Chapter 67: Arrangement
Zhaodi stayed behind to settle Fang Shi and her daughter and Yingdi and her husband, while Yaoguang and Jing went next door to tally the flower materials.
Aunt Li saw Yaoguang examining so carefully and nervously asked: “Yaoguang girl, is this okay like this?”
Yaoguang looked at a few baskets and said with a smile: “Auntie does things, of course it’s excellent. Is this all there is in total? Is there more later?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Fang Shi said from the side, “My mother was worried it wouldn’t meet your requirements, so she insisted on showing it to you first before accepting it. If you say it’s okay, we’ll call out and they’ll bring the rest over right away.”
“Then you accept them first. We’ll go back to tidy up and clear out a space to place these flower petals.”
Yaoguang and Jing went home and talked about the quantity of those flower petals. Looking at their own narrow space at home already crammed full of people, now only the kitchen and outhouse had no one living there, there simply was no place to put those flower petals.
“I have an idea, not sure if it will work.” Zhaodi said, “Our home is too small. We can barely squeeze in people to live, but there’s no room to work. We have some spare money on hand now, so why not go to the village chief and rent that old house by the riverside for a month. That old house is a bit rundown, but after tidying it up, it can be used. We can come back here for meals and lodging, and use that house to process the things.”
“Does the house have rooms for sleeping?” Wang Xiucai asked.
“That house originally housed a family of seven, with a total of three rooms. Later that family prospered and left the house empty. There are rooms, but the furniture and everything inside is completely ruined and unusable.”
“No relationship, anyway it’s just temporary for twenty days, not long. As long as there’s a place to stay it’s fine. Madam and I will stay there. This has two benefits: first, you won’t have to squeeze, second, someone will be guarding it to prevent people from sneaking peeks and prying.” Wang Xiucai said this long string and then started coughing again. “It’s close to the water source there, convenient for washing things. Besides, with so many of us squeezed together, even if only twenty days, it’s still not great in the end. Since we’re renting the house, let’s make full use of it and not waste it.”
“Brother-in-law’s brain is the sharpest.” Zhaodi said, “I only thought of renting the house for business, how didn’t I think it could also house people? This way we won’t have to squeeze. Daughter, in a bit I’ll go find the village chief. You go to the village and find a few people to help clean. We need to get that place tidied up in the shortest time possible, no more delays.”
“Jing’er, you go find Doctor Lin, ask him how the medicinal herbs matter is arranged. If the other side says they’ve already made contact, give him the list of medicinal herbs you need and ask him to help procure them. Once he procures the medicinal herbs we need, give him a hardship fee. That way the medicinal herbs side will have someone responsible, no need to worry about that matter anymore.”
“What about us? What do we need to do?” Pandi asked.
“You first prepare the ingredients. Tonight we’ll have a reunion meal and have some fun.” Zhaodi said, “Little sister, you take your man to rest.”
Pandi and her daughter and Yingdi and her husband saw they couldn’t help and felt a bit uneasy.
Yaoguang noticed their expressions and said: “Second aunt, maternal aunt, maternal uncle, cherish this leisure now. Starting tomorrow it’ll be busy.”
Hearing her words, several people laughed.
Zhaodi went to find the village chief to rent the house, and the village chief was very straightforward, only charging her fifty copper coins.
Coming out from the village chief, Zhaodi went to find Carpenter Li again. She had Carpenter Li first make four sturdy large beds, then ordered one large bathtub, one large table, and several stools, followed by three cabinets. Those three cabinets were for her, Yaoguang and Jing, and Wangshu respectively.
Yaoguang saw Zhaodi had finished her matters there and immediately invited several diligent women from the village to the old house to clean, then found several sturdy villagers there to build a high wall.
Zhaodi asked: “Daughter, building a wall costs money again. We’re only staying a month, no need to spend so much money. We can make beds and take them away, but the wall can’t be moved.”
“Maternal uncle’s words reminded me.” Yaoguang said, “We need to rush twenty days of work, won’t the village people inquire? Rather than spend time dealing with them, better to spend some money to build a high wall to block them out and cut off their prying. No matter, compared to the big order coming up, this money is nothing.”
Building the wall hired ten people in total, couldn’t finish today, only complete the next day. Yaoguang agreed with them to pay after building, fifteen copper coins each.
The cleaners were five people, ten copper coins each, settled on the spot after cleaning that day. Those women were especially happy and told Yaoguang to call them again if there was work. In village life, besides pooling some eggs to sell for money, there were normally no opportunities to earn money. Now they earned money just cleaning, it felt so novel.
Today they couldn’t make goods. Just these preparations exhausted them. From morning to evening, a whole day without stopping, but the rush work progress was zero.
Of course, preparing the early flower materials and medicinal herbs and such was necessary for smooth progress later. Also, the porcelain vases they ordered before needed to be picked up.
At night, several families gathered together, with eight dishes and one soup on the table. These meals were all made by Pandi and Chunni.
“Not sure if it suits your tastes, try it. If it’s not good, I’ll improve next time.” Pandi said cautiously.
“Improve what improve, having food to eat is good enough, whoever dares to complain I’ll beat them.” Zhaodi waved her fist, threatening Yaoguang.
Yaoguang knew this was for show to others, also to state her attitude, to let Pandi relax and not be so tense.
Yaoguang quickly begged for mercy: “I wouldn’t dare! Cooking is so tiring. Second aunt and cousin made the meals, we eat ready-made, we’re grateful and that’s not enough!”
Yingdi also said: “I’m the worst at cooking, second sister is much better than me.”
Pandi reddened her eyes and said with a smile: “As long as you don’t mind.”
Chunni also breathed a sigh of relief.
Though now at big aunt’s house, big aunt and cousin were so amiable, unlike grandma and second uncle and second aunt at home who scolded or beat them, she still worried about being disliked. If disliked and sent back home, she and her mother would continue their lives of being treated like oxen and horses.
How good it was here, meat to eat, money to earn, eating either fine noodles or white rice, such a life she had never seen since birth.
Pandi’s culinary skills were very good, clearly someone who cooked long-term. Everyone ate a bit first, then started talking about tomorrow’s matters.
“Before, we told that wicked old lady of old second we’d give wages to little second sister and Chunni, twenty copper coins each per day, actually it was to deliberately deceive them. You each fifty copper coins per day.” Zhaodi said, “Do you think it’s suitable? If not, we can negotiate.”
