Chapter 70 Look at each other?
Early the next morning, Mrs. Zhao took He Xiao Ning to the west of the river with half a basket of sesame dumplings.
Walking on the way out of the village, the woman sitting and chatting on the side of the road saw her carrying a basket to the west of the river. They couldn't help curling their lips and whispered: "How shameful. As Lizheng's wife she rushing to flatter outsiders!"
After all, everyone in the village can see how prosperous He Family's breakfast shop was. It would be a lie to say that they weren’t jealous or envious. These gossipers only dare to wag their tongues in private. With Mrs. Zhao's lively temperament, it was possible for her to tear their mouths apart if they said this in front of her.
Ever since their snack shop was opened, You Jin hadn't slept in for a long time. She slept deeply all night and didn't get up from the warm kang until the sun had climbed to the top of the eastern mountain after the snowy weather cleared.
"Eldest Miss is up. The congee is still warm on the stove!" □□ came out of the kitchen and saw You Jin standing in the porch in outer clothes. She merrily spoke: "Let me get some hot water for Eldest Miss first."
After that, she went back to the kitchen.
Now Su Family had the addition of six young teen girls and Yu Lan, all Su Family’s little girls were freed from housework. Now there were many people in Su’s house, You Yin three sisters in the West Wing had moved to the main room to live with Mrs. Su Family. The upper and lower rooms of the West Wing were lived in by Yu Lan and six teen girls. Although it was a bit crowded, it was barely passable.
Looking at the small farmyard after the snow fall stopped, You Jin comfortably sighed. Such days were really comfortable.
"Eldest Sister, come and have some breakfast!" You Zhu's voice sounded from the kitchen. Although the division of master and servant in Su Family was becoming more and more obvious, three meals a day were the same despite eating at separate tables.
The mushy round-grained rice congee paired with the sour garlic sprouts that You Jin personally pickled in summer. It was very appetizing. After finishing a bowl of steaming round-grained rice congee and a three-grain pancake, You Jin put down the bowl in her hands in satisfaction. Just as she was about to go back to her room to settle all the accounts for this year, she heard Mrs. Zhao's joyful voice outside: "Su Family’s wife, you look better now!"
Mrs. Su held little Eighth who was already falling down a little bit and smilingly brought Zhao mother and daughter into the main room. You Jin who came out of the kitchen followed.
"Your family's house is really well furnished now!" Mrs. Zhao looked around Su Family’s main room. Although there was nothing expensive, there were thick quilts, a well-heated kang, and delicate snacks placed on the table. There was also an unfamiliar little girl who brought tea. All these were saying that Su Family had made a big step forward in their current family situation.
You Jin smiled and sat behind Mrs. Su. She reached out to take little Eighth who had outstretched her hands to hug her. Mrs. Su handed the child over before looking back at Mrs. Zhao, "Thanks to your family's care, we were able to take root in Wuliqiao."
He Xiao Ning was already huddled together with You Bao sister and sat on the side eating snacks as they chatted in a low voice. Seeing Mrs. Su being so polite, Mrs. Zhao exclaimed "How is it us taking care of your family? I say it’s because of your family, we can set up a breakfast stand and earn some money!”
After finishing speaking, she roughly said what she discussed with He Hao last night. Then she looked at You Jin: “You Jin, Auntie knows you are kind, but this is business. We can't occupy your place for nothing, right?"
Mr. Su had never interfered in matters involving business. You Jin, who was playing with little Eighth in the back, thought for a while before saying: "Since Auntie opened mouth, I will accept it from now on. How about fifty wen a month?"
Mrs. Zhao didn’t expect that she would offer such a low price. Although she could save a lot of money by doing this, Mrs. Zhao had never been one to take advantage of others. She bared the pain and said: "You Jin, this way it will be us taking advantage of your family!"
"Don't worry, Auntie. I never do business that loses money. Auntie, it's not easy for you to get up early and stay late every day. Small business is to earn a living, right?" If the family wants to take root in Wuliqiao, they need the support of He Family. This deal wasn’t a loss.
