They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 160 Uproar
"I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, sister-in-law. This is all the wages I can get, and I'm afraid I can't increase them. Chunfen stays at my house for breakfast and lunch, and I often give her extra meals when she comes over in the evening. You know that this should be a lot of wages. When the seasons change, I'll tailor two new outfits for her, one for autumn and one for winter. You don't need to prepare any more clothes for her when you buy new clothes for your family."

"As I said before, I don't have much work here. There are some heavy jobs that I can't do, so I have to ask her to come. If your family is very busy, just ask her to go back and help with the work. Don't worry, I will still pay her in full for the whole month."

"I don't think two hundred coins a month is too little."

Xu had assumed that Xu Zhichun was gentle and kind. She had spent a long time rehearsing her words in her mind, revising and refining them repeatedly. Finally, she silently went over them twice in her heart. She was quite pleased with herself, thinking that her words were polite, kind, appropriate, reasonable, and perfectly timed. She believed that Xu Zhichun would have no choice but to agree, given her personality.

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhichun refused.

They even listed out the reasons for their rejection one by one.

Madam Xu: "Zhichun, you earn so much every day, and Chunfen helped out too. I never said you had to give her an equal share. Can't you even add a little? Chunfen may be silly, but you can't treat her like this, can you?"

“She’s not stupid.” Xu Zhichun looked at Xu Shi. “She’s simple-minded and pure-hearted, that’s not stupid. I pay her fairly, it has nothing to do with how much I earn in a day. We didn’t let her participate in making konjac tofu, she just helped sweep the floor, fetch water and do some housework.”

"You're not willing to add even a little bit?"

"We really can't add any more."

In a fit of anger, Xu almost said that if that was the case, then they would quit. Fortunately, the two hundred coins plus the fact that she would hardly have to support her sister-in-law was too good to pass up, so she swallowed the words back down.

"In that case, we don't need to eat at your house from now on the Spring Equinox. Just give the money to our family in the form of rice and flour, and let her eat at home from now on."

Xu had already planned it out. She knew that Chunfen wouldn't allow her to eat so much at home during the Spring Equinox. If she got hungry, wouldn't Xu Zhichun give her something to eat? She had already come all this way, opened her mouth, and said everything. How could she be content if she didn't get even the slightest benefit in return?

Xu Zhichun thought to herself, if it weren't for the fact that she genuinely liked Chunfen and treated her like a younger sister, she would have been willing to pay an extra month's wages to get rid of Chunfen just because of what Xu said.

With the conditions she offered, it would be impossible for her not to hire someone in the village.

There are plenty of people eager to come to our door to apply for the job.

Pick whatever you like.

The amount of food consumed during the Spring Equinox has decreased significantly compared to the beginning of the year. This is easy to understand because the food nowadays is richer in oil and meat, unlike in the past when meals were often irregular, consisting of bland soup and water, with hardly any meat or oil.

If she ate at home, how could she possibly eat so well?

Xu Zhichun disagreed.

“This was originally an extra payment, not included in her wages. I felt sorry for her because of her big appetite, so I let her eat more. If she didn’t want to eat, then she didn’t have to. There was no reason for it to be converted into rice or flour and included in her wages.”

Mrs. Xu objected, "How can it not count? Since she was allowed to eat it, it's hers. Isn't it reasonable for her to take it home?"

Xu Zhichun couldn't explain it to her, "It's not calculated that way. For example, when you buy something, the extras that the merchant gives you are optional; it's entirely up to the merchant. The person buying the item doesn't get to decide."

Madam Xu said irritably, "Zhichun, aren't you being a bit too meticulous in your calculations?"

“We had a clear agreement back then. The contract in black and white clearly stated how much I should be paid, but this item wasn’t written on it. This item is something I’m willing to pay myself.”

"You're not happy if it's converted into rice or flour?"

Xu Zhichun remained silent.

Out of consideration for the Spring Equinox, she gave Madam Xu some face and didn't speak so bluntly. "Fine, you're capable and resourceful, that's great. We can't argue with you, we have no choice but to accept it."

Xu Zhichun: "."

Xu Zhichun hadn't originally intended to tell anyone about this, but she did so out of consideration for Chunfen, to avoid Xu Shi getting angry and bullying Chunfen. After all, this matter didn't actually cause her any loss.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, Aunt Zhu told a story that was both funny and sad.

What a coincidence! Xu came looking for Xu Zhichun, and Zeng Xiaoyan's second sister-in-law, Zhao, also went to find Zhu'er's aunt.

Zhao's words implied that the business belonged to her third brother and sister-in-law, and that Zhu'er should step down and let her take over. She said that they didn't even have enough room for their own family members, so how could they let outsiders take over?

Fortunately, Aunt Zhu knew perfectly well that this business didn't belong to Zeng Xiaoyan, but to Xu Zhichun; otherwise, even if she was furious, she wouldn't have been able to continue.

The words may be rough, but the principle is sound; what they said makes sense.

They're family, and I'm just an outsider. They've come knocking on my door. It's certainly not Xiao Yan's intention, but it wouldn't be right for her to cause discord between her and her sister-in-law and create chaos in the family because of her.

Aunt Zhu'er knew perfectly well that this business belonged to Xu Zhichun, so she felt no guilt or remorse whatsoever. No matter what Zhao Shi said, she always said the same thing: "Let Xiao Yan say it herself."

Zhao was furious. She even asked Xiao Yan to speak up, but Xiao Yan refused. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to their door in person.

Zhao cursed and swore, her words becoming increasingly offensive.

Qi Tian originally didn't want to get involved. Women should handle their own affairs. What kind of man would he be to get involved?
But he always doted on his gentle and beautiful wife, who was a full twelve years younger than him. When he heard Zhao's harsh words, he couldn't help but get angry and defended his wife, giving Zhao a good scolding.

Zhao was so angry that her face turned red, and she left in a huff.

Aunt Zhu felt a little guilty, so she met Xu Zhichun at his house this morning and told Zeng Xiaoyan about it.

Zeng Xiaoyan sneered: "No wonder she went crazy again for no reason last night. My mother-in-law scolded her. Aunt Zhu, you don't need to pay attention to her. With her parents-in-law around, she can't cause any trouble."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I also have something to tell you all at the same time."

So he also told her about Xu's visit.

Xu Zhichun is now incredibly grateful for his wise decision back then. Luckily, he brought Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu'er into the group, otherwise he doesn't know how much hatred he would have attracted.

Don't expect peace and quiet.

Faced with such enormous profits, it's no surprise that many villagers couldn't resist their wicked desires.

One hand cannot clap; how should we deal with this?
Although it sounds unreasonable and shouldn't be, how can everything in the world be reasonable?
Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu'er were speechless and complained, "Fine, let's leave it at that and see when this uproar will subside."

Zeng Xiaoyan said that Zhao had gone mad "again," and Xu Zhichun and Aunt Zhu'er tacitly refrained from asking further questions. Everyone assumed that the business belonged to Zeng Xiaoyan, so it would be strange if Zhao didn't go crazy.

Xu Zhichun felt a little guilty, as the village head, Aunt Liang, and Xiao Yan had taken on too much for him.

(End of this chapter)