Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Although Ji Yongling distributed the medicine pouches to several women in the village to make, these women kept their mouths shut and didn't talk much about it in the village. Moreover, most villagers had some opinions about this Feng woman, and not many families were close to her. Therefore, Feng woman didn't know that the Ji family had needlework skills.

Upon hearing that there was needlework to be done, Feng smiled broadly, her teeth chattering. She enthusiastically pulled Hu Xirong's arm and said, "Oh, this is wonderful! It's kind of her to still think of our Maihua. Our Maihua is the most diligent of all. She's been pampered since I entered this family. She's been taught needlework by hand, and she's the most skilled at it."

Hu Xirong rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, "Who doesn't know who?" But she held back her sarcastic remarks and said, "Let's make it clear first, we're hiring Maihua to do the work at my house."

Upon hearing this, Feng's smile faded slightly. She cursed inwardly, "She's definitely trying to underreport her wages," but she still said aloud, "Her aunt, we live in the same village, it's only a short walk to and from here. Besides, there's still some work to do at home that we can't do without Maihua, so let Maihua bring the needle and thread back to do it."

Hu Xirong sneered: "I don't trust some people. I'm afraid they'll lose the needle and thread when they get it back. Besides, the important person needs it urgently. If you don't want Maihua to do it, just say so. I'll find someone else. There are plenty of women in the village who can do needlework."

“Oh, oh, oh, Auntie, Maihua has to go, she has to go—” Feng’s face was filled with panic as she forced a smile. “Auntie, I wonder how much she’ll be paid? My Taohua is also very good at needlework, even better than her sister. She can send handkerchiefs to embroidery shops in the city.”

Hu Xirong lowered her head and patted Ji Yongru's head, who was standing quietly beside her. Without looking at Feng Shi, she said, "We can't afford such good craftsmanship. For this job, we pay two and a half coins for making one medicine pouch. I estimate that Maihua can make about thirty a day. You can calculate the wages; it's quite a lot. If you're willing, let Maihua do it. If not, I'll find someone else."

Feng's smile froze. She didn't know whether to keep smiling or turn her face down and scold. She gritted her teeth and squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth: "Auntie, how big is the medicine bag? Is it about the same size as a sachet? Now that the days are long, if it were small, a skilled woman could make seventy or eighty a day."

Hu Xirong looked down at her fingernails, blew on them, and said, "Peach Blossom Mother, this is the price. This is the price for everyone who comes to my house to work. If you're willing, let Maihua come with me now. The more days she works, the more wages she gets. If you're not willing, then forget it."

Feng continued with a forced smile, "Auntie, could you bring the work back to do? If you do it at home, I can lend a hand, and it will be faster and you can do more."

Hu Xirong gave a fake smile and said, "Peach Blossom Mother, it's not that we can't bring it back, but the fabrics for noble people are limited. If we lose even one piece, it will cause a major problem. Where will we find a replacement that matches it?"

Feng gritted her teeth, lowered her head and calculated, still feeling unwilling. Although she didn't know how big the medicine pouches she was making were, based on her experience, making at least forty or fifty a day was no problem. But she couldn't do anything about the slippery Hu Xirong, so she bit her lip and said, "Fine, let Maihua go."

Hu Xirong leaned back and glanced into the courtyard, then turned to Feng and continued, "This work might take a few days, and there might be another batch after this one is finished. Make sure Maihua doesn't have any injuries on her hands or body, otherwise it will not only affect the speed, but when the important people find out, they'll say it's bad luck! If this affects my family's ability to get work..." Hu Xirong emphasized the last sentence.

Feng was embarrassed for a moment, then put on a smile and said, "Of course not, don't worry, Auntie. We also feel sorry for Maihua. Sigh, how many families can accept a woman who has been divorced and sent home? Look, we still treat Maihua the same as before she got married."

Hu Xirong didn't want to watch Feng's performance anymore, so she called out to the courtyard, "Maihua, let's go, let's go do some work for Ling'er."

"Hey, coming right up, Auntie," Maihua's voice came from the courtyard.

Hearing the long-lost joy in Maihua's voice, Feng's face fell and her eyes darkened. However, when she saw Hu Xirong looking over, she put on a smile again and said, "Auntie, why don't you let Taohua go with you?"

Hu Xirong glanced at Liu Taohua, who was standing silently to the side, and said, "This is someone who will become a scholar's wife in the future, and we can't afford to hire her."

Liu Taohua kept smiling as she listened to her mother and Hu Xirong talk. The angle of her mouth was perfectly sculpted, without a single flaw. Even when she heard Hu Xirong talking about her, she didn't get angry. She continued to smile at Hu Xirong, making Hu Xirong look like a mean and sarcastic clown.

Hu Xirong suddenly felt a chill, shivered, and wanted to leave.

At this moment, Maihua also came out. Hu Xirong then called Ji Yongning and his brother, who were wrestling and grappling with Maihua's younger brother Yang Jiafa in the distance, and left.

As Ji Yongning left, he angrily pointed at Yang Jiafa and cursed, "You coward, just you wait! I'll flatten you one day!"

Hu Xirong kicked out, but missed, and cursed, "You coward, what are you cursing about!"

Ji Yongning dodged Hu Xirong's kick and said stubbornly, "When my grandfather planted potatoes, Yang Jiafa secretly dug them up and ate them as soon as they were planted. I didn't even tell my family. Yesterday he bullied Tiedan again. Isn't it because he thinks Tiedan has no parents and is easy to bully?"

Hu Xirong also turned her head and glared at Yang Jiafa, then said to Feng Shi, "Auntie, saplings need to be cut down, and children need to be disciplined. You'll have to teach this kid a lesson. If he bullies Tiedan again, I'll beat him up."

Feng gritted her teeth and glared at Yang Jiafa, then smiled apologetically at Hu Xirong and said, "They're just kids, playing around, don't take it seriously."

Seeing Hu Xirong leave with Maihua, Feng's face was so gloomy it looked like it could be squeezed for water. She roared at Yang Laosan, "Look at the good seed you've sown! Your own daughter, when an outsider calls, she doesn't even say hello, just turns around and follows him; your own child, who doesn't learn anything good every day, and you don't even discipline him. You've embarrassed me to the point of not knowing where to put my face!"

Yang Laosan stood up, smiled ingratiatingly, and said to Feng Shi, "Her mother, this girl is just like her silly mother, not very bright, you know that. Jiafa was really mean to his grandmother before, I'll go find a stick to teach her a lesson."

Feng glared at Yang Laosan, then pulled Liu Taohua and turned to go into the courtyard.

Liu Taohua turned back to Yang Laosan and smiled, saying, "Father, Mother isn't angry with you, so please don't blame her."

Yang Laosan chuckled sheepishly as he watched Feng and his companion enter the courtyard. He then pulled out a stick as thick as a baby's arm from the pile of firewood in the corner and swung it menacingly towards the Yang family.