Chapter 353 - 347_1
Lin Yue could tell just by looking at Li Xiaomei that she had handled the matter with care and efficiency. Even Zhang Chunhua hadn’t finished her task yet, and here was Li Xiaomei, dusty from the road, obviously having not gone home before coming to report to her, tsk tsk, she had the makings of a workaholic.
"You’ve done a good job with this, I’ll give you a bonus," Lin Yue said with a smile, knowing that good work deserved encouragement.
"Sister-in-law, don’t mention it. It’s not for the bonus. It’s the first time someone has trusted me with such an important task; if I didn’t do it well, I wouldn’t live up to your trust." Li Xiaomei was overjoyed to receive Lin Yue’s affirmation, reminded of the situation with her sister-in-law back home.
"Sister-in-law, my sister-in-law at home wanted me to ask if there’s any suitable work for her?"
"It’s not that there’s no work available, but what kind of temperament does your sister-in-law have, and what kind of work can she do? All the jobs in our household involve physical labor; she may not be up for it." Lin Yue thought that they did indeed need two more cooks in the kitchen, but since she had never met Li Xiaomei’s sister-in-law, she hesitated, unsure of her disposition.
"You can rest assured, my sister-in-law is very capable. My older brother and his peers work outside the home, so most of the household chores are done by my sisters-in-law. My older sister-in-law says she’s not afraid of hard or excessive work; she can do anything. I wouldn’t have promised to ask you if my sister-in-law wasn’t truly capable," Li Xiaomei assured.
"If that’s the case, we’re short of someone to cook and keep the fire in the kitchen. Ask your older sister-in-law if she’s willing to do it. If so, let her come over with you tomorrow."
"Okay, I’ll tell her when I get back. She will definitely be willing, thank you, sister-in-law. I should head back now; it’s getting dark, Zhao Cheng will start worrying if I don’t return soon." Li Xiaomei, having been busy, was now in a hurry to get home.
The following afternoon, Li Xiaomei brought her sister-in-law, Mrs. Li from her maternal home. Having met her, Lin Yue found her to be indeed a good person. Their family was exactly in need of more help, not just in the workshop, but also in the kitchen to prepare meals for the large number of workers at the construction site. Mrs. Li didn’t say much, she just rolled up her sleeves and started working in the kitchen. Observing that she worked efficiently and had a strong sense of responsibility, as if one person was doing the work of two, Lin Yue simply handed over the kitchen’s responsibilities to her.
Regarding Mrs. Li’s accommodation, naturally, a woman could not stay in the open dormitory, and the servant’s quarters were already full. The Lin family didn’t have room to spare either. When Chen Family learned of this, they offered Mrs. Li a room in the old Zhao Family house where they had been living all along, as no one was staying in the old house. It would also be convenient once Li Xiaomei’s older brother arrived; the couple could live together.