Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The children left cheerfully after they ate, but those who did not manage to get the buns refused to move. Aunt Zhou, Ms. Zhou’s mother, coaxed them away and asked them to come back earlier next time.
Some women could not help but complain. “But we have so many left, let’s just give them one!”
Aunt Zhou said, “The owner is too kind-hearted but we can’t just indulge ourselves. They make money with hard work too. 40 steamed buns for free every day… that is so generous of our owner! How about we not offer any starting from tomorrow, so we all save trouble?”
The woman said with a smile, “No, no, you are right. Our owner is already generous enough and I should not have said such a thing…
If the 40 free steamed buns and rolls were gone because of what she said, many people would blame her for being nosy.
Her intention was to show her generosity through others’ generosity, but she did not want to ruin what existed right now.
The woman regretted so much as not to say such a thing.
The Land Officer’s wife could not help but add. “Aunt Zhou is right. We need to stick to the rules. Our owner is so generous and kind like no other, we can’t just get carried away and offer free food for our children too. We need to be reasonable, since we are being paid well!”
The others nodded in agreement.
Not everyone was able to eat steamed buns throughout the year. But for the owner’s agreement, Aunt Zhou would not have done so.
If they offered more than they should, they might offend people and get complained about.
Maybe all children from the village would hear about it and come to fetch the free steamed buns. What should they do then?
Moreover, who would pay for the extra steamed buns?
A few days after this happened, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan came to check on the situation, and Aunt Zhou told them about this.
Feeling grateful, Qiao Xuan gave Aunt Zhou and the Land Officer’s wife two red packets, each of which contained 20 wen.
Surprising fortune would always cheer people up. The Land Officer’s wife had understood one thing – if they worked hard, they would always get some bonus.
She would have gained nothing extra, if she did not interfere, whilst others would take advantage of it.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were quite assured in heart, seeing the field clearing project went well.
Small problems and some fees could be ignored.
They decided not to split hairs on those who worked for them and had everything sorted out smoothly.
They could even stop giving the children steamed buns and rolls or drive them away, but that would cause a lot of conflict and dissatisfaction in the near future.
If some accident happened, the villagers might offer a helping hand or just stand around watching the show, depending upon their treatment of the villagers.
They could not keep asking for help without giving anything in return, which would make them look miserly and wicked.
Proper kindness and generosity would make people feel grateful and cherish what they got now.
Being kind without asking anything in return often caused trouble.
Seeing that everything went well, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were totally assured and they came to check things every fifth or sixth day..