Jiang Xiangnan quickly found a location. It was a dead-end alley.

He just needed to stand at the alley entrance, so outsiders wouldn’t be able to see what was happening inside.

At this moment, Shen Qing felt incredibly grateful for the thoughtful care of the shopkeeper, Lin.

She took out a string of coins, counted them, and said, “Xiangnan, you’ve worked for six days, and you’ve polished 180 brushes. Here are 180 wen for you.”

They weren’t selling everything today, just enough to make a full batch, and since the progress of each step was different, the number of brushes each person made also varied depending on how fast or slow they were.

Jiang Xiangnan grinned, his joy evident as he quickly ran over to take the coins.

He nearly wiped each coin clean before putting them into his pocket.

Jiang Xiangbei couldn’t wait and urged him, “Stop wiping them! You’ll be using them later; no point in making them spotless!”

Jiang Xiangnan snorted, “I’ve decided I won’t spend them! I worked hard for this money, I’m going to hold onto it. I’ll warm them up by counting them every night before bed and every morning after I wake up.”

Before earning money, he thought about buying this and that, but now that he had the heavy copper coins in his hands, he was reluctant to spend them.

Oh, so many copper coins—all his!

Jiang Xiangbei stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.

Jiang Shui laughed out loud, “Don’t mind Third Brother, when we’re on the road, he’ll definitely buy something.”

Jiang Xiangbei gave a look that clearly said, “Little Sister is right.”

In the end, it was Shen Qing who spoke up, urging them to pack up quickly, worried about pickpockets.

Scared, Jiang Xiangnan hurried to pack up, keeping a sharp eye on both sides of the alley.

Jiang Xiangbei’s hands weren’t as quick as Jiang Xiangnan’s.

He earned 172 wen.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiangnan’s smile deepened.

Although he was happy to earn money, it made him even happier to see his brother not making as much as he did!

Guan Li arrived late but worked quickly, earning 240 wen in six days, which made the two brothers gasp in surprise.

Jiang Xiangnan muttered under his breath, “If Mom let us work all day, I’d definitely earn more than her!”

Sigh, why didn’t Mom let him work all day?

Wouldn’t it be better if he earned more?

“Stop thinking about it. Mom said fish, shrimp, and eels are important too. Once the other tasks catch up, she’ll definitely let us work the whole day,” Jiang Xiangbei comforted his third brother while also comforting himself.

Jiang Shui’s task was different from the others.

It was worth 300 wen.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiangnan almost cried.

He muttered softly, “I won’t envy Xiao Shan, no matter how much he earns. He’s in charge of the most important task, one that I can’t even do!”

When he ties the threads, they’re either too loose or too tight.

If it’s too loose, the hair falls out; if it’s too tight, the shape deforms.

If the product is inspected, it will be rejected, and all previous work will be wasted!

The task that Guan Xiaoshan handled was the most important, and if it went wrong, the loss would be greatest.

Jiang Xiangbei recalled how, when Shopkeeper Lin inspected the goods earlier, he tugged at the brush heads repeatedly and didn’t make a single comment.

Xiaoshan was really impressive!

He nodded in agreement.

Mom paying Xiaoshan two wen per brush was really a recognition of the difficulty of this step.

“Xiaoshan, your brushes are fast and well-made. You earned 420 wen this time. Count it.”

Shen Qing’s words dropped like a bomb.

Jiang Xiangnan was about to cry.

“I didn’t hear that wrong, right? Xiaoshan earned 420 wen? Wuwu, how is there such a huge gap between people?”

It was almost like comparing a person to a dog.

He knew Xiaoshan would earn more, but he didn’t expect it to be this much!

He had been wrong earlier; he wasn’t not envious, in fact, he was incredibly envious.

He blamed himself for not being skilled enough.

Guan Xiaoshan himself was also shocked.

420 wen, that was nearly the same as what their father would earn in many months.

He earned it in just six days! He was almost as much as his father?

But his original intention was to help his sister, thinking she would marry Xiangxi in the future.

Now he had earned so much, would it make things difficult for her in the Jiang family?

He looked at his sister.

Guan Li was also stunned.

She had already earned 240 wen, an average of 40 wen per day, which was more than the best-working men in the village.

Now, Xiaoshan had earned over 400 wen.

She knew that her aunt had earned a lot selling brushes, but that was because her aunt was skilled, and it had nothing to do with them.

“Aunt.”

Guan Li just started speaking when Shen Qing interrupted, “We agreed on the price earlier, so we’re not changing it. We have a lot to buy today, and we can’t waste any more time. If we finish buying early, we can still make a few more brushes. Don’t forget the delivery in six days!”

Guan Li and Guan Xiaoshan quietly took the heavy copper coins, and then Guan Xiaoshan happily said to the others, “What do you want to eat? I’ll treat!”

Shen Qing gave her two sons a look, “They’re the older brothers. They shouldn’t let their younger brothers treat them. Besides, they’ve earned their own wages too.”

Guan Xiaoshan cheerfully replied, “Today, my brothers and sisters took care of me, so it’s only right that I treat them.”

Shen Qing looked at Xiaoshan for a moment.

This child didn’t say he was treating because he earned more, nor did he mention how tired his older brothers had been bringing him along.

Instead, he said it was because they had taken care of him.

This made sure to include Jiang Shui too.

Such a thoughtful child.

She no longer insisted and smiled, joking, “Alright, let’s go!”

This time, the excitement was even greater than in the morning.

In the morning, they had focused on the brush-selling business, and even though there was joy, they held back, afraid of celebrating too soon.

But now, with no more worries, the heavy silver coins in their pockets gave them a deep sense of security.

Having money in their pockets felt really good.

Everyone thought the same, then turned their thoughts to working hard after returning home to earn even more!