Chapter 297

Li Dani, Erni, and the five women had just arrived. Initially, the men in their families were assisting Master Bai in transporting potatoes, leaving them unable to build their own houses. During this time, they ate meals with the lady of the house.

Whether it was meat, eggs, or fine grains, the lady made no distinction and served them the same food. Those days were truly eye-opening for them, enjoying such excellent meals.

However, they knew it was due to the lady’s kindness. Just having this period of time was already very good. They weren’t greedy, especially considering that after they had their own place, the food was still good. It was even better than what most households in the village ate!

But they never expected the food at the pharmacy to be so good!

Stir-fried chicken feathers with pork fat residue, vegetables and soup shimmering with oil, and the egg soup with loofah had more eggs than loofah!

In the pot, there was not just dry rice; there was more shiny white rice than the yellowish millet, the latter a small fraction of the total.

The excitement of Li Daini, Erni, and the others was beyond words, astonishing the villagers even more.

They looked at the dishes before them, still stunned.

Was this the lunch for the laborers?

Back home, they were happy if they had dry black bread to eat, and they usually had to settle for millet porridge, corn gruel, and various boiled vegetables. They never dreamed they would eat white rice.

White rice was very precious; even though millet was cheaper, it was almost negligible for them. Even if it was all millet, it was enough for them.

Millet was coarse grain, and in the past, it cost at least seven or eight wen per catty in the capital. Furthermore, after the floods, the price of all grains had risen. Black bread now cost six wen, so wasn’t millet even more expensive?

But now, coarse grain millet was a minority; fine grain rice was the majority!

“Oh my, Shuiqing, we’re here to work. Why do we need such good food? I think millet is good enough. Just plain millet rice is already very good.” Aunt Wu stared at the steaming pot of rice with a gulp of saliva, resisting her craving as she advised Shuiqing.

Of course, she wanted to eat delicious and filling rice, but she knew her place. She was here to work and earn money, not to enjoy such good food from the main household.

Other women echoed her sentiment: “There are many of us. Three large pots of rice like this must cost a lot of money.”

“The herbs haven’t been turned into money yet. I’m afraid we’ll eat you out of house and home.”

“We need to be frugal, or what will we eat later?”

…

Yan Qiu stepped forward, smiling and explaining, “All the aunts, just relax and eat. My mother knows what she’s doing. She said we need to eat well to have the strength to work. If we eat well now, we’ll have more energy to work harder later and earn more money to improve our meals.”

Hearing that they wouldn’t go hungry, the scene quieted down. The women breathed a sigh of relief; they had worked hard to get this job and couldn’t afford to lose it.

Only if Shuiqing earned money could they find work to do and earn money. From the bottom of their hearts, they hoped the pharmacy would continue to prosper. Working hard was a must!

After the tension eased, everyone’s gaze returned to the food.

With another look, they were even more amazed.

The amount of pork fat residue in the chicken feather dish was considerable, and the bucket of egg flower soup was astonishingly full, more than they ate at home!

On the stove, there were large coarse pottery basins. Shuiqing scooped up the rice and filled the bowls, saying, “Come, one bowl per person. Line up to get your rice, then line up again for the dishes. One bowl of egg flower soup per person. You can add more after you finish eating, but don’t waste.”

Everyone lined up dazedly, receiving fragrant rice and then lining up again for the dishes.

Xing Hui scooped the stir-fried chicken feathers with pork fat residue, Wanxia scooped the cowpeas, and Yan Qiu was in charge of the egg flower soup.

As people lined up, carrying bowls full of food in one hand and egg flower soup in the other as they left the kitchen, it still felt unreal.

Was this really the food for the laborers?

They had never eaten such good food in all their lives!

One, because both her maternal and marital families were poor; two, because they were women. During festivals, even if they slaughtered chickens and ducks, at her maternal home, they had to yield to their brothers. After marriage, there were in-laws and a husband to consider. Later, with children, they had to yield here and there, and good food was never for them.

Perhaps there were favored girls, but in poor families, just being able to eat enough was considered good. How could they ever eat fine rice?

Li Tiantian was favored at home, but even with favoritism, her family couldn’t afford fine rice for her, especially when everyone else was eating coarse grain.

Zhang Xiaocao’s eyes welled up as she looked at the abundant food.

Her father was a gambler, gambling away the family’s money and food, losing their fields. Her childhood was filled with hunger, starving until her stomach was stuck to her back, waking up several times in the middle of the night. It wasn’t just her; her mother and brothers were the same.

It wasn’t until last year, following her older sister Shuiqing, that her family finally had enough to eat.

They even built adobe-roofed houses, and she had her own. Now, she was eating meat and eggs!

Such good food was something she’d never had, not even during festivals.

Her mother was right. Following Sister Shuiqing meant having food to eat.

No, not just food, but meat and eggs too!

She would follow Sister Shuiqing faithfully. Whatever she asked her to do, she would do it, trusting and supporting her without hesitation!

There was a dedicated dining hall, but the women carried their bowls to the courtyard. Sitting on the long corridor or the bluestone ground, they put down the small bowls of egg flower soup and began to eat heartily from the coarse pottery basin.

Delicious!

So delicious!

The pork fat residue was oily and fragrant, making it hard to swallow. The chicken feathers, now oily, were no longer dry and rough, but smooth and tasty.

The eggs were exceptionally smooth, lacking the fishy taste of duck or goose eggs, and sweeter.

The cowpeas, though a bit old, were steamed soft and tender. They were a common dish at home, but why did they taste so much better here?

Zhao Lan noticed keenly and exclaimed, “Look at the oil shimmering on the cowpeas! Could they have been stir-fried with pork fat?”

Aunt Wu, who often cooked at home, examined closely and exclaimed, “It’s true! I thought it might be leftover oil from frying, but how could there be so much? This is clearly pork fat!”

“Sister Shuiqing is so generous!” murmured Li Tiantian.

Beside her, Zhang Xiaocao agreed, “Who could argue with that?”

High wages, light work, and a lunch with meat, eggs, and rice were something they wouldn’t dare wish for in front of the Buddha.