355: Praise (4th Update)
Getting married is truly a troublesome affair.
You have to deal with all the relatives of the in-laws, the gaggle of aunts and sisters-in-law, none of whom are easy to please.
If you’re gentle, they think you’re easy to bully, and everyone wants to step on you. If you’re strong, they’ll spread all sorts of bad rumors about you, they’ll ostracize you, isolate you.
So, it’s better not to get married at all. Living alone, life is leisurely and comfortable.
Thinking about this, Zhinuan, with Xiaoyuan and Dong Sheng added to her thoughts, decided she could not leave for the time being.
Then, she found the Lian family and bought two small houses.
One house was given to Xiaoyuan, and the other to Zhang’s couple.
The houses were small, just three rooms each. It was spacious enough for Xiaoyuan and her husband, and spacious for Zhu Dalang and his wife as well.
Regardless, having a house to live in, they were well aware that the houses were theirs to live in for now, and as long as they remained loyal and served Zhinuan well, the houses would eventually become theirs.
Thus, the whole family was very diligent. When they weren’t working, they caught fish and brought them to the restaurant. They could earn quite a bit in a day.
The family was now more united, and everything they did felt twice as effective.
Xieji Noodle House opened on the thirtieth of October.
The shop offered braised meat noodles, braised pig’s trotter noodles, braised pig intestine noodles, meatball noodles, pork chop noodles, vegetarian noodles, shredded pork noodles, and more. There were many varieties, all delicious, and although the prices were a bit higher than elsewhere, the flavors were worth it.
Moreover, dining at Xieji Noodle House, you could eat a plate of pickled radishes for free, enjoy chili sauce, and vinegar at no charge.
The noodle house was clean, and upon ordering a bowl, one could quickly enjoy a steaming hot serving of noodles.
Since it was Xieji’s braised noodles, sharing the same owner as Kechanglai, many people came to taste. After one visit, they couldn’t wait to come back daily, bringing their wives, children, or even their parents.
With the business doing well, Xiaoyuan was even more motivated, possibly spurred on by a competitive spirit. She woke up at dawn and worked until dusk, all to make the noodle house the best in business.
The three women who kneaded the dough complained of sore arms each day, but they would go home smiling and return the next day still smiling. After all, a daily wage of two hundred wen was hard to find, amounting to six taels of silver a month. If they worked hard for two years, they could buy a small house.
Dong Sheng could feel that Xiaoyuan was not as tender towards him as before. Often, when Xiaoyuan looked at him, her eyes held sorrow and a touch of sadness.
He knew that the scene caused by his mother and sister, which led to the damage of Xiaoyuan’s bracelet, was significant. Xiaoyuan treasured that bracelet so much that even her own parents didn’t dare ask her for it.
Although she never mentioned it now, Dong Sheng knew Xiaoyuan held resentment towards his mother and sister.
The weather in November had become very cold.
The manor had sent over some fresh, green vegetables that looked pleasing to the eye.
Zhinuan had the silly girl tally the money for them and let Old Zhu take it back to distribute among the farmers so as not to let their efforts go unrewarded and lose their enthusiasm.
“Boss, seeing that the weather is getting colder, I wanted to ask if we could dig a kang for the children to study on. We can prepare firewood and keep it burning so they can study in warmth,” Old Zhu asked softly.
“Sure, that’s a good idea. If the room is warm, they can concentrate more on their studies. Additionally, they must not stop practicing martial arts. Have a few people boil more hot water so they can wash their faces after training,” Zhinuan said and then added, “Have they made any progress?”
“They are improving rapidly. Everyone is very serious. They also take great care of the xuan paper, writing on it over and over, no one dares to slack off,” Old Zhu reported to Zhinuan regarding the trivial matters of the manor.
Chapter 357