EBE Chapter 148 Food Expenses
Chapter 148 Food Expenses
Chen and others saw that he came back empty-handed, and his dress did not look like that of a hunter, and he did not have any tools. They realized that as Li said, he could set traps and occasionally succeed, so they did not think any more about it.
He thought he knew what was on the two carts, and when he saw Xu, who was standing there in a daze and unable to take care of anything, he felt even more sympathy for this family. They were all children, and the burden of the family was on the shoulders of a woman like Li. He would help as much as he could in the future.
After sending them away, they were the only ones left. Even Zhou Guo breathed a sigh of relief. The villagers were really so warm and welcoming.
It was already late, the house had been cleaned, the grass in the yard had been cleared, and only some areas around the house were left to be cleaned, which would have to wait until tomorrow.
Zhou Dacang and his nephews began to prepare the place to sleep at night. The kang mat had been swept and wiped. They took knives and cut some grass from outside before it got completely dark. They spread the grass thickly on the bed, and the place to sleep was ready.
There are no quilts, but luckily the weather is not cold, so we can get through the night without quilts by just huddling together.
Li took Zhou Xing to start cooking dinner.
On the first day, with countless people watching secretly, Zhou Guo took out the distributed food and opened it. There was everything in it, rice, wheat, and various beans, all mixed together. It turned out that this was what the relief food was like.
She scooped out a bowl and said, "Mom, sister, let's eat this tonight. Make it thin."
The two nodded, "Okay, we haven't dug any wild vegetables yet, just pick out a few pine mushrooms and throw them in to cook together."
The whole family sat on the ground in the yard, drinking porridge and eating by the light of the fire.
Although they sat in the open air just like when they were on the road, their home was right behind them and they didn't have to be on the road anymore, which made them feel particularly at ease.
Li pondered and said, "Tomorrow we will divide the land. We will all go. After the land is divided, we have to repair the house. This house cannot be lived in. I think we have just arrived and it is not suitable for us to do big work. Let's repair this house first and live in it. We can talk about it after this period of time is over. What do you think?"
She saw that the villagers were not rich, and if they renovated their houses as soon as they arrived, it would attract attention.
Zhou Dacang nodded and said, "I think it's okay. That's what I mean. They say that you should eat meat while it's still in the bowl. We just got here and we are completely in the dark. We don't know anything. After all, people's hearts are hidden in their stomachs. It's better to be careful about some things."
Zhou Mai and the others didn't say anything. They had experienced everything they should have experienced on the road, as well as things they shouldn't have experienced. They knew this truth.
Zhou Guo said, "Before the house is repaired, we have to go to the county town to buy some household items. There is nothing in the house. Autumn is coming soon. We need to prepare quilts and thick clothes. We can make do with the rest if we can."
The old man slurped his porridge, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of money, which he placed in front of Li, and said simply, "This is my food money."
Everyone looked over and saw that the purse was bulging. It was obvious that it was full of silver, and it seemed like a lot of money.
Li quickly returned the purse, "No, no, how can I take your money? You are our Guoguo's master. There are so many children in the family, although only Guoguo has become your disciple. But seriously speaking, you have taught all of them, and they are all your masters. I didn't even give you a penny as a disciple gift, so how can I take your money? Take it back."
Zhou Guo leaned forward and took the purse in his hand and weighed it. It was not light. "Master, have you forgotten that you are our master, Mr. Wuxue, and we have to pay you tuition. We can't learn from you for nothing."
Yes, Li and others then remembered that although the old man was Zhou Guo's master, he was also the teacher of the children in the family. He was so old and was hindered by the children. They couldn't not give him a penny, otherwise how would the old man make money? He couldn't just live off his family's wealth.
"Look at me, I don't think about things. Guoguo is right, old man. We have to give you a salary. From now on, we will give you one or two taels of silver as a salary. There is nothing we can do about the situation at home. We will increase the amount when the situation gets better in the future." Li said so, but she did not have any hope that the family's situation would get better. There were so many children in the family, and they were growing up one after another.
Marriages are happening one after another, and we have to find wives for them, so we have to have the money ready.
This is also the time when children have big appetites. It is said that teenagers can eat their parents out of money, and the little ones simply cannot eat enough, so she has to ensure that every child is full.
She also has to pay taxes, and the annual tax is a huge amount. With this calculation, Li is half disappointed. In previous years, the grandparents made decisions at home, but now she doesn't even have anyone to discuss things with, and her sister-in-law is like this, so she has to deal with everything by herself.
"Let's talk about this later. Isn't our family in financial difficulty now? Just take this money. It will be the same if you give it to us later when we have more money." The old man waved his hands. He was not blind.
"No, no, no, old man, I must not accept this money. Besides, there is still some money at home. This money is enough to build a house and let the children get married. Our family is not poor now. It's just that we dare not spend this money. If you have money, you can keep it. We will definitely not accept it." Li was very determined.
Zhou Dacang, as the oldest man in the family, is also the elder of the family. Now he is the head of the family. He said flatly: "Sir, don't refuse. As a gentleman, you have to give us money. If others know about it, I don't know how they will poke us in the spine. There are so many people in our family, how can we not support you."
"That's right, Master. Even if you want to subsidize us, you have to wait until we have no money at all. Now that we have enough money and food, what kind of money can you give us?" Zhou Guo smiled, and the silent atmosphere suddenly relaxed. She stuffed the purse into his hand, "You can take this money yourself. It's much better to have money in your own hands than to have money as an apprentice. Hmm... you can buy me some snacks from time to time, buy me some candied haws or something like that. How nice."
"You are so shameless and you think well of yourself." The old man glanced at her casually and took the money.
Everybody burst into laughter.
After dinner, it was already dark.
The sky was full of twinkling stars, just like when we were fleeing, yet it seemed different.
Zhou Guo and his family packed up the dishes, fed the livestock, and moved the things into the house. Several large knives hidden under the boards were also moved back into the house, and the carts were unloaded and placed in the house. Although this house had no door or roof, it at least had four walls, which was better than leaving it outside where no one would know if it was stolen.