On the Difficulties of Escape in Ancient Times

The third day bath for two children is relatively simple.

The main reason was that it snowed heavily the next day and the weather was too cold. I was worried that the child would catch a cold, so I decided to wait until the baby was one month old to hold the full-moon banquet.

Of course Xiao Xiao would have no objection.

She was still worried about the charity hall, so she said to Yan's mother, "Because the snow is not too thick now, you can go to the charity hall to take charge for me."

"Let the children drink plenty of hot water every day. If any of them are sick, move them out to prevent everyone from being infected."

"We need to ensure that everyone has a thick cotton-padded jacket, and the quilt should also be thicker."

Xiao Xiao thought that she didn't need to go out now, so she didn't need anyone to protect her, so she asked Mother Yan to bring two maids from the palace over as well: "Let them take a look, and if there are any good talents among them who can practice martial arts, I will teach them."

Mother Yan didn't want her to feel uneasy during the confinement period, so she agreed to all the requests.

Xiao Xiao took over the charity at the end of August.

During these three months, drastic rectification measures have been taken.

At the most, there were nearly two hundred craftsmen and laborers hired every day.

It was impossible for her to come out now that she was in confinement, so she thought about it and finally decided to let her family members pay the bill.

Firstly, the work that needed to be done had been almost completed, and most of the craftsmen who had built the house had already settled their accounts.

There are only about thirty carpenters still working now, and it is estimated that they will all be finished soon.

Besides, it is already the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. People nowadays attach great importance to the Chinese New Year. From Laba porridge to the beginning of the first lunar month, people are making preparations for the Chinese New Year at home, such as slaughtering the New Year pig.

Besides, it snowed heavily this morning and it is expected to continue for the next few days. It would be better to settle the wages of the craftsmen as soon as possible so that they can go home and have a good New Year.

Therefore, Xiao Xiao added: "See who is in the charity hall today and pay the wages of the craftsmen so that they can go home to celebrate the New Year."

Even if she didn't go there these two days, she knew that the carpenters were now making cabinets.

There were too many children in the charity, so Xiao Xiao decided to make a large locked box for each of them. She also asked the carpenter to make a few hundred more boxes and put them in the warehouse, so that if other children came in, they would not be without necessities.

It was almost noon when Xiao Lian came over: "Mother Yan said you wanted to settle the bill with the carpenter?"

"Yes," Xiao Xiao was not surprised to see her, "Second sister, just give me the money."

The three sisters of the Xiao family only knew a few words before.

But after fleeing and settling down in Xutian Village, Xiao Xiao told her that if she wanted to marry well, she must be able to read and do math.

Otherwise, even if you marry into a wealthy family, you won’t be able to manage the household.

Xiao Lian was immediately attracted by the idea and started to learn how to read and practice calligraphy from Dalang.

At that time, she didn't expect that she would be able to marry Chen Erlang.

But later on, my family started a soapberry business, and we did have to keep accounts.

In addition, after hearing Xiao Xiao say that "the handwriting reflects the character of the writer", she became more interested in practicing calligraphy.

Later, she saved Chen Erlang and married into the Chen family. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were both good at writing and painting. She was a strong-willed person, so she studied harder.

However, the mansion was managed by her mother-in-law, and it was not Xiao Lian's turn to take charge, so she had long been thinking about the person who was in charge of the accounts in Shangshan Hall.

Unfortunately, there are too many capable people in the charity. For example, her elder sister Mo Chou has been managing the accounts beside her mother since she was a child, and her eldest sister has also been managing the accounts with Old Lady Jiang.

Therefore, Xiao Lian had no chance to take charge of the accounts.

Of course, she was too embarrassed to ask. It was snowing today, so her elder sister-in-law and elder sister didn't come. She and her grandparents went to the charity hall. When she heard that Yan's mother wanted to pay the craftsmen, she hurried over to ask for the job.

Now that Xiao Xiao had agreed to her promise, she pretended to be calm and said, "Leave it to me, don't worry."

Then he asked her, “What should I pay attention to?”

Xiao Xiao knew that she had never managed accounts before, so she patiently explained in detail: "The carpenter's wages are 65 yuan a day, the laborer's wages are 35 yuan a day, and lunch is free."

Fortunately, she bought the mountain behind, and all the firewood was cut on the mountain. She only spent a little money to hire lumberjacks, so the accounts were very simple.

This was indeed not difficult, and Xiao Lian secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I'll go see my niece and leave. You take good care of her and don't worry too much."

Of course Xiao Xiao couldn't let her leave like this: "It's time for dinner, second sister, why don't you eat first?"

Xiao Lian did not refuse: "Okay."

When the maids brought the dishes, Xiao Lian's eyes widened: "My dear, your food is really good."

Peanut pork trotter soup, pigeon ginseng soup, hydrangea shrimp, steamed yellow croaker, fresh mushroom and Chinese cabbage, jade shoots and fern, fish maw stewed in thick soup, and crab meat and royal chicken.

The staple food is silver noodles stewed with shepherd's purse and shredded pork. It is as white as silver and as thin as silk. The table is full of color, aroma and taste.

"Then eat more."

Such a sumptuous meal was certainly not all made in Xiao Xiao’s small kitchen.

Pigeon ginseng soup, hydrangea shrimp, steamed yellow croaker, and crab meat chicken were all sent from Xiao Zhou's.

The main reason was that Xiao Zhou also felt that the confinement meals were too monotonous. With Mrs. Hao and her dowry maid who knew a little about medicine around her, she simply asked them to pay more attention.

In this way, it won’t be too troublesome for the kitchens on both sides to prepare four dishes of different kinds.

At least Xiao Xiao's appetite improved after seeing these delicious dishes.

"They all tasted good," Xiao Lian said with a little regret after putting down her chopsticks, "The only downside is that they were a little bland."

Xiao Xiao looked at her big belly and snorted: "When you are in confinement, you will get used to it."

Fortunately, my second sister's due date is March, and by that time she will have already finished her confinement and be able to take over the charity.

He couldn't help but remind her again: "It's cold, second sister, you must wear more clothes when you go out."

"Don't worry, I'm wearing plenty of clothes and I'm in good health." Xiao Lian chatted with her for a while, then went to check on the sleeping baby before leaving Li's house.

Xiao Xiao was about to take a nap when she heard her daughter crying again. She knew that her daughter was hungry again. After the wet nurse brought the child over and fed her, she left her daughter in her bed, and the mother and daughter slept together.

Xiao Lian went back home with a big belly and said to Yan's mother, "Your great grandmother asked me to take care of the accounts. Hurry up and take out the account book for me to see."

Then he asked, "How much silver is left on the account? Will there be enough change for the wages?"

Mother Yan did not dare to delay and immediately went to get it: "Second Miss, there are still 318 taels of silver on the account, most of which are small change."

Xiao Lian began to count the accounts one by one.

This was her first time keeping accounts, and she was afraid of any mistakes, so she calculated the accounts twice before asking the maid to talk to the carpenters and let them settle the accounts.

After all the wages were paid, Xiao Lian checked the accounts again to make sure that the wages she had paid were correct before she went back satisfied.

This time she gained a lot of confidence in herself and felt that being a housekeeper would not be difficult. Even if the family business was divided in the future, she would not be completely in the dark and not understand anything.

Of course, Chen's father-in-law and mother-in-law are in good health and will not separate in the short term. She is just preparing for a rainy day and does not want to be looked down upon. (End of this chapter)