Seeing that she put it that way, Mrs. Zhao also accepted her kindness. She lifted the cloth covering the basket she was carrying: "This sesame dumpling is a food that we can use to worship our ancestors and gods during the New Year. I was thinking you didn’t know this since this is the first year you came here. Although it’s not much money, it’s still some of our thoughts.”
Hearing what she said, Mrs. Su accepted it: "Then thank you Sister-in-law."
The three of them talked for a long time. Mrs. Zhao found a reason to send You Jin out before telling Mrs. Su that she wanted to connect with Su Family through marriage: "Your You Jin is thirteen at the beginning of the year, right? She’s a big girl now. It’s about time to start paying attention to others, right?”
Speaking of this, Mrs. Su sighed: "I want to pay attention, but we are newcomers. We aren’t familiar with anyone. How can we keep an eye out?"
"My eldest son is sixteen years old and currently studying in Luohe Prefecture. He is already a Tongsheng! I am also worried about his marriage! But his father said that now is the time to study. Better discuss it two years later!" Mrs. Zhao directly hinted to Mrs. Su that her family had an elder son who was considered to be of the right age and had a very good condition.
Mrs. Su was a smart person. Hearing what Mrs. Zhao said, she knew in her heart that Mrs. Zhao had her eyes on her eldest daughter. Mrs. Su was naturally satisfied with a family like Mrs. Zhao’s. Although she hadn't seen Mrs. Zhao’s eldest son, she had heard the women in Wuliqiao mentioned it. He was indeed a talented young man: "Your eldest son is such a good young man. Why do you need to worry? If my Kang-er has such a future in the future, then I can rest in peace!" The words conveyed her liking toward He Xuan Hai.
The man had affection, the female was interested. So the two chatted for a while before Mrs. Zhao dragged the stuffed full He Xiao Ning toward the east side of the river with a grin, The sesame dumpling in the basket had been replaced by Mrs. Su's melon seeds and two packs of snacks.
After seeing Mrs. Zhao off, You Jin carried little Eighth back to the main room. After being put on the kang, Younger Sister played on the kang Kang-er. She asked, "Mother, what were you talking about with Auntie Zhao? And I can’t even hear it?”
Under her daughter's bright eyes, Mrs. Su felt a little guilty for some reason. She dodged: "It's nothing. Just gossip for a while."
"Really?" You Jin looked at Mrs. Su's eyes wandering around. Her words were full of doubts. Since Mrs. Su refused to say anything, she didn't ask any more questions. She just said: "Just know what you are doing Mother. Don’t sell us out without telling me.”
"How can I possibly do that!" Mrs. Su guiltily laughed: "Whatever Mother does is for the good of you sisters. How can I possibly harm you?"
Mrs. Su knew that her eldest daughter had always been very intelligent and strong. But this was a major life-changing event. She can't be negligent. If news got leaked in advance and the two families don't get married, her daughter's reputation will be ruined in the future. Then it will harm You Jin's whole life.
Seeing her say this, You Jin stopped guessing. After all, Mrs. Su was right. No matter what she did, she wouldn’t harm herself and her younger sisters.
After coming out of the main room, You Jin went to the half-finished study in the lower room of the east wing. Yu Lan was teaching Su Family’s girls. Since the family situation improved, You Jin had bought a batch of the cheapest four treasures of the study back to practice calligraphy. Even You Luo can write her own name crookedly. It can be said to be very effective.
To call it a study room, it just had three old-fashioned square tables. Su Family’s girls were sitting in a circle, writing carefully under the guidance of Yu Lan.
"Your handwriting is getting better and better now. Compared with when you held the brush for the first time, it’s a difference between cloud and mud."
After seeing the big characters written by You Jin, Yu Lan nodded in relief. The handwriting can only be regarded as proper. However, it was much better than the handwriting that was previously written like a dog digging.
You Jin humbly smiled: "Teacher taught me well."
Although Yu Lan was sold as a slave, Su Family currently respected her as a teacher. She was only responsible for teaching the few children to read and write and helping Mrs. Su take care of the children. Yu Lan's life was going very well.
