The road to wealth of a peasant widow

After dinner, Chen Cui coaxed Sui Sui to bed, covered her with a quilt, and then got up and went to the kitchen.

Everyone else had already taken the water back to their rooms to wash their feet, so there was only a little hot water left in the pot, and the fire in the stove had only a few scattered red marks, and was about to go out.

Chen Cui added most of the water into the pot, put a handful of wheat straw into the stove again, and relit the fire.

She needed to boil some water for a bath, she couldn't bear it any more.

The weather is too cold now and the house is not well kept warm, so it is easy to catch a cold when taking a shower, but she can go into the space to take a shower.

The space was neither too hot nor too cold, the temperature was just right, and the place was spacious. She was the only one there, so she could wash however she wanted.

Unfortunately, there is no decent bathtub at home, so I can only use the water in the basin to wash myself every time.

She decided that next time she would find a chance to buy a bathtub and put it in the space so that she could take a good bath.

Several children had already gone to sleep after scalding their feet. Chen Dahe saw Chen Cui still busy boiling water in the kitchen and couldn't help asking, "Sister, why do you need so much water to wash your feet?"

"I'll wash something else. Don't worry about it. Just go to bed." Chen Cui said casually.

"Oh, then I'll go to bed." Chen Dahe really stopped asking and turned back to his room.

This is also thanks to Chen Dahe, who is a good worker but doesn't like to think too much. He just does whatever he is asked to do without overthinking.

Therefore, even if Chen Dahe didn't come himself, he was still the helper that Chen Cui wanted.

Because he doesn't like to think deeply and doesn't ask questions, he will automatically convert some unreasonable things he sees into factors that he can understand. Simply put, he is easy to fool.

Chen Cui closed the kitchen door, boiled a large pot of water, scooped it into a basin, and carried it to her room.

Before leaving, she saw that there was not much water left in the water tank. This place was far from the well in the village and it would be difficult to fetch water. So she took a bucket of water from the space and poured it into the water tank.

She had previously had high expectations for this water, guessing it might be a spiritual spring or something, but later discovered it was just ordinary water without any magical effects, so she just used it to water the vegetables.

She had tried it before and found that the water was fine for the chickens to drink. The two chickens were still alive and well, laying eggs normally.

Later, she plucked up the courage to boil the tea and drank it once. She didn't feel anything unusual, so she felt relieved.

She didn't dare pour too much water, for fear that they would notice that the water in the tank had increased instead of decreased, which would arouse suspicion, so she only poured one bucket.

Chen Cui entered the house, closed the door, and then slipped into the space carrying the basin of hot water.

This time she washed her hair as well. After washing, she dried it carefully with a towel, then lay on the bed in the space and let her hair hang down from the edge of the bed to speed up drying.

Based on her observations and understanding during this period, other members of the family would not notice whether she took a bath or washed her hair.

Sure enough, when everyone was having breakfast together the next day, no one at the table noticed the changes in her. In fact, no one paid any attention to her hair at all.

Today they are going to pile firewood in the backyard to make charcoal again, and everyone will be busy.

The two children who stayed at home yesterday already knew the income from selling charcoal, and they were very excited. They were very enthusiastic when working.

Because there were many people working on it, and they had done it several times before, they were considered skilled workers and could work quickly, so they had built more than 20 charcoal piles in just one morning.

Chen Cui led them to seal the charcoal piles one by one, and it was not until nightfall that all the openings were sealed.

After working all day, her waist could hardly straighten up.

But she can't rest yet. She agreed with Uncle Youcai yesterday that she would go to his house today to discuss something.

Before Chen Cui went out, she took a purse filled with small change, copper coins, and the deeds to the few acres of land at home.

On the way, she reminded Changping: "If they don't agree to rent the ox cart, we won't force them and we'll find another way. But if they agree and have objections to the price, as long as it's no more than fifteen cents a day, we'll agree to it. Don't say anything then."

Chang Ping hesitated: "Fifteen coins a day, isn't that too high? It will cost more than one ounce of silver in three months."

Chen Cui shook her head: "Not high. Right now we have to make money with this ox cart. If we can rent it, and if nothing unexpected happens, in three months, we will definitely have our own ox cart."

When Changping heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. He had always dreamed of having an ox cart of his own.

When the mother and son arrived at Muramasa's house, Changgen had been looking out the door for a long time. When he saw their figures in the night, he hurried back to the yard to report to his grandfather.

Liu Youcai came out quickly, feeling a little embarrassed that he couldn't welcome the guests in.

Although he didn't really believe it, it was an old rule and he was happy to follow it.

Liu Youcai coughed lightly and asked, "Changping's mother, can I ask you what you are going to use the ox cart for? Will it tire out my oxen?"

Chen Cui quickly explained, "Uncle Youcai, I use the ox cart to pull some things to the county town. No more than 2,000 kilograms at a time. There will be at least three days between two uses to ensure that the ox will not be tired."

Liu Youcai couldn't help but wonder: "Can you say it's pulling something?"

Chen Cui looked embarrassed. "Uncle Youcai, I'm sorry I can't tell you now, but I promise that what I did was not against the law, nor would it bring bad things to the village, and I would not hurt the cows."

Liu Youcai nodded to show his understanding.

Everyone has secrets that he doesn't want to tell others. As long as it doesn't harm his cows or the interests of the village, he won't care too much.

"Well, I've discussed yesterday's matter with my family. Since you need the oxcart right now, I'll let you use it for a few months. I have no objection to the price, but words are not enough. We need to sign a contract and write down all the agreed terms. It will be a constraint and protection for both parties. What do you think?"

Liu Youcai said.

Chen Cui was overjoyed. As long as he agreed, it would be fine. Even if he didn't say it, she would have mentioned the contract.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Youcai. Please sign the contract!"

For some reason, Liu Youcai felt a little excited in his heart.

In fact, at first Liu Youcai wanted to give the ox cart to Changping's family for free, but then he realized the inappropriateness of this move.

He was willing to lend the car to them because he saw that the mother and her children were pitiful and self-reliant, and he respected them.

But if other members of the tribe knew about this, they would think that his ox cart was a bargain and would be a waste if they didn’t use it, and they would all come to borrow it. What should he do then?

At that time, no matter who you lend to or not, it will cause criticism. It is better to do as Changping Niang said, charge a daily fee, and use the land as collateral, which is guaranteed to scare away most people.