Chapter 357 - Chapter 357: It’s a Good Thing
Chapter 357: It’s a Good Thing
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Binglan nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Aunt Ding.”
...“There’s no trouble. You should be happy that I’m willing to do this.” Ding Wan knew Su Damin, Zhou Wen’e, and the others would be thrilled to work in the embroidery shop if she asked them to. They would not know how to thank Su Binglan by then.
Ding Wan was quite happy imagining everyone’s excited faces. After all, she was delighted because she would do something meaningful.
Su Binglan nodded, feeling at ease leaving her aunt in charge of the embroidery shop.
After talking for a while, she went home just in time for everyone else to have dinner. The villagers were holding stinky tofu, their faces full of bright smiles.
Although it was time for dinner, the sky had not darkened yet. Some people had late dinner and were still chatting at their house entrances. The other villagers were preparing to cook, going to the haystack to collect hay to start a fire.
The rest waited at the door for their children, who were about to return from the factory for dinner. The villagers were stunned when they saw the workers leaving the tofu factory with bags.
“Dahua, did you guys get more things from the factory?”
The workers were holding big bags which seemed full of food. Lin Dahua chuckled. “Yes, Aunt Niu. Miss Su made some delicious food again. It’s called stinky tofu, and it tastes great. Everyone received two portions.
“Lin Mei worked the morning shift today, and I took her evening shift. I’ll send her two portions to her soon. After all, Miss Su said that everyone who works in the factory will get two portions.”
Aunt Niu looked envious. “That tofu factory is excellent. It looks like they give out food every two to three days.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good,” Lin Dahua said smilingly. She had been smiling non-stop since she started work at the factory, earning so much pay and benefits.
Aunt Niu looked forward to when the factory would hire more people so that she could work there. She had felt weak and dizzy before, so she could not work at the factory,
However, she was no longer weak or dizzy since taking the medicine Su Binglan had prescribed her. In the past, Aunt Niu dared not even squat to gather firewood for fear she might faint and fall.
Su Binglan said that Aunt Nie was suffering from anemia and malnutrition. Aunt Niu did not quite understand what it meant, but the medicine worked after she took them.
Now, Aunt Niu was energetic and wanted to work and earn money for her family.
Li Mei worked the morning shift that day. Afterward, she went home to get some water and wash her clothes. Usually, her second sister and the others would fight to do housework and wash the clothes.
However, Li Mei knew her siblings were still children, so she busied herself with house chores after work. After washing the clothes, she prepared to cook.
At that moment, Lin Dahua brought the two servings of stinky tofu to her. “Li Mei, are you home?”
Li Mei came out of the kitchen and saw Lin Dahua. Li Mei was stunned and asked, “Sister Lin? Why are you here? Is there something wrong?”
She was nervous and worried that she had done a terrible job at the factory, even though she had worked very hard. She was also concerned about the factory because her family relied on her salary to survive.
That was why she asked Lin Dahua such questions.
Lin Dahua did not notice Li Mei’s worried expression. She lifted the bag and said happily, “This is the stinky tofu Miss Su told me to bring to you. It’s delicious, and there are two servings for you and your family.”
She handed the two servings to Li Mei as she spoke, but Li Mei had yet to return to her senses.
‘She didn’t come here for anything else besides delivering food?’ Li Mei had a blank expression. Still, she did not forget to express her gratitude, “Thank you, Sister Lin.”
Lin Dahua readily said, “You don’t have to be so formal. Also, don’t let the smell fool you because this is delicious. You’ll know what I mean when you take a bite. All right, that’s all I’ll say since I must hurry home and bring my share to my family and the children. I’ll be leaving now.”
Li Mei nodded. “I’ll send you off, Sister Lin.” Then she re-entered the house after Lin Dahua left.
At that moment, Li Mei regained her senses and shouted happily, “Second Sister, Third Sister, Little Brother, come and eat! Miss Su told someone to send us something!”
The three siblings were peeling peanuts in the house’s inner room. They hurriedly got down from the brick bed when they heard their big sister’s voice.
“Is it more tofu, Big Sister?” Li Mei’s second sister looked on curiously.
“It’s not regular tofu but stinky tofu. Whatever it is, it must be delicious. Come on. There’s a lot of it, so let’s try it together.”
Li Mei’s siblings hesitated even though they wanted to eat the stinky tofu. The trio was still sensible and only ate when their big sister took the first bite.
Li Mei picked up a piece for each of her siblings with her chopsticks and ate alongside them. Although the stinky tofu had a unique taste, it was indeed delicious.
“Big sister, it’s delicious.”
“It’s tastier than regular tofu.”
Li Mei smiled and agreed with her siblings. She thought, ‘Miss Su is so good to everyone. She would give everyone food from time to time, so I must work hard and be more diligent.’
Then she prepared to return to work at the factory the following morning.
Yao Cuihua’s husband, child, and in-laws smiled when she brought home more food. Now, her status in the family was rising. Even her two sisters-in-law fought to work and were very polite to her.
Yao Cuihua’s salary and bonus a few days ago were comparable to the family’s annual crop income. She felt proud when she returned home that evening.
There were many members in the family, so she distributed the 12 pieces of stinky tofu. Every family member received one piece each, but there was an extra piece.
Since Yao Cuihua’s mother-in-law was the head of the household, no one objected when she gave the extra piece to Yao Cuihua.
Whenever Yao Cuihua’s mother-in-law added meat to the stir-fried vegetables during winter, she would prioritize Yao Cuihua and give her a few pieces of meat first.
“Cuihua is our family’s hero. If it weren’t for her, would we get such an opportunity to eat such delicacies? Always remember what kind of life we used to have and what it is now. You should eat more, Cuihua.”
“Yes, I will, Mother-in-law.”
“It’s our duty, Cuihua. How could we have eaten such delicious food if it weren’t for you?”
“You don’t say. This stinky tofu is delicious.”
Yao Cuihua said, “I heard from Miss Su that she would also arrange for people to sell stinky tofu in town. I think the price should be affordable. If you like it, you can buy a portion once in a while to try it.”
If it were in the past, Yao Cuihua would not have said such things. After all, her mother-in-law had the final say on how the family spent their money. It was up to her to decide if the family could buy anything.
But now, everyone listened to what Yao Cuihua said, and they did not think anything was wrong with her words. “You make a lot of sense, Cuihua.”
Old Master Su and Old Madam Su were still making grilled chicken when Shen Qiuhua arrived..