Chapter 144 (2/2)

Xiaolian glanced at Heizi’s figure briefly and asked curiously, “Brother Heizi, what made you want to go to the docks to find work? Did Grandmother tell you to go?”

Heizi scratched his face out of embarra.s.sment and said, “No! I’m already fourteen years old this spring . My mother said . . . in two more years I could probably talk about marriage . Heh heh . . . we’re not able to make much at home from fis.h.i.+ng and my mother said that all of the money at home is for Younger Uncle’s studies . In the future, Grandmother likely won’t give me much for a betrothal gift . So, I thought about it for a bit, and decided that since I’m perfectly healthy, I can go out and earn my own money!”

“You have spirit! Brother Heizi, I believe in you!” Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in admiration . In this time period, it was very common for people to find matches for fifteen to sixteen year olds . To Madam Zhang, other than her youngest son, who she treasured, everyone else was as important as gra.s.s . She really could see that old woman not giving any money for Heizi’s betrothal gift!

Heizi smiled foolishly at her, “Actually, it was you, Xiaocao, who encouraged me! You’re younger than me by five to six years but you know how to sell braised food at the docks to earn money . I’m almost at the age where I can marry a wife, so it’s not good if I only stay at home waiting for other people to get food and drink for me! If I continued to idle about at home, then I might have trouble marrying a wife in the future…”

Xiaolian gently made fun of him, “Hee hee hee . . . Brother Heizi, I didn’t know you wanted to marry a wife! Do you have anyone in mind?” Her teasing laugh sounded like little silver bells chiming in the air .

A bright red flush appeared on Heizi’s swarthy face, and he stammered, “That is . . . I heard the elders at the village entrance mention that the b.u.m in the neighboring village does nothing all day and is unable to marry a wife even at the age of forty, so that’s why . . . why . . . don’t spread rumors about me!”

Xiaocao helped him out of this awkward hole, “Brother Heizi is right! As long as you are hardworking, do you have to worry about marrying a wife? Older Brother Heizi, what are you plans?”

“No . . . nothing in particular! Just want to go to the docks and see if they need any dock workers . I heard, during busy times, a dock worker can earn around fifty to sixty copper coins a day!” A yearning expression flickered across Heizi’s face .

Yu Xiaocao looked over the rolls of fat on his body with a bit of concern, “Working as a docker requires a lot of strength and endurance! Do you think you can move something that weighs around fifty kilograms?”

Heizi fell silent for a bit before he replied, “Even if I can’t at first, I still have to try . I can tell them to pay me a bit less . . . once I toughen up, then it’ll be fine!”

The three of them chattered during the whole journey, and, before long, they reached the docks . At this moment, there weren’t a lot of s.h.i.+ps in the area, so Foreman Sun and his workers were all idling about .

When he saw the pair of pretty sisters, Foreman Sun walked over and greeted them, “Xiaocao, it’s been a while since I last saw you at the docks, how come you have time today?”

“Uncle Sun, I was at the docks yesterday! You’re mistaking me for someone else, I’m Xiaolian . Xiaocao is next to me!” Xiaolian grinned happily as she walked over to Grandpa Liu’s noodle stall and set up next to it . She ignited a small clay stove and put the braised food on top to heat it up .

Foreman Sun looked at Xiaolian and then looked at Xiaocao . He laughed somewhat awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, “You two sisters really look too alike . It’s not easy to distinguish between you two quickly . Old Liu, give me a bowl of mixed grain noodles . Xiaolian, give me a portion of pig head meat, I want the more fatty bits!”

Xiaocao was perplexed by his order and asked, “Uncle Sun, how come you’re eating mixed grain noodles? Are you tired of eating wheat noodles?”

Foreman Sun grimaced bitterly and shook his head, “Xiaocao ah, don’t make fun of your Uncle Sun . I almost can’t afford to eat this bowl of mixed grain noodles, let alone wheat flour noodles!”

“What happened? Business is not going well?” Xiaocao asked somewhat pensively as she glanced at a large s.h.i.+p that was docked . There was a whole group of dock workers energetically working in full swing on the boat .

Foreman Sun slapped the table fiercely and loudly exclaimed, “That b.a.s.t.a.r.d Liuzi is really not someone who’s easy to deal with! He pretty much monopolized all of the work on the docks! All of the strong and vigorous men also went to him . He’s not leaving me any way to make a living anymore ah!”

“That can’t be true, right? Brother Liuzi doesn’t seem like someone who would monopolize everything, right?” Xiaocao frowned and looked at the tall and brawny figure near the sh.o.r.e .

Foreman Sun laughed bitterly for a moment and then said, “It’s my fault too! In the past, I threw my weight around and made things difficult for Liuzi . There was a time, when business was good, that I became complacent from my success . I promoted someone to an a.s.sistant and didn’t bother managing things much myself . Who knew that I was blind and that a.s.sistant changed everyone’s daily pay to monthly pay . After a month pa.s.sed, he embezzled everyone’s salary and fled! Liuzi seized the opportunity then to entice everyone over to him . In addition, he also has someone helping from above, so it’ll be very difficult for me to make a comeback . Ay . . . now, being able to eat my fill is considered quite good for me ah!”

Yu Xiaocao noticed someone in the distance, not too far from the docks, measuring something on the land . She soothed him, “Uncle Sun, it’ll only be hard for a short period of time . Once the docks finish construction and we have a large harbor, there will naturally be a need for a lot more workers . When that time comes, you’ll have another opportunity! However, I feel like competing bitterly with someone is not as profitable as working together…”

“Hmm? Why is it more profitable to work together? Let me hear your thoughts, ok?” From behind her, a loud and clear voice suddenly interjected .

Yu Xiaocao swiveled her head around and looked . She didn’t know when Brother Six had arrived behind her . He had a tall and heavily muscled body with skin that was colored a healthy bronze . The scar on his face didn’t diminish his manly looks one bit . He truly was the epitome of a manly man bursting with hormones!

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