Chapter 48 - 48 Pay
48 Pay
They continued to work like this for a while. Suddenly, light footsteps were heard, followed by Mo Ruyue’s voice.
“Be careful. Don’t spill it, or you’ll get scalded.”
Then, Da Bao pulled the cart into the courtyard. There was a big pot on the cart, which was steaming.
“Come, everyone, wash your hands with the well in the courtyard. It’s already noon, so let’s just make do with some noodles and soup.”
As Mo Ruyue spoke, she lifted the lid of the pot. A wave of hot air mixed with the aroma of the broth hit their faces, immediately making the hungry villagers drool.
“This… Mrs. Qin, you just went home… to prepare lunch for us?”
Someone asked in surprise.
“Everyone, you’re helping me clean up my house. Can I not bring you guys a pot of noodle soup? Is it a difficult task?” Mo Ruyue said indifferently.
Although she had always been a person who was afraid of trouble, she still had the proper etiquette. She would not even think about if she was asked to make four dishes and one soup. However, this noodle soup only took ten to twenty minutes. She made it easily, and it did not take much effort.
Besides, it could save everyone from going home to eat. If someone decided to take a nap and rest, she couldn’t go from house to house to catch them.
“Ah, Mrs. Qin is so thoughtful. We were just going to say hello to you and go home for a meal before returning. I didn’t expect you to bring us food.”
A woman said with a smile. She looked very content and grateful, but before Mo Ruyue came over, she was the one who kept gossiping.
“Let’s eat first. There’s not much left, so we’ll try to finish early and go home.”
Although Mo Ruyue wasn’t present just now, she had also heard it when she was outside. Her hearing was much sharper as compared to that of an average person. Although the woman’s voice was soft, she could still vaguely hear something.
She really didn’t like this kind of person who was nice to someone’s face but scheming behind their back, so her attitude towards her was particularly indifferent.
The smile on her face immediately froze when she was rebuffed.
There were about ten to twenty villagers who came to help. The bowls and chopsticks at Mo Ruyuen’s house were definitely not enough. Fortunately, there were villagers living nearby who were willing to help. They went home to get their own bowls and chopsticks for everyone to use.
After the meal, everyone took a short break before they resumed their work.
It was only halfway through the afternoon, and all the rooms had been cleaned up. The house was empty, just waiting to be filled with new furniture.
The pigsty and sheep pen outside had also been piled up again, but the rough stone “cement” had not dried completely. It was likely that it would not be able to be used for the next two or three days.
Everyone had finished the work at hand. The women who finished first waited for the men to finish under the shade of the tree. They also wanted to see if Mo Ruyue would renege on the debt like Qin Shi.
The chicken and duck shed was surrounded by nets after wooden stakes were hit. As it was the easiest to operate, the men put it at the end. After the wets were surrounded, the day’s work was put to an end.
At this time, Mo Ruyue was already waiting at the side with a bulging purse. No one knew when she had left. She had clearly been working with everyone just now.
“Everyone, line up. Everyone will get a share. We agreed that the reward will not be a single copper coin less.”
Mo Ruyue stood at the door, waiting for everyone to come over and give them their pay.
Seeing this, everyone’s hearts immediately calmed down. They had originally wanted to rush forward, afraid that they would not get their salary, but now they also began to line up on their own accord.
“Someone will deliver the goods tomorrow. We’ll be moving into the new house, so we’ll need everyone’s help. The wages will be paid as well.”
As Mo Ruyue distributed the money, she repeated what she had said in the morning.
“Mrs. Qin, don’t worry. With your promise, no one here is unwilling to help.”
One of the villagers had already received his money. He counted the money in his hand and said with a smile.
“That’s right. We just helped Old Madam Qin move out yesterday; she had been ordering us around all day. In the end, she even complained about us, not to mention she didn’t give us any compensation. It’s already good enough that we don’t have to pay her money.”
Someone couldn’t help but grumble, which immediately resonated with everyone.
Mo Ruyue didn’t reply. Even if she and Qin Shi looked down on each other, she wasn’t someone who would talk behind people’s backs, so she just listened.
Just by looking at how the new house had been destroyed by Qin Shi, it was not difficult to imagine how she had ordered this group of people around that day. After all, she and the second branch alone could not have torn down the house to this extent.
In the end, everyone received their due wages and left happily.
Mo Ruyue walked around each house and then checked the newly stacked pigsty and sheep pen and the cowshed and stable. He checked almost every place carefully and only stopped after he was sure that there were no problems.
Only then did she realize that there was only Er Bao left in the courtyard. She did not know when Da Bao had left.
“Mother, can we really move into this big house tomorrow?”
Er Bao still felt that this was not real. Although he had lived in the Qin family’s old residence before, that somewhat gloomy residence could not be compared to this.
They lived in a house that was in danger of collapsing at any time. It was raining heavily outside and drizzling in the house. They never dreamed that they would live in such an excellent house.
“We can move in tomorrow. By right, new furniture should have some smell, but it’s not safe to only put things here without anyone. I’ll think of something.”
Mo Ruyue thought that she could make the bamboo charcoal bags in the utility room of the interspace to remove odors. She was prepared to make a few more tonight. After she moved in the new furniture tomorrow, she would immediately arrange for the bamboo charcoal bags to be placed.
Er Bao walked around the courtyard again. When he left with Mo Ruyue, his eyes still looked like he was in a dream, but he could not hide the joy on his face.
This was the manor of the Qin family’s eldest branch. In the future, they would no longer have to live in that small, dilapidated house. Every day, they would be on tenterhooks. They couldn’t even sleep well, afraid that the house would fall down and smash them down.
When the mother and son duo returned home, smoke was already rising from the kitchen. San Bao and Si Bao squatted in the courtyard with a frown on their faces. They held their chins with their small hands, and their faces were squeezed until they were deformed.
Tang Tang mimicked her two brothers, and she watched the ants move and giggle from time to time.
Mo Ruyue didn’t intend to help out in the kitchen. Instead, she went straight back to the house to pack up.
Not long after sunrise the next day, some people saw a fleet of carts heading towards the Qin Village and immediately clamored.
“Aiya, why are there so many ox-carts? Are they all here to deliver goods to the Qin family?”
Some people squinted their eyes to see how many carts there were, but no matter how they looked at it, it seemed like there was no end to the convoy. One cart after another appeared from the corner.