strictlysupreme Chapter 244 You Are Not Kind
Chapter 244 You Are Not Kind
The day he arrived in the village, the village chief, upon hearing that he had hired a teacher from the school, immediately asked the villagers for their opinions.
After obtaining everyone's unanimous agreement, the uninhabited house in the village was given to him.
As for Mo Niang, she lived in Wen Luozhi's house, where there happened to be one room left, though it wasn't as big as the others.
Unexpectedly, there was a learned old gentleman here, and the two of us had a very pleasant conversation about academic matters.
Therefore, the two of them have been spending the last few days together, discussing things almost all the time except for mealtimes and rest periods.
Mo Zhengfu wanted to go, but it was too late tonight. "Let's wait until dawn. I'll go find Mr. Xu as soon as it's light."
Xu Fengqing lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected. Mo Li said on Mo Zhengfu's behalf, "It's too late today, Master Xu. You should go back and get some rest. My grandfather will come to see you again tomorrow."
Xu Fengqing felt a little embarrassed. He had been so focused on the booklet that he had forgotten what time it was.
He glanced at Mo Zhengfu with a slight apology, then bowed and said, "Feng Qing was being presumptuous. Please forgive me, Mr. Mo."
Mo Zhengfu smiled and shook his head. Xu Fengqing was indeed a scholar, but he was too old. Otherwise, he would have advised him to take the exam again.
While Wen Luozhi was still dreaming, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. When she groggily got up, half of the villagers were already standing in the courtyard.
She splashed cold water on her face to wake herself up and took out the final list that had been selected yesterday.
After the village chief finished reading, sure enough, each family had one last person say that there was only one spot left.
Huang Cuihua, her eyes darting around in the crowd, pushed her way forward and loudly proclaimed, "Village Chief, Luo girl, please give us this last spot!"
The village chief glanced at her; there was still mud under her fingernails early in the morning—hadn't she washed them yesterday?
The rocks with their messy hair are still right in front of my eyes; just looking at them is enough.
He looked at the others, and although they all got up early, none of them did it like her.
When it comes to cooking, the first rule is cleanliness. Otherwise, if someone gets sick from the food you make, who will compensate you?
They all chose her eldest daughter-in-law, who was efficient, clean, hardworking, quiet, and didn't like to gossip.
Huang Cuihua looked at the two expectantly, thinking that her youngest son hadn't been included in the last shopping trip, so Wen Luozhi should make it up to them this time.
That's three taels of silver, enough for her youngest child to live on for a long time!
Most importantly, they also provide three meals a day!
The Wen family is like a wealthy landlord's house now, so the food will definitely be good, and she can bring food back for her little one again.
She was calculating away on her abacus with a clattering sound, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
The village chief neither nodded nor shook his head, and after a moment looked at Wen Luozhi, "Luo girl, is this the last spot?"
He frowned, at a loss for words. This amounted to one or two taels of silver a day, and now that every household had someone to give it to, it wasn't appropriate to give it to any one family.
"The village chief should ask Zhang Yun if he's willing to come," Wen Luozhi blurted out.
I heard that Zhang Yun has been helping out at the school lately, and others have mentioned it to her in a gossipy way.
The village chief and his wife are trying to set her up with Afu; the girl seems quite nice to them, even to an outsider like her.
When I saw her standing with Afu, I thought they were quite a good match.
If giving it to Shanquan Village isn't suitable, then give it to another village. I heard that her family there brings over quite a lot of vegetables every day.
The village chief was naturally pleased out of personal motives, but with so many people watching, he couldn't agree.
So, just as he was about to speak, Huang Cuihua interrupted him, "Luo girl! That's not fair of you!"
Her voice was shrill, and her face was full of resentment: "You give to people from other villages instead of the villagers, what are you thinking?!"
Wen Luozhi's lips curled into a mocking smile. She stood up, crossed her arms, and said sarcastically, "Village Chief Zhang's family sends over a lot of vegetables every day. Just these past few days, they've even brought over two of their old hens."
"During the days when Aunt Huang was cooking, all the things delivered were more than what other families could get in a day..."
She drawled out the last syllable, her tone indifferent, "Then, if Aunt Huang wants this last spot, I'll naturally consider it."
Huang Cuihua was furious. What did she mean by "consider it"? Why was it that she didn't consider it when she called that brat Zhang Yun over?
Isn't this clearly siding with outsiders and not with those inside?
With such a wealthy family, doesn't she know what this brat is so stingy about?!
It's just a little bit of food, why are you so fixated on her?
However, when she thought about how much it cost—three taels of silver—her rationality returned instantly.
His previously furious face softened into a smile, and his tone became gentle. "Little Luo, I'll have San'er deliver the vegetables to the school later."
"Just give me this spot..."
"Brother Afu, Zhang Yun should be here by now, right? Go and ask her if she'd like to come and work," Wen Luozhi shouted at Afu before Huang Cuihua could finish speaking.
Afu responded and ran outside. Huang Cuihua tried to call him back, but it was too late.
She was about to say something when she turned around and Wen Luozhi had already gone inside.
Wen Muchuan was still outside; before she could even open her mouth, he had already gone to feed the pigs.
"Come on, Cuihua, your eldest son's wife can earn three taels of silver in three days by herself, that's enough, that's enough."
"Yes, there's only one person per household here. If there are two people in your family, wouldn't that put Luo girl in a difficult position?"
The women said a few words before they left, but Huang Cuihua wouldn't listen. She spat at their backs several times as she walked behind them.
"Damn! They're all fools! Who would complain about having too much money!"
That brat is a traitor! She makes money for outsiders!
She also contributed to building the school! She cooked for several days straight!
Zhang Chunhua suddenly appeared out of nowhere, took her arm, and said, "What's there to be angry about, Cuihua? My family hasn't gotten a single penny yet!"
Speaking of which, she's quite clever. Didn't we agree last night that every household would have one?
The village chief actually screened her out directly, without any room for negotiation.
Huang Cuihua must be secretly delighted; how could she be as miserable as she is?
Upon hearing her words, Huang Cuihua looked at her with sympathy, and the two of them went on a tangent, saying bad things about Wen Luozhi, as if they were kindred spirits who had met too late.
When they parted ways, Huang Cuihua even took out a pancake from her pocket that she had for breakfast and gave her one, saying, "You came so early, Chunhua hasn't eaten yet, has she?"
"This pancake is still warm, let's eat it."
Zhang Chunhua feigned reluctance for a moment, but Huang Cuihua finally stuffed the pancake into her mouth, saying, "I'm leaving now, Sister Chunhua. Let's chat again sometime."
I'll talk bad about that family when I have time!
Zhang Chunhua took a bite of the pancake; it was fragrant, crispy, and oily, and there was even meat inside!
To be honest, she hadn't eaten meat for quite some time, and even though she had sold a piece of land and received a few taels of silver, she didn't dare to spend it lavishly.
My son is about to take the imperial examination, and we still don't have enough money!
She finished the meat pie in her hand in a few bites and headed home.
She was overjoyed to find several copper coins in a mouse hole at home a couple of days ago.
There are still quite a few mouse holes in the house, so she'll go and search them again. If she finds any copper coins, she'll go and buy some fatty meat to make pancakes!