A Good Country Wife
Chapter 192: Seeing People’s True Intentions_1

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Seeing People’s True Intentions_1

Zhao Dahuo took Zhao Erhu aside and lectured him, saying that it was enough for Zhao Erhu to distribute the usual wages received by others; even if he gave a bit more, thirty coins would be more than sufficient.

"Big brother, I understand what you mean, but I have my reasons for giving out so much. Everyone has been working wholeheartedly these past few days, busy from dawn till dusk and quite exhausted. I also made a tidy profit this time. If you had come to the market to sell zongzi with me, you’d know that one can sell for twenty to thirty coins each. We made quite a bit from all those zongzi. The helpers are the relatives and friends my wife and I are closest to. If I’m eating meat, it’s only right that I let them have a sip of the soup," Zhao Erhu said this while feeling happy to see his older brother thinking of him. Nevertheless, he and his wife had discussed it and had other considerations, which were not convenient to mention at the moment.

"What you’re saying is, even if you made more, that’s all earned through your own abilities, it has nothing to do with anyone else. If they’re jealous, such people aren’t worth befriending," said Zhao Dahuo, and his words were quite sensible.

"Big brother, don’t worry, I’m doing this also for some other reasons, just leave it be. Keep these silvers safe, don’t hand them over to the Wei Family, that woman from the Wei Family is up to no good. If something happens, at least you have something for emergencies. Plus, our father is getting old too. After he passes on, no one will be using filial piety to pressure you, and a family division will surely occur. You’ll need money for many things then," said Erhu.

"You are decisive; since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t say much more. However, I still have to say, even with friends, one has to be careful. It’s not unheard of for someone to betray a friend over money. It happens quite often," Zhao Dahuo said solemnly and then patted Zhao Erhu’s shoulder before the two brothers returned together.

"Yueyue, you’ve given too much. With our relationship, it’s only right to help out, and though you insisted on paying wages, I didn’t object; still, this is way too much. It doesn’t sit well with me. You’d better take it back. If you really want to thank my wife for helping these past few days, just give her a few more zongzi to take home. Your cooking skills are just too exceptional—one zongzi, so many varieties, they look and taste amazing—my mother-in-law is quite taken with them," Wu Qiang and Zhang Chunhua were not greedy for money, and certainly couldn’t accept taking so much silver just for helping a few days and declined without a second thought.

However, for Grandma Chunxi and her daughter-in-law, even though they were surprised by the generous reward Lin Yue offered, Grandma Chunxi hesitated and feigned refusal, whilst Chunxi briefly hesitated before accepting. In her view, Lin Yue made good money from selling so many zongzi, so it was only natural they receive a higher wage. Their family was poor, and the ten taels of silver would make their lives much easier. She never considered that, if it wasn’t for Lin Yue looking out for them out of friendship, she wouldn’t have received a single coin.

Lin Yue, observing everyone’s reactions, understood clearly. She felt a mix of happiness and relief but also disappointment. She had done it on purpose, wanting to see how these relatives and friends, trusted by her and Zhao Erhu, would choose in the face of interest. Her family’s business was only going to grow, and it was impossible to rely solely on her and Zhao Erhu; they needed to find help. Character was the most important quality, and spending a few taels of silver to discern true intentions was well worth it.

After getting the house in order, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu tallied their accounts that night. They had orders from the Government Office and several major households totaling eighteen thousand zongzi, plus over six thousand sold at the market—altogether, they sold over twenty-four thousand zongzi. With varying prices for each type of zongzi filling, the average price came to about twenty-five coins each, totaling six hundred and thirty-seven taels of silver. After subtracting the cost of ingredients, one hundred and eighty taels, and wages, fifty-three taels, including their home consumption and holiday gifts, they made a net profit of four hundred taels of silver.

"Brother Erhu, I did the math—we’ve earned a full four hundred taels of silver after expenses," Lin Yue said, waving the silver note in front of Zhao Erhu with a smile blooming on her face like a flower, looking like a little miser. Zhao Erhu, pleased in his heart, shared her joy.

"Niuniu, when you married me, the silver from our household was used for your dowry and medicine. I didn’t have anything else to give you. Now that we’ve made so much money, what if I go into town and get you a set of gold jewelry? Would you like that?"

Lin Yue did not appreciate Zhao Erhu’s gesture. She was no nouveau riche—who would wear gold jewelry casually? It was impractical, she’d only attract thieves from ten villages around.

"I wouldn’t want that at all; gold looks so tacky. Besides, we have many things to spend money on—we can’t be so careless. Didn’t I say tomorrow once spring arrives, we’re sending the kids to school? We need to give the teacher his fees, and the children also need paper and ink. It’s not convenient to travel to the city every day, and when they’re growing, I worry about them not eating well outside. It would be best to buy a house next to the academy. By owning property in the city, our children’s schooling would also be convenient. However, city houses are not cheap. I’ve heard that even a small one costs a hundred or two hundred taels of silver. By my calculations, we must earn much more silver to afford a good house."

"My wife sure knows how to plan. Alright, I’ll work hard to earn silver, and we’ll aim to buy a big city house. We’ll save this silver for now." Zhao Erhu once dreamed of attending school when his grandfather was alive, although it was an impossible wish. Now that his children had such an opportunity, there was no reason for Zhao Erhu to disagree. In his heart, he also lamented that neither the Zhao Family nor the Li Family had considered this for their own children. His little wife was even better than a real mother to the kids; he had never had such fortune.

Unaware of Zhao Erhu’s reflections on their children’s education and his contemplation of the past, Lin Yue was already planning for the future. "Yes, and not only buying a house in the city, but we also need to renovate this house. The children are getting bigger; they can’t all be crammed in one room. And going to the toilet or taking baths is particularly inconvenient. When we rebuild, we must make sure to include a proper toilet and bath area. Did you remember that?"

"I remember, how could I not keep my wife’s concerns in mind?"

"Good, I like hearing that. You better remember your own words." Lin Yue nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly her eyes twinkled as she cast a mischievous look at Zhao Erhu, "Brother Erhu, how about I keep the silver? I’ll take good care of it."

Lin Yue’s idea to test Zhao Erhu was a spur-of-the-moment decision to see how well her recent efforts at changing him had paid off. If Zhao Erhu did not agree, she would have to make serious plans for herself.