Chapter 35 - 034: Pinching Pennies
The Wang Family was thinking about how to get the Ye Family to agree to Wang Hai becoming a temporary worker, while over at the Ye Family, Ye Ling and her grandmother were also discussing how to earn some money.
After this trip to the city, Old Mrs. Ye realized that relying on her son and daughter-in-law to pay for her eldest granddaughter’s education might not work out, "We have twelve hens and two roosters at home now. When spring comes and they start laying eggs, I’ll hatch some chicks. You should also cut back on food expenses. One egg sells for nine cents, and with eight eggs a day, that’s seventy cents. When the hatched chicks grow up and start laying eggs, we might even save enough for your schooling."
"Grandma, that won’t work. When spring comes, I’ll go with the villagers to the mountains. If we can catch some wild chickens, we can sell them for a few bucks." Ye Ling was also worried about making money.
About ten miles from the village is the river bay, a wild grassland with some small hills and a large river. Usually, when a village wants to gather mushrooms, they’ll go there. They might also catch some wild chickens and similar things.
Old Mrs. Ye disagreed, "No, when the river thaws in spring, what if you fall in? More than a few people have drowned there. Even if we’re eager to make money, we can’t do risky things. Just stay home. When spring comes, I’ll buy some goose eggs and hatch some goslings. We have no one to do the physical labor to earn work points, so we can’t rely on what the brigade distributes. I’ll manage more at home when I’m free."
Furthermore, after rejecting the Wang Family this time, considering the captain, it won’t be easy to get the same work points distributed as before. Old Mrs. Ye had to consider this.
Ye Ling knew Grandma’s worries, yet she felt she couldn’t leverage her own strength, making her anxious. She also had a habit of getting heated and having mouth blisters when anxious. After a few words, she got heated, and by the next morning, small blisters had formed at the corner of her mouth.
Old Mrs. Ye couldn’t help but worry when she saw it, "How did this happen?"
"It’s nothing. I slept on the bed for a few days, and suddenly sleeping on the heated brick bed might have caused it." Ye Ling made an excuse, not wanting to worry her grandma.
Old Mrs. Ye was relieved, "It’s the middle of winter, and everyone has nothing to do. I just heard the captain announce a study session at his place. I’ll go pack up to attend, and you stay home, watch the house, and review your schoolwork."