035 – Playing Tricks
“Even if there is money, he had spent them all. Don’t we still need to live? Now we only have one or two silver in our hands. We have to pay people’s wages to build the house, right? And treat them to a meal, right? That’s not enough money. So, I thought, can I trouble mother, second younger brother’s wife, and third younger brother’s wife to borrow some? We will definitely return it as soon as possible.” Qin Mian looked at Du Shi with sincere and earnest eyes, spontaneously added, “We can write a receipt for a loan to ensure that there is a lent and a return!”
“What?”
The expressions of Du Shi and the company changed simultaneously.
Zhao Shi scrambled to open her mouth, her voice was loud, “Eldest sister-in-law, aren’t you making things difficult for me and third younger brother’s wife? How can we have money when the mother is in charge of home?”Du Shi looked sullen and her chest was stuffy with anger. She grasped the edge of the plate with both hands until her fingers whitened and wanted to drop the plate on the ground, but she also wanted the glossy oiled peanuts. She had thought that this Qin Mian was easy to grasp, but never expected he was neither easy to deal with! Don’t even mention about giving money, he even wanted to borrow money. No way!
“It’s your problem that you don’t have enough money. I came here today to ask for money.” Du Shi glanced at the peanuts and then looked directly at Qin Mian, with chin held high. “No, it’s fine. I haven’t seen any oil in our house for several days. From today on, I have to ask the eldest’s wife to take care of our family’s meal.”
When Zhao Shi and Qian Shi heard that, the side of their lips quietly emerged a wisp of a smile as they looked gloatingly at Qin Mian while still chewing the peanuts.
Qin Mian’s eyes flooded with cynicism and face stiff as he pleaded: “Mother, it’s not that we don’t want to give the money, but we’re just in a difficult time. We really don’t have money. When the deal was made, it was agreed that the money could be given in two or three months——”
Du Shi waved her hand with an unsightly face. “It’s no use saying that. If you want to go back on your words, you must go to Li Zheng[1].”
Zhao Shi’s clicked her tongue without stop and then added fuel to the fire, “Eldest sister-in-law, it’s nothing more than a 100 wen. Your ox was bought for at least 5 silver taels, so then only 5 taels were spent and now you’re short of a 100 wen? I think you better give it, otherwise, I’m afraid that the mother believes you want to repudiate the debt.”
Chewing can’t even stop your mouth. Qin Mian glanced at her contemptuously and pretended to be embarrassed as he muttered, “Fine, I’ll give you that 100 Wen.”He leaned over to Lei Tie’s ear and whispered in a deliberative tone: “Brother Tie, after paying the money back, we won’t have enough money. Let’s go to father after two days to see if we can ask to borrow some.”
Lei Tie looked at Qin Mian with an odd expression in his eyes, but he didn’t say a word.
Du Shi’s face suddenly became alert when she heard it clearly. She made up her mind to talk with Lei Daqiang and tell the whole family to avoid Qin Mian and Lei Tie when she got home.
Only then Qin Mian got up and walked into the bedroom. As soon as he turned around, he sniggered and closed the door behind him.
After a while, he came out with a handful of copper coins and put them on the table. He blocked them with his arms, squeezed out a smile as he said in low voice: “Don’t be anxious, mother. I’ll count first, so as not to give less.”
Zhao Shi softly murmured, “Poor.”
Qin Mian lowered his head and counted the copper coins one by one, “One, two, three…. seventy-six…. seventy-six, seventy-seven… one hundred.”
Du Shi was taken aback and stared at him in a ridiculing manner. He couldn’t even count and counted five times wrongly, giving 5 Wen more which was enough to buy a big fish.
Du Shi’s eyes twinkled and she reached out to set aside the copper coins into her bosom.
“Mother, I’m afraid I’d counted less. I’ll count again.” Qin Mian hastily stopped her with a smile.
Du Shi swatted his hand open and frowned, “You guys are after all my son and daughter-in-law, how can I pursue you for giving me three or four coins less? So be it, I’m still in a hurry to get back to cooking.”
Before Qin Mian could respond, she gathered the copper coins together and put them in her bosom. Then she stood up and took the plate. “I’ll take it home to give your father as snacks while drinking.”
With that, she walked away as quickly as though someone was chasing after her.
Zhao Shi and Qian Shi hurriedly kept up.
Watching them go far, Qin Mian finally couldn’t help laughing out loud, “HAHAHA…”
Lei Tie came to his side and touched his head.
Qin Mian turned to look at him, still unable to restrain the smiling expression. “Believe it or not? It will surely keep them to detour from us for a long time.”
“Not hungry?” asked Lei Tie in a low voice. For the people over there, he bore no sentiment.
“Hungry. I’ll go fry the dishes.” Qin Mian stretched out his arms, shrugged his shoulders, and then went to the kitchen briskly to continue his work.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie’s life was calm again without the people from the old house coming to bring vexation.
Soon, most people in the village were done with the busy farming season. Qin Mian asked Lei Tie to find someone to ask about auspicious day and time and inform the 20 casual laborers who were invited once the time to start building were set.
Qin Mian had inquired about it. The average wage for a casual laborer building a house was about 25 wen. Qin Mian planned to pay 20 Wen a day, including a lunch of four dishes; two meat and two vegetables. He made Lei Tie be thoroughly clear with these when asked for help. Generally speaking, these laborers were from the same village who could eat three meals a day at home and didn’t need the meal inclusion, just a few wages would be fine. But making them a delicious meal at noon would make them work more diligently and efficiently to build the house. Normally, they didn’t necessarily have such a good meal at home.
The invited people were very happy. When there was no work in the farmland, these farmers would also go to the town or the county to find work. The wages were not necessarily satisfactory. Now, they could earn money in the village and have a good meal at noon, who would not like to come? As for those slanderous gossips of Lei Tie and Qin Mian, who cared? Who could live without money?
Note:
[1]里正 [lǐ zhènɡ] village head (a small officer), who mainly in charge of account registration and tax payment. (T/N: previously thought of Li Zheng as a name but it’s actually a position)
