Chapter 35 pt1 (1/2)

After eating, Sun Shi1 helped Zhou Shi clear the table while Yang Shi went to wash the dishes.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Sun Shi told the two that she would be returning to her room, and then she pulled Xue Qinghuai back to their living quarters.

The family of three showered and then laid down on the kang2 Sun Shi hastily pulled her husband and asked: “Huai Ge,3 you say, does Zhao’er’s business really make that much money?”

When he came back, Xue Qinghuai told this matter to Sun Shi, but Sun Shi didn’t take it to heart. This changed when she saw that Zhao’er bought so many things today and brought a bowl of meat to the main house.

Sun Shi knew how much those things were worth. That bowl of meat is at least a catty,4 and a catty of meat is more than a dozen wen5 . And it was really served to them. Anyway, Sun Shi would have been reluctant to do this, so when Father Xue6 beat her son and daughter-in-law, she didn’t dare to speak.

But this also shows that Zhao’er is really making money.

Likewise, Xue Qinghuai also does business, but he carries his goods every day to walk around the streets and alleys to sell. It would seem that they had the most profitable business of the Xue family, but in fact it was the most exhausting. They sell small items, things that are cheap, and they make little money. On a good day, they can earn a few dozen wen, but on a bad day, they earn more or less ten wen.

Since Zhao’er can bring Jiang Wu to do business, why can’t she bring their family as well. And the two families are so close that Gou’er7 and Zhao’er still call them fourth uncle and fourth aunt.

Sun Shi talked about the matter with Xue Qinghuai, and Xue Qinghuai said: “We have been doing alright in our business, so why did you get this idea?”

“Is there any silver that is untouchable? Zhao’er will bring anyone to do business. Is it not better to work with us?”

“There is Jiang Wu. Besides, Jiang Wu has a carriage, but our family does not have one. They are doing a good job in business now, and you want to meddle in. What is that called? Let me tell you right now, you cannot speak of this matter to Zhao’er. It will make people think we just want to coercively snatch a share of the pie using our identities.”

Sun Shi did not expect this to happen. Seeing the man’s resolute attitude, she didn’t say anything more. She just laid there and couldn’t help thinking about this matter. In the middle of the night, she finally fell asleep.

After Zhao’er washed the dishes, she went back to her room. The kang was already cleaned up.

The kang table was wiped clean and the feet of the kang were removed. The bedding was already laid out, and a large mattress was placed underneath. As usual, there were two quilts on the top that were neatly laid out, one on the left and one on the right.

Zhao’er felt a little comforted. It could be seen that the little man had changed a lot since his illness. He knows to help her with work and also knows to be considerate of her.

She thought of the hairpin and earrings he bought for her. It has only been ten days since he entered school, and he still had to study. He must have used his leisure time to copy books, and the silver earned from copying books was used to buy jewelry for her. Immediately, her heart softened.

She can’t give him attitude just because she has a knot in her heart. Thinking about this, she put a smile on her face, and her voice became tender and clear: “Later when you stop reading, you’ll go to sleep?”

“I’ll stop reading.”

“Yes, you should be tired from reading everyday. When you come home, don’t read anymore. Let your eyes rest. I will boil water, and later after we wash, we can rest.”