Chapter 335: Lending a Hand
Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Lending a Hand
"The midwife and the nanny are both in the room, since you all are here, we’d like to ask, what kind of customs do we have locally for childbirth? Besides sending red eggs, is there anything else we should do?" Mrs. Li brought everyone to a side parlor, just as Mrs. Xiao He came in carrying tea, and Mrs. Da He came in with pastries, placing them on the table.
Tian Cuifen had never received such hospitality before and felt uneasy, "For a boy, you catch a rooster, for a girl, you catch a hen, then send news to the maternal family. The rest is usually based on the family’s own practices.
And then there’s the third-day wash, otherwise, we in the countryside don’t have many formal customs."
After saying this, she felt it was inappropriate; after all, Madam Gu had given birth, how could she compare to these mud-legged peasants, "You folks from affluent families have more traditions, naturally you should follow your own customs."
"That’s true," Mrs. Li certainly wouldn’t stir up resentment for her family, she said with a smile, "As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Our master has already registered with the local household, which makes us part of the village, so we should certainly follow the local customs."
"That’s good, that’s good," Tian Cuifen felt a bit awkward; they had intended to see whether they could offer help, not to cause any trouble, "You see, we actually came here to see if there’s anything we can do to help, but here you are hosting us.
We’re all from the same village; is there anything you need us to do?"
After speaking, she looked somewhat guiltily at the many people outside in the courtyard, realizing they might not truly need her help.
The two daughters-in-law seemed as timid as quails, holding teacups foolishly.
"Come to think of it, we actually do need some help," now that they were so eager, Mrs. Li finally thought of a reason, "In our village, typically red eggs are taken around to announce the joyful event, but we’ve just arrived, and our chicken eggs aren’t in abundance. I wonder if anyone in the village raises chickens because we need both chickens and eggs, don’t worry, we will ensure you are compensated fairly."
They had previously bought some chickens and raised them in the backyard; however, Miss sitting in for confinement will certainly consume a lot, and with the New Year approaching, even with more, their large number of people can consume quickly, so this serves as a perfect reason.
"Nowadays it’s cold, hens aren’t laying eggs much," Tian Cuifen considered for a bit and then said, "Our village might not be able to gather many, though if you need them, I can ask around a few nearby villages for you."
"That would be wonderful," Mrs. Li’s face lit up with a smile, "We certainly won’t make you run around for nothing; let’s say a ten percent service fee for the chickens and eggs you bring over."
"How could we accept that? We’re all neighbors," Tian Cuifen felt a bit helpless, "It’s merely lending a hand."
"It doesn’t work like that; we can’t have you helping for free, otherwise, we won’t feel at ease," Mrs. Li replied, aware that even going to the county for supplies comes at the same cost, and often with the bouncing journey, eggs end up broken.
Recently, Nanny Pang had already advised everyone, if possible, to complete everyday necessities in nearby villages to save costs and facilitate better integration into the local community.
Though earlier, owing to trivial matters in the mansion, they hadn’t had a chance to act.
Now that the village head’s wife had come offering help, she naturally had to seize this great opportunity.
"Rest assured, this is all under our master’s arrangements; if you help us out, we won’t treat you unfairly."
Tian Cuifen quickly began doing mental arithmetic; don’t underestimate that ten percent; if this goes through, it’s like the family would have an extra paycheck, making life more comfortable.
"We’ll start by helping gather some for you," understanding this point, Tian Cuifen immediately stood up, "You have so many people here, us mothers and daughters can’t really offer much help; instead, we’ll go around the village collecting what we can, isn’t that right?"
"Certainly," the hosts had never treated them unfairly, especially with Miss, noting that the growing kids downstairs required an egg every day.
Not to mention, after each trip to the mountains, Master always shared the hunt with everyone.
It’s been just a short while since they arrived, and already their troublesome trio of sons had grown significantly sturdier—nowadays they often joined Master in the mountains, practicing moves morning and night.
For a mother, that alone is enough, which only makes them more devoted in serving the masters.
Seeing the guests off politely, and only closing the main door after they had left.
"Weren’t they saying they came to help? Why did they just leave?" Li Dazhuang, who was somewhat confused, wondered.
Mrs. Li cast a knowing glance at her husband, "Miss wouldn’t lack people around her; just now I mentioned having them help gather chickens and eggs for us. Remember to take them once they bring them over and have the accounting books settled."
As she was about to leave, she paused swiftly, turned and said, "Remember, give them an extra ten percent."
Li Dazhuang, "Don’t worry, we know the rules."
Watching by the entrance, Li Dazhuang pondered, unsure whether his mischievous son managed to find the master.
Of these mountains, he’d better be clever enough to determine where Master went today.
Then suddenly, an urgent knocking sounded from outside the gate, "Dad, open the door quickly."
It was the voice of his third son, Li Fu; he hurriedly opened the main door, "Master, did he come back?"
The space behind was empty, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, "You didn’t find him, did you?"
"Master already went inside," Li Fu, with hands on his hips and bent over, panted heavily, "He went straight in over the back wall."
Recalling Master’s agile prowess, Li Fu decided to double his training starting today; otherwise, before the master, they’d seem quite useless.
"......"
Kai Yuan indeed leaped over the wall; upon hearing on the mountain that Bai Suihe was due to give birth, he couldn’t care about anything else, leaving others to continue working before rushing down with all his might.
However, even at full speed, Li Fu merely caught a glimpse; it was at the foot of the mountain that he saw Master swiftly vaulting and flipping over.
Unfortunately, despite entering the courtyard, he was still blocked outside the door.
"Master, you can’t go in, Miss is giving birth inside." The gate was surrounded by several matrons; Kai Yuan had to take a deep breath and asked, "What’s the situation now?"
The matrons glanced at one another; none knew what was happening inside. Earlier, they were busy outside; in comparison, it was too quiet inside.
"Nanny and the others haven’t come out; they might be waiting now."
Kai Yuan, "Please let me through so I can check on Miss."
Several matrons remained unmovable, "Master, you should wash first."