"One loses by pride and gains by modesty. Although there’s huge improvement in writing, don't be arrogant and conceited. Write three more sheets and you can leave." Yu Lan took out three new sheets of paper. The rough straw paper was very different from when she was reading and practicing calligraphy. Still, Yu Lan knew that this was the best that Su Family could afford at present.
To be honest, at the beginning when Yu Lan heard that You Jin wanted her to teach Su Family to read and write, she felt that Su Family had too much money and didn't know how to spend it. After all, it was seven girls studying together. They need pens and ink every day. That cost a lot. Girls can't take part in the examination. At first, Yu Lan thought that You Jin only wanted the girls to not be blind. But now it seem that You Jin wanted to raise the little Su Family’s girls as male!
"Yes." You Jin sat back in her original place, concentrated, and drew the outline stroke by stroke. Seeing how serious Eldest Sister was, the younger sisters also became serious and obediently practiced calligraphy.
After practicing calligraphy for half an hour and writing the last big character, You Jin let out a heavy sigh of relief: "Teacher, I have finished writing."
Yu Lan carefully checked before she nodded slightly: "Okay, let's stop here today. Go then."
She knew that You Jin had other things to do, so she didn't force her to stay.
After leaving the study, You Jin went back to the east wing room. After locking the door, she moved out the wooden box hidden in the closet. Today, she had to calculate the input and output after moving to Wuliqiao. It wasn’t an easy task. You Jin had been counting since the twenty-sixth day of December. It should be finished today.
The time spent burying her head in the calculations always passed very quickly. You Jin felt that she had only done the calculations for a while when a knock on the door sounded from outside: "Miss, lunch is ready."
She went out again for lunch. Then You Jin came back to continue her business of settling the accounts. Finally all the accounts were straightened before dinner.
Early the next morning, Mrs. Zhao took He Xiao Ning to the west of the river with half a basket of sesame dumplings.
Walking on the way out of the village, the woman sitting and chatting on the side of the road saw her carrying a basket to the west of the river. They couldn't help curling their lips and whispered: "How shameful. As Lizheng's wife she rushing to flatter outsiders!"
After all, everyone in the village can see how prosperous He Family's breakfast shop was. It would be a lie to say that they weren’t jealous or envious. These gossipers only dare to wag their tongues in private. With Mrs. Zhao's lively temperament, it was possible for her to tear their mouths apart if they said this in front of her.
Ever since their snack shop was opened, You Jin hadn't slept in for a long time. She slept deeply all night and didn't get up from the warm kang until the sun had climbed to the top of the eastern mountain after the snowy weather cleared.
"Eldest Miss is up. The congee is still warm on the stove!" □□ came out of the kitchen and saw You Jin standing in the porch in outer clothes. She merrily spoke: "Let me get some hot water for Eldest Miss first."
After that, she went back to the kitchen.
Now Su Family had the addition of six young teen girls and Yu Lan, all Su Family’s little girls were freed from housework. Now there were many people in Su’s house, You Yin three sisters in the West Wing had moved to the main room to live with Mrs. Su Family. The upper and lower rooms of the West Wing were lived in by Yu Lan and six teen girls. Although it was a bit crowded, it was barely passable.
Looking at the small farmyard after the snow fall stopped, You Jin comfortably sighed. Such days were really comfortable.
"Eldest Sister, come and have some breakfast!" You Zhu's voice sounded from the kitchen. Although the division of master and servant in Su Family was becoming more and more obvious, three meals a day were the same despite eating at separate tables.
The mushy round-grained rice congee paired with the sour garlic sprouts that You Jin personally pickled in summer. It was very appetizing. After finishing a bowl of steaming round-grained rice congee and a three-grain pancake, You Jin put down the bowl in her hands in satisfaction. Just as she was about to go back to her room to settle all the accounts for this year, she heard Mrs. Zhao's joyful voice outside: "Su Family’s wife, you look better now!"
