The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 190 A Concubine is Better than a Mistress (8)_1

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 A Concubine is Better than a Mistress (8)_1

San Ya believed that her eldest sister must have come up with another method. Next spring, they needed to renovate the house, and they didn’t have enough silver coins, but she was certain her sister would figure something out. These calculations were probably the solution her sister had thought of!

Pei Qin found Zou Xing, saying she had a job for his older brother. Old Man Zou was a blacksmith with apprentices, and he had enough hands to make wheelbarrows and handcarts, so she wanted to ask Zou Fu for help in fitting all the abacuses she bought with the Clearing Devices.

Zou Xing was also rushing to finish making skateboards, wheelbarrows, and handcarts, not wanting others to steal his techniques. He had to put in extra effort and make more. He couldn’t help her himself, so he agreed and went home to find his older brother.

Zou Fu didn’t think the Clearing Device she wanted was difficult to make, as the abacuses were already finished products. He said with a push, he could finish them before the New Year.

Pei Qin paid one copper money as a deposit, letting Zou Fu take away all the abacuses from her house.

In a few days, the Fang family’s people came looking. With the New Year approaching, and after having driven her and her brother out, Grandma Fang almost wished death upon the entire Pei family. Seeing their shabby house, she still advised them to spend the New Year with the Fang family.

Pei Qin straightforwardly said she was busy, as she planned to send Pei Wendong to school after the New Year and they would only stay in their current house until spring, when they would start building a new one.

Grandma Fang didn’t expect her to be so stubborn and couldn’t persuade her, so she just warned her earnestly and left with Lady Yu.

Soon, it was the Little New Year, and Grandma Sun brought them a pot of nicely wrapped dumplings.

In Runing Prefecture, the mourning customs weren’t so harsh; as long as one observed the rules for marriage and joyous occasions, the specifics of diet weren’t strictly enforced.

So Pei Qin also minced some fillings, ready to make dumplings. She bought lamb, which was warm for the body.

After they finished wrapping, Pei Qin asked San Ya to send a pot to Sun Tiezhu’s house. After boiling the dumplings and eating them, the siblings went up the hill with paper money, incense, and dumplings to burn for Lady Fang.

By the 24th, 25th, and 26th days, every household was busy steaming decorative buns to celebrate the New Year. Grandma Sun told them not to bother as she would steam extra to share, enough for offerings.

Pei Qin had already bought some.

Grandma Sun felt helpless and let them do as they wished.

Si Ya complained that the purchased buns were expensive, and not to say that Pei Qin didn’t know how to make them, she had no time either. She only mixed the dough and used the noodle machine to press it into noodles, then fried a big basket of twists. She sent some to Sun Tiezhu’s house and kept the rest for their own New Year celebration, while nicely packing the other portions.

On the 24th, Zou Fu delivered more than a hundred abacuses, all fitted with the Clearing Devices.

Pei Qin then paid the remaining copper money.

Zou Fu firmly refused, "I’ve already taken the money once; how could I take it again!"

"It’s the right thing to do! Rushing the job right before the New Year, this price is actually too low!" Pei Qin insisted he take it. She rented a donkey cart, left Si Ya and Pei Wendong at home to watch the house, and rode with San Ya, taking the twists and those abacuses to head to the county town.

They first went to Landlord Chang’s house, saying they had come to express their thanks.

As soon as Chang Yonglin heard she had arrived, he hurriedly found Landlord Chang, and they both came to see her.

Pei Qin gave the twists to Chang Yonglin, and also presented thirty abacuses to Landlord Chang.

Chang Yonglin really liked them, praising the noodles fried into such crispy and delicious twists.

After Landlord Chang tried out the abacuses with the installed Clearing Devices, he was also pleasantly surprised and happily accepted them, "Do you have a batch of abacuses like this that you plan to sell? You don’t need to go anywhere else, just sell them directly to me."

Pei Qin laughed, "Landlord Chang! If thirty aren’t enough, you can buy a few more. However, if you need too many, I might not be able to supply them all. I thank Landlord Chang in advance!"

With that said, Landlord Chang couldn’t say much else, knowing that the Wang family needed many, and so he let her go to the Wang family’s house.