The Spirited Daughter-in-law and the Mountain Man

Chapter 453: 453 Dislike the East, Dislike the West

“Just washing ferns, as long as there is some wage, there would be plenty of people in the village willing to do it.” The speaker was Old Zhang, who had just come out of the bedroom.

“Old Zhang…” Su Qingyue saw him and quickly stood up politely. “Wife of the Xiao Family, no rush…” he said courteously, “Just stay seated.” “I’ve been saying, you two could just call me Qingyue, or Yue’er.”

“Alright, alright…” Aunt Zhang called out, “Qingyue, how many people are you planning to hire for work?”

“About ten.” She asked, “How much is the daily wage typically?”

“Just washing vegetables. Money ain’t easily earned.” Aunt Zhang said, “There are people in the village who work as waiters in Liuan Town, which is 300 miles away from the town, for a monthly wage of 300 cents, or about ten cents a day. Offering ten cents a day would be more than enough.”

Qingyue thought for a moment, “I’ll offer fifteen cents a day, but they must work diligently, cleaning five or six hundred jin of fern a day. Aunt Zhang, could you help me find ten people? As for the wage, I’ll pay them daily as soon as they finish their task.”

Aunt Zhang felt the Dain of the money. “Fifteen cents a day. that’s a lot. isn’t it?

Although selling fern nowadays could earn half a cent per jin, gathering fern would still seem more profitable. But the nearby mountains and even the more distant mountains have been emptied of fern, it’s not easy to find any more, much less wild berries. If you’re hiring, there will definitely be people rushing to take up the job.”

“I have requirements. The washing of ferns should be done at the river from my place. They must first trim off the curled fern heads, wipe clean of the fine hairs, soak them in the jar I specify before rinsing them. And then, lay them out to dry. Of course, I will pay by the day. The issue of meals, I won’t be providing. ”

Aunt Zhang patted her chest, “No problem, leave it to me.”

Old Zhang said, “Qingyue, the village owes you a favor, everyone has made some money from selling ferns. There are quite a number of people grateful to you. The bitter, unpalatable ferns in past years would have rotted in the mountains, no one wanted them. And the wild berries, so sour, no one would eat them. What does the great landlord you found intend to do with them?”

Su Qingyue didn’t want to deceive anyone, so she simply said, “I’ll tell you

later. ”

“Old man, don’t ask too many questions.” Aunt Zhang glared at him.

Old Zhang’s honest and wrinkled face broke into a shy smile. Then he remembered the last time, “Qingyue, the last time I went to Qingmu Village, I had already told your eldest sister, Xiao Ailiu, about the Xiao Family’s situation. Has Xiao Ailiu come back yet?”

She shook her head.

Aunt Zhang sighed, “Xiao Ailiu is too heartless. As the eldest sister of the Xiao Family, before she got married, the family burden was always shouldered by Dashan. She doesn’t care at all, and always complains about this and that. When my old man brought the message to her last time, you still hadn’t sold the recipe. If Xiao Ailiu knew you made money by selling the recipe, she would probably want to come back and claim a share.”

“That’s unlikely.” Old Zhang did not fully agree, “Seeing the way Xiao Ailiu is, she hasn’t come back for so many years. It seems she really has no plans to have anything to do with the Xiao Family anymore. I don’t think she’s coming back.”

“Whether she comes back or not.” Su Qingyue, in any case, didn’t know that woman, “By the way, when soaking the ferns, I’ll also need some jars or large wooden basins. If any family has some that are idling around and could lend me some, that would be great. I’ll pay one cent daily as the rental cost.”

“That’s absolutely a good deal. With so many households in the village, those who have spares will certainly lend to you.” Aunt Zhang said, “I have an old jar and a large old basin at my house, so that’s already two..”