Mrs. Su held little Eighth who was already falling down a little bit and smilingly brought Zhao mother and daughter into the main room. You Jin who came out of the kitchen followed.
"Your family's house is really well furnished now!" Mrs. Zhao looked around Su Family’s main room. Although there was nothing expensive, there were thick quilts, a well-heated kang, and delicate snacks placed on the table. There was also an unfamiliar little girl who brought tea. All these were saying that Su Family had made a big step forward in their current family situation.
You Jin smiled and sat behind Mrs. Su. She reached out to take little Eighth who had outstretched her hands to hug her. Mrs. Su handed the child over before looking back at Mrs. Zhao, "Thanks to your family's care, we were able to take root in Wuliqiao."
He Xiao Ning was already huddled together with You Bao sister and sat on the side eating snacks as they chatted in a low voice. Seeing Mrs. Su being so polite, Mrs. Zhao exclaimed "How is it us taking care of your family? I say it’s because of your family, we can set up a breakfast stand and earn some money!”
After finishing speaking, she roughly said what she discussed with He Hao last night. Then she looked at You Jin: “You Jin, Auntie knows you are kind, but this is business. We can't occupy your place for nothing, right?"
Mr. Su had never interfered in matters involving business. You Jin, who was playing with little Eighth in the back, thought for a while before saying: "Since Auntie opened mouth, I will accept it from now on. How about fifty wen a month?"
Mrs. Zhao didn’t expect that she would offer such a low price. Although she could save a lot of money by doing this, Mrs. Zhao had never been one to take advantage of others. She bared the pain and said: "You Jin, this way it will be us taking advantage of your family!"
"Don't worry, Auntie. I never do business that loses money. Auntie, it's not easy for you to get up early and stay late every day. Small business is to earn a living, right?" If the family wants to take root in Wuliqiao, they need the support of He Family. This deal wasn’t a loss.
Seeing that she put it that way, Mrs. Zhao also accepted her kindness. She lifted the cloth covering the basket she was carrying: "This sesame dumpling is a food that we can use to worship our ancestors and gods during the New Year. I was thinking you didn’t know this since this is the first year you came here. Although it’s not much money, it’s still some of our thoughts.”
Hearing what she said, Mrs. Su accepted it: "Then thank you Sister-in-law."
The three of them talked for a long time. Mrs. Zhao found a reason to send You Jin out before telling Mrs. Su that she wanted to connect with Su Family through marriage: "Your You Jin is thirteen at the beginning of the year, right? She’s a big girl now. It’s about time to start paying attention to others, right?”
Speaking of this, Mrs. Su sighed: "I want to pay attention, but we are newcomers. We aren’t familiar with anyone. How can we keep an eye out?"
"My eldest son is sixteen years old and currently studying in Luohe Prefecture. He is already a Tongsheng! I am also worried about his marriage! But his father said that now is the time to study. Better discuss it two years later!" Mrs. Zhao directly hinted to Mrs. Su that her family had an elder son who was considered to be of the right age and had a very good condition.
Mrs. Su was a smart person. Hearing what Mrs. Zhao said, she knew in her heart that Mrs. Zhao had her eyes on her eldest daughter. Mrs. Su was naturally satisfied with a family like Mrs. Zhao’s. Although she hadn't seen Mrs. Zhao’s eldest son, she had heard the women in Wuliqiao mentioned it. He was indeed a talented young man: "Your eldest son is such a good young man. Why do you need to worry? If my Kang-er has such a future in the future, then I can rest in peace!" The words conveyed her liking toward He Xuan Hai.
The man had affection, the female was interested. So the two chatted for a while before Mrs. Zhao dragged the stuffed full He Xiao Ning toward the east side of the river with a grin, The sesame dumpling in the basket had been replaced by Mrs. Su's melon seeds and two packs of snacks.
After seeing Mrs. Zhao off, You Jin carried little Eighth back to the main room. After being put on the kang, Younger Sister played on the kang Kang-er. She asked, "Mother, what were you talking about with Auntie Zhao? And I can’t even hear it?”
