Chapter 191: Chapter 191 Too Generous_1 Chapter 191: Chapter 191 Too Generous_1 “That’s right, Sister Chunhua; that’s how it should be. None of us are strangers here, so there’s no need for any of that pretense. This straightforwardness is much better,”
With Zhang Chunhua leading by example, Zhao Dahuo and his wife, along with Chunxi mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, stopped insisting and quickly picked up their bowls and chopsticks to eat. Just as Wu Qiang’s family had said, it was crucial to finish eating quickly and get back to work to avoid wasting time.
When it came to making zhongzi, everyone here knew how, but the shapes and sizes varied, not to mention the level of delicacy. Lin Yue took special care to teach everyone, painstakingly showing them step by step how to make zhongzi until they gradually started to get the hang of it.
Lin Yue had prepared a total of eight different fillings, four sweet and four savory, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity all year round. The most critical part was the mixture of the zhongzi fillings, all handled by Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu. They didn’t let anyone see this process, even though they trusted all those who had come to help. But it’s always wise to be cautious, and keeping a little distance was better for everyone. Still, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu didn’t make a big deal about it. Their kitchen was too small to accommodate everyone, so making zhongzi was done in the main hall. Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu prepared the fillings in the kitchen before bringing them out, allowing everyone to layer and wrap them using her method.
Qiuqiu and her siblings, who were used to working in the Zhao family’s old house, were very adept with their hands. Qiuqiu, her older brother Zhao Fuquan, as well as Dalang and Erlang, were all capable of helping Lin Yue make zhongzi. What they made was no worse than the adults’ creations, though a bit slower. The younger kids helped by tending the fire, which indeed provided substantial assistance to Lin Yue.
“Sanlang, Siliang, can you help me pick some greens from the field?” Lin Yue said while making zhongzi, noticing it was almost midday and time to prepare lunch. She put down her work and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.
“Auntie, I’ll go too. I often help my mom pick and wash vegetables at home. I can do it well,” the youngest son of Zhao Dahuo’s family, Zhao Lin, was six years old this year, about the same age as Sanlang. He had been diligently tending the fire and volunteered eagerly when he heard Lin Yue asking Sanlang and Siliang to pick vegetables. In his young mind, helping his kind and lovely auntie was a matter of great honor.
“Alright, you can all go together. Be careful not to damage the greens while picking. Sanlang, Siliang, did you hear that? Also, Alin is our guest, so take good care of him.” Lin Yue knew that although the boys were obedient at home, they became mischievous once they went outside. Except for Dalang, who was more sensible and steady, the other boys were all troublemakers, even the clever Erlang. They had all learned a bit of martial arts from Zhao Erhu and often bullied others, which is why Lin Yue specifically reminded Sanlang and Siliang. She knew the boys were disdainful of the people from Zhao’s old house and feared they would bully Zhao Lin because of it, which would upset his parents.
“Mom, don’t worry, we won’t bully Alin. Big brother said that only Uncle’s family from Zhao’s old house is good. Alin is from Uncle’s family, so we won’t bully him. If others bully him, my brother and I will help him fight back,” Siliang, who was just over a year younger than Zhao Lin, said with an air of authority. Lin Yue couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, reaching out to flick Siliang’s forehead firmly.
“Alright, alright, you cheeky little thing, growing bolder, aren’t you? Haven’t I told you not to pick on others? Resolving issues with your fists is what savages do. From now on, no more fighting. Use your brains when you encounter problems. If I find out again, I’ll have your father deal with you. Now hurry up and pick the vegetables, go early and come back soon.”
“Got it, Mom, we’re off to pick veggies.” Sanlang waved to Lin Yue with a basket in hand, and the two brothers warmly walked out on either side holding Zhao Lin’s hand.
At noon, there were quite a crowd, over ten or twenty people including adults and children combined. Lin Yue was not stingy and naturally couldn’t let people go hungry. The meals were prepared in generous quantities. Just the white rice alone filled eight bamboo tubes, cooking a huge pot. The dishes consisted of three meat and three vegetarian plus a soup. Although there weren’t many varieties, they were all served in big sea bowls, plenty enough. But as it was just an everyday meal, Lin Yue felt it was better to have enough hearty food than to have too many fancy dishes for entertaining guests. They still had a solid meal in the evening and even worked extra after dinner, continuing to wrap zongzi the following morning.
Afterwards, everyone helped count the zongzi. In a day and a half, they had wrapped a total of thirteen thousand five hundred with various fillings. Lin Yue discussed with Zhao Erhu, and they decided to fulfill the orders that afternoon, with several men delivering the eight thousand for the Government Office and the five thousand for the Su Family first.
The Government Office was their top priority, and the Su Family was rumored to have a good relationship with the Magistrate. They didn’t meddle in those complicated relationships. The additional five hundred zongzi would be taken to the market for sale, and they’d also buy more ingredients to fulfill the rest of the orders. After that, Lin Yue planned to make another batch to sell at the market just before the Dragon Boat Festival.
Sales of zongzi stopped the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, and business was booming. Their family made a tidy profit, so Lin Yue decided to celebrate properly. She invited Zhao Dahuo’s family and Chunxi’s mother-in-law to join for the festival. As for Wu Qiang and his wife, they needed to go back home to spend time with their relatives.
Before the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin Yue distributed the wages, not calculating by the day since the amount of work varied. Altogether, she paid out five taels of silver per person, with even Dalang and Erlang receiving the same, to keep as their private stash. The three youngest ones had also worked hard during those days, showing excellent performance. To encourage them, Lin Yue gave each one tael of silver, so they wouldn’t be envious of others getting paid. It made the three kids extremely happy, smiling from ear to ear.
When Lin Yue gave out the wages, everyone was astonished. Wu Qiang and his wife, along with Chunxi’s mother-in-law, hadn’t thought much about it when Lin Yue mentioned wages, nor did she specify an amount. They considered it just helping out Lin Yue. As for Zhao Dahuo and his wife, Lin Yue had promised them thirty coins a day each, not including Qiuqiu and Zhao Fuquan. There was no need to count wages for kids just helping out at home. But now, Lin Yue was giving everyone five taels of silver, even Zhao Lin who helped with the fire got one tael.
Zhao Dahuo and his wife first thought not of how much silver they would get but that Zhao Erhu and his wife were being too generous. They didn’t take money seriously, and that kind of lifestyle wouldn’t do. Others might not say anything, but as their elder brother and sister-in-law, they couldn’t just watch and let them suffer losses.