It took a long time to unload the five-two wagons and several of the fellows were sweating on their foreheads.
Master Song and Song Lin wanted to help, and a few of them were so frightened that they stopped them in a panic, “The young master instructed us when we came not to let the two of you do it.”
In fact, Gu Yi’s original words were, “Don’t let the Song family do anything.”
Now that there were only the two of them, Master Song and Song Lin, they changed their words.
Seeing their look of panic, Elder Song and Song Lin had to retreat to the side. Seeing that they were almost done unloading, Elder Song went back inside, took out the box of good tea leaves and opened it, made five bowls of tea, took the basin and carried it outside.
Just as the fellows finished unloading, he said with a smile, “Let’s all have a cup of tea.”
The men were flattered and each took a bowl and thanked them again and again. After drinking, they turned around and drove the carriage out of the Song family village.
The Song family’s gate was then closed.
Grandma Song, Xu, Elder Song and Song Lin carefully prepared the ingredients needed to make the hotpot base according to the proportions Song Wangyue had given them.
Erma also took a small bench and sat beside Grandma Song, helping out as much as she could, and the little girl talked a lot more than when she arrived.
“Grandma, are these all the ingredients used in the workshop?”
“Yes, when these are sold for money, Grandma will buy Erma nice hairpins.”
Er Ya touched the hairpin flower on her head and said in a very understanding manner, “No, second aunt has already bought them for me, it’s better to save the money for brother Song Si to catch his exams in the capital.”
The crowd was amused by the children’s words.
Xu teased her, “Yo, our Er Ya still knows that Song Si’s brother is going to the capital to catch his exams?”
“I know a lot, I also know that Song Shen will be in charge of the workshop from now on, but Song Shen’s brother is very stupid, I secretly saw Song Si’s brother knock him on the head the other day.”
The crowd laughed again.
Erma didn’t know what they were laughing at, but she laughed along with them, and her little face, which had grown some flesh, showed two pretty dimples, which were very pretty.
Three days later, two carriages arrived, still parked in front of the Song family’s entrance, carrying all the hotpot bases made in the past few days onto them and covering them with tarpaulins.
Song Ming’s eyes went straight as he watched.
He had heard Huang Si say that one piece of hotpot base could sell for at least ten taels of silver, so these two large carts must have sold several thousand taels. It had only been three days, which meant that the workshop was earning more than a thousand taels a day.
Song Ming couldn’t sit still, and walked back and forth in the courtyard, polishing the ground before he turned around and walked into the house.
“Mother, it’s almost dark, you go and cook.”
“What?”
Song Gua’s eyes widened in disbelief at what she was hearing.
“I said for you to go to the workshop, she’s quite tired after a long day’s work.”
Song Gua’s jumped up with an owl, “What did you say, say it again?”
She hadn’t cooked since Song Ming’s daughter-in-law entered the house. What, that sweeper earns such a few dako a day and wants to crush her under her ass now?
Song Ming couldn’t tell her about his and Huang Si’s hotpot base calculations, fearing that if she accidentally let slip their calculations would go down the drain.
“If you’re told to go, you go. Here’s the deal: I’ll give you ten yuan for a meal you cook.”
“Don’t coax me, I tell you, even if I don’t cook, that sweeper has to pay me half of the money he earns, if you dare to share me less, see how I will give you a hard time.”
“Here you are, all of it, as long as you go and cook.”
“Really?”
Song Gua’s foxed.
“Of course it’s true.”
“That’s what you said.”
Song Gua’s headed out the door, stopping after two steps to turn back, “I can give you a deal, I’ll only make one meal a day.”
Just one meal, the b*tch hadn’t enjoyed such treatment since she married in, she would be moved to death.
“Okay, okay, okay, one meal, just one meal, you go and do it quickly, the workshop will be finished soon.”
Song Gua’s heart was very uncomfortable when she saw how he was thinking of his daughter-in-law. But she put up with it for the sake of the ten-penny bill. It was just a meal, boiling water, stirring in cornmeal, warming up a few nests and cutting up some pickles.
As it was getting dark, the workshop finished its work and the women were happy to leave.
Song Wangyue said today that from now on they would work at the same time, four hours a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, after which they would be counted as overtime and paid separately.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was the last to go, as she always did, and the women were used to it, laughing and joking as they went back to their homes.
“Mother.”
Erma had been waiting at the door for a long time, and when she saw Song Ming’s daughter-in-law come out, she jumped into her arms.
Since the first day the workshop had opened, Song Ming’s daughter-in-law had told her that she was not allowed to come over during work hours.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law smiled and stroked her head, “Mother is going back to cook, you go back too, don’t let the family worry.”
“Okay.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law led Erma by the hand and took her to the door, watching her go in before turning around and hurrying home.
She had just walked back into the courtyard and wanted to go to the kitchen when Song Ming came out of the house, “You’re back, you’re tired, aren’t you? Mother has already made dinner, you can rest for a while, we’ll eat right away.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was so frightened that she stared straight at him, not even daring to move.
“Stinking b*tch! Don’t know what’s good for you.”
Song Ming cursed in his heart, but squeezed a smile on his face, “What’s wrong, tired and silly.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was shocked by his smile, “You, you, you, I, I, I ……”
Song Gua’s face was drawn as she came out of the house, she almost burned her hand when she burned the fire just now, and she was still holding some fire in her heart.
“You what you, can’t hear human words ah? The first thing you need to do is to get the best out of your life.
“Mother ……”
Song Ming shouted helplessly, he was about to move someone, but his mother had ruined it with three or two words.
“Married daughter-in-law forget mother thing, you still have the face to call me mother.”
Song Gua’s face was not the same as her nose to him, regretting that she had promised him to cook one meal a day. She was the head of the family, and all the money this sweeper earned should go to her.
When she finished, she saw that Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was still standing, she became even more angry, “What are you still doing? Go and serve the rice in the house!”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law walked into the kitchen in a panic and rubbed her eyes in disbelief when she saw that there was really hot air coming from the stove.
Song Ming was reluctant to enter the small kitchen and went to the door, “Mother is like this, she is a knife’s mouth and a bean curd’s heart, so don’t worry about it. From now on, she will cook a meal every day, so you can take a break. Here, you serve the rice and I’ll clear the table.”
Only after he had left did Song Ming’s daughter-in-law dare to move, lift the lid of the pot and freeze when she saw the corn porridge in the pot.
“You’ve died in the kitchen!”
Came Song Gua’s disgruntled shout.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law scrambled to get three bowls and put them on the stove top, serving one bowl first and carrying it into the hall.
