Chapter 346 - 346: Touched

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Liu Qiaoshi said so much at once that her family was stunned. Everyone’s eyes were wide open as they looked at her in disbelief. They were so shocked that their eyeballs were about to fall out.

Mother Liu opened her mouth to say something, but she was too amazed and excited to say anything.

She did not know what to say besides, “Wait, let me digest what you said first. You’ve said too much.”

Father Liu rubbed his hands together. “This is great, but it feels a little like a dream.”

Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law was so stunned that she could not speak.

‘She earned so much in a month?’ Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law opened her mouth wide. After a while, she said, “You have so much tofu too. That’s great.

It doesn’t feel real.”

The little girl was only one year old. She leaned on her mother’s back and looked on curiously without crying or making a fuss.

“Let’s count the money together, then you’ll know it’s real,” Liu Qiaoshi said.

“This silver tael must be real,” Mother Liu said as she took the money. She gritted her teeth and could not stop smiling. She started counting the two hundred coins again. “One, two, three…”

Father Liu and his daughter-in-law also counted alongside Mother Liu. After counting for a while, they found that it was indeed 200 coins.

“One silver tael and 200 coins are almost as much as our annual food income over previous years. Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, this is only Qiaoshi’s monthly income. If she were to continue, her annual income would be even more impressive,” Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law said excitedly.

Although her sister-in-law had earned that money, Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law was happy just by looking at it. Sure enough) her parents were right to agree to this marriage. She could now enjoy an excellent treatment in Su Teng Village.

When she gave birth to her daughter, she was afraid her in-laws would be unhappy, but they did not say anything and treated her well. Still, she became confident because only girls could work at the tofu factory and earn so much money. Her daughter would also be able to support the family in the future.

With those thoughts in mind, Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law’s smile became even more prominent.

Mother Liu digested the news and said happily, “That’s right, you’re even a manager now, Qiaoshi. You’ve made your father and me proud. Now I can feel proud when I go out.”

Father Liu said, “See, we made the right choice letting Qiaoshi learn to read and write from her brother.”

Mother Liu sighed. “That’s right. We didn’t think so much in the past. We know that a woman’s virtue is to have no talent. Still, Qiaoshi likes to read, so we let her. I didn’t expect it to be of great use now.”

As Mother Liu spoke, her eyes lit up when she saw her granddaughter. “I’ll let my granddaughter learn to read and write too. It’ll be good.”

When Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law heard this, she became excited. “Thank you, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

She had wanted to study when she was young, but her parents were more pedantic and felt it was useless for their daughter to study. Furthermore, her family lived in less favorable conditions. Even her brothers could not study, let alone her.

She envied those who could study. Fortunately, she was good-looking and good at needlework, so Liu Qiaoshi’s brother took a fancy to her. She was only interested in the Liu family because they were scholars.

She did not expect her daughter to get the opportunity to learn to read and write. That entirely made up for her regrets. Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law was so excited that she kept thanking the family.

“We’re family,” Mother Liu said, “Theres no need to thank us. Still, Qiaoshi has earned the money we’ll use.”

Liu Qiaoshi said, “Sister-in-law, were a family. In the past, my brother would come home to teach me to read and write. My brother also worked in the fields when I was a child. He would let me eat whatever good food there was. You were good to me, too, Sister-in-law. I remember all of that, so don’t say those things.”

Liu Qiaoshi’s sister-in-law, Miss Wang, nodded, but she felt touched. “Oh, I’m so happy,” Mother Liu chuckled, “Let’s have tofu for lunch today.”

“Mother, cook some more vegetables and put in more meat. We’ll make dumplings for dinner.”

The family talked and laughed happily.

It was the same for other families. Everyone brought their wages and tofu home, and everyone’s family was happy.

Li Mei did not have parents. When she returned home, her younger brothers and sisters were still doing housework. They were young, so they did their chores slowly but earnestly.

They were busy getting firewood and preparing to make lunch, waiting for Li Mei to get home for her lunch break so that she could have a hot meal. Although they did not know how to cook, and the food they made could have been better, Li Mei already felt touched.

She went home earlier than usual that afternoon and felt sorry to see her younger siblings preparing lunch.

“Big Sister, you’re back.”

“Big Sister, I… We haven’t finished cooking.”

“Big Sister, let’s start cooking.”

Li Mei’s younger siblings were quite sensitive. They did not have parents, so they depended on their eldest sister. They were also afraid that their big sister would not care about them. Therefore, the three of them fought to do housework.

“Second Sister, Third Sister, Little Brother, let’s have tofu for lunch today,” Li Mei said smilingly.

The trio became happy when they saw the tofu Li Mei was holding. However, when they saw how skinny their big sister was, they quickly said, “We’re not that hungry, Big Sister. You have to eat more.”

“Yes, Big Sister. Are you tired? I’ll get you some water.”

Li Mei felt terrible looking at her younger siblings like that. She closed the door and pulled her younger siblings into the house. “I got my salary and bonus today. It’s one silver tael and 150 coins.”

Although Li Mei’s siblings were only eight, ten, and twelve years old, they knew the concept of money.

“Did you truly earn that much, Big Sister?” The three younger siblings were stunned.

“Yes, it’s a lot, and my monthly salary will increase soon. Our lives will only keep improving. The tofu I brought back is from the factory, so we can eat well in the future. You three must eat more, understand?”

Li Mei’s younger siblings were thrilled.

“Also, I’ve thought about it, and our villages welfare in our village is good. If I find a husband who agrees to help me care for you three, you won’t have to worry anymore.” Li Mei had never said such things before because she was not confident.

She did not know if she could care for her younger siblings alone, but things were different now. She could earn this much a month and even get an increased bonus. so she was confident she could care for her younger siblings.

She became more daring to say such things.

“We’re sorry, Big Sister.”

“We’ll take care of you when we grow up.”

“We’ll work hard, too, Big Sister!”

Li Mei’s younger siblings started crying, and Li Mei’s eyes were also red. She smiled and wiped the tears from her siblings’ eyes. “Don’t cry. You should be happy. Help me start the fire, Second Sister. We’ll have tofu with rice for lunch today..”