boyutpedia Chapter 31 has begun.
Chapter 31 has begun.
Song Jiaojiao drew some pictures of wardrobes and beds and gave them to Wang Hefan, asking him to make them at Wang the carpenter next to Uncle Yu's house. Most of the beds, wardrobes, tables and such in the village were made and purchased from Wang the carpenter.
Carpenter Wang is almost fifty years old this year. He has only one son named Wang Lin, who works with him in woodworking. It has to be said that Wang Lin, who has been exposed to woodworking since childhood, is much more talented than his father. Over the years, Wang Lin has gradually handed over his work to Wang Lin.
Wang Lin married the daughter of Li the butcher from the next village. Everyone thought that a butcher's daughter would be rude and uncouth, but unexpectedly, Li the butcher's daughter was actually a delicate and pretty girl. She was petite and spoke softly, which made the villagers extremely envious.
When Wang Hefan arrived at Wang the carpenter's house, he saw Wang Lin teaching his four-year-old daughter how to grind wood.
After explaining his purpose, Wang Hefan didn't linger and left after leaving the deposit.
Because there were many people eating later and Song Jiaojiao was worried that there wouldn't be enough time, she asked Wang Hefan to set up a temporary stove in the yard so that both sides could work at the same time and that the workers wouldn't go hungry.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, the village chief arrived with his men to begin work. Seeing that they had arrived, Song Jiaojiao, without even having breakfast, told Mu Qing to quickly boil some water so it would cool down and be ready to drink.
A moment later, Aunt Li's voice came from outside the courtyard, leading everyone over, "Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, are you home?"
Aunt Li arrived with several people, carrying baskets filled with various vegetables. She knocked on the door and called out loudly. Hearing this, Song Jiaojiao quickly came out of the kitchen, "Oh, Auntie, you're here! I was just worrying about what to do for lunch. I'm so glad you're here."
“I was thinking that you were still a bit lost at the beginning, so I came to help you with your aunts early on. This is your third uncle’s aunt Lin and her wife Liu, Aunt Sun’s wife Lin and Zhang who just married into our village.”
Aunt Li introduced the women behind her to Song Jiaojiao. Song Jiaojiao had seen Aunt Lin many times, but she had only met the others once or twice, especially Zhang Shi, who had just married into the family. Today was the first time Song Jiaojiao had met her. However, the people that Aunt Li brought must be efficient.
Song Jiaojiao nodded to everyone and invited them into the courtyard with a smile.
"Oh, Jiaojiao, you decide what to do today, and Auntie will make sure you get it all done perfectly," Aunt Lin said cheerfully, holding Song Jiaojiao's hand.
"Oh, I'm really counting on all you aunties and sisters-in-law. I don't know anything about arrangements, as long as the uncles and brothers working here are well-fed, that's all that matters," Song Jiaojiao replied with a smile. "I've kept all the necessary grain and meat in the kitchen."
Song Jiaojiao took out the meat and bones she bought in town yesterday, thinking she would make a soup with the bones later. There wasn't much meat today, and she had forgotten to ask Wang Hefan to bring meat yesterday, so they would have to make do with what they had.
The aunties stopped joking with Song Jiaojiao and put down their things to get to work. Some kneaded dough, while others washed vegetables. When they saw the meat that Song Jiaojiao took out, they were also surprised.
"Jiaojiao, is this all the meat we're having for lunch?" Aunt Li asked, pointing to the meat and bones in the bowl.
Seeing Aunt Li's expression, Song Jiaojiao assumed that she hadn't taken enough meat and explained, "I forgot to tell He Fan yesterday that I wanted to buy meat. Today I asked He Fan to get up early and go buy it separately, just in case we went too late and there wasn't any left."
Aunt Li knew that Song Jiaojiao had misunderstood when she heard her words. "Hey, that's not what I meant. I was saying, isn't this a bit too much? You're making cornmeal and meat. How much will you eat in just over a month? Most families don't provide lunch. Even if they do, the wages are only about fifteen coins. You're not short of wages, and you even get lunch. With so much meat, most families only eat that once a month."
Hearing this, Song Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief, worried that things might not go well. "Auntie, everyone is doing heavy work, and I'm in a hurry, so I need to eat well to have the energy to work. But my family doesn't have many bowls and chopsticks, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."
“These are all minor matters. I knew about them when I came and prepared them well in advance. I’ll just boil the bones. I also brought a winter melon, so I’ll make a winter melon, bone, and pork soup. Is that alright?” Aunt Li is indeed the village chief’s wife; she even thought of these details.
"Auntie, you can make the decision. I'll listen to you." Song Jiaojiao was overwhelmed by all the work. Only now did she realize how difficult it was to be in charge of the household.
With the help of the aunties, lunch was finally prepared in a hurry. Aunt Li invited everyone to eat. Steamed buns made of cornmeal were piled high in the steamer. A winter melon and pork bone soup was simmered until it was milky white and sprinkled with chopped green onions. There was also a stir-fried vegetable dish. Just looking at it made people's mouths water.
Since there were no tables, everyone got their food and found a place to eat on their own. Song Jiaojiao couldn't help with getting the food at all; it was all taken care of by the aunties.
Wang An, the poorest man in the village, looked at the food in his hands and his eyes welled up with tears. This was the best meal he had eaten in years. The fragrant and soft corn buns didn't have the harshness of black flour, and paired with a sip of bone broth, they were incredibly delicious. Even the vegetables were stir-fried with oil, and their bright green color showed that a lot of oil had been used.
Since Wang An's father fell ill, the family has spent a lot of money, but still couldn't save him. As a result, the family is in debt. His mother was too saddened by his father's passing, which damaged her health. She can't do heavy work and is sick and needs medicine every few days. In addition, there is a five-year-old sister to support. He is the only pillar of the family and wishes he could be split into two.
Seeing the good food and high wages, everyone thought they must help Song Jiaojiao build the house so that she and her family could move into their new house as soon as possible.
In the afternoon, while the aunties were still washing dishes and cleaning up, Wang Hefan returned carrying pork, covered in sweat.
Song Jiaojiao was in the yard, blocking the view, so it was Aunt Lin who saw her and called out, "Oh, He Fan is back!"
Seeing Wang Hefan covered in sweat and panting, Aunt Lin rushed over to help him unload the basket, but Wang Hefan refused.
Hearing the noise, Song Jiaojiao quickly came out. After Wang He put the basket down, she asked, "He Fan, have you eaten?"
Before Wang Hefan could even reply, a 'coo' sound rang out.
"Oh dear, He Fan must be starving! Quick, there's some leftover soup and steamed buns from lunch, have some to tide you over," Aunt Lin said hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing and Mu Xue quickly served the food to Wang Hefan. After Wang Hefan finished eating, they said, "Mother, I went early today and bought half a pork carcass and even some pork fat, thinking we'll need it later."