Chapter 586: I Am Simply Myself

As for the cattle and horses... Yin Le awkwardly touched her nose, unsure whether to tell her sister-in-law about such a harsh reality.

Forget it, better not to say anything.

Her master said it’s already difficult for common folks to live, and understanding the underlying logic of this dynasty’s lowest levels would only deepen their suffering if they can’t change their own predicaments.

"Go to sleep, sister-in-law. If you don’t, you won’t be able to get up tomorrow to see where I work," Yin Le deliberately said.

Eldest Sister-in-law Yin quickly nodded, even more curious about what was really going on in that stationery factory after hearing her sister-in-law’s words, not wanting to miss out.

So, they blew out the candle, and the sister-in-law pair squeezed together and closed their eyes to sleep.

Eldest Sister-in-law Yin felt she hadn’t slept long before rustling sounds arose beside her.

She was a light sleeper and had to worry about household matters, so she would wake up whenever there was a noise outside.

She slowly opened her eyes to find a dim, blurry figure getting up to dress.

"Sister-in-law, sleep a bit more. I’ll come back to call you once I finish the morning training assigned by my master," Yin Le quietly instructed.

Eldest Sister-in-law Yin curiously asked, "Morning training?"

Yin Le replied with a "hmm" and explained in a low voice, "My master says we train in the hottest part of summer and the coldest part of winter. Practicing martial arts requires persistence, and we mustn’t slack off."

Only then did Eldest Sister-in-law Yin vaguely remember that her sister-in-law had apprenticed to learn martial arts.

Out of curiosity, Eldest Sister-in-law Yin got up too, wanting to go and see. The sister-in-law pair quickly got dressed, leaving the house before dawn.

During the coldest season, Eldest Sister-in-law Yin wore an extra cotton-padded jacket belonging to her sister-in-law, but she was still shivering from the piercing mountain wind.

Looking up, she saw her sister-in-law, wearing just two mid-layer jackets, carrying two triangular-bottomed wooden buckets, quickly stepping on the slippery frozen snow, and disappearing from the range illuminated by lantern light in the blink of an eye.

Oh right, the lantern was to light her way. In the pitch-black latter half of the night, her sister-in-law’s eyes seemed to see, accurately avoiding every stone that could trip her.

"Sister-in-law, walk slowly." Leaving this sentence, Yin Le sprinted towards the village well.

She had to fill the three large water tanks at home within half an hour using these two new buckets, which were more challenging to fetch water with.

The new wooden buckets were custom-made by Liu the carpenter at Qin Yao’s request. The bamboo hoops securing the bottom wooden boards were quite loose, causing water to leak out profusely.

If not for Qin Yao’s intervention, Liu the carpenter wouldn’t have dared to make such reputation-ruining buckets.

Soon, Yin Le had fetched two buckets of water and, like the wind, ran past Eldest Sister-in-law Yin, who had just reached the bridge, stirring up a gust of cold wind that ruffled the hair beside her temples.

In another blink of an eye, wind noises rushed down from the mountain, flashing past Eldest Sister-in-law Yin’s eyes, scaring her into a scream, almost thinking she had run into a ghost.

"Don’t be afraid, sister-in-law, it’s me!"

From far away came Yin Le’s apologetic explanation, leaving Eldest Sister-in-law Yin astonished. Her once delicately weak sister-in-law had become so vigorous and fierce?

Unable to keep up with her sister-in-law, Eldest Sister-in-law Yin simply found a sheltered spot, holding the lantern and silently watching the girl who ran like the wind back and forth between the village well and Qin Yao’s house.

Her head turned left and then right, and her somewhat sore neck miraculously felt much better after a whole morning.

As the sky brightened, Yin Le finally filled the three water tanks at home.

Mrs. Li and Ah Wang also got up, one preparing meals while the other pulled Da Lang out of the covers for martial arts practice in the backyard.

