latelenovela Chapter 265 Take a bite with your left hand and a bite with your right hand
Chapter 265 Take a bite with your left hand and a bite with your right hand
From childhood to adulthood, he and his third aunt were always neglected by their family.
Neither his mother, his elder brother, nor his uncles or aunts ever planned for his future.
At that moment, the seven-foot-tall man's eyes suddenly reddened.
Her hands, holding the teacup and the osmanthus cake, trembled uncontrollably, and her body trembled slightly as well.
The words of thanks stuck in my throat, and I just couldn't get them out.
"Thank you" was too weak to express his gratitude.
Seeing his reaction, Aunt Gu's heart skipped a beat. "Uncle, is something wrong?"
Sister-in-law Gu was also stunned, thinking to herself, what's going on? Chang'er is so sincere, she can say anything!
Lin Chang'er assumed he was unwilling and quickly said, "If Uncle has other plans, just say so, and I will not force you to stay."
"I just felt that since I was going to hire people anyway, I might as well hire my own family members, people I know well, and I would feel more at ease."
Actually, that's not the case. It's hard to get things done with acquaintances, and it's also hard to speak up if you're dissatisfied.
She had to go through a roundabout way; she had seen far too many cases of exploiting acquaintances in her later life.
However, Li Erken fought against his family for his sister-in-law and dared to take up a knife when the pirates invaded.
Lin Chang'er felt that this person was worth helping, as it would also be a way to fulfill her brotherly and sisterly duty to her second sister-in-law.
Aunt Gu chimed in, "Chang'er is right. In business, there's no such thing as forced buying or selling. If you don't want to work for us, just go to the city."
"Since we're already here, we might as well wait until the full moon, have a full moon celebration, and then leave." After all, who knows when we'll be able to come again!
Li Er was dumbfounded. That wasn't what he meant at all.
He hurriedly shook his head, "No, it's not that I'm unwilling, I just..."
He raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye, "My sister-in-law and aunt have been so considerate of me, I just don't know how to thank you."
Aunt Gu had finally become a mother, and Li Er was about the same age as her two sons.
Seeing him cry like this, she quickly put down her needlework and went over to comfort him, saying, "Silly child, we are all family. Shouldn't family members help each other?"
"You used to protect Third Sister, now let Third Sister's family help you out."
"Only through such reciprocal exchanges can the friendship between our two families be maintained, right?"
"Uncle, what's wrong?"
Why is Uncle crying?
"Is it because the pastries my mother bought were too delicious?"
At this moment, Gu Xiaoman and Gu Xiaolu came over hand in hand.
They chatted back and forth, and although the adults didn't say it explicitly, the children could still understand some of it.
The grandmother and uncle who came yesterday didn't treat this uncle well, and the pastries were very expensive; they had never even seen him before.
My uncle must have never eaten this before, so the pastries must have been so delicious that he cried.
Li Er listened to the two children's comments but did not expose them. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yes, this pastry is so delicious that it made Uncle cry."
Gu Xiaoman laughed, "Uncle, don't cry. Auntie often buys us pastries. From now on, I'll share half of my pastries with you."
As she spoke, she broke off another half of the pastry she had eaten and handed it over, saying, "Here, Uncle, have some."
Li Er was both amused and exasperated. "Xiaoman, eat up. Your uncle has a big piece today, that's enough for you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoman exclaimed "Oh!" and took a bite with each hand, making everyone present, from adults to children, laugh.
Li Er stayed behind.
Two days later, business gradually resumed, and the Gu family's house also began to be renovated.
Wu Qingfeng was equally busy, going to the countryside to inspect the disaster situation, and then hosting a banquet at the Sihai Restaurant for wealthy merchants from the prefecture and county to discuss fundraising.
On the day of the banquet, Lin Chang'er did not attend, but she had Liu Zi accompany Zhou Hai to the town to donate a sum of money in the name of Linshui Village.
Not much, just a day's wages for all the able-bodied men, wives, boys, and girls in the village who were working.
When Lin Chang'er made the suggestion, no one objected.
In total, it amounted to just over ten taels of silver, but Lin Chang'er made up the difference, bringing the total to a round number of 20 taels.
In difficult times, even a bowl of porridge or a meal is a blessing, and naturally no one would complain about it.
Wu Qingfeng also made a special commendation at the banquet.
As for Wu Qingfeng himself, he also donated half a year's salary as an example.
This figure was determined by Lin Chang'er. As a local official, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to be stingy, but if he donated too much, not only would it be seen as him using his private funds for subsidies, but it might also raise suspicions that he was embezzling or accepting bribes, which would be incredibly unfair!
After much thought, Lin Chang'er felt that the amount of half a year's salary was just right.
Everyone knows he came from the capital, but with such a large family and business, his expenses are also high!
Although his daily life was luxurious, he maintained an extremely low profile.
Those who don't know anything about this won't be able to tell.
Most importantly, he has only been in office for less than six months!
If you donate for a year, you can't get more than half a year's salary in advance. So where will you get the money for food, clothing, and other necessities?
Who knows, some sharp-eyed people might try something funny.
Six months is just right!
As for the silver, Wu Qingfeng had previously handed over his private treasury to Lin Chang'er, so Lin Chang'er took out a sum of silver and had Liu Zi take it to him.
Originally, Lin Chang'er was supposed to go over and cooperate with him.
However, Linshui Village has repeatedly repelled pirates, making it a hot topic of discussion among the people of the prefecture and county.
She doesn't want to go out and become a target so soon, since her children are still young.
So she did what she was supposed to do that day, and after delivering the goods, she even went to the provincial capital to make some purchases.
Some time has passed since the floodwaters receded, and in recent days, reports of suspected epidemic symptoms have emerged from various prefectures and counties.
As a result, prices in the county town soared, so she simply went to the provincial capital, where supplies were more abundant.
I also took Chen Zhao to meet Chen Ming.
Chen Ming made money from both the seafood business and the brown sugar business.
When the two sides meet, their affection naturally grows even stronger.
Hearing from his cousin Chen Zhao that Lin Chang'er had hired a tutor for him, he felt even more grateful to her.
"Since Sister Chang'er has come to the provincial capital, she should stay for a few days so that I, your humble brother, can show her some hospitality."
Lin Chang'er quickly declined, "I would like to relax for a few days, but it's not possible right now."
"How so?" Chen Ming asked curiously.
Lin Chang'er then told him the news she had gathered along the way, and finally sighed, "Lord Wu had previously submitted a memorial to the Prefect to implement epidemic prevention measures, but alas, judging from the current situation, it still couldn't be prevented."
"In a few more days, this epidemic will surely spread."
"If it is convenient for you, Young Master Chen, please remind the Prefect to prepare a countermeasure as soon as possible."
Chen Ming sighed, "As it turns out, Ninghai Prefecture is truly plagued by disasters."
Lin Chang'er comforted him, "Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined. As long as we can get through this safely, isn't that a political achievement?"
Chen Ming nodded in agreement.
Lin Chang'er added, "However, I came to the provincial capital today because I really have something I'd like to ask Young Master Chen for help with."
Chen Ming hurriedly asked, "Tell me about it."
After being left hanging for a while, Chen Zhao finally seized the opportunity and spoke first: "The flood ruined all the grain. Prices in the county are soaring right now. Most of the grain that Sister Chang'er had stockpiled before was donated to Lord Wu for disaster relief."
"Sister Chang'er came today because she wanted to buy another batch to take back."
"The quantity is large, and we're afraid it will attract attention and cause people to profit from the disaster by disrupting prices in the provincial capital. So we'd like to ask my cousin to make a connection and let us buy it back secretly."