Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 145 Reward

The old woman breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the two sign the agreement: "Now that you have a stable market here, my family can raise more laying hens. You know, raising chickens is my only skill. Do you want to take some eggs back with you on this trip?"

Jingyan smiled and replied, "My family is planning to host a dinner party tomorrow. The new store has been open for a while now, and we're also moving, so we're hosting both at the same time. That's why we need to buy a few chickens from you to add to the dishes for tomorrow, so it's not convenient for me to bring eggs today."

The old lady was delighted: "Alright, I'll have my son deliver the goods to the dock first thing tomorrow morning. Shall we go to the chicken coop now and pick out a few chickens? What dish are you planning to make? I'll help you choose the chickens. How many do you want?"

“I’m planning to make a Northeastern Chinese dish, chicken stew with mushrooms. I need tender chickens. Could you pick out ten for me?” Jingyan said.

The old lady exclaimed in surprise, "So many? This is stew, one plate per table. One chicken can make about two or three plates. If you want ten, how many tables would you have to invite?"

Jingyan smiled and shook her head: "My husband was supposed to have a wedding ceremony after he graduated and got a job, but I had a lot of things to do at home, so we didn't. Later, we bought a house on the island, and then we opened a shop, which were all major life events, but we still didn't have one."

This time, I've finally made up for all the previous favors I owed. It wouldn't do to invite everyone and forget some, so I decided to invite them all. As for the exact number of tables, I'm not really sure; I'm just thinking of having plenty rather than too few.

If I buy too much, it's fine to keep it for myself. I'll buy ten chickens first. If I don't need that many, I'll put them in the coop and raise them. Later, when I want to improve their diet, I'll just kill one. That's convenient.

The old lady nodded knowingly: "Okay, as long as you know what you're doing." After saying that, she went into the chicken coop and started picking out the broiler chickens that had grown up. "The best chicken for stewing is a young rooster. Young hens lay eggs, but their meat is not as firm as that of a rooster. I'll pick out all the young roosters that have just grown up for you. They'll make a really delicious stew."

Jingyan stood outside the chicken coop watching as the old woman swiftly caught two chickens. Her son stood by the fence gate, prepared a rope, took the chicken from his mother, tied its feet, and threw it into Jingyan's basket. Working together, the mother and son quickly caught all the chickens Jingyan wanted.

Carrying the basket, the old woman casually weighed it in her hand: "These ten chickens weigh about forty pounds. Let's weigh them."

The old woman's son brought out a long scale bar from the storeroom, holding a weight in his hand. He hooked the iron hook at the end of the scale bar onto Jingyan's basket, hung the weight on the scale bar, and began to move the weight. When the scale bar was high, the old woman's son pressed down on the star mark where the weight stopped and counted: "Forty-four catties, about forty-one catties after peeling, let's say forty catties, forty yuan in total."

Jingyan counted out the money and handed it to the old woman. The old woman smiled, her wrinkled face blooming like flowers as she took the money. She looked at it carefully, then nodded with a smile: "Come on, I'll take you to the Wang family."

His oxcart goes to the city every day, picking up a few passengers along the way to earn some extra money. It's about time they set off now; if we go, we might be able to catch them and travel together. The fare is five cents per person, saving you the trouble of walking back by yourself.

Jingyan obediently followed behind the old woman. And indeed, the old woman had excellent timing; when they arrived at the Wang family's door, the oxcart had just been harnessed, and neighbors were climbing onto it with large bags and bundles. Jingyan followed them.

The old lady greeted Grandpa Wang, who was rushing to catch the bus, and said she would take Jingyan to the city bus station. She took out five cents from her pocket and was about to hand it to Grandpa Wang when Jingyan saw this and quickly stopped her: "Grandma, I can pay for the fare myself. It's already very kind of you to bring me here. Thank you."

Jingyan stopped the old woman and casually took out five cents from her pocket and handed it to Grandpa Wang. After looking at the two of them, Grandpa Wang decisively chose Jingyan's money: "I'll take this girl's money."

Seeing that Jingyan had already paid, the old lady withdrew her hand and said, "Alright, come visit me anytime you have time. If you need anything, just write a note and I'll get it for you."

After thanking them, Jingyan untied the basket and placed it on the oxcart before jumping on and finding a place to sit down. She then put the basket in her arms. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Grandpa Wang sat on the shaft, cracked his whip on the ground, and the oxcart slowly drove away.

