novelhk Chapter 535 Between making a living and saving face, making a living is of course more important.
Chapter 535 Between making a living and saving face, making a living is of course more important.
Actually, their family is related to Guo Cai's family by marriage!
The head of the household took pity on the two women, especially since she was pregnant.
Only then did they show extraordinary leniency and allow Shitou to work as payment for the debt.
Composting is certainly a dirty and smelly job for the wealthy, but it's not for them, the farmers.
Rather than calling it dirty or smelly work, it was more accurate to say that it gave their whole family a way to make a living.
Otherwise, given the circumstances at the time, their whole family would have starved to death sooner or later.
Sister-in-law Cai sighed softly. That Guo Caishi ruined a way out for Caijia Village; she really did a lot of harm.
Lin Chang'er smiled slightly, "Nowadays, almost all the able-bodied men in our village are working for me, so it's only a matter of time before we start recruiting workers from outside."
“You’ve just given birth, so you don’t need to think about all this. If you have the energy, why not use this time to learn to read and do arithmetic?”
"Let me put it this way, I don't hire women who have just given birth. They have to wait until their child is at least one year old."
"After the child turns one year old, if you can read and write and do accounting, then you can apply for easier jobs. Otherwise, you can only do manual labor."
“It will definitely be tough taking care of a child, but the hardship now is definitely worth it compared to the future support you will receive.”
Sister-in-law Cai nodded hurriedly, "I'm not afraid of hardship." Besides, what's so hard about teaching a child to read?
It's something others would beg for, but "it's just that, given my age and family circumstances, not only is it hard to find a teacher willing to teach me, but even if there were, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to afford the tuition."
Lin Chang'er waved her hand, "Our primary school has always had adult literacy classes."
"It's just that nowadays, the older women know quite a few characters, so there's less time for classes."
"But you can sit in on the children's classes first." Judging from what Sister Cai said, she had never been to school before, so she wouldn't feel pressured to be with the little kids.
"Really?" Sister Cai's eyes lit up.
Lin Chang'er nodded, "I have no reason to lie to you. But there are still two months until the New Year, so the primary school will close a month early. Once you're out of confinement, the primary school will also be on holiday."
"Why don't you just wait until next year when school starts and go to the primary school to study with the kids?"
"However, the little girl is still too young and cannot be separated from her mother, but she cannot be taken to the classroom either. It may be necessary for Aunt Cai to come along and take care of the child."
"I will discuss this properly with my mother and the child's father. Boss, I'll say it again: I'm not good with words, but I will remember your kindness."
The two talked for a while longer, and then Aunt Cai finished preparing the meal.
The Cai family usually consists of only three people, but today there were suddenly so many more people.
Not to mention the tables and chairs, even the plates and bowls were borrowed from the neighbors.
But these days, every family has its ups and downs.
So we had to borrow from several households to finally get the money.
Before they even started eating, half the village already knew that Cai Shitou's family was having guests over for dinner.
It is said that the newborn gift from the guest was a piglet.
Although piglets are valuable, feeding them can cost a lot of money.
Many people saw Cai Shitou carrying a basket, going from house to house borrowing grain and eggs.
The chimney of Cai Shitou's house had been emitting smoke for a long time. It is said that Cai's mother-in-law slaughtered all the old hens that were laying eggs because the neighbors smelled the aroma of chicken soup.
There were other very fresh flavors as well; it seems the Cai family really pulled out all the stops for this lunch.
Many families in Linshui Village used to skip lunch, but they started eating three meals a day on time after they became better off.
Of course, this is all thanks to the affordable food in the cafeteria.
However, Caijia Village doesn't have someone like Lin Chang'er who is willing to get rich first and then help others get rich, so Caijia Village basically still only has two meals a day.
People skip lunch and sit under the big camphor tree at the village entrance to chat and gossip.
"Do you think Cai Shitou's family has gone mad? They emptied their savings in one meal. How are they going to manage after that?"
"That's right. Although they did send a piglet, it's not old enough to be sold yet, is it?"
"To be honest, that distinguished guest had no sense of propriety. He could see right through Cai Shitou's family situation at a glance. How could he possibly offer them a meal?"
Who wouldn't envy a little piglet? But it's impossible to admit it, so people who talk about it are sour-tongued; they just can't stand seeing others do well.
They couldn't stand seeing Cai Shitou's family doing well, nor could they stand seeing the people who gave them gifts doing well.
Someone else said, "Did you see when that distinguished guest came? He brought a whole bunch of little kids! The kids are at the age when they're growing. This isn't about bringing gifts or doing favors; it's clearly about them not wanting Cai Shitou's family to make a living."
"Hey, that's not right. They're honored guests, and they came in a carriage. Do you think they're shortchanged Cai Shitou's family by a meal? I think you're just sour grapes."
"Who says the grapes are sour? I think you are! You went to a private school for a few days to do odd jobs and now you think you're a cultured person? Bah! You should take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror. Do you even have the life to back it up?"
The person who had spoken earlier blushed and said, "You... I'm just asking you, if someone sent you piglets, would you accept them?"
"How could we not buy it!" the man replied. "Once they're grown up, they can be sold for a lot of money!" Pig feed doesn't cost money, and the young boys and girls in the family can easily gather it by carrying baskets on their backs and walking up the mountain.
Which family wouldn't want to raise pigs? It's a great deal—you can sell them for money and eat meat at the same time! The problem is, we can't afford piglets!
The person who spoke first sneered, "That settles it, you're just jealous."
"What does my jealousy have to do with you? Why do you have to be such a nice guy? What, if you say nice things to someone, do you think they'll give you a piglet? Why do you have to be so kind?"
The person who had spoken earlier shook his head at the newcomer, saying, "Shallow-eyed idiot."
Everyone knows that Cai Shitou turned misfortune into blessing, and he even brought along a few men he got along well with to get a long-term job in Linshui Village, although he only earned twenty or thirty coins a day.
But they even provide food!
If he was not mistaken, the distinguished guest who came today should be the Lin family, the big boss from Linshui Village.
He wasn't entirely without ulterior motives, of course, but he didn't really want the piglet. He just wanted to talk to Stone about it and ask if they needed someone else over there, so they could take him along.
Between making a living and maintaining one's reputation, making a living is of course more important.
Even if it doesn't work out, there's no need to offend a powerful person. There's plenty of time; what if another opportunity arises? You can't just dig a hole for yourself first...