Chapter 385: Earned ten thousand!

"The rush grass must be split before it can be dried. This requires finding someone with a good hand for it; otherwise, it'll be ruined..."

At the thought of hiring so many people, Song Youde couldn't help but feel a bit numb—how much would this cost in wages!

He couldn't help but ask: "Tan Tan, we don't even know how much these grass mats will sell for. If we hire too many people, the costs will be high... Why don't we just have our own family cut them?"

Song Tan:?!

!

"No!" She refused instantly and handed a blade of grass she had just cut to the front for Song Youde to take another look:

"Grandpa, you rarely see grass of this quality these days. If we don't take advantage of the good weather to cut it now, it will be old by tomorrow. If another rain comes in a couple of days, it'll be too late to dry... By then, you'll regret it even if you want to!"

"How would our own family have the time to do this?"

He understood the logic, but... he still felt so reluctant.

Song Youde grumbled: "If I'd known, I wouldn't have torn down the drying room in the old courtyard. I should have built it bigger back then and laid the rush grass inside. It would only take a few hours to dry, and the color would be beautiful..."

That was true.

Generally, if rush grass is sun-dried, it inevitably loses some color, turning from emerald green to light green, grayish-green, or dull.

And it takes a day or two.

But if it's dried in a kiln, it only takes four hours. Not only does it save time, but it also retains the color and the scent of fresh grass to the greatest extent. It is truly a method with more economic value.

But Song Tan became vigilant: "Wouldn't it cost money to build a bigger drying room? Besides, next year when you're drying tobacco again, Grandpa, wouldn't you think, 'Since the drying room is already this big, why not plant two more mu of tobacco leaves?'"

Song Youde:... Look at this stinky granddaughter!

He hadn't originally thought that way, but now that she mentioned it, it did seem to make sense...

It was already past 6 o'clock when they got home. Breakfast was already made. Wang Wang was like a wandering soul, holding onto the staircase and moving his legs stiffly, step by step, taking a long time to shuffle down.

He didn't even wash his hands; he just grabbed a large piece of rice cake, held it with both hands, and ate it bite after bite.

This was a steamed cake made from freshly milled rice; it was fluffy, fragrant, and sweet—it couldn't be more delicious!

With so many people in the family, Seventh Cousin had to use a three-tier steamer just to make enough for everyone to eat!

Qiao Qiao also came down, sleepy-eyed. He first gave a big stretch, then performed a few opening moves of Ultraman Tiga, and only then did he rush into the kitchen with a hum and a ha.

However, he was a fastidious child. He washed his hands and first scooped a bowl of freshly boiled rice porridge—

"Woo woo woo, fragrant! So fragrant! I want to eat it with pickled cowpeas!"

But the porridge was a bit too hot, so he could only blow on it with a slurping sound while taking small, "s-ha, s-ha" bites.

Turning his head to look, Qiao Qiao was curious: "Brother Wang Wang, why are you learning to eat like a squirrel?"

He gestured.

The squirrel held an acorn with its two little paws, looking just like Brother Wang Wang holding the rice cake with both hands.

Qiao Qiao had once happened to see it through the window and had observed it for quite a while; his description was absolutely spot-on.

Wang Wang looked up at him, his expression resentful, his voice even more listless:

"Because... my hands are shaking, and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it."

Having never done manual labor, after suddenly doing it for a few days, the soreness in his body hadn't disappeared; instead, new pain was added every day...

For instance, his hands were trembling even when held in mid-air now.

Zhang Yanping was just pouring the last bit of porridge from his bowl into his mouth; hearing this, he almost choked!

Only then did he sigh: "Wang Wang, you just haven't exercised enough. Don't worry, once your skin is tanned to look like mine, your hands won't shake anymore."

Qiao Qiao didn't even believe this—Brother Yanping didn't do any work at all.

Under the morning sun, Zhang Yanping's pitch-black face seemed to reflect a layer of bright light.

Seeing this, Wang Wang suddenly felt despair—if he turned as black as this, would Lili still want to date him?

Meanwhile, Song Youde was already discussing with Song Sancheng about weaving

grass mats at home. Wu Lan was already taking inventory of who worked quickly and who was a master at cutting rice... and she accurately found the other party's phone number and called.

Seeing this, Wang Wang hurriedly walked over with stiff legs, looking pitiful:

"Aunt, can I not move watermelons today? My arms can't even be lifted, and my waist is exhausted..."

Why were these watermelons all so big!

At first, he didn't feel it when holding them, but later... it was truly a story of bitterness and tears.

Hearing this, Song Sancheng couldn't help but be happy: "Really? Oh, you child, you're just so thoughtful—"

While shouting at the top of his lungs: "Wu Lan, Wu Lan, hire one less person today. Wang Wang said he can go cut grass for us—"

Wang Wang:?!

!

He instantly remembered his agonizing time in the rice fields. At this moment, even the big watermelons on the mountain became round and cute, so he hurriedly waved his hands:

"No, no, no, Aunt, I was just saying that. Actually, I still want to help Uncle Zhang! I'll go in a moment, I'll go in a moment..."

【Given the current environment,

"Oh, okay."

Song Sancheng still felt a bit regretful—the wages for hiring people to cut grass were high. If they could have one less person, wouldn't that save another sum?

But this young man Wang Wang, although a bit flighty, had been performing quite well these past two days...

He then said with concern: "Wang Wang, don't be too tired when moving watermelons on the mountain. Just sit and rest for a while after moving twenty or thirty; you don't have to finish them all in one go."

Wang Wang:...

He now had to rest after moving ten or so...

Then his shoulder was patted heavily twice by Song Sancheng: "Perform well! Look at how sturdy your build has become these past two days. You sleep soundly, right? Let me tell you, living in our village is definitely very healthy. You young people in the city are all sub-healthy; you just need to come back and adjust..."

"Oh, right, it's summer now, you have to get up early to work, you silly child... If you get up at 5 o'clock to tidy up and go up to do a wave of work first, and then come back to rest when the sun comes out, isn't that more comfortable than being under the hot sun?"

"You young people, you still love to sleep in, hahaha..."

At this, even Song Tan felt a bit embarrassed. Was her dad doing this on purpose?

Wang Wang held the unfinished rice cake in his hands numbly, feeling as if his heart was about to break.

Song Youde looked at the sky: "Oh my, I also have to hurry back to find a few old buddies to help me split the grass—Wu Lan, Tan Tan said she'd let me earn the money for the grass mats. I'll give you the money for hiring people later!"

Wu Lan also laughed readily: "Sure, Dad, then you have to work hard. Mom earns a hundred yuan a day picking tea, and she's already earned ten thousand by now!"

Song Youde's scalp tightened. He quickly calculated in his heart—it was true, starting from March, a hundred a day, until now at the end of June...

It really must be ten thousand!

This old woman hadn't even mentioned the money when she got home; she was quite good at hiding it! No wonder she was so energetic carrying her basket every morning!

Hmph, let's see him earn ten thousand with these grass mats... cough, five thousand... hmm, three thousand! ===== CHAPTER 386 =====