Chapter 298

The first meal the workers had after starting work brought tears to their eyes.

They had never eaten so much rice at home before, nor had they ever enjoyed such hearty meat dishes and eggs.

The pork fat scraps were so fragrant, and the eggs in the soup were plentiful and silky. Shuiqing said this was their work meal, guaranteed as long as they showed up for work.

In the past, they never rested at home; during busy farming seasons, they worked from dawn to dusk, and during idle times, they were just as busy inside and outside the house all day long. But never before had their work felt so fulfilling and satisfying!

They realized how good it felt to earn money through their work. No longer feeling useless, they were so happy to be able to eat because of their own hard work that they felt joyous and uplifted!

Originally, they worked at the medicinal herb factory just to earn money. But after that meal, upgrading to the herb workshop became their backbone. Medicinal herbs became the most important thing in their hearts!

Around noon, the men who had gone out to transport bricks and tiles returned. Over thirty vehicles, each loaded to the brim, brought bricks and tiles to the herb workshop to be unloaded and stacked.

After returning home for lunch, they all set off again with empty carts.

Shuiqing felt that the men in the village were becoming increasingly industrious, and she wasn’t quite used to it!

She sat on the railing of the covered corridor and chatted casually with Wu Auntie, Xu Ting, and Qin Yilin, who were busy scrubbing: “I remember last time we could only make one trip in a day. How come this time we brought back so many bricks and tiles by noon? After having lunch, they actually rushed back and made two trips in a day.”

Bricks and tiles are heavy, and making fewer trips isn’t profitable. That’s why the strongest men in the village went, but even for them, making two trips a day was quite a challenge.

You should know that these men had just finished planting potatoes, and after the houses were built, there was still winter wheat waiting. In between, they occasionally went to the prefecture to sell rabbits. They basically had no rest before mid-October.

The intensity and density of this work, she couldn’t bear to watch!

It’s too much.

Wu Auntie was in charge of the rough washing part. Her hands didn’t stop moving as she skillfully removed the soft mud chunks. She also didn’t hesitate to respond: “Hey, they exchanged work with donkeys. Donkeys worked hard and didn’t slack off. Shouldn’t they also work hard? Otherwise, won’t they be outdone by donkeys?”

Donkeys are so useful that everyone was planning to borrow them for plowing next year. If you want others to lend you things, you have to reciprocate. If they don’t work hard, Shuiqing’s family will be the ones losing out if they can’t borrow next year!

Most importantly, it’s embarrassing. Every action brings honor or shame to the family. If they are the only ones not lending, they won’t be able to hold their heads up in the village.

Fan Xiang, the youngest daughter of Uncle Fan, spoke with pure sincerity: “I heard my dad instructing my brothers to work hard and not slack off, saying that once the herb workshop is built, we can build a schoolhouse. When the schoolhouse is built, my nephews and nieces will all learn to read and do math. Even if they can’t become accountants, being literate and numerate is always good.

My brothers have been working hard. Even my unmarried sixth brother is so excited, he wishes they could finish it overnight!”

The sixth brother said that although he hasn’t married yet, it won’t be long before he does. After that, he’ll have children, and he has to plan ahead for them!

Once the schoolhouse is built, it won’t run away. With Uncle Fan’s second elder brother teaching the village children, our Shanshui Village will only get better.

Xu Ting spoke frankly: “I think it’s also because of the last time we were paid wages. If you’re paid by the day, of course, you won’t work too hard.”

After finishing speaking, feeling embarrassed, she bit her lip and looked down.

It seemed that last time, her dad and uncle had earned money; she felt truly ashamed.

Shuiqing laughed it off.

The atmosphere was open and everyone spoke freely. She wouldn’t let any accidental remarks escalate awkwardly.

Especially Xu Ting, who was already starting to defend her subtly.

After a busy morning, Qin Yilin had a leisurely afternoon. He interjected cheerfully, “Hauling bricks and tiles requires a lot of effort. Who wouldn’t want a break? This time, everyone truly showed exceptional effort. I think it’s not that they slacked off last time, but this time everyone just worked harder.”

His words preserved everyone’s dignity and underscored the men’s commitment to the task.

Xu Ting and the others, who had initially felt ashamed and lowered their heads, now relaxed their expressions and smiled gratefully at Qin Yilin.

Aunt Ding is really great! The atmosphere in the herb workshop is really great.

Shuiqing mentally praised Qin Yilin, feeling that his skills and social skills shouldn’t be confined to a small, poor village.

If she wanted to, she could probably carve out a place for herself even in Jinling City.

“But honestly, have you all noticed how much more diligent everyone in our village has become, regardless of age or gender?” Aunt Wu asked after listening.

“I thought only my family had become more diligent. But thinking about it, except for those two families, everyone else has become particularly diligent!” Without naming names, everyone present knew who she meant.

“More than just diligent, my father and grandfather have been smiling more often, and my mother has been scolding people less.”

“At my home, it’s always been rush-rush, like there’s never-ending work every day. But thinking about it, from last year picking mushrooms, helping Shuiqing build her house, then building our own, and stockpiling firewood…”

“After the New Year, we started raising rabbits. Last month, selling those rabbits turned into silver. Originally, whoever had time at home handled the grass-cutting casually. Now we’ve designated people for it and stockpiled a lot, afraid the rabbits might run out of feed.”

“Yeah, same at my place. I might skip a meal myself, but I won’t let the rabbits run short of grass! People really aren’t as good as rabbits.”

“Hahaha, well, no one’s rabbits are as valuable as yours.”

“And mine aren’t valuable at all.”

When this topic came up, the workers had plenty to say.

They happily shared their thoughts, making the courtyard lively, and as the conversation progressed, the tone gradually changed.

“Speaking of which, our good days are all thanks to Shuiqing. Without her, those mushrooms we pick every year would just be another wild vegetable.”

“Yeah, in the past, when I picked mushrooms, I thought they were tastier than vegetables. But these past two years, every mushroom I pick, I think of it as rice, pork, eggs—it’s pure delight. If it weren’t for Shuiqing, we couldn’t exchange them for all these things. Picking mushrooms would just be for vegetables, how could we enjoy it so much?”

Mushrooms are tasty, but without enough food and resources, their taste isn’t much use. They’d much rather exchange them for filling food.

“We’ve always worked hard, but we could never eat our fill or dress warmly. Now we’re so motivated because hard work means our lives will get better. And it’s all because of Shuiqing!”

“Yeah, and her husband.”

Qin Yilin walked up to Shuiqing, barely able to contain his smile, and whispered, “Look how highly regarded you are in the village. Even Fan Jin has become known as ‘her husband.'”

She was still “Aunt Ding,” “Mrs. Ding” in the Fan household, except for the Fan family, where other people referred to her as “Sister Shuiqing” and “Sister-in-law Shuiqing.” It was much better for her.

Oh, it looks like she’ll need to work even harder to make it.