Chapter 36 Small Business
Su Wan added, “I have already hired the ox cart, and I can’t return it no matter what. Brother Shen Lin, don’t dawdle any more. Hurry up and finish pulling the cart for your family. If there is still some time left, you can help pull the cart for Brother Yang’s family.”
When Shen Lin heard this, he realized that this was the truth.
Yang Wu was also nearby, and said to Su Wan with a smile: “Su Wan, I understand that you are a girl who knows how to settle accounts.”
If a person were to do this work, it would take at least four or five days, but if a bullock cart were used, it could be completed in one day, thus saving four or five days.
A bullock cart earns fifteen cents a day. If Shen Lin can use these few days to go out and work, the daily wage for short-term work in the county town is generally ten cents. Wouldn’t it be enough to earn it back in two days’ work?
Su Wan calculated the value of time. Most villagers would not calculate this. What they thought was that they should do all the work that they could do by themselves. If they were poor, they would be laughed at if they paid to do it.
As expected, the villagers had already started to tease Shen Lin for using a ox cart. Su Wan was speechless. This man was so ignorant that there was no hope for him. He was still being laughed at for using some methods to improve productivity.
Although he was laughed at and teased by the villagers, Shen Lin thought that this was exactly what he needed most.
Yesterday, Yang Wu asked Shen Lin to work with him. Yang Wu told Shen Lin that he could make much more money by doing small business in the county town than by farming. However, Shen Lin needed money to buy medicine, so he was very eager to go out with Yang Wu. He hoped to finish the work earlier so that he could go out with Yang Wu.
Shen Lin also remembered Su Wan’s help. He would definitely repay Su Wan in the future. If he was really unable to repay her, he planned to give Su Wan a few acres of his own land as a reward.
Shen Lin sat on the ox cart and was about to say a few words to Yang Wu when he heard Old Man Shen speaking not far away.
”What a sin! Why did I raise such a sinful grandson? Why should I spend money to rent a beast when there are things that humans can do?” Old man Shen said angrily.
Old Woman Shen also chimed in, “You have money but you don’t know how to honor your grandparents, and you actually spend it on animals.”
Shen Lin didn’t say anything. Yesterday, he had seen through his grandparents’ hearts. In their hearts, they didn’t even consider him as their grandson. So, naturally, he didn’t need to have deep feelings for them.
Shen Lin was lying in bed yesterday and thinking back. What he made for his grandparents and gave to them was more than three times what his uncle’s family made for them. However, he was still accused of being unfilial.
Shen Lin made up his mind that from now on, he would give as much as his uncle’s family gave to his grandparents and would never care about everything or send everything they ate. If he did the same as his uncle’s family, his grandparents and the world would say he was unfilial, but he would accept it.
Shen Lin said to Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen, “Grandpa and grandma, thank you for your concern.” There was no impoliteness at all.
Shen Lin then said to Yang Wu in front of him: “Brother Yang Wu, I will quickly pull up some, and in the afternoon, I will also pull a few tmcarts for you.”
Yang Wu waved his hand: “I have a big family, just take care of yourself.”
Old man Shen also realized that the money had already been spent, so naturally he had to let Shen Lin bring a few carts fir the eldest too.
Old Woman Shen said quickly, “Shen Lin, don’t leave yet. Bring all the corn back to your uncle’s house first.”
Shen Lin heard this and felt something different. Yang Wu was an outsider, but Yang Wu asked him to take care of himself first, while his grandmother asked him to bring corn to his uncle’s house first, without considering that he would not be able to finish the work by himself in the future.
Shen Lin said nothing and drove the ox cart away.
Old man Shen felt that it was inappropriate to let Shen Lin pull for Eldest Shen’s family first, so he shouted, “After you pull for your family, give it to your uncle. We are all family, can you not help your uncle?”
Shen San behind him also shouted: “Just finish pulling yours quickly, don’t delay pulling mine.”
Shen Lin finally understood that if he did not keep a distance from his grandparents and his uncle’s family, he would be exploited like this for the rest of his life and would never be able to save enough money for his mother’s medical treatment.
Shen Lin didn’t answer, but just drove the ox cart forward.
Although Shen Lin answered in a vague way, Old Man Shen had no doubt that Shen Lin would transport corn to Eldest Shen’s family after he finished pulling the corn. In the past two years, whenever there was any work to be done in his family and Old Man Shen’s family, they would ask Shen Lin to come and do it. Shen Lin was also silent, but he would come to do it.
Shen Lin didn’t say anything. To Old Man Shen, it wasn’t a rejection, but because Shen Lin was just a taciturn person.
Shen Lin ignored Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen, and Su Wan did not argue with them.
Su Wan believed that no matter how much Shen Lin wanted to be a filial son and a good grandson, he could still be clear-headed. The Yang family had helped Shen Lin a lot, so he had to repay them a little. If Shen Lin really ignored the people who really helped him because of his foolish filial piety, then Su Wan would also be disappointed in Shen Lin’s foolish filial piety.
Yang Wu was still speaking for Shen Lin yesterday, but it was hard to say today, because if he didn’t let Shen Lin go to help the Shen family, it would seem that he wanted Shen Lin to use the ox cart to help his family, but he didn’t have that idea.
Shen Lin is the only one working, but there are six men and two elderly people in his family.
However, Yang Wu put seven baskets on Shen Lin’s car. His parents had nothing to do in the winter, so they made baskets. His family had no shortage of baskets.
Shen Lin brought his three baskets, making a total of ten baskets.
Ten baskets are good enough. They don’t waste space on the ox cart, nor will the oxen be tired out by pulling too heavy a load. The oxen have to pull corn all day, so they need to use their energy evenly.
Shen Lin drove the ox cart to the field, and Su Wan did not follow him. She went back to rest.
Although she also wanted to help Shen Lin, Su Wan still had some differences. She would not do everything herself, big or small, like she did when she was in the Wang family before. This would only exhaust herself.
Seeing Su Wan go back, some gossipy villagers started talking again, saying that Su Wan was too lazy and didn’t even help Shen Lin with the work. If Su Wan could lend a hand, Shen Lin would definitely be able to do it faster.
After seeing how beautiful Su Wan was yesterday, everyone felt a little jealous of Shen Lin, and they had to find some bad things to balance it out. Being beautiful is useless, what matters is the ability to work.
Shen Lin drove the ox cart alone to load all the corn that the Yang brothers had picked last night onto the cart. He made more than ten trips in the morning. One trip by the ox cart was equivalent to ten trips by manpower.
Old Man Shen had long ago told Eldest Shen not to rush to carry the corn, but just to break the corn off and put it on the ground, and wait for Shen Lin’s ox cart.
Shen Lin had been pulling the corn for the whole morning. There was not much corn left in the seven or eight acres of land. He would finish it after three or four more trips.
At noon, Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen sat waiting for Su Wan to bring food to Shen Lin. Old Man Shen regretted yesterday very much. He was too quick to refuse the fried meat slices brought by Shen Lin. Today, he would not be so quick to refuse. If Shen Lin brought food to him again, he would push it a little and then let Shen Lin put it down “reluctantly”.
Who would have thought, after waiting for a long time, he only saw Shen Lin pulling corn in batches, Su Wan did not bring him any food, and Shen Lin did not stop at all.
When Old woman Shen saw Shen Lin driving the ox cart to pull ten baskets of corn to the grain field, she asked, “Shen Lin, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Shen Lin was a little surprised. This was the first time his grandmother asked him if he had eaten.
Old Woman Shen added, “This Su Wan is too rude. She lives in your house but doesn’t even bring you food. You and I are now starving.”
Shen Lin’s heart was completely chilled, and he would never hold any hope for his grandparents again.
Shen Lin said, “Don’t worry, grandma. I’ve already eaten. Su Wan saw that I was not in the threshing ground, so she sent the meal to me in the field.”
Old Woman Shen: “Then your grandfather and I are still hungry.”
Shen Lin: “Uncle is so unreasonable. You two are so old and you are still helping him with work, but he doesn’t even give you food.”
There is nothing wrong with this statement anyone can hear. Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen work for Eldest Shen, and Eldest Shen provides meals for both of them. There is nothing wrong with that.
One villager said, “Aunt Shen, you should tell the eldest brother Shen that you didn’t have food. You can’t work at the eldest brother’s house and eat at the second brother’s house. This bowl of water is too biased.”
Old Man Shen said angrily: “It is natural to respect grandparents.”
Another villager also said: “Yes, filial piety is natural, Shen Lao Da and Shen San should be filial.”
”Shen Lin brought you food yesterday, but you didn’t want to eat it.”
Old Woman Shen: “…”
Old man Shen felt very regretful for speaking too quickly yesterday. Why was he so angry?
Old man Shen felt a little regretful, and said to Shen Lin who was putting the corn down: “Lin’er, you should take care of yourself and don’t tire yourself out.”
If it were before, Shen Lin would still feel a little touched, but now, Shen Lin has completely understood it.
Shen Lin made a few more trips and finally transported all the corn for his family.
Then he fed the cows grass and gave them water, and handed the ox cart to Yang Wu, asking him to drive the cart to pull the corn.
Yang Wu’s family was naturally happy. Among the brothers, Yang Wu was responsible for driving the ox cart, and the other brothers were responsible for breaking the corn and loading it. The brothers worked very quickly.