After entering the city, the first place Grandpa Wang stopped was the bus stop. He took Jingyan's basket and put it on the ground. Jingyan jumped off the oxcart, put the basket on her back, said goodbye to the people on the cart, watched the oxcart leave, and then waited for the bus at the bus stop.

After boarding the bus, the ticket seller looked at her basket for a while and said with some disdain, "Are there live chickens in your basket?"

After seeing Jing Yan nod, he frowned and said, "Then put the chicken aside. It's one thing if it smells bad in the carriage, but if it gets other people's clothes dirty, you'll have to pay for it. Quickly find a place to put it."

Jingyan paid the fare, nodded, and carried the basket to the corner of the carriage by the window. She then stood in front of the basket to block the view, hoping it wouldn't bother others.

The bus swayed and rattled until it reached its last stop—the ferry terminal. By then, there were very few people on the bus. Jingyan got off the bus with her basket on her back, bought a ferry ticket, waited a while, and then took the ferry back to the island. This time, she went straight home. Her grandmother and Sister Wang stared wide-eyed at the string of small roosters she pulled out of her basket: "Why did you buy so many chickens? Have you eaten yet?"

Jingyan untied the rope from the chicken's feet and threw them into the chicken coop. Ten chickens weighing one pound each caused a flurry of chickens flying around. Jingyan glanced at them, then turned and put the basket in the storage room. "We're having a party tomorrow, and we still have some hazel mushrooms that were sent from the Great Northern Wilderness last autumn. We can make a big pot of chicken stew with mushrooms tomorrow. I don't know exactly how many people Zhijun is inviting, so I was worried that buying too few wouldn't be enough. I'll just buy a few more. I haven't had lunch yet, and I'm hungry. Is there anything else to eat at home?"

Sister Wang hurriedly went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes: "Yes, I originally brought lunch to Zhijun, but the people in the shop said that after he took the braised meat off the stove, he went to invite guests. Now the shop is being watched by the staff, so I brought his food back. It's still warm, so it's perfect for you to eat."

Jingyan washed her hands, sat down at the dining table, and happily accepted the food, saying, "Sister Wang is so thoughtful." After quickly finishing her lunch, Jingyan rushed off to the shop. Sister Wang and her grandmother, seeing her in such a hurry, didn't stop her and let her go.

When we arrived at the shop, the staff were very diligent. The braised meat for today's sale had already been packed out, and the braising liquid for the noodle soup was almost ready, kept warm on the fire. The lobby and the private rooms on the second floor had also been cleaned. A large lump of dough was placed on the kitchen workbench, ready to be made into hand-pulled noodles at any time. The mutton was cut and four people were skewering it, creating a peaceful scene.

As soon as Jingyan entered, she saw them working together and was quite pleased. The good thing about this era is that no one is lazy; as long as the money is right, everyone can find something to do. "Have the iron skewers been delivered yet?" Jingyan asked casually.

Dou Zhixiao, the waiter, put down the meat skewers in his hand, stood up and replied, "Sister Yan has brought them over. They arrived around ten o'clock. Brother Jun told us to count out a thousand skewers, clean them, wipe them dry, and then soak them in oil. Brother Jun told us to put the remaining three thousand skewers away for now, saying that we can clean them when we need to use them later. There is oil on the surface now, so the skewers won't rust."

Jing Yan nodded: "Are you still using the old ones? Haven't you taken out the new ones yet?"

Dou Zhixiao shook his head: "We took out three hundred sticks. The old ones are all used up, and the ones we are using now are the ones that arrived today. The remaining seven hundred sticks are still soaking in the oil basin."

"Don't throw away that pot of oil. We'll soak the skewers we use in it again after brushing them, otherwise they'll rust easily," Jingyan added. Aunt Li, who was in charge of the kitchen, quickly replied, "I know, boss. That pot is under the counter. It won't be thrown away."

Jingyan stepped forward and measured the length of the skewers with her hand, then nodded in satisfaction: "Now that the weather is hot, where are the skewers kept?"

Dou Zhixiao replied, "The well in the backyard that we usually use to wash vegetables is cold. We put the iron basin with the skewered meat in a hanging basket and hung it in the well. But don't worry, Sister Yan, we didn't let the meat get wet. The hanging basket was above the water."

Jing Yan was truly satisfied this time: "Who came up with this idea?"

Dou Zhixiao scratched his head sheepishly: "That's what I was thinking. It's already late July, and the weather will get hotter and hotter. We specialize in meat, and meat spoils very easily in the summer. In previous years, my family would hang leftover vegetables and watermelons in the well to preserve them. Fresh meat could last for three days without spoiling."

