flowers, the old house was also quite lively.
The villagers of Taoyuan Village were all keeping a close eye on things, especially the village chief, Wang Delu.
Previously, they all thought that Zhu Xiucai had died on his way to the capital for the imperial examination, and now they were eager to do everything they could to cling to Liu Yingying.
Now that they've learned that Zhu Jianqiang is alive and even holds a high-ranking position in the capital region, they naturally can't afford to offend either side.
So they tacitly left the woman with Liu Yingying and chatted with her about everyday things.
The men made an excuse to leave first, but in reality they all went to the old house to visit Mr. and Mrs. Zhu Youcai.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhu Youcai were in high spirits, beaming with joy as they asked Mr. and Mrs. Zhu Erqiang to invite everyone to sit down.
Logically, during the Lunar New Year, tea and fruit should be served to everyone.
But they are poor...
Out of consideration for her reputation, Liu Yingying provided them with enough food to survive each month, but nothing more.
Although Zhu Jianqiang became a high-ranking official, he hasn't returned, nor has his money, and they haven't received any benefits yet.
The entire village, young and old, gathered in the courtyard of the Zhu family's old house. In the freezing cold, there wasn't even a brazier of charcoal.
Since the Zhu family didn't have enough stools, many people could only stand with their hands in their pockets or lean against the wall to chat with the two elders.
"Uncle Cai, when is Jianqiang coming back?" a young man in the village asked.
"I wrote home a few days ago, saying it would arrive around the fifteenth of the first lunar month!" Zhu Youcai said after thinking for a moment.
"Oh, so fast! We'd better get things ready at home. Our village has produced a high-ranking official. He's returning home in glory, so we must give him a proper welcome!"
Zhu Youcai feigned nonchalance and said, "No need. Jianqiang is someone we've all watched grow up. If he becomes successful, he won't forget you uncles and nephews..."
That was exactly what everyone was waiting for, so the flattery became even louder.
They were praising Zhu Youcai so much that they were almost out of their minds.
"Father, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, but my sister-in-law hasn't come to pay her respects to you and Mother yet!"
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