Chapter 308

After selling several batches of rabbits, they were reluctant to sell the mother rabbits. Many families faced a shortage, so the next trip to the city to sell rabbits was yet to be determined.

Nevertheless, the library was built using bricks and tiles. Even without the lime coating, it was clean and bright compared to the adobe houses, and the village children were already very satisfied.

Since lime couldn’t be purchased immediately, the men bade farewell and joyfully prepared to tend to their fields and plant the medicinal herbs they had been eagerly awaiting.

Fan Qian spat on the ground and followed the others home, where he recounted the events.

“How much did you contribute?” Sun Jinhua asked urgently, stepping forward.

Fan’s mother also came closer, looking anxious.

Fan Dazhu calculated that his father wouldn’t have contributed too much, but as long as it wasn’t the least, it would be fine. After all, his children needed to learn to read and do arithmetic in the future. If their family didn’t contribute, it would be embarrassing.

If the children talked about it in the library, they would feel inferior.

Fan Qian, in a bad mood, replied, “I contributed nothing! For the medicinal workshop, they said it was to repay the work done by the oxen, and we worked hard for ten days;

Then we had to build the library, and they said whoever didn’t help build it wouldn’t have their children allowed in. How could Dazhu’s sons not go in to study? That would make my grandchildren blame me! So, for their sake, I worked hard for another three days.

And now they want lime to plaster the walls? Does it feed us or is it useful? It costs money and effort, and whoever wants to contribute can do it. I certainly won’t!”

He and his younger brother had attended a private school for enlightenment in the past. He never liked studying, while his brother was diligent and often praised by their teacher. He had been jealous of his book-loving brother for years, but later, when his brother amounted to nothing, he deeply felt that studying was useless, and so was diligence.

Life without studying was still good! Knowing how to read and write wasn’t all that.

But recently, seeing his brother’s life becoming more prosperous made him reconsider. Maybe his grandchildren should also learn to read and do arithmetic since it didn’t cost money.

However, building the library required labor, and he had to contribute. But lime for plastering the walls wasn’t necessary, so why should he contribute!

Fan Dazhu was anxious when he heard his father hadn’t contributed anything. “Dad, how could you not give even a little? What if my son, your eldest grandson, goes to the library and is looked down upon by his classmates when they talk about this?”

His son was going to be the eldest grandson of the Fan family; how could he be humiliated?

Sun Jinhua nodded vigorously in agreement.

Fan’s mother also wanted to nod but thought of the family finances in her hands. If they contributed lime, it would be her money. Her wrinkled face was full of indecision. Fan Sizhu thought his elder brother was overthinking, but he knew that if their father hadn’t contributed anything, the villagers would look down on them.

He could imagine that only Zhang Tuzi might not contribute.

Their family hadn’t used the second uncle’s donkey and ox, so they didn’t need to repay the labor. Zhang Tuzi had clearly said he wouldn’t help build the library, claiming his descendants would have their own fortunes and he wouldn’t suffer for it!

In the end, only Zhang Xiaogou went. Thin as a cornstalk, he could hardly do anything, but the old village chief took pity on him and counted his share.

Their family used to be one of the best in the village, but now they were on par with Zhang Tuzi…

Fan Erzhu and Sanzhu thought their father was right. They were used to poverty, so why bother with such nonsense? Lime for plastering the walls was a waste!

“Alright, alright, who knows if anyone will remember this later.” Fan Qian took out his tobacco pipe, dismissively waving his hand.

Fan Dazhu wanted to complain more, but Erzhu interrupted, “We’ll deal with the future when it comes.”

Sanzhu quickly asked, “Dad, now that Uncle has taken back the ox, what will we do next?”

“Without the ox, do we have to carry soil basket by basket again? I’m not doing it!” Fan Dazhu said, displeased.

Hearing about carrying soil, everyone else in the room fell silent.

Their family used to have a cart, but it was given to their second uncle during the division. The second uncle lent them both the ox and the cart, which made things much easier.

Starting tomorrow, they would return to the old days of no ox, no cart, and only carrying soil. Who could bear that!

“Dad, why don’t we buy another cart? You see, there were hardly any carts in the village before, but now almost every household has one after earning some money. We can use it for spring plowing and during busy farming seasons. Let’s just get one, so we don’t have to borrow from others all the time, right?” Fan Sizhu sincerely believed their family needed a cart.

Fan’s mother was the first to disagree, “Buy, buy, buy! All you think about is buying. Where do we have the money for that?”

Sun Jinhua, who had some money, stayed silent, coldly watching her mother-in-law. She was resolute about not using her money. With no one willing to put forth money, the idea of buying a cart was left hanging, and the room fell into a deathly silence, eventually ending in a sour note.

The next day, at the break of dawn, the villagers were already working in the fields. Only the elderly and children remained in the village.

For several days, the villagers of Shanshui Village worked from dawn until dusk, aiming to finish the busy farming season by early October.

Once the busy season ended, the villagers immediately went up the mountain to dig kudzu roots to add to their food reserves for the coming days. Out of the thirty-some households in Shanshui Village, only the six or seven families that had followed Hu Shuiqing’s lead in planting potatoes earlier in the year had a harvest. The other twenty-some households had nothing.

In other words, up until now, they had no harvest at all!

The rice fields yielded nothing, the cornstalks were broken by the wind, and the higher-ground areas barely had some beans to gather. The lower-ground areas were submerged in the flood, ruining both crops and vegetables as their roots rotted in the water.

If it hadn’t been for the advice of the old village chief and other elders to stockpile black flour when the weather turned strange last year, and the income from selling rabbits when they were about to run out of food, they would have starved.

Even though they hadn’t starved, food at home was still rationed tightly. Now, with food to fill their stomachs, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Previously, the elderly and children stayed home during planting season, but for digging kudzu roots, the whole family joined in. The village was bustling with activity.

Meanwhile, the medicinal workshop was equally lively. Everyone gathered in the courtyard, sitting in pairs on long benches, looking at Hu Shuiqing with puzzled expressions.

Hu Shuiqing glanced at the orderly seated crowd, mentally checking the numbers, and, seeing no one missing, she spoke loudly, “Today we will distribute wages for the first time. When your name is called, come up to receive your wages. If you can’t write, don’t worry. Just put your fingerprint next to your name after you receive your wages.”

Hearing that wages were being distributed, the courtyard buzzed with excitement like cold water splashing into hot oil.

“Are we really getting paid today? But the medicinal herbs haven’t been sold yet.”

“We’ve made a few batches of yams, but the He Shou Wu requires nine steaming and drying cycles, and it’ll be more than half a month before it’s ready. The same goes for the dried tangerine peel. Our workshop hasn’t earned a cent yet.”

“Don’t we need to sell the medicinal herbs before we can distribute wages?”