Chapter 72: 72. Chapter 72: Hiring Someone to Help at Home

72. Chapter 72: Hiring Someone to Help at Home

Jiang Xiaoxiao understood what her mother was going to do in an instant, so she called out to the courtyard: "Auntie Qiulian, are you home?"

Qiulian Niang was embroidering a handkerchief in the courtyard at this time. Hearing the sound, she looked up and was surprised: "Xiaoxiao? Why are you and your mother here?"

Qiulian Niang hurriedly put down the things in her hand and got up to open the courtyard gate.

Jiang Wei scanned the courtyard. There was only Qiulian Niang alone, so she simply explained her purpose: "My snow cake business in town needs help. Do you have time recently? Come to my house to help in the afternoon, and I can pay you twenty wen a day."

"Oh my, helping is helping, why talk about money?" Qiulian Niang waved her hand. "Recently, my man went to the mountain to dig ditches, and I have nothing to do at home besides cooking. If you want help, just say it, don't be polite."

Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at the handkerchief Qiulian Niang was embroidering halfway. The plum blossom pattern on it was very exquisite and beautiful. If it were taken to town to sell, it could also sell for a few coins.

She raised her little face and said with a smile: "Paying is a must. Auntie Qiulian, you come to my house to help, and you will also be delayed for a lot of time, so you won't have time to embroider handkerchiefs."

Qiulian Niang's character is still trustworthy. Letting her come to help can also reduce the burden on their mother and daughter.

"You little girl," Qiulian Niang smiled and pinched her little face. "You don't earn much money selling snow cakes, and you give me twenty wen a day. Aren't you losing money?"

As soon as she finished speaking, someone rushed out of the house, "If someone gives you money, take it. What losing money! You can sell an embroidered handkerchief in town for more than twenty wen!"

"Mother!" Qiulian Niang looked at Zhao Old Madam who rushed out and said helplessly: "It takes me ten days and a half a month to embroider a handkerchief. Can this compare?"

"Are you stupid, woman? How can you push the benefits away!"

Zhao Old Madam frowned tightly, pushed Qiulian Niang toward Jiang Wei, and said with a smile: "Xiaoxiao's mother, hurry and take her to your house. I agree to this matter. Twenty wen of wages a day, you are not allowed to go back on your word! Qiulian, you don't have to stay at home either. Hurry and go to Xiaoxiao's mother's house to help. I will make the afternoon meal and send it to Tiezhu's father on the mountain."

After speaking, Zhao Old Madam was afraid that Jiang Wei would go back on her word, so she hurriedly drove everyone out of the courtyard and closed the courtyard gate behind her.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but find it funny.

This Zhao Old Madam is really a person who sees money and opens her eyes. In the past, when she and her mother came here, Zhao Old Madam didn't have a nose like a nose, and eyes like eyes. Now that she hears that she is going to pay wages, the speed of changing her face is more powerful than turning a book.

So, the mother and daughter brought the embarrassed Qiulian Niang home.

Entering the courtyard, Qiulian Niang saw the chickens and rabbits all over the courtyard, and there was a lot of surprise on her face.

The last time she came to the Jiang family to collect wild boar meat, they only had seven or eight chickens. It hadn't been a few days, and the chickens at home were already too many to count, and there were so many rabbits... It seems that they still earned a lot of money selling snow cakes.

Thinking of this, the guilt Qiulian Niang felt for taking the twenty wen of wages finally decreased a little.

The next second, a tiger cub that looked like a tabby cat rushed up, scaring her so much that she turned pale with fright, retreated several steps, and almost fell to the ground, "Bi, Big, Big Bug!! Why is there a big bug here!?"

"Auntie Qiulian, don't be afraid, Xiaohu won't hurt people." Jiang Xiaoxiao hurriedly picked up the tiger cub and comforted her.

Xiaohu is the name she gave the tiger cub. Hearing her call this name, the tiger cub excitedly stretched out its tongue to lick Jiang Xiaoxiao's fingers.

Jiang Xiaoxiao understood that it wanted to drink ability water, but Qiulian Niang was in front of her, so she didn't dare to release water at will. She could only hold its head down, and seeing that Qiulian Niang was still afraid, she sent the tiger cub to the room and locked it up.

Jiang Wei held the frightened Qiulian Niang, took her to the kitchen, and explained: "The big bug cub picked up on the mountain yesterday was injured by an animal trap. I saw the little guy was pitiful, so I thought about bringing it back to raise, and it can also help look after the house..."

"Xiaoxiao's mother, this big bug cub cannot be raised randomly. It will eat people when it grows up." Qiulian Niang patted her chest with lingering fear, "If you want to find an animal to look after the house, my nephew's family in my mother's house had a few puppies a few days ago. I will go and ask for two for you to raise..."

The two talked all the way to the kitchen. The materials for making ice cream and snow cakes were piled up in the kitchen. Qiulian Niang looked at them and shook her head, sighing: "Eggs, glutinous rice flour, sugar... Oh my, these things are very expensive. Xiaoxiao's mother, will you really not lose money by using these things to make snow cakes to sell?"

For a time, she became uneasy about taking the twenty wen of wages again.

"Don't worry, do you still not believe me when I do things." Jiang Wei said, while roughly explaining the steps of boiling the raw materials for snow cakes.

Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was in the room comforting the tiger cub, also rushed to the kitchen to help.

She was responsible for burning the fire. There were two stoves at home, and two pots were used together. Qiulian Niang and Jiang Wei stood on each side.

Qiulian Niang was responsible for the simple production of snow cakes, pouring glutinous rice flour, sugar, and milk into the pot one after another to boil, and stirring evenly until the white sugar melted. This work was not difficult, as long as you kept stirring, and a pot would be boiled in a while.

Qiulian Niang skillfully filtered the thick and hot snow cake solution through gauze, then poured it into the basin on the side to cool, not asking any messy questions during the period, and doing her own work peacefully.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was very satisfied in her heart. Qiulian Niang's character is indeed trustworthy.

Jiang Wei was making ice cream in front of the other pot. Ice cream is more troublesome to make than snow cakes, and it also requires separating egg whites and egg yolks. Only egg yolks are used to make ice cream, and the egg liquid must be taken out separately to make cream.

Besides burning the fire, Jiang Xiaoxiao was also responsible for separating egg whites and egg yolks. This work is not difficult, but it is very troublesome to do. If it is not separated cleanly, it will affect the taste of the cream. In addition, she is small and short-handed, and the egg yolks separated by one person are far from enough for the amount of ice cream Jiang Wei boils.

Qiulian Niang also has to come over to help from time to time.

Jiang Wei watched and thought: "It seems that I have to specifically ask someone to come over to help separate egg yolks tomorrow."

"Then who should I ask?" Jiang Xiaoxiao rubbed her sore arms and said. Besides Qiulian Niang, they were not very familiar with the people in the village. If they asked someone with bad character, they might secretly embezzle the production formula of the snow cakes.

"I do have someone to recommend." Qiulian Niang thought about it and said: "Zhao Dasao's daughter, Chunmiao, she works seriously, and asking her to come to work will definitely not be told out randomly."

"This girl is okay." Jiang Wei nodded. When she went to the mountain yesterday, she also saw Zhao Dasao's two children burying their heads and working on the side. They didn't talk much and worked very hard. Asking her to come is definitely guaranteed. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 73 =====