During the day, some children would bring in lantern grass, and Wu Huiniang was responsible for receiving it and calculating the payment at home.
Just during the day, eighteen catties of lantern grass were collected. Aside from cutting fabric to make clothes, Wu Huiniang spent her time peeling the seeds of the *shihua* plant. This didn't require any skill, just patience, but it was very time-consuming and caused back pain from sitting still. Wu Huiniang peeled over two catties by herself during the day.
Cheng Loanloan boiled a large pot of hot water, placed it outside to cool in the wind, and then used the cooled water to soak the *shihua* seeds.
While they were soaking, she continued to boil water. Making *shibing* required a lot of boiled water, which was why one catty of *shihua* seeds could produce over a hundred bowls of *shibing*.
Zhao Sanniu was chopping firewood in the courtyard. The freshly cut firewood was mostly used for boiling water, so he picked up his axe and went up the mountain to chop more.
Zhao Ergou carried water buckets and followed him up the mountain to fetch water. This task required a great deal of water.
After the *shihua* seeds had finished soaking, Zhao Dashan sat before a large wooden basin, continuously rubbing them with his hands, washing away the acidic but congealing outer layer of the *shihua* seeds that dissolved into the water.
After Cheng Loanloan finished boiling the water, the next step was filtering. The rubbed *shibing* would contain small bits of *shihua* seeds, which affected both aesthetics and taste, so they absolutely had to be filtered out.
All the wooden basins in the house were occupied. She called Zhao Sidan, who was cleaning duck droppings outside, "Go to your paternal grandmother's house and borrow four wooden buckets and two wooden basins. Also, take two *wen* for your elder sister, Xia Hua."
Today, Xia Hua was responsible for feeding all the chickens and ducks at home, and this money had to be paid clearly on the same day.
Zhao Sidan, holding the two *wen* coins, quickly ran towards the old Zhao family compound. At this time, the sun had not yet fully set, it was still bright outside, and there was a slight chill in the early evening. The members of the old Zhao family were all sitting in the courtyard, either chopping firewood, washing clothes, sewing, repairing farm tools, or picking wild vegetables. The household chores made for a lively scene.
"Sidan, why are you here?" Old Madam Zhao was the first to see him. "What's the rush? Your forehead is covered in sweat. Come quickly and drink some water."
Zhao Sidan took two *wen* coins from his sleeve. "Mother said I should bring the payment to Elder Sister Xia Hua."
Two *wen* coins. Old Madam Zhao took one *wen*, and the remaining *wen* was given to Xia Hua.
Xia Hua took the money, then turned and gave it to her mother, Madam Wen. Madam Wen put it into her own pocket, laughing heartily as she said, "Xia Hua, your mother will save this one *wen* for your dowry. Tomorrow, remember to dig more wild grass for your paternal aunt to feed the chickens and ducks."
Xia Hua nodded. "Mother, I understand."
Seeing this scene, Madam Sun felt a bit jealous. Although it was only one *wen*, it was still money, and it should have belonged to their third branch.
She said with a hint of bitterness, "Elder Sister-in-law is truly generous. It seems she's really earning a lot of money, unlike us. We dig all day and don't even earn one *wen*."
Old Madam Zhao got angry as soon as she heard her daughter-in-law speak. She had secretly beaten this third daughter-in-law countless times, but she showed no improvement.
The old madam ignored Madam Sun and turned to say, "Sidan, is there anything else?"
Zhao Sidan nodded. "Mother said to ask me to borrow four wooden buckets and two wooden basins."
In the past, Old Madam Zhao would absolutely not have lent these items, mainly because she was afraid her eldest daughter-in-law would damage them.
But during this time, the eldest daughter-in-law brought food to the old house every five days, and her demeanor was much more agreeable than before. Lending her a few things was no big deal.
Old Madam Zhao spoke up, "Da Wang, Er Wang, help Si Dan carry the wooden basin back."