So I discussed it with everyone. Sister Feng helped braid the hemp rope into a sturdy plait, and Sister Xiao brought a hanging basket from home. Aunt Li and I lowered the basket into the well together, securing the rope to the crank handle. This made going up and down easier, and it wouldn't touch the well water when lowered to its lowest point.

Jing Yan was shocked that this was the result of everyone's joint efforts. She waved her hand and said generously, "You helped me find a good solution. Everyone will receive a one-yuan reward today. Come and collect it from me after get off work."

Dou Zhixiao's eyes widened: "You're paying me today? Not with my wages?"

"We get paid on the last day of each month, and we have to wait six more days until the due date. Are you sure you'll pay us at the last minute?" Jing Yan asked with a smile.

Several people quickly shook their heads. Jing Yan smiled and said, "This is a reward, so of course it has to be paid on the same day. Your salary this month is only for twenty days. This time it will be paid by the day. Starting next month, you will be able to get your full salary."

Everyone nodded in agreement: "That's only right. It's only natural to get paid for a day's work."

Seeing that everyone was in a good mood, Jingyan smiled and said, "Then you can continue making the lamb skewers. Jinhua, go to the kitchen and cut some slices of braised pork belly and pour some broth on it to prepare. It's the weekend today, so it should start getting busy around two or three o'clock."

Xiao Jinhua quickly got up, put the skewers back into the iron basin, went to the kitchen to wash her hands and started working. Jing Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Having a helper made all the difference. Now she only had to be responsible for barbecuing every night, which was much easier.

"Oh, by the way, my family is having a banquet tomorrow. When I go to the dock to pick up the goods tomorrow morning, would you like to come with me to get to know the people? If I have anything to do later, you can push the cart to pick up the goods. Of course, if I give you this job, I will also give you extra pay, since it requires getting up very early." Jingyan suddenly thought of the banquet and casually mentioned it.

Dou Zhixiao nodded hurriedly: "Don't worry, Sister Yan, I get up early anyway, so going to the dock won't be a problem."

Jingyan looked at him: "Xiao Dou, how did you get to Changxing Island? Where are you staying now?"

Dou Zhixiao replied, "I came here with my dad. He works as a technician in a military factory. I didn't get into university after high school, and I was originally planning to find a job in Haishi. I just started my vacation and thought I'd come here to play for a few days before looking for work."

I happened to see this job posting while wandering around, so I came in to give it a try. Surprisingly, I actually got the job! Anyway, it's the same no matter where I am, I'll find a job. The pay here isn't bad, and the work isn't too tiring. I think it's pretty good except for the fact that it's a bit far from home.

"Where do you live? Shouldn't people from the military factory live in the family compound area?" Jing Yan asked curiously.

“My dad is my biological father, but his wife isn’t my biological mother. Before, my dad was sent to a farm. My maternal grandfather wanted my mom to divorce him so she wouldn’t be implicated, but my mom refused and insisted on staying with my dad, leaving me with my maternal grandfather.

Conditions on the farm were harsh, and my mother, worn out from overwork, fell ill and passed away in the fifth year of her time there. Later, after the movement ended and my father was rehabilitated, he was assigned to a military factory to be in charge of research and development. It was there that he met his current wife.

I said he was my dad's son, but actually I'm not that close to him, let alone have a good relationship with him. Besides, they have their own children now. This time when I came, my dad found me a place to stay temporarily on the inner side of the island; he didn't let me stay at their house.

When Dou Zhixiao spoke of these things, he seemed indifferent, but Jingyan saw the tears welling up in his eyes and knew that the boy was actually quite indignant on behalf of his mother.

She devoted her whole life to her husband, only to be met with his new family and his neglect and estrangement from their son. The boy's sunny and cheerful personality now is likely due to the good care he receives from his maternal grandfather; otherwise, one can only imagine how pitiful a child deprived of love would be.

"What about your maternal grandfather? Does he want you to stay here permanently?" Jingyan finally couldn't resist her curiosity.

“My maternal grandfather passed away last year. My uncle and aunt have been very good to me, but I’m all grown up now and don’t want to cause them any more trouble. Besides, even if I don’t have a home, I still have a father. I can’t keep living with my uncle forever.” Dou Zhixiao’s lips twitched into a smile.

Jingyan patted his shoulder: "We need someone to be in the shop. So, when your rent expires, you don't need to renew it. You can just move into the shop and turn the innermost private room on the second floor into your living quarters. This way, you can help me watch the shop and you'll save on rent."