Ch 315: Qin Huairu 1
Even if Mother Qin didn’t like her daughter, she couldn’t just watch her become a maidservant in someone else’s house. People would criticize her for that. Although their family was poor, they hadn’t reached the point of selling their children.
“Mom, I didn’t say let you sell your children. Didn’t we hear from a relative that they are working as a servant in a Chief of Police’s house? Why don’t you introduce me there? I won’t get much monthly salary, but at least I’ll have food to eat, and it’ll reduce the burden at home a little.”
Mother Qin looked at her daughter, thinking that the family’s harvest had been getting worse and worse recently, and the most important thing was that there were more and more exorbitant taxes. The family was really about to drink the northwest wind. If her daughter really went to be a maidservant in someone else’s house, it would really save some food.
“Let me think about it carefully…” Mother Qin hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t resist Lin Lang’s persuasion. In the end, she took the cured meat that the family was reluctant to eat during the New Year and asked that distant Relative Sister Wang to introduce a job for her daughter.
“I don’t ask for much money, just enough to eat. Besides, my girl looks young, but she’s very nimble at work. Maybe she can help you reduce a lot of burden.” Mother Qin said shamelessly, “If the family wasn’t about to fall apart, I wouldn’t want to send my daughter to serve others. Please, for the sake of being relatives, please help me.”
The distant Relative Sister Wang looked at Lin Lang, who was skinny, and sighed. “Forget it, the kitchen is short of helpers anyway, so come in and help. But you have to be obedient and work quickly.”
Lin Lang nodded obediently and followed Sister Wang to see Sister Liu in the kitchen. Sister Liu looked her up and down and found that she was also a poor girl. Thinking that it didn’t matter if there was one more person, she just gave her food, and without paying any money, she kept her.
“You have to keep an eye on her, don’t let her offend the Young Master and Mistress in front, otherwise don’t blame me for turning my face.” Sister Liu reminded.
Sister Wang nodded quickly and took Lin Lang to the servants’ room next door. In fact, five or six people were squeezed into a small room. Every time they went to the toilet, they had to pull it into a chamber pot, which was very inconvenient. Since Lin Lang had just come in, the job of emptying the chamber pot fell on her.
Lin Lang was nimble, hardworking, and very observant. She also spoke in a pleasing way, and gradually won the hearts of everyone in the kitchen. She could even get some extra things every time.
Although she didn’t get paid for her work, at least she could occasionally have a meaty meal, and even get a bit of good luck.
“Today is the Beginning of Winter, those ladies want to eat mutton. The residence bought two sheep back.”
Although we can’t afford to eat the best mutton, those sheep bones won’t be wasted. They will be boiled into a pot of mutton soup for us, and then some mutton offal will be added. My goodness, it’s so delicious.” Sister Wang’s saliva was almost drooling when she said this. In fact, their lives were much better than those of poor people. At least they could eat and dress warmly in the residence, and these ladies were also relatively easy to serve.
Recently, the weather has been getting colder and colder, and the residence has made several clothes for each of the servants below, even Lin Lang has them. Two of them are winter clothes, and they are especially thick. Although the style is a bit old, they are especially warm to wear.
Thinking that her family was so poor that they were about to drink the northwest wind, and her two younger brothers were so poor that they didn’t even have pants to wear, she hesitated and wanted to ask Sister Wang for two days off to go back to visit her relatives.
“That’s right, you’ve been out for a month or two, it’s time to go back and have a look. But the road is not peaceful, why don’t you send a message to your family and let them come and see you.”
The main reason is that there is war and chaos outside. Although the security in the city is better, once you leave the city, it’s a mess outside, and there are even some kidnappers. Although this girl is young, she has been raised quite well recently, and she looks a bit fleshy. At first glance, she is a good-looking girl.
Lin Lang asked a fellow villager to bring a message to let them come into the city to see her. At the same time, she took out all the money she had saved, and asked someone to buy some cloth and some cotton, plus a silver dollar that she had saved during this period.
Sister Liu specially sent her two pieces of cured meat and a piece of unwanted cured duck after learning that her relatives were coming to see her.
“The things can be eaten, but this duck has been put for two or three years. It is estimated that it fell into the corner and was forgotten. Take it back and let your parents have a meaty meal.” Now young people can’t afford to be poor. Even if they have a few acres of land, they can only barely make a living.
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Lin Lang smiled and said thank you twice, but her parents brought back bad news. The reason was that her father accidentally fell into the river while going out to work some time ago, and then got a cold and was still running a high fever.
“The family has already sold two mu of land. If this continues, it is estimated that all the land will be sold.”
I heard people say that there is a foreign thing called Aspirin that is very effective in reducing fever, but it is sold very expensively, and it costs dozens of silver dollars.
Ni’er, now the family can only rely on you. You must work hard here. If your father is really gone, our mother and daughter will have no hope.”
At least he was her biological father, so Lin Lang couldn’t just do nothing. Her eyes rolled, “Mom, although I don’t know what Aspirin is, I also had a fever when I was working before. A Sister gave me some medicine, why don’t you take it back and let Dad try it, maybe it will be useful.”
Lin Lang naturally didn’t dare to swagger and take out the anti-inflammatory drugs and antipyretics. At this time, anti-inflammatory drugs were simply magical drugs, and the price was terribly high. It is said that they could be sold for the price of gold on the black market.
Lin Lang went to her room, took out a few pills, then hollowed out the middle, put the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs inside, trying not to let people see it, and finally handed the bottle of medicine to Mother Qin.
“Mom, this is what I have managed to save from my mouth. You take it back and let my younger brothers have a meaty meal. Don’t be reluctant. Although I still don’t have a salary, those Sisters in the kitchen are very nice to me. The residence often has rewards, and I’m doing pretty well. Don’t save it either.”
Mother Qin looked at the good things her daughter had saved, and tears fell down in big drops. “It seems that it was right to send you in here. You work hard here. When you get older and save some money in your hand, Mom will take you back and find you a good family.”
Lin Lang smiled awkwardly and didn’t say anything. After sending Mother Qin away, she couldn’t help but sigh in her heart and continued to do her work.
Because she had accumulated some good relationships, Lin Lang also inquired about some news, but she was just an ordinary person now and had no way to connect with the higher-ups, so she could only take her time.
“Xingfang, who serves Third Wife, said that she is old and is going back to get married. Now no one is serving Third Wife, and she said that she wants a little girl who is sensible.”
Sister Liu doesn’t want you to stay in the kitchen all the time. Although this place is good, you can earn more money by Third Wife’s side.
Your family is now in trouble, so I pushed you up. You must work hard and don’t lose face for us.”
Lin Lang’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Third Wife was the most favored person in the residence. She should be able to know a lot of inside information about the Chief of Police, so she immediately agreed obediently.
