Previous
Fiction Page
Next
Font Size:
Chapter 53: Li Family 3/3
Hearing Jin Xiaoye’s explanation, Sister Wang said, “Xiaoye, then please help remove it tomorrow… By the way, how is your husband’s arm?”
“It’s much better,” Jin Xiaoye felt that Li Qingzhi’s arm was healing quite quickly, so she just vaguely replied without elaborating further.
As they were talking, there was a knock on the door.
Jin Xiaoye opened the door and saw a tall, fair-skinned girl who was very thin.
The girl appeared to be in her twenties, with misty eyes, and asked, “Is shopkepper Jin here?”
“I’m Jin Xiaoye,” Jin Xiaoye said, unable to help but take a few more glances at the girl.
The girl wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she was exceptionally fair and gave off an indescribable aura… Yes, it could be said that her temperament was outstanding.
If it weren’t for the poor quality and old fabric of her clothes, Jin Xiaoye would have thought she was from a wealthy family.
“Shopkeeper Jin, do you have any work available? I’d like to take on some tasks,” she said.
“Not today, but there will be plenty of work tomorrow,” Jin Xiaoye replied. She had just taken on a big order that required many people to help.
The girl smiled at Jin Xiaoye. “Then I’ll come back tomorrow.”
After she left, Jin Xiaoye couldn’t help but comment, “That girl is really pretty, just a bit thin.” Her sense of beauty was similar to that of others in the village; being fair-skinned was considered beautiful to her.
“That’s the eldest daughter of the Fang family,” Sister Wang said.
Jin Xiaoye was taken aback. Ever since Mrs. Fang scolded her the last time she went to sell paper, she refused to work for her!
That day, Mrs. Fang didn’t give her any work and said many sarcastic things, vowing never to give her any work again. Yet, just a few days later, her daughter came?
Wang Jie explained, “That girl is quite pitiful. Many young men wanted to marry her a few years ago, but Mrs. Fang demanded a high dowry, and gradually, no one came to propose anymore… But she also has her flaws; she doesn’t like to interact with people. I know her, did you see? She doesn’t even greet me when she sees me!”
Indeed, Miss Fang didn’t greet Sister Wang; she just smiled and walked away slowly. Jin Xiaoye was puzzled.
Mrs. Xu added, “It’s not her fault. I heard that Miss Fang damaged her eyes from doing too much needlework and can’t see things far away clearly. Maybe she couldn’t recognize who we are.”
“That’s news to me,” Sister Wang said, surprised.
“This was told to me by someone I worked with before,” Mrs. Xu sighed.
Sister Wang’s husband was a traveling merchant. Although he didn’t earn a lot of money, they managed to bring home fifty to sixty taels of silver every year.
Their life was considered good in Chongcheng County, so their two sons could go to school.
However, Sister Wang’s sons weren’t particularly talented in their studies, and Sister Wang didn’t plan to have them take the imperial examination. She just wanted them to learn enough to help their father in business or find decent jobs in the future.
Because of this, although Sister Wang used to do some needlework to earn money, she didn’t do much and knew few people.
Mrs. Xu was different. Despite her poor health, she looked for work everywhere and knew many people.
According to Mrs. Xu, after Miss Fang’s father died ten years ago, her mother made her do needlework at home every day, even at night with the lights on, which damaged her eyes.
Jin Xiaoye felt some sympathy for Miss Fang, but considering that many people in the countryside couldn’t even eat their fill, and some had starved to death during the floods, her sympathy quickly faded.
The man mentioned by Wang Jie earlier, who used to collect night soil, was even more pitiful than Miss Fang. It was said that he was an old man without children. He used to make a living by collecting night soil, but after Zhang Chouqian monopolized the business, he could only beg in the county town. This time, when someone asked him to collect night soil, he was beaten by Zhang Chouqian’s men. No one knew if he could survive this winter.
In this world, many people are having a hard time.
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
Jin Xiaoye opened it and saw Li Qingzhi standing there.
“I’m done with my work, so I came to find you,” Li Qingzhi smiled.
After having dinner at the Zhu family’s, Li Qingzhi came to find Jin Xiaoye with the two books borrowed from Zhu Xunmiao.
Jin Xiaoye showed him the way to Sister Wang’s house, which he recognized.
“Come in quickly,” Jin Xiaoye invited Li Qingzhi in.
Li Qingzhi entered the house and greeted Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu with a smile.
Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu’s first impression of Li Qingzhi was that he was thin. Miss Fang was already thin, but Li Qingzhi was even thinner…
Moreover… Li Qingzhi, standing there, also gave off a different feeling, just like Miss Fang.
Upon careful consideration, it was because Miss Fang looked like a scholar… She was indeed the daughter of a scholar!
Jin Xiaoye’s husband was a scholar. What should they talk about with him? Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu felt a bit uneasy.
But their unease only lasted for a short while. Soon, Li Qingzhi, with his excellent social skills, engaged them in conversation, and they talked animatedly.
Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu weren’t talkative people and didn’t like to socialize much, but somehow, when they chatted with Li Qingzhi, they couldn’t stop talking!
From Sister Wang’s words, Li Qingzhi learned a lot about Zhang Chouqian.
Although he had written a book praising County Magistrate Gou, Li Qingzhi hadn’t actually thought about approaching County Magistrate Gou before. After all, he didn’t have any requests for County Magistrate Gou’s assistance at the moment.
But if Zhang Chouqian went too far… he would have to go to County Magistrate Gou to intervene.
This matter was not only related to the people of Chongcheng County; nearby farmers needed fertilizer for their crops, and if fertilizer prices rose, their lives would become even more difficult.
Li Qingzhi thought a lot about it, but he didn’t show it on his face. He chatted with Mrs. Xu and the others with a smile, and even talked about Xu Qifei.
It wasn’t until evening that Li Qingzhi left with Jin Xiaoye back to Miaoqian Village.
On their way back, they met Mr. Yao.
Mr. Yao was bending over, rowing the boat listlessly.
People who did heavy work were prone to injuring their backs. In this era, medical technology was limited, and once people injured their backs, there was no proper treatment.
In Miaoqian Village, there were several elderly people who walked with a hunched back every day, unable to straighten their backs anymore because they had injured them from carrying heavy loads or doing other heavy work in the past.
Mr. Yao… his back hadn’t fully healed, and yet he was out working?
Indeed, Mr. Yao was out working despite his back not being fully healed.
Jin Moli’s dowry hadn’t been completed, and Yao Zhenfu was still unwilling to work in the fields… How could Mr. Yao dare not to work? His back hadn’t fully healed, but he had to go back to work.
But now he couldn’t help people move goods, so he could only take on lighter tasks. Unlike Jin Xiaoye, who was quick-witted and dared to talk to anyone, he didn’t earn much money after a whole day’s work.
Jin Xiaoye knew Mr. Yao was in a situation. She didn’t ask much about Yao’s family affairs; she only said, “Uncle Yao, have you ever thought about renting out your boat?” Mr. Yao rowing the boat like this was not a good thing! He shouldn’t worsen his health!
Upon hearing Jin Xiaoye’s words, Mr. Yao immediately said, “Xiaoye, why don’t you rent my boat then?”
Previous
Fiction Page
Next