Chapter 38: Hua Lao di

After the Zhou family’s kang and firewall were refurbished, they were well received by the family. In particular, the firewall conducts heat quickly, and the indoor temperature was much warmer than before. Li shi loved to show off and so many people came to see it. This made Zhulan feel really annoyed.

In the end, Zhulan didn’t let Li shi go to pick mushrooms and send them to pick up firewood. No one showed off everywhere, and the family finally calmed down.

Finally, the firewood room was filled, and two piles of firewood were stacked in a distant corner of the yard. Zhulan was barely satisfied, but she missed coal. Unfortunately, Zhou Shuren explained that coal had been discovered very early on, during the Western Han Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and there were coal mines and extraction techniques. In Zhou Shuren’s memory, even in this alternate dynasty, there had not been much change, and coal was still under strict control. Ordinary households could not even think about using it, and anyone caught using it privately would be punished.

Zhulan also thought about charcoal, but she could only think about it. She couldn’t afford it.

The family had collected enough firewood, and the autumn harvest had begun. The Zhou family had ten acres of paddy fields and ten acres of dry fields. They were one of the largest families in the village, and they have a lot of labour. After dinner, the family discussed how to do the work.

Zhulan was embarrassed to stay at home, she spent a lot of money to replenish her body, and it was unreasonable if she didn’t work, “I will go tomorrow too, the second wife will stay at home to cook.”

Zhou Shuren disagreed, “You haven’t taken good care of your body for long and just got better, so just rest at home. I have my own plans.”

Boss, “……”

Second child, “…”

They especially wanted to say, father was inferior to mother in this regard. Mother was strong, she was the main force in previous years. Mother’s health was really better, she was not so weak anymore, but they dare not say that. The old man loved his wife, so they dare not mention it for fear of being scolded as being unfilial.

Zhulan was in a hurry, didn’t she have to cook if she stayed at home? She really can’t. The original’s memory also told her that she too was not good at cooking. So her memories were not helpful and she was busy trying to attract Zhou Shuren’s attention by winking.

Zhou Shuren considered for a moment and said, “There are a lot of surplus labourers in the village. Tomorrow morning, the second child will find four people for six cents each and lunch. Counting the elder, you six adults will be able enough to harvest all the fields in four days.”

The boss, Zhou Changli, couldn’t help it, “Father, four people cost twenty-four cents a day, ninety-six cents for four days, and one hundred and twenty cents for four meals, it’s not worth it. Dad, my second brother and I will work slowly without hiring someone.”

Zhou Shuren raised his hand, “It’s not like that. The wild boars have been coming down the mountain very often recently. If you collect the grains early, you can reduce the loss. If you delay it for a few days, the loss will not only be one hundred and twenty cents.”

Boss Zhou didn’t say anything this time. Second Boss Zhou was very happy. Dad gave him the job of finding someone, and he valued himself more and more.
Returning to the house in the evening, Zhulan was worried about her family’s wealth and panicked, “I have spent a lot of money at home recently, and I will spend more on nursing my body in the future. It is even more expensive for you and your two sons to study. We can’t waste the family fortune. Any ideas?”

She really had no choice. Although there was the example of Wang Ru, a supporting female character who successfully turned the tables by cooking, she didn’t dare to let Li Shi cook what she had eaten. As for hunting, although her original body had some martial skills, she wasn’t really good at hunting. She satisfied her cravings occasionally and couldn’t rely on hunting to make money.

As for earning money through needlework and other female handicraft, there is no need to think about it, so she could only count on Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren really never thought about making money, and fell into deep thought for a while, “Let me think about it.”

Zhulan’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands, “I’ve read novels and some people copy books to make money, why don’t you go too?”

Zhou Shuren said, “The entire county has a population of more than 10,000 people, and the proportion of readers is very low. It’s not going to work.”

Zhulan really didn’t know, and suddenly became curious, “We have a lot of books, are they all borrowed and copied?”