The house gradually filled with busy sounds; Eldest Sister-in-law Yin followed her sister-in-law back into the courtyard. Just about to ask if she was tired, at a blink, she saw her sister-in-law already lifting a heavy axe to the woodshed.

Amidst the sounds of wood chopping, Mr. Yin and Eldest Brother Yin woke up fully rested. Mrs. Li prepared the guests’ breakfast and then busied herself with other tasks.

Mr. Yin looked around, "Ah Yue, shouldn’t we invite your master and the others to join us for the meal?"

It didn’t seem appropriate for just their family to have breakfast.

Yin Le sat down boldly, taking a big bite of a flower roll in one hand and waving the other, explaining with a full mouth:

"No need to mind the master and them. We eat our meal. The household eats at different hours; we eat first."

Seeing her family still hesitating and not daring to start their meal, Yin Le urged, "Eat quickly. I’m going to be late for work."

She had reported to Song Yu in advance when leaving in the morning, informing him that she would be bringing her family to visit the factory today. Steward Song only allowed one hour, so the time was tight.

The members of the Yin family, seeing this, reluctantly picked up the exquisite breakfast and started eating.

Delicate food was indeed delicious. Apart from being expensive, there was no flaw. Even the usually well-fed Mr. Yin and his two sons couldn’t resist having more.

Having filled their stomachs, Yin Le immediately led her family, rushing towards the stationery factory.

Along the way from the village, everyone was in a hurry like Yin Le, with their eyes full of hope, heading to the factory.

The villagers moved in groups of twos and threes, chatting and laughing, heading to the factory, both men and women; in fact, there were even more women than men.

The reason lies in Sheng Country’s labor corvée system.

"Each year, men are assigned corvée labor once or twice, lasting at least half a month, at most three months. Including the time spent traveling back and forth, the delays add up, so women in the village often replace the men to continue working at the factory."

Mr. Yin curiously asked, "Then are the wages for male and female workers the same?" After all, men and women differ; what men can do, women might not be able to do well.

Yin Le laughed and said, "That depends on the individual’s skills. Everyone has different strengths, and wages differ for different work. In our factory, the more work, the more pay. Sometimes female workers earn more than male workers!"

Just then, Qiao Yun, leading her apprentice Yang Fang, walked by. Qiao Yun methodically assigned the next batch of spring Lady’s Box tasks. Yang Fang, holding paper and pen, quickly recorded; for words she didn’t know, she used symbols as substitutes.

"Manager Qiao," Yin Le quickly greeted.

Song Yu had already mentioned that there would be outsiders visiting today. Seeing these unfamiliar faces, Qiao Yun guessed they were the visitors and politely nodded, smiling towards Mr. Yin and Eldest Sister-in-law Yin, saying:

"Yue Niang is a very diligent girl. Thanks to her, we are able to enjoy a safe and delicious lunch at noon."

She had more tasks to handle, so with a slight smile, she swiftly led her apprentice Yang Fang to the next production group, showing a vigorous and resolute demeanor.

The male and female workers they passed saluted her, showing both respect and admiration.

Eldest Sister-in-law Yin had never seen women receive such attentive gazes and stayed transfixed, watching.

Eldest Brother Yin returned, pulling her away, snapping her back to reality. Observing these women, each occupying their post with smiles, exuding confidence, and striding proudly, she felt dazzled.

Seeing unfamiliar men, Mr. Yin and Eldest Brother Yin, they neither cowered away nor avoided, but smiled and nodded, returning to focus on their work.

Mr. Yin and his son exchanged glances, seeing the amazement in each other’s eyes.

These brilliant women were radiant, dazzling to look at.

This beauty had nothing to do with having a peerless appearance, nor with having sufficient gentleness, filial piety, or chastity.

It was a lively, upward thing, filled with hope in life, believing wholeheartedly that they could gain everything beautiful through their hard-working hands, needing no dependence on any person or status. I am just me, a certainty.