Chapter 138: 138 became a tall, rich and handsome man with just one cow
“You old fool dare to criticize my temper, yet you don’t see how old I am, having to serve everyone day and night. You, on the other hand, simply wipe your mouth after eating and go out for a stroll!” Mrs. He’s grievances were genuine.
She was already a mother-in-law, and since her eldest daughter-in-law entered the family, she hadn’t cooked a single meal.
Even when other families divided their household, it was only after all the daughters-in-law were married that they’d handle chores, sparing the mother-in-law from serving the whole family.
But her family was different; those two rascals caused a split in the household, and the fourth son wasn’t even married yet. Poor her, at her old age, still had to wash clothes and cook meals all day long, and how could she not feel some resentment in her heart.
Mrs. He had merely made a casual complaint, but Ye Jiu took it to heart.
Indeed, although his mother hadn’t lived a life of luxury over the years, she hadn’t done any physical labor. Now, once the household was divided, with the elder brothers living their own lives and the fourth brother unmarried, naturally, all the household chores fell on Mrs. He.
Now it was winter, and the workload at home was manageable, but as the year turned and the weather warmed up, both the farming and household tasks would increase considerably.
Since there were fewer people now, Mrs. He no longer adhered to a fixed meal plan, and having money at hand she was no longer frugal with food.
After eating, Ye Qingzhi, dragging her petite frame, helped Mrs. He clean up the dishes, while Ye Jiu initially wanted to help but was promptly dismissed by Mrs. He to rest on the side.
Nobody saw, the faint envy in the eyes of Ye Qingzhi.
Ye Gaosheng, with Ye Wenqing and Ye Wenyu, worked on chiseling stone slabs outside, and somehow even the elder brothers joined in to help.
Since the task of chiseling stone slabs was enormous, Ye Jiu didn’t mind having more hands on deck, so he let them be.
Ye Jiu sent the old Mr. Ye to discuss with Ye Gaolin about making wooden boxes, then went on to make soap liquid himself.
The busy day quickly passed.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Ye Jiu found time to ask old Mr. Ye, “Dad, how is the wooden box matter going, can Brother Gaolin handle it?”
With a thousand boxes to be made, Ye Jiu worried that slow progress might delay delivery, so he had old Mr. Ye tell Ye Gaolin to find others to help if he knew anyone eligible.
They would still pay the usual wages, and how much Ye Gaolin paid the helpers was not his concern anymore.
Old Mr. Ye replied, “Your Brother Gaolin said his two brothers can help, and the kids at home can also pitch in. There won’t be any delay in the wooden boxes. If necessary, his brother-in-law has plenty of manpower to lend a hand.”
“That’s good,” Ye Jiu was finally reassured.
Ye Gaolin’s craft was learned from his brother-in-law, Ye Jiu had heard.
These days, the people from the first and second branches were all helping with the work, making the family seem harmonious and joyful, similar to the times before the division, except for not eating together.
Old Mr. Ye, looking at the harmonious scene in the yard, felt greatly comforted.
Meanwhile, these past few days, the flow of visitors to Ye Gaosheng’s residence proposing marriage was unending, but Mrs. He, still upset about the broken engagement from a few days ago, decided to be very selective this time.
The fact that the Ye family had bought a cow was well-known, and now that the household had been divided, that cow was undoubtedly Ye Gaosheng’s alone.
Therefore, solely because of this cow, Ye Gaosheng had already become the village’s famous wealthy, handsome man.