Chapter 104 Rely on Yourself

  Zhen'er had expected as much. When Sunshi entered the house and saw Cao Yeshi's appearance, she felt a pang in her heart, but didn't know what to say. She was never good with words, so she could only take out her embroidery to work on it.

  I don't know what Bai Zhi is thinking, she went to the city to receive the embroidery work of the embroidered purse, one purse according to the fabric and embroidery work, the price ranges from 10 cents to 2 yuan, she is quick-handed and loves this, in just 7 or 8 days, she has already embroidered 30 or 40, including 10 satin ones, the pattern is a magpie on a branch, Zhen Er and Bai Zhi both say it's good, it will definitely sell for a good price, thinking that she can also earn silver for her family, she is still very happy.

  Sun thought and became worried again, how could they make ends meet like this? Before long, Zhi Yu would be old enough to get married, but their family was poor and had nothing, where would they come up with the dowry?

  Sun thought seriously and unconsciously spoke out her inner words. She didn't notice that Cao Yexi's head on the bed moved slightly, turning to look at her.

  "Can a girl's family not have any dowry?" Sun thought to herself, feeling a bit sad, "Her father can't be relied on, is it really necessary to do that shameful thing and let her uncle and aunt prepare the dowry for her?"

  Sun did not stop muttering to herself, and Cao Ye listened with a stir in her heart, unintentionally speaking out: "Why can't they let their elder brother's wife give the dowry? Isn't she their family's niece?"

  "You also said she's your niece, not your own daughter, how can they be the same?" Mrs. Sun explained with a smile, and only then suddenly realized who she was talking to, her heart racing with excitement. But thinking of Zhen'er saying it was just idle chatter, she suppressed her inner turmoil and continued: "When others are good to us, they have done their best, we can't be so ungrateful, taking others' kindness for granted as a matter of course. My family only has two girls, in the future they will rely on their older male cousins, if they have this kind of thinking, their hearts will go astray and they won't be able to grow up properly."

  "Besides, they have a father and mother, even if we can't do anything for them. But we also can't push our own responsibilities onto others. Others are unreliable. At critical moments, the only one you can rely on is yourself." Sun said, then lowered her head to embroider the handbag again.

  "At critical moments, only oneself can be relied upon, only oneself." Cao Yeshi gazed at the roof, muttering blankly to herself, tears streaming down her face and falling into her hair.

  Zhen'er and Ye Baiji returned to the medicinal herbs, spreading them out in their own courtyard to dry. After finishing up sending the wooden cart back, they saw Sun Shi sitting on the passageway embroidering a purse, the medical room had long been empty, the two of them exchanged a glance, both very surprised.

  Ye Baiji was surprised because she didn't think her mother could really persuade Cao Yexi, while Zhen'er was surprised that Cao Yexi was more perceptive than Sunshi and had figured it out so quickly.

  Although she was sent away, it's still unclear what she really thinks. Sun Shi and her daughter are worried about Zhen Er as they can't see through her mind.

  In just two days, Zhen'er and her family heard the news that Cao Yexi had moved out of her brother Ye Mingyi's house and returned to live in her ancestral home.

  That's called a house, even Zhen'er's thatched hut is better than this one. The walls are broken and the roof is damaged, not to mention there isn't even a bed.

  Ye Baiji and Zhen'er had taken a look from afar, and it was indeed uninhabitable. However, this time Cao Yeshi seemed to have thoroughly made up her mind. No matter how her brother tried to persuade her, she was resolute in staying there. It's said that even her sister-in-law went to visit her, urging her in a gentle tone for quite some time, but didn't see her waver. The villagers all say that Cao Yeshi has been deeply hurt by her brother and sister-in-law.

  Zhen'er secretly sent relief supplies to her twice with Ye Baiji, but didn't let Cao Yeshi know. Instead, she found out that Zhen'er was cutting and selling medicinal herbs, so she also cut some and sold them. The first time, she earned over 200 wen and even bought things to send to the families of those who had helped her in the past, including Zhen'er. As a result, the villagers' impression of her began to improve gradually.

  After all, one palm can't make a sound, she was also responsible for being laid off, and besides, it's always unpleasant to hear someone who has been laid off talk. However, since she moved out of Ye Mingyi's house and started living on her own, the villagers found that she had changed a lot, unlike before when she was weak and timid all day, ignored by everyone, and always crying with a sad face.

  She gradually got some acquaintances, although most of them were widows from the village.

  After sending her things a few times, Mrs. Mao sensed something and strictly ordered the two of them not to visit Cao Yeshi again, after all, her reputation was still outside, and the little girls who mixed with her would still have an impact.

  Putting aside Cao Yeshi's matter, Zhen'er was still worried about planting the land.

  Six mu of land plus one mu of field, what to plant still made Zhen'er think for a while. Finally, she thought of making peanut oil and decided to plant three mu of peanuts. As soon as she said it, the helpers advised her that peanuts have low yield, planting and harvesting are laborious, and it's not profitable. She thought she couldn't afford to lose money in the first year, so she changed to plant two mu of peanuts, three mu of soybeans, and two mu of corn.

  After buying this batch of seeds, she was thoroughly bankrupted, with only over thirty cents left in her pocket. Only then did she realize that she had bought too much land initially and should have kept some money for urgent use.

  But cultivating the land was still an exciting thing for Zhen'er and Hu Zi, and soon they would be able to eat their own crops.

  They were both very happy to help with the sowing. Throwing seeds was not a difficult task for the siblings, especially throwing peanuts, which involved throwing two or three peanuts into one hole. This job was not hard but meticulous, and peanuts were precious, so it would be a pity if they were wasted.

  Two helpers, one for each of us, dug holes, while Zhen and Hu Zi followed behind carrying baskets filled with peanuts, slowly scattering them. It took a whole day to finish planting the two mu of land.

  After four or five days of busy planting, looking at the flat land, Zhen'er could already imagine the dense appearance of the young seedlings after they broke through the soil.

  She gave the two helpers two days to busy themselves with their own affairs, and when they had all finished planting, Zhen'er had them