The next morning, right after breakfast, Tangyuan was busy feeding the chickens and ducks and his furry friend. Tianyu was preparing to plant the seeds she had bought while the weather was good and the temperature was stable when Gouzi arrived with his sister Xiaohua, wearing the new clothes she had bought for them the day before. Tianyu was taken aback for a moment before remembering that she had asked them to come see her today. She quickly put down what she was doing and asked if they had eaten. The brother and sister both said in unison that they had, and thanked Tianyu for the roast chicken and steamed buns they had bought for them, adding that they liked the clothes very much. Their expressions spoke volumes. Xiaohua saw Tangyuan feeding the chickens and ducks, greeted Tianyu, and then ran to help Tangyuan feed the chickens and ducks and play with the furry friend. Tianyu invited Gouzi inside to talk.
Gouzi stood there awkwardly. Tian Yu told him to sit down and talk, and he finally sat down on the stool furthest from her. Tian Yu frowned, thinking that his grandmother must have given him a lecture after they got home, which explained his awkwardness today. Not wanting to say anything more, Tian Yu asked, "How is your grandmother?"
"I'm much better. Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I took my medicine this morning and I can move around on my own now. I also gave my father's military service record to Uncle Zhao to take to the county town this morning."
"That's good. I called you here today to ask you about something else."
"Auntie, please feel free to ask me anything."
"Okay, what kind of income do you usually have?"
“When my parents were alive, they made a living by hunting and gathering herbs. Later, my grandmother dug up herbs, but the herbs on the nearby mountains became fewer and fewer. My grandmother got old and couldn’t dig anymore. So we barely made ends meet by digging up some wild vegetables and with the help of the neighborhood elder.”
“Oh, I have a job for you. It doesn’t pay much, but you should be able to do it. I don’t know…” Before Tian Yu could finish speaking, Gouzi excitedly stood up and said loudly, “Auntie, I can do it! I can do any job.”
"Alright, alright, sit down and listen to me. Yesterday I went to the county town and talked to Manager Qian of Yuelai Restaurant. We can send him snails for five copper coins a pound. If it's you, you can send about fifty pounds every two days, which is two hundred and fifty copper coins. After deducting the round-trip transportation costs, you can still earn two hundred and thirty copper coins. Do you think you can do it?"
"Two hundred and thirty coins! I can do it, Auntie, I will definitely do it well."
"Okay, I believe you can do it too."
"Thank you, Auntie. But what about you? Aren't you going to deliver it?"
"It's alright, Auntie has other things to do and doesn't have time to deliver to them. Just tell them it was Tian Yu who asked you to deliver it, and they'll accept it. But remember to drain the water thoroughly the night before, otherwise it will be too heavy and troublesome on the way. Also, don't let anyone else know, or business will be difficult, understand?"
"Understood, understood, I've got it."
"This business is only available during this season each year. It might not be popular after this season. Auntie will think of another way then."
Upon hearing this, the dog tried to kneel before Tian Yu again, but seeing that Tian Yu was feigning anger, he got up and said he would go home right now to tell his grandma that he wanted to go to the river to catch snails. Tian Yu stopped him, telling him not to rush, and repeatedly reminded him that the river water was cold and his grandma couldn't go into the water. She also told him to be careful and that if anyone asked, he should say he was catching snails to feed the chickens and pigs. Only then did she let him leave. Xiao Hua didn't want to leave, so Tian Yu let her stay and play with Tang Yuan.
Seeing Tangyuan and Xiaohua Fuzzy head towards the bamboo grove, Tianyu told them not to go too far. She then returned to continue what she needed to do. She had been in such a rush last night that she hadn't tidied up much. She took out everything she needed and arranged it neatly, separating and arranging the remaining seeds. She planned to plant soybeans first, then corn, and then peanuts and vegetables. She had heard from the village head that the area was prone to flooding in the summer, so the villagers weren't very skilled at farming and only grew common crops, often resulting in no harvest. Tianyu had observed that her location was much higher than the village, so it shouldn't be flooded. Besides, the crops she planted could usually be harvested in the summer. If not, they could be eaten earlier. She spent ten taels of silver, the money she had earned yesterday, while Chen Chong paid for everything else. He wouldn't accept the money, so Tian Yu gave up and gave him the clothes and shoes she had bought. He was quite happy, saying that he had paid for them, so what was there to be happy about? But Chen Chong was still very happy. Remembering how he had treated her last night, Tian Yu couldn't help but feel happy. Counting the money left by Xiao Tian and the money spent on the house repairs, she had two hundred and eighty copper coins left. She carefully put the coins away and looked at the dilapidated walls around her. It seemed the house would need to be rebuilt soon, and she didn't know if it would survive the summer. After tidying up, she first washed the duck eggs Chen Chong had collected and let them dry in a cool place. Then she dug up some soil nearby, sifted it, dissolved salt in warm water, and mixed it with the soil. Finally, she coated the duck eggs with the soil, then with salt, and put them into a pre-prepared pickling jar, sealed it, and placed it in a cool place.
Chen Chong went hunting in the forest today. Tian Yu, having pickled duck eggs, was planting soybeans alone on the west side of the house. Because the weather had been good lately, she needed to water them before planting, so she was planting slowly. When she got tired, she would sit down and rest, which was quite pleasant. While watering and planting, she thought she was probably the only one in the mountains who could do it all. Just as she was about to sit down and rest after fetching water, the village head and Zhao Jincheng arrived. They had heard about her helping Gouzi and the others yesterday and came to thank her, offering her some silver. Tian Yu said it was nothing, and that she shouldn't accept the money, as it was all Chen Chong's doing. She had brought so much money; if anyone should thank her, it should be Chen Chong. She had only done her part. The village head praised Chen Chong highly, saying he hadn't expected an outsider to be so kind. He added that the hunting trip had been very fortunate because of Chen Chong's help, and Old Zhao Village should thank him properly. Seeing Tian Yu working in the fields, the village head mentioned several plots of land on the hill behind the village that were frequently damaged by wild boars and other animals. Since most of the able-bodied men in the village had been conscripted into the army in recent years, there was no one left to manage them, and things had become unmanageable. He told Tian Yu that if she wanted to farm them, she could go and take a look, then make a record with him. He gave her the exact location and told her to check it out when she had time. Tian Yu naturally agreed to this offer. Zhao Jincheng volunteered to stay and help, and Tian Yu's attempts to dissuade him were unsuccessful. The village head also agreed, so she had no choice but to let him go. The village head had to leave first, leaving Zhao Jincheng to help, and told him to help diligently and not to slack off. Zhao Jincheng was clearly a scholar, and had never done such work before. After carrying two buckets of water, he was already panting heavily. Tian Yu told him to rest, but he was stubborn and afraid Tian Yu would look down on him, so he insisted on continuing to help. Tian Yu didn't want to persuade him any further, so she slowed down and waited for him to finish. Around noon, Tian Yu said she was tired and would stop planting for the time being, and told Zhao Jincheng to have some water and rest. After resting for a while, Tian Yu thought it was time to prepare lunch, so she invited Zhao Jincheng to stay for lunch. Zhao Jincheng quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. I couldn't possibly accept this. I only wanted to help you, but I've only caused you trouble. I'm already grateful that you don't blame me. Please, don't stay for lunch!"
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