Chapter 149: Sisters ** Getting Down to Business

He Jinglan stood at the doorway, calmly watching Meng Chengping walk out of the small courtyard.

From beginning to end, Meng Chengping did not turn back, and He Jinglan did not call out to stop him.

Gu Xixi accompanied He Jinglan standing there for a moment, then she said, "Although it is spring, the nights in the northwest are still cold; let's go inside first, be careful not to catch a chill."

He Jinglan gave a slight nod, turning to Gu Xixi with a smile at the corner of her mouth, "Exactly, before the return trip, I cannot afford to fall ill."

The two returned indoors, He Jinglan closing the door as she casually said, "Just now you said you'd need my help tomorrow; it shouldn't be just to go along with my random chatter, right?"

Gu Xixi thought, when heartbroken it's best to find something to do, so as not to be alone stuck in negative feelings, the more she thought the worse it felt.

She then laughed and said, "I need to dig a kind of wild grass, requiring a large amount, in a hurry, short on manpower."

He Jinglan showed considerable interest, asking, "What do you need the wild grass for? Isn't Mu Nan Zhao already healed?"

Gu Xixi chuckled, "It's not for him to eat."

She then turned serious, saying, "I can only tell you, these wild grasses are very important and urgently needed."

"As for the reasons behind it, I temporarily have unspeakable reasons; if you trust me, wait a few more days, and when I can speak, I will naturally tell you everything."

He Jinglan readily agreed, immediately saying, "Fine, I'll help. But..."

She showed a puzzled expression, "You said you need a large amount; will the two of us be enough?"

Gu Xixi said, "Compared to digging wild vegetables, gathering manpower is what I need your help with!"

Compared to Gu Xixi occasionally coming by, He Jinglan has recently been residing long-term in Dependents Village, where the villagers are more familiar with her.

Having her make the request, first, it's convenient to speak; second, it's easier to gain everyone's trust.

He Jinglan pondered, "After the spring began, I followed the village's sisters-in-law and aunts to dig wild vegetables several times."

"Asking everyone to dig some grass and bring it back is not difficult, but..."

Gu Xixi understood from her expression, took over the conversation, saying, "Just because others feel indebted, we shouldn't let them work for nothing, right?"

He Jinglan laughed, "That's the reasoning."

Gu Xixi said, "Considering everyone's differing strength, to avoid forcing people beyond their ability, it's best to settle wages by half a day."

"In Qing Tian Xiancheng's best restaurant, a shop assistant's daily wage is fifty wen; since we need to rush the work, let's raise the pay a bit—thirty wen per half day, how about that?"

In the northwest, a daily wage of sixty wen is absolutely a job worth ordinary people fighting over.

He Jinglan heard this, her face showing delight, "This is a good thing,"

"Everyone knowing they can earn money will surely be happy!"

In Dependents Village there are only women and children.

The women living here basically have no opportunity to earn money; they are waiting for their family members stationed in the military camp to send provisions, which they use to support the household.

Moreover, these women mostly come from ordinary families and are not afraid of work.

If there were an opportunity right at their doorstep to exchange labor for money, who wouldn't be willing?

He Jinglan then raised a new concern, "Offering thirty wen for half a day will surely attract many people; everyone is skilled at digging wild vegetables, so when the time comes, how do we choose who goes and who doesn't?"

Gu Xixi laughed, "You don't need to worry about that; just accept everyone who signs up."

"In this village all are young and strong women, with no elderly, weak, or disabled persons, so we need not fear someone coming to sign up who cannot do the work."

He Jinglan frowned, thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.

"Right, since this task needs to be rushed, naturally the more people the better."

"Besides, the amount you need is fixed; with more people coming, we'll finish digging earlier and end sooner, so the final wage payout won't increase much."

Gu Xixi smiled, eyes crinkling, patted He Jinglan on the shoulder, "Clever!"

He Jinglan now felt full of fighting spirit, "Tomorrow I'll rise at the first crow of the rooster, go find the sisters-in-law I'm closest with, and ask them to spread the news from house to house."

Gu Xixi nodded in approval, "We'll start work tomorrow morning, though the initial progress definitely won't be fast,"

"I still need to teach everyone individually how to recognize it, so they don't dig the wrong thing and waste their effort."

He Jinglan said, "Don't worry about that; I've heard that every year at this time, when the old harvest is gone and the new not yet in, the village's women rely on their skill at digging wild vegetables to feed the whole family."

Women also have strength; even if placed in this bitterly cold, barren northwest, they can still take root and strive to draw life's moisture from underground.

As for the wages, naturally they will be paid by the Senior General himself.

He Jinglan was reluctant to let Gu Xixi go back to sleep, insisting she stay and sleep together.

The two girls helped each other undo their braids, chatting and laughing as they finished washing up.

Lying down side by side, they simultaneously let out a long sigh.

The two turned their heads to look at each other, *pfft*, and laughed.

He Jinglan said, "Xixi, thank you."

Gu Xixi placed her arms behind her head, "It's I who should thank you."

"Don't worry about me laughing, but I'm actually quite afraid of having to mobilize others."

"I told you earlier this year I wanted to plant pinyin fruit trees in the village; when others asked me if I could guarantee profit, I said, 'Those who like to work can work; those who don't, just quit.'"

He Jinglan burst out laughing, incredulous, "You actually said that straight out?"

Gu Xixi innocently nodded, "En!"

He Jinglan, having laughed enough, said, "Just focus on doing your work; tomorrow when you deal with them, anything you can't handle, I've got you."

She turned over, lying face up to look at the bed canopy, "What I just said thank you for, isn't now."

"If it weren't for having met you, and later reading your letter to me, I might not have had the courage to come out on my own, and thus would not have seen so many different people and things."

Gu Xixi sighed, "It's a shame that here you ruined your original engagement and also met a rival; I don't know whether that counts as my fault."

He Jinglan laughed, "Then you'll have to take responsibility for me."

Gu Xixi glanced sideways at her, "Didn't I already agree to you just now? Taking responsibility means taking responsibility!"

The two continued to discuss some details, confirming there were no omissions.

Afterwards they also talked about what each had encountered when they parted.

He Jinglan naturally brought up Meng Chengping, as if completely letting go, no longer grieving over it.

Until the late night, Gu Xixi was so exhausted her eyelids were fighting, and she said weakly, "Actually, the difficulty between you and General Meng lies in the fact that you two are both good people, and each of you has your own convictions…"

Beside her there was no reply; a soft, even breathing sounded.

Gu Xixi glanced over carefully, confirmed that He Jinglan had fallen asleep, and instantly let out a breath of relief.

Sleep well, nothing is impossible to get over.

By the time the sky was fully bright, Gu Xixi rushed to the village entrance, where almost all the women of the village had gathered.

Everyone's faces were beaming with joy, their eyes holding chessboards.

Although Gu Xixi couldn't recall everyone's surname, she recognized them all, and first smiled and gave a greeting.

She looked around and whispered to He Jinglan, "Why are there so many little children?"

He Jinglan leaned in and said, "There's no choice—I've already agreed to let the little ones stay at home unsupervised."