Under her daughter's bright eyes, Mrs. Su felt a little guilty for some reason. She dodged: "It's nothing. Just gossip for a while."
"Really?" You Jin looked at Mrs. Su's eyes wandering around. Her words were full of doubts. Since Mrs. Su refused to say anything, she didn't ask any more questions. She just said: "Just know what you are doing Mother. Don’t sell us out without telling me.”
"How can I possibly do that!" Mrs. Su guiltily laughed: "Whatever Mother does is for the good of you sisters. How can I possibly harm you?"
Mrs. Su knew that her eldest daughter had always been very intelligent and strong. But this was a major life-changing event. She can't be negligent. If news got leaked in advance and the two families don't get married, her daughter's reputation will be ruined in the future. Then it will harm You Jin's whole life.
Seeing her say this, You Jin stopped guessing. After all, Mrs. Su was right. No matter what she did, she wouldn’t harm herself and her younger sisters.
After coming out of the main room, You Jin went to the half-finished study in the lower room of the east wing. Yu Lan was teaching Su Family’s girls. Since the family situation improved, You Jin had bought a batch of the cheapest four treasures of the study back to practice calligraphy. Even You Luo can write her own name crookedly. It can be said to be very effective.
To call it a study room, it just had three old-fashioned square tables. Su Family’s girls were sitting in a circle, writing carefully under the guidance of Yu Lan.
"Your handwriting is getting better and better now. Compared with when you held the brush for the first time, it’s a difference between cloud and mud."
After seeing the big characters written by You Jin, Yu Lan nodded in relief. The handwriting can only be regarded as proper. However, it was much better than the handwriting that was previously written like a dog digging.
You Jin humbly smiled: "Teacher taught me well."
Although Yu Lan was sold as a slave, Su Family currently respected her as a teacher. She was only responsible for teaching the few children to read and write and helping Mrs. Su take care of the children. Yu Lan's life was going very well.
"One loses by pride and gains by modesty. Although there’s huge improvement in writing, don't be arrogant and conceited. Write three more sheets and you can leave." Yu Lan took out three new sheets of paper. The rough straw paper was very different from when she was reading and practicing calligraphy. Still, Yu Lan knew that this was the best that Su Family could afford at present.
To be honest, at the beginning when Yu Lan heard that You Jin wanted her to teach Su Family to read and write, she felt that Su Family had too much money and didn't know how to spend it. After all, it was seven girls studying together. They need pens and ink every day. That cost a lot. Girls can't take part in the examination. At first, Yu Lan thought that You Jin only wanted the girls to not be blind. But now it seem that You Jin wanted to raise the little Su Family’s girls as male!
"Yes." You Jin sat back in her original place, concentrated, and drew the outline stroke by stroke. Seeing how serious Eldest Sister was, the younger sisters also became serious and obediently practiced calligraphy.
After practicing calligraphy for half an hour and writing the last big character, You Jin let out a heavy sigh of relief: "Teacher, I have finished writing."
Yu Lan carefully checked before she nodded slightly: "Okay, let's stop here today. Go then."
She knew that You Jin had other things to do, so she didn't force her to stay.
After leaving the study, You Jin went back to the east wing room. After locking the door, she moved out the wooden box hidden in the closet. Today, she had to calculate the input and output after moving to Wuliqiao. It wasn’t an easy task. You Jin had been counting since the twenty-sixth day of December. It should be finished today.
The time spent burying her head in the calculations always passed very quickly. You Jin felt that she had only done the calculations for a while when a knock on the door sounded from outside: "Miss, lunch is ready."
She went out again for lunch. Then You Jin came back to continue her business of settling the accounts. Finally all the accounts were straightened before dinner.
Thank goodness there.s Yu Lan!
ReplyDeleteThe mum is so irritating. She takes 1 step forward and 10 steps back. You suffered in a marriage for 15 yrs. Why are you so eager to affiance your SUCCESSFUL daughter to a guy neither of you have met, WITHOUT her knowledge or consent? You really can't excuse such male identified women. Everyone in the family is adjusting their thinking except her.
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