Sun Shi’s face was filled with disappointment.
Her eldest sister-in-law had taken the cattails that her two daughters had painstakingly gathered, yet hadn’t given them a single copper coin.
If they couldn’t earn any money tomorrow, wouldn’t those eleven copper coins just vanish into thin air?
Thinking of this, Sun Shi suddenly paused.
If she were the one doing this cooking business, she definitely wouldn’t be willing to spend money to hire people to gather cattails. Her eldest sister-in-law must be earning more money than she imagined.
“Eldest Auntie bought snacks for Fourth Egg Brother…” Dong Hua licked her lips and said, “Eldest Auntie also bought a lot of fabric. Fourth Egg Brother will have new clothes to wear very soon…”
Buying meat and ducks, and also buying snacks and fabric—she must have earned at least over a hundred copper coins. A few months ago, her husband took a large bag to town and earned twenty coins in one day!
An idea sparked in Sun Shi’s heart. She slowly opened her mouth and said, “Da Shan’s wife is pregnant, so her body is inconvenient. The boys aren’t careful either. Eldest Sister-in-law must not have any free time doing all the cooking alone. Tomorrow, I’ll come and help Eldest Sister-in-law…”
As soon as she spoke, Old Madam Zhao knew what she was planning and angrily scolded, “Why is your vision so shallow? Instead of focusing on other people’s money, you should do your own work well… I see you’re truly idle. Tomorrow, you can go out to the fields and weed them all once…”
Sun Shi’s face turned pale.
The Zhao family hadn’t separated; the three households lived together. The rice fields alone covered more than twenty *mu*. Weeding them all once—wasn’t that asking for her life?
At the first hint of dawn, Sun Shi was called by the old madam to weed.
She walked out of the house, stood on the edge of the field, and saw Zhao Da’s ox cart arrive at the village entrance. Immediately afterward, Cheng Loanloan came out of the house with the four boys and got onto the ox cart.
Sun Shi stood on the edge of the field, her heart tightening, and walked towards the end of the village.
Only Wu Huiniang was in the courtyard.
Today, all four boys in the house had gone with Cheng Loanloan to Hekou Town to sell ice. Wu Huiniang was sitting in the main courtyard, cutting fabric.
After she finished cutting a piece of fabric, she twisted her body uncomfortably, her face slightly flushed.
Last night, after midnight, her mother-in-law suddenly called her out, then handed her two palm-sized pieces of cloth, telling her to wear them often, saying they could prevent women’s ailments.
She didn’t know what women’s ailments were, but she knew she had to obey her mother-in-law, so she still wore them.
After putting them on, it was indeed a bit more comfortable, but because she wasn’t used to them, she couldn’t help but twist and turn, constantly adjusting her sitting posture.
“Quack quack!”
“Caw caw!”
The chickens and ducks in the courtyard suddenly cried out in alarm.
Wu Huiniang quickly put down her work, stood up, and went outside, only to see Sun Shi pushing open the courtyard door and entering.
She went out and opened the courtyard door: “Third Auntie, why are you here?”
Sun Shi walked in, her eyes scanning around. First, she silently counted how many ducklings there were, then she walked directly into the main courtyard. With one glance, she saw a purple hand-woven fabric placed on the table.
She smiled, but without warmth: “Da Shan’s wife is cutting fabric to make clothes?”
Wu Huiniang generously said, "The clothes Da Shan is wearing were left behind by my father-in-law when he was alive. They haven't been replaced in years. My mother-in-law was concerned and told me to make a new set for Da Shan."
"These must be the lantern grass that Chun Hua and Dong Hua brought last night, right?" Madam Sun saw a basket of lantern grass placed in a corner of the main house. She casually walked over and picked one up. "You know, this is really strange. The lantern grass doesn't look impressive at all, so how can it make such delicious and beautiful ice jelly? Da Shan's wife, why don't you teach your third aunt?"