Chapter 7 Thinking about wages
Su Wan planned to go to Qingyun County, which was five miles away from Qingshi Village, to think in advance about what kind of business she should start in the future so that the Shen family could become wealthy sooner. With the wages from working for the Duan family, she would have the capital to start a small business.
Su Wan then asked Yaya: “Do you want to go to the county town with me?”
Qingshi Village is not too far from Qingyun County. It only takes an hour to walk there. On weekdays, adults go to the county town to do business and rarely bring their children.
The children were all eager to go to Qingyun County.
Su Wan said to the girl with floral headband : “You are Yaya’s good friend, you should come with me.”
Shen Yaya and Suihua both happily agreed. There were small stalls selling all kinds of small gadgets in the county town, as well as opera singers, monkey trainers, and jugglers. It was very lively here.
The children around looked at Shen Yaya with envy.
Only Green-headband girl snorted: “Even if you go to the county town, you can’t afford anything. It’s better not to go.”
Green headband girl knew that Su Wan had no money.
The other children did not think the same way as Green headband girl. Even if they did not buy anything, it was still good to go to the county town to have a look, especially to see monkeys. It was very interesting. Besides, one penny could buy ten candies, so it was not impossible to buy nothing.
Su Wan took Shen Yaya and Suihua to the county town, bought Shen Yaya a new set of clothes, and bought Suihua and Shen Yaya two bamboo dragonflies, two hairpins, and a handful of sesame candies each.
{ Sesame Candies }
Suihua never thought that Su Wan would actually buy something for her. Even though she didn’t buy clothes like she did for Shen Yaya, she was very happy. She kept thanking Su Wan and said that she would definitely give Su Wan some wild fruits in the future.
Su Wan didn’t want to take other people’s children out till late, so she took a general look at Qingyun County and returned to the village with the two children. Even so, the sun had already set.
The children were still playing at the village entrance. Green flower headband girl had just reluctantly given each child a red date, and she became the leader again.
Seeing Shen Yaya and Suihua coming back, Green-flower headband girl was just about to ridicule them for coming back without buying anything, but a group of children saw the bamboo helicopters and sesame candies in Shen Yaya and Suihua’s hands.
A group of children gathered around Shen Yaya and Suihua again, each one more enthusiastic than the other, wanting to play with their bamboo helicopters.
Su Wan returned to Wang’s house tonight. No matter what, she was still the child bride of the Wang family. If she didn’t return home all night, she would be drowned in the villagers’ spit.
Although she already had a way to get the Wang family to clarify that she was not Wang Luosheng’s child bride, she had to wait and see before that.
Su Wan returned to Wang’s house and swallowed a pill that made her face turn pale before entering the house.
At noon, just when the Wang family was about to clean up Su Wan, they couldn’t find Su Wan. Mrs Wang sat in front of the main door for the whole afternoon waiting for Su Wan to come back.
Seeing Su Wan coming back, Mrs Wang waved the broom and walked forward, “Su Wan, you little bitch, Luo Xue said that she cooked the meal, so she cooked it, why were you so talkative.”
Mrs Wang swung the broom down, and Su Wan leaned to the right and dodged it easily. However, Mrs Wang cried out in pain and twisted her waist.
After school, Wang Luosheng came out of the house and said, “Su Wan, you went too far today. Women should be gentle and tolerant. Think carefully about what you did today.”
Wang Luoxue also came out with an angry look on her face: “Su Wan, where were you this afternoon?”
Su Wan said slowly, “There are no more soap nuts for washing dishes. I went to the woods to pick some and fainted in the woods.”
Su Wan fainted a few days ago, so it makes perfect sense that she said it was because of fainting.
“I don’t care whether you faint or not. For how you humiliated me today, I will beat you to death.” After saying that, Wang Luoxue rushed over.
Before Wang Luoxue could do anything, she saw Su Wan fall softly to the ground and fainted again.
Wang Luoxue suspected that Su Wan was pretending to faint, but when she looked down, she saw that Su Wan’s face was pale and there were big beads of sweat on her forehead.
The Wang family was like punching cotton. Mrs Wang wanted to beat Su Wan as usual, but she thought that Su Wan would go to work at the Duan family tomorrow. If she hurt her, the triple salary would be gone.
Mrd Wang and Wang Luoxue carried Su Wan to the woodshed, cursing. Having seen the last time, that Su Wan woke up on her own, they were not worried.
Early the next morning, Wang picked up Su Wan and asked her to wash the dishes that had not been washed yesterday.
Su Wan came into the kitchen with an expressionless face, completely different from her usual cautiousness.
Mrs Wang became even angrier and twisted Su Wan’s waist in anger.
Su Wan dodged, and the large porcelain basin she had just picked up fell to the ground and broke into two pieces.
The dirty water in the porcelain basin also spilled onto Mrs Wang’s clothes and shoes.
Mrs Wang was stunned.
This porcelain basin is the best tableware in the house, but now it was broken into two pieces by Su Wan.
Su Wan also drowned with the greasy dishwater.
Mrs Wang, who has always been stingy, was heartbroken.
“Su Wan, you…” Mrs Wang was furious. She picked up the broom and was about to swing it at Su Wan.
Su Wan dodged left and right, knocking over a few plates and bowls.
Mrs Wang didn’t dare to swing the broom anymore. Every broken plate or bowl seemed to break her heart.
Mrs Wang stood still and said, “Do you know how much these plates you broke cost? Do you know how much this dress of mine cost? You, How are you going to pay me?”
When she felt heartbroken, Mrs Wang thought of the most important thing, Su Wan’s salary, and immediately emphasized: “In the future, all the salary paid to you by the Duan Family should be handed over to me. The Wang family provides you with food and clothing, so you should repay the Wang family.”
Su Wan sneered in her heart. She did the work of three or four people in the Wang family, but she could not eat enough or wear enough clothes. Yet Mrs Wang actually offered to repay her.
“Also, you go to the Duan Family to cook, but you must not neglect the housework here either.”
“Before you go to Duan’s house in the morning, you have to prepare breakfast and lunch, clean up the yard and house, and feed the chickens and ducks.”
“When you come back from Duan’s house in the evening, you have to wash the dishes, cook dinner, and wash clothes, and then go to the mill to grind.”
Mrs Wang arranged Su Wan’s schedule so clearly from day to night that she didn’t even have time to take a break.
Su Wan originally wanted to leave the Wang family and rent a house after her wages were paid, but Duan Jingtian had secretly given her one-third of her wages as a deposit yesterday, so Su Wan didn’t have to endure Wang’s humiliation anymore.
Seeing that Su Wan didn’t move, Mrs Wang said, “Hurry up and get to work. Finish all the work before going to Duan’s house. It’s just a small matter. Don’t dawdle.”
As soon as Mrs Wang’s words fell, a loud voice came from outside the courtyard gate: “Madam Wang, these tasks are not trivial. After finishing these, how can Miss Su have the energy to go to Duan’s house to cook?”
The person who was speaking jumped off a beautiful carriage and walked into the courtyard. He bowed and said, “Madam Wang, I am Li Fugui, the housekeeper of the Duan Mansion. I am here to take Miss Su to the Duan Mansion to make breakfast.”
Just now, outside the door, Li Fugui heard everything Mrs Wang said, asking Su Wan to pay her wages and do housework in the evening.
Mrs Wang was originally planning to scold the visitor for meddling in other people’s business, but when she heard that it was the housekeeper of the Duan Mansion, she quickly swallowed the dirty words on her lips and replaced them with a fawning smile.
