Quick Wear: Men Farming and Women Weaving

“Will a drought really happen?”

"When the river dries up, will we have to flee?"

"God is blind"

“Is there a water shortage in my village?”

When Mrs. Liu heard that there was going to be a water shortage and that she might have to leave her hometown to escape famine, she panicked. She had fled here with her parents when she was very young, but she still remembered the feeling of being hungry.

I didn't expect that when I was middle-aged and already at the age of a grandmother, I would have to experience fleeing famine again, crying and cursing God for not raining.

When Boss Song and his friends heard the bad news, they were worried whether the crops could survive until harvest.

The three daughters-in-law were a little worried about whether there was also a water shortage at their parents' home, and wanted to go back to check.

Song Baoer doesn't have those worries. If there is a food shortage at home, she won't be the one to suffer the consequences, as her parents spoil her.

Song Yiyue was thinking about the dried wild vegetables and mushrooms she had collected in the space, which had a sack, and three sacks of dried bamboo shoots. She couldn't take out the original supplies at all, so she had to use them herself. These were not enough, so she would find a way to sell honey in the county when she went to the market, and bring back a few kilograms of coarse grains or coarse salt from the space to her parents when she returned.

Early the next day, grandfather took his three sons to water the fields. The river was very dry, and many people rushed to grab water.

Mrs. Liu walked carefully along the dirt road in the mountain village with a basket of eggs, fearing that the eggshells would be broken.

Song Baoer looked unhappy and wanted to walk to the county.

The three daughters-in-law also brought a package, which contained handkerchief purses they made from the work they took in the county.

Song Yiyue followed Zhu with a basket on his back, looking at the barren mountain roads around him, feeling that there was no moisture in the air, only waves of hot air blowing in his face.

When all the villagers from nearby Nanning County come to the market, they will exchange their crops or baskets of eggs and vegetables for money or other things.

Mrs. Liu was afraid that her daughter-in-law would hide the copper coins, so she followed her to the embroidery building.

"Boss, what do you think of the handkerchief purses we made?"

Yang, the proprietress of the embroidery shop, looked through the embroidery pieces in the package. The quality was average, except for Li's, whose stitches were neat and the embroidered patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum were various and delicate.

The price for Niu and Liu is ten cents per piece, and for Li is fifteen cents per piece.

Niu received 240 copper coins and gave half to her mother-in-law. Liu received 190 copper coins less and handed over half of it reluctantly.

Li's embroidery was good, so the boss's wife gave her a total of 450 copper coins, allowing her to keep copper coins as her own money.

The two sisters-in-law were jealous that she could keep so many.

Mrs. Liu kept the copper coins and didn't care what they did with the private money. She took Baoer to the market to sell the eggs.

He also gave Bao'er thirty cents in private so that she could buy some snacks.

Just now, Song Baoer saw her sisters-in-law giving her mother three or four hundred copper coins, but only gave her thirty coins. She pulled her mother's arm and begged for twenty more coins.

The sisters-in-law tacitly separated and went to buy what they needed.

Li told the landlady that she wanted to buy a piece of cloth to make a pair of trousers and a shirt for her youngest son. She chose a piece of blue coarse cloth and spent more than 70 coins.

Song Yiyue saw two baskets of cloth scraps next to the counter of the embroidery shop and asked the proprietress if she could give them to her at a lower price, as she had been learning needlework recently.

The proprietress was very optimistic about Li's needlework and offered to let her choose any one she wanted.

She picked out the brightly colored and intact cloth scraps from the two baskets of rags. Li helped her pick out the more light-colored ones, intending to use them to make hair ties and tie hair.

Song Yiyue picked out most of the basket of cloth scraps, and the proprietress didn't even blink, but waved her hand and gave them to her.

After the mother and daughter came out of the embroidery building, Song Yiyue said she wanted to go to the pharmacy to sell the honey.

Mrs. Li knew that her daughter had found honey before she went out. She didn't ask any questions and took her directly to the clinic not far ahead.

The medicine boy inside was reading a medical book behind the counter. I went up to them and asked if they accepted honey.

The medicine boy asked them to take out the honey to check its quality.

Song Yiyue took out a whole beehive from her backpack and showed it to him.

Looking at the integrity of the entire honeycomb, and the wild honey, the medicinal properties are particularly high. It is especially suitable for the elderly, children and pregnant women to regulate their bodies.

Weighing it on a scale, it was a little over six pounds and two ounces, and the price given was three ounces of silver and 200 coins.

Li had never seen so much silver before, and she took it with trembling hands.

When she walked out of the pharmacy, she was afraid of being discovered, so she held her purse tightly in her arms.

"Mom, let's go to the grocery store and buy some salt first."

I bought more than three pounds of coarse salt at the grocery store. When I fled the famine, I would be too weak to walk far without salt.

Li also saw some brown sugar on the side and bought two kilograms of it, letting her son drink a bowl of brown sugar water every day.

I bought more than five pounds of old rice at the grain store and spent twenty-five cents.

At this time, Song Baoer, who was on the other side, took 50 cents and bought more than a pound of mung bean cakes and four meat buns. She planned to give them to Mr. Wang secretly when she returned. Mr. Wang was weak and needed to eat more to nourish his body.

Mrs. Liu bought some coarse salt and seasonings, and cut more than a pound of fat from the pork shop, preparing to use it to make oil.

When everyone arrived at the gathering place, everyone was in a good mood and carried their own things.

Liu secretly came up behind Li, intending to secretly take a look at what she had bought, wondering if she could get something out of it.

But he was discovered by the mean girl standing nearby, who kept cursing and went back to where he was.

Niu's attitude was rather indifferent, and she didn't care about her two younger siblings. They were destined to split up the family business anyway.

When the mother-in-law and sister-in-law came back, they were in a good mood and didn't glare at Song Yiyue.

It was already noon when she got home. Granny Liu cut the fat into small pieces and boiled it over low heat. She filled half of the oil can with oil and secretly hid a small portion of the oil residue in a bowl, leaving it for Song Baoer to eat when no one was around.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had prepared lunch when the men came back.

The cabbage I fried today contained some animal oil and some oil residue.

The daughters-in-law and children stared at the oil residue, waiting for the men to pick up the dishes first.

Old man Song first picked up a large piece of cabbage with chopsticks and ate it with some oil residue.

Liu picked up the dishes before others and ate first. When Mrs. Liu saw this, she didn't say anything. She had already served the dishes for herself and Baoer.

During the lunch break, Song Baoer sneaked out of the yard.

"Brother Hao, these are the snacks and meat buns I bought, please put them away quickly."

Wang Hao's eyes were full of love as he spoke sweet and tender words to Song Baoer.

"Baoer, you are still the best to me"

"Don't worry, I'll come and marry you in a sedan chair when I pass the imperial examination."

"Let you become my wife in glory"

After hearing what the other person said, she imagined herself becoming an official's wife, living a life of fine clothes and delicious food, and being envied by everyone. She gave him all the copper coins she had earned today so that he could use them for his studies.

Wang Xiucai didn't expect that Song Baoer would give him so many things after just a few nice words. He was mocking this village girl in his heart as a fool. She still wanted to marry him, but she was not even qualified to be his concubine.