Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 63 - 61 Find Someone to Work

Shen Yunfang watched the two piglets on the ground oinking away, pondering over how to build a pigsty, and finally, she slapped her thigh and set out for the Wang Family’s home.

If she couldn’t handle it herself, she would just pay someone to do it.

When Shen Yunfang reached the Wang Family’s courtyard, she noticed the gate was locked and couldn’t see any lights. Not knowing whether the people inside were resting, she had no choice but to call out, “Sister-in-law, are you at home?”

After a short while, lights turned on inside the house.

“Yunfang, why come over so late? What’s the matter?” Brother Dashuan’s wife, wrapped in an overcoat and holding a kerosene lamp, came out of the house.

“Right, sister-in-law, I’ve got something to discuss with you,” Shen Yunfang said with a grin.

“You little rascal, you’re always up to some madness. Come inside quickly,” Brother Dashuan’s wife chided her with a glance and opened the gate for her to enter.

“I’ve actually got some serious business this time,” Shen Yunfang followed her into the house.

“Yunfang’s here, come sit in this room,” Wang Family’s matriarch’s voice called out.

“Alright,” Shen Yunfang replied and walked toward the west room.

The Wang Family too had a three-room mud house; the west room was occupied solely by the matriarch, and the east room housed Brother Dashuan and his family of three.

“Wang matriarch, you’ve gone to bed so early,” Shen Yunfang remarked as she entered and saw the bedding already laid out, with the matriarch sitting on the kang, wrapped in her clothes.

“You bet it’s late, and besides, keeping the lamp on wastes oil. Going to bed early saves a little,” the Wang matriarch said with a laugh.

That’s how it was in the countryside; even lamp oil was valuable and needed to be used sparingly. If there was no pressing business, people didn’t light lamps in the evening. Once it got dark and there was nothing to do, they would go to bed.

“Hehe, Auntie Wang, I’m not here to see you today, I’ve come to discuss something with my sister-in-law,” Shen Yunfang said as she instinctively took off her shoes and sat on the kang.

“What’s up? Spit it out,” Dashuan’s wife followed her into the room, bringing light with her.

“I bought two piglets from my aunt today, and they’ve just been delivered. We don’t have a pigsty at home, so I can’t keep them…”

“That’s all? Sure, tomorrow morning, I’ll have your Brother Dashuan build you a pigsty,” Dashuan’s wife interrupted before she could finish.

“That’d be great, but I can’t let your Brother Dashuan work for nothing. How about I pay him thirty cents a day?” Shen Yunfang suggested with a smile.

This wage was carefully considered by her. For strong laborers like Brother Dashuan, working in the production team would earn them just ten cents a day. In good years, it could be roughly fifty cents a day, but in bad years, they could earn merely a few cents.

Some families would labor hard all year only to earn nothing. By year’s end, they might even owe the production team money because of the bad year, with a cent being worth only one or two cents. The money earned through the year wouldn’t cover the cost of four hundred and eighty kilos of grain ration, so they’d have to pay the difference.

In the countryside, although each person was allocated four hundred and eighty kilos of grain a year, it wasn’t free; it was tallied and deducted from their pay at the end of the year.

Upon hearing about money, Dashuan’s wife’s eyes lit up.

“What for? We’re neighbors, it’s just lending a hand. Charging for this would be laughable,” Auntie Wang immediately opposed. It was common for villagers to help each other without payment.

“Exactly, it’s not a big deal, and there’s no need to pay. Besides, your Brother Dashuan has to work every day, he can’t be helping you all the time,” Dashuan’s wife realized that this money couldn’t be taken.

“Hehe, I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I’m not asking Brother Dashuan to skip work. He can help me in his spare time in the morning and evening. If it were just this job, I wouldn’t mention it, but I need Brother Dashuan’s help for a few more days. If you don’t accept the money, I’d feel too embarrassed to ask,” Shen Yunfang said. Helping for a day or two was one thing, but she had much more to do and couldn’t manage it all alone.

“What else needs to be done?” Dashuan’s wife, sensing an opportunity, grew interested.

“You know I’m by myself. With spring plowing coming up, and now that I have two piglets, I can’t just plant my private plot haphazardly. I’m thinking of farming it properly to harvest more grain to feed the pigs. And my backyard, as you know, is quite large. I won’t finish planting it alone,” explained Shen Yunfang, sharing her difficulties, “I was hoping Brother Dashuan could help me till the soil and plant it when he has the time. I’m just not cut out for that kind of work.”

Shen Yunfang finished speaking and held up her thin arms to highlight that she truly wasn’t capable of such labor.

Dashuan’s wife was tempted by the prospect but still looked to Auntie Wang for guidance.

“Auntie, don’t bring up the neighbor thing. This work can’t be done in a day or two. If you don’t take the money, I’ll have to find someone else,” Shen Yunfang feared Auntie Wang would still refuse payment, and she couldn’t bear to ask someone to work every day for nothing.

“No, let Brother Dashuan do it,” Dashuan’s wife hastily intervened, eager not to miss out on such a good deal. Thirty cents a day for work that could take a month meant nine dollars in total. With that money, she could improve her daughter’s health.

“Mom,” Dashuan’s wife pleaded.

Auntie Wang, aware of why her daughter-in-law coveted the money, sighed and said, “You young folks decide for yourselves; I won’t interfere.”

Both Dashuan’s wife and Shen Yunfang were pleased—it was an agreement.

“Then sister-in-law, let’s settle it. Brother Dashuan will start working for me tomorrow. As for the money, let’s just keep it between us, okay?” Shen Yunfang asked and then realized a potential issue, “Sister-in-law, if Brother Dashuan is helping me, what about your own fields?”

“Oh my, you must think I’m like you, too weak to shoulder a load or lend a hand. Just me alone is enough for the bit of land we have,” ridiculed Dashuan’s wife.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Yunfang touched her nose; after all, she was still young. Given more to eat and time to grow, she was sure to handle things better when she was older.