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In the past, when Jiang Mixia suffered from her foolishness, Liu Shi went to the temple to make a wish. Now that Jiang Mixia has recovered, Liu Shi has been considering going back to fulfill her vow. So, she made arrangements with Yang Shi to go to the temple to light incense on the first day of August, and also to make an offering of incense money.
August is a time of refreshing autumn weather. It’s the time when farmers are close to the autumn harvest, students are close to major exams, and most celebratory events also begin after August. Therefore, from August until the beginning of winter, Deyin Temple becomes very lively.
Due to the temple’s liveliness, a village and a market have gradually formed at the foot of the mountain. During important days, there is a constant flow of people, making it incredibly bustling.
It can be said that at many times, it is busier than the county town.
Most of those who can afford to go to Deyin Temple to light incense and stroll around are prosperous people. Taking wooden figurines there to sell will definitely be much more successful than in the town.
“Xiao Xia makes a good point,” Jiang Chunshi nodded. “I’ll take some time to slowly make a few. Since we’re going to Deyin Temple, why don’t we make some wooden figurines in the style of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals? Xiao Xia, can you draw these designs?”
As they are going to light incense, it implies belief in Bodhisattvas and deities, showing a strong interest in astrology and the Chinese zodiac. Being at the foot of Deyin Temple, if people see them, they will be more inclined to buy.
“I can draw them. When we return, I’ll draw them for Big Brother to see,” Jiang Mixia thought Jiang Chunshi’s suggestion was quite good and began to contemplate the appearance of these adorable Q-version Chinese zodiac animals.
After lunch at home, with no time to rest, Jiang Mixia began to work busily. Using her homemade charcoal pen, she sketched the designs of the twelve zodiac animals and showed them to Jiang Chunshi.
“Xiao Xia, your drawings are really good,” Jiang Chunshi looked at the paper, praising, “I was initially worried that the snake and the rat might appear a bit fierce, but the more I look at your drawings, the more I find them simple and lovely.”
“And this pig, so round and cute, it looks good without seeming clumsy…”
As Jiang Chunshi continued to praise, he also contemplated how to approach the wood carvings based on the drawings.
Jiang Mixia then explained the side and back views, the key points for carving, and even dug up some earth at the door, mixed it with water to make mud, and fashioned the image from the drawings. This was to help Jiang Chunshi clarify any uncertainties during the carving process.
She worked until the sun was leaning towards the west.
After seeing off Jiang Chunshi, Jiang Mixia counted the money from selling the needlework baskets in the morning and the share given to her by Jiang Chunshi.
She sold twenty-three needlework baskets, earning over seven hundred wen. Jiang Chunshi’s wooden figurines sold for three hundred and twenty wen, and he gave her one hundred wen.
Originally, Jiang Chunshi wanted to split half of the earnings with her, but Jiang Mixia felt it was too much and insisted on just receiving twenty percent.
After all, while she provided the designs, Jiang Chunshi was the one exerting labor and using materials, so he deserved the larger share. However, Jiang Chunshi insisted that without these designs, he wouldn’t know what to create, let alone sell for money.
After both sides persistently yielded, they finally settled on a 30-70 split, with Jiang Mixia receiving thirty percent and Jiang Chunshi receiving seventy percent.
In total, the income she was responsible for today was over eight hundred wen. Jiang Mixia handed this money to Liu Shi.
At home, Liu Shi managed the household and kept the money. Others withdrew money from her as needed. Liu Shi was the epitome of a virtuous wife and mother. She never mistreated her children and always provided whenever Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun asked, without inquiring about the reasons for the expenditure.
With someone managing the money, Jiang Mixia found it quite convenient and had grown accustomed to this arrangement.
However, this time Liu Shi pushed the money back, “Yesterday, your father and I were discussing this. We think that now you and Jingyun are growing up, and especially now that you are married, you should have some pocket money for your own convenience.”
Though she was usually generous with money, having it pass through an intermediary sometimes caused inconvenience. Particularly, she occasionally wanted to buy things that might not necessarily be essential, and felt uncomfortable asking for them.
This would make her feel constrained.
Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi didn’t want their children to feel this way.
“Moreover, in other families, separating public and personal funds is necessary because there are many children and each has their own family. There are many considerations. In our family, it’s different. We only have you as a daughter and Jingyun as a son-in-law. Our money is all on one string, so there’s no need to differentiate between public and personal funds,” explained Liu Shi.
“You came up with the idea for the needlework baskets, and Jingyun also put in a lot of effort to weave them. It’s appropriate for both of you to take this money,” Jiang Youcheng added.
Given their parents’ perspective, Jiang Mixia thought for a moment and agreed, “Alright, then Jingyun and I won’t be polite and will accept it.”
This worked out well, as she had been considering exploring other avenues to earn money lately and might need some funds.
While selling baskets had its place, the market was competitive, and it required physical labor, leaving little energy for other pursuits.
To lead a more prosperous and comfortable life, she needed to think creatively, expand her business, and venture into other areas.
After dinner, it was still not yet dark.
Jiang Mixia found some hemp rope and called Song Jingyun to help string all the more than eight hundred wen of copper coins together.
She made small bundles of one hundred wen each, leaving the remaining loose change for daily expenses.
Once the coins were strung, Jiang Mixia began to look for a place to store the money. With eight bundles of coins, they took up considerable space, and for a moment, they weren’t sure where to put it all.
After considering various options, they ended up placing the bundles in a wooden box that Jiang Chunshi had previously given to Jiang Mixia. They lifted two bricks from the foot of the bed, dug a hole, wrapped the wooden box in oil paper, and buried it, covering it with soil and then replacing the bricks. After carefully examining it, they sprinkled some more soil over the area.
Seeing Jiang Mixia sweating from her efforts, Song Jingyun helped by bringing a basin of water and handing her a wet towel. “There shouldn’t be much money in there, right?”
“Yeah, but when I dug this hole, I was thinking of finding a place where I wouldn’t have to worry about it in the future. The money will gradually increase here,” Jiang Mixia replied, taking the towel and wiping her forehead and neck.
The cool water instantly brought relief.
Jiang Mixia then took a sip of the cold tea on the nearby table and felt a sense of overall comfort.
“The money will gradually increase?”
Song Jingyun’s eyes lit up.
“Are you suggesting…”