GBP Chapter 102 Good Intentions Lead to Bad Results
Chapter 102 Good Intentions Lead to Bad Results
Many tentacles? Is it a squid or an octopus?
Lin Chang'er turned around nimbly and, by the dim light, saw a huge squid.
Lin Chang'er's mind was already filled with images of grilled squid on a hot plate. She didn't say anything, but scooped up the big squid and said to Aunt Zhou, "This is called squid, and it's a great ingredient for grilling."
Whenever barbecue is mentioned, Aunt Zhou thinks of her late-night snack from last night. Just thinking about the taste makes her mouth water.
Changya said this squid is a good ingredient, so it must taste delicious when grilled.
Aunt Zhou became even more enthusiastic, "Then shall I look for this one?"
Lin Chang'er nodded, "Okay, Auntie, do your best. We'll bake it when we get back."
Aunt Zhou was all smiles, and Lin Chang'er was also laughing happily.
Whether it was because Aunt Zhou was hardworking or just lucky, she actually found two more squid before going ashore. Lin Chang'er accepted them all and put them into the bucket.
That night, although no new rare species were found, Lin Chang'er caught a total of 12 fish, 25 sea urchins, 12 crabs, 3 eels, and 3 large squids, a very fruitful harvest.
Several buckets of clams were collected from the shore, along with a bucket of mantis shrimp, a bucket of razor clams and snails. As for the sea duck eggs, there were about half a basket less than before, probably because more people were collecting them. Lin Chang'er didn't mind. She caught more blue crabs than before, eight in total.
Sister-in-law Xiaohua also collected half a basket of sea duck eggs and caught two blue crabs.
When she got home, Lin Chang'er settled the wages with Niu Ersao and Zhou Sansao.
Twenty coins each, and Sister-in-law Niu Er and Sister-in-law Zhou San were all grinning from ear to ear.
Although there were no classes today, Xiao San, Xiao Shu, and Da Tou still came to help with the work.
These kids didn't get a midnight snack last night either. Lin Chang'er hates owing favors, especially to children.
Zhou Xiaoniu also helped the Gu family with chores for two consecutive days.
Lin Chang'er gave each of the four children 20 copper coins, but the four children dared not accept them.
Zhou Xiaoniu, in particular, hid behind Xiaohua's sister-in-law and refused to come out, while Xiaoshan, Xiaoshu, and Datou were about to run away.
Lin Chang'er stopped them, "I charge adults 20 coins per night, but you are young, so I'll charge you 10 coins. Including yesterday, it's two days in total, so it's 20 coins per person."
Of course, it's not like I'm stopping you from learning to read just because you've paid me.
Here, take it all. Go back and explain it to your family properly.
Finally, Big Head took the lead in accepting the copper coins, grinning sheepishly at her, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Xiaoshan and Xiaoshu then accepted it as well.
There were no streetlights in this era, and walking at night was not safe. However, since the three children were going the same way as Zhou San's wife, Lin Chang'er asked Zhou San's wife to take them home.
Zhou San's sister-in-law knew that her aunt wanted to stay and help a little longer, and she originally wanted to stay as well, but since Lin Chang'er had already spoken, she agreed.
After seeing off the two adults and three children, Lin Chang'er handed the 20 coins that belonged to Zhou Xiaoniu to Sister Xiaohua, saying, "Everyone else has accepted them, so Xiaoniu can't work for nothing. Take them and use them to buy some meat for the children."
Sister-in-law Xiaohua got anxious, "Third sister-in-law, I heard from Sister-in-law Niu Er today that other people sell clams for 2 coins a pound, but you're giving me 4 coins and helping me sell turtles, duck eggs, and crabs."
"You've already taken such good care of my son and me. If I were to accept Xiao Niu's wages, wouldn't I have no shame?"
Since everyone here is on our side, Sister-in-law Xiaohua had no reservations and spoke the truth.
Little did she know that when Sister-in-law Niu Er took off her apron and returned to the courtyard gate, she overheard these few words.
Niu Ersao immediately stopped in her tracks and shrank to the side.
Lin Chang'er chuckled, "We're all neighbors, everyone has their difficult times. It's just a matter of helping out. Now that I'm hiring someone to do the work, the calculation will still be the same."
No matter what she said, Sister-in-law Niu refused to accept it. She pushed away the handful of copper coins and said, "Third sister-in-law, if you insist on doing this, then fine, from now on I will take your 20 coins every night, just like Aunt Zhou and the others."
Lin Chang'er had no choice but to take extra care of Xiao Hua's mother and child, who were both widows and orphans, and whose in-laws and uncles were very powerful.
Actually, finding duck eggs, clams, and crabs requires some skill, which she had discussed privately with the Gu family.
Therefore, Gu Silang and his group always collected more duck eggs and crabs than others every day.
As for clams, she would first choose the location based on the activity patterns, and then Gu Dalang would just need to dig within that small area, and he would definitely get good results.
Sister-in-law Xiaohua also tacitly allowed herself to follow the Gu family around and pick up scraps so that the mother and son could have some soup.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have responded either.
However, she didn't need to say these things; those who secretly followed the trend and went to the beach already knew.
Sister-in-law Xiaohua had heard about it, so she was even more grateful to Lin Chang'er.
Hearing her say that, Lin Chang'er didn't insist anymore. She just said, "If you want to work for me, wait until things calm down at home. I will definitely ask you to work for me later."
Sister-in-law Xiaohua then smiled and said, "That's great! Next time you invite someone, Third Sister-in-law, remember me."
Lin Chang'er nodded, "Okay, I got it. You'll have to do some work for me for free now. I'll go see what to grill for supper tonight."
"Auntie is going to make something delicious again..." Gu Xiaoman smacked her lips, her eyes sparkling.
Hearing this, the other children worked even harder.
Sister-in-law Niu stood outside and listened to the people inside disperse and go about their work, but she never went in to get an apron.
She caught up with Zhou San's sister-in-law at the door of her house. Zhou San's sister-in-law was taking three children home, which took some time.
Niu Ersao didn't go into her yard, but stood at the door and whispered to her, "Do you think your aunt knows about this?"
I don't know what's wrong with us compared to Xiaohua. How come her clams sell for four coins, while ours only sell for two?
Zhou San's wife had no idea that going back to get an apron would cause such a commotion.
She felt somewhat uncomfortable, but Aunt Zhou was, after all, her own aunt, and she had always taken good care of the couple.
So I just advised her, "Sister-in-law Xiaohua has no man, and life is pretty tough for her. Perhaps we should take better care of her this way! Besides, you can see for yourself that there isn't much in her basket."
Sister-in-law Niu Er clearly disagreed, "Not many, but that's still quite a lot. There are two crabs, which is enough to pay for our wages for a night. And that half basket of sea duck eggs must have a dozen or twenty. You do the math, how much money is that?"
Besides, her son even gave her 10 coins!
After a pause, Sister-in-law Niu said again, "You know, she and Zhou Xiaohua are not related, they're just neighbors, aren't they?"
The two families didn't have much contact before, so what's the difference between them and us?
And your aunt, ever since your uncle stood up for that Lin guy last time, your aunt and Li Ge'er have been living in their yard like they're born. Tell me, how much money does she give your aunt and Li Ge'er in one night?
Furthermore, didn't your Zhou family say that apart from the one supported by the clan, other children aren't allowed to go to school? Is Li-ge'er learning to read at the Gu family's house? Aren't your uncle and aunt openly disrespecting the clan head?