“Da Shan, come filter the ice crystals.” Cheng Loan Loan swapped places with Zhao Da Shan. “No black impurities can be mixed in with the ice crystals. Be careful.”
Zhao Da Shan didn't want to, but he couldn't defy his mother's command.
Cheng Loan Loan’s hands went into the bucket of ice crystal seeds. At first, it felt cool, but after scrubbing for a while, a painful sensation began to spread through her palms.
She opened the store and searched for rubber gloves. A pair only cost five copper coins. Wearing these gloves to wash things should prevent her hands from getting hurt.
She picked up the wooden bucket and said with an indifferent expression, “It’s too hot here. I’ll go to the inner room to scrub.” Zhao Da Shan quickly lit a torch and followed. “Mother, why don’t you let me do it? I’m used to this…”
As soon as he put down the torch, Cheng Loan Loan chased him out.
She bought a pair of rubber gloves from the store, put them on, and continued scrubbing. Sure enough, the pain was gone, and she quickly scrubbed away.
After scrubbing this bucket clean, she went out, took the remaining half-jin into the inner room, and her hands mechanically began to scrub.
This was not an easy life. Even with the protection of gloves, her fingers were still very sore. Repeating the same motion over and over made her wrists ache, and sitting still also caused her lower back to hurt. After washing all the ice crystal seeds, Cheng Loan Loan’s back could no longer straighten.
She carried the wooden bucket out, and five pairs of dark eyes in the main hall watched her.
Zhao Da Shan was filled with self-reproach. “Mother, it’s because I’m useless.”
Zhao Er Gou spoke up. “From now on, this work cannot be left to one person. The three of us older ones will take turns, one jin per person. Our hands won’t get hurt.”
Zhao San Niu nodded. “Just leave this work to us. We can’t let Mother work so hard.”
Cheng Loan Loan’s heart was warmed.
Initially, she only saw her four sons as responsibilities and obligations, never expecting them to truly become family.
She would feel pain if her children were hurt, and the children would also be filial to her, their mother. However, this task of scrubbing ice crystal seeds, washing one jin a day, truly didn’t seem problematic, but after three or four consecutive days, her hands would definitely become raw and pale.
Rubber gloves were a product that did not exist in this era, and she had no way to openly take them out.
Three jin of ice crystal seeds a day, divided into at least six scrubbing sessions, all done by herself, she would become the first transmigrator in history to die from exhaustion.
If the market continued to expand in the future, the amount of ice crystal seeds to be scrubbed daily could increase to five or ten jin, and the workload would only grow.
Therefore, this work had to be outsourced.
But who to hire for the job, this was also something that needed careful consideration.
The six members of the family were busy until almost midnight, finally finishing the ice crystals needed for tomorrow. The six of them practically fell asleep as soon as they touched their beds.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
A bright red rooster flew onto the woodpile and crowed loudly, waking up the sleeping Da He Village.
Cheng Loan Loan lay in bed, not wanting to get up. Her arms were very sore, hurting with every movement. Her whole body felt like it was about to fall apart.
She glanced out the window. It was hazy, and still early. She could sleep a little longer.
She closed her eyes and continued to sleep until she heard voices outside the door. Only then did she get up and go out.
It turned out to be Xia Hua. On her back was a large basket filled with wild vegetables, and in her hand, she carried a smaller basket full of bitter lettuce. She set everything down in the courtyard, then took a piece of firewood to sit on and began chopping the wild vegetables. After chopping about half, she tossed it to the chickens and ducks nearby, then continued chopping.
Cheng Luanluan walked over. "Xia Hua, that's enough, that's enough. If you feed them any more, the chickens and ducks will be stuffed to death."
Xia Hua looked up and said, "Auntie, this half is for the chickens and ducks to eat this afternoon. I'll be done in a moment."
Cheng Luanluan sighed softly. Xia Hua was truly an honest child. She had only said to prepare food for the chickens and ducks, yet this child had woken up so early, gathered two meals' worth of wild vegetables. These two copper coins were well spent.
She definitely couldn't increase the payment, so she would leave some snacks for Xia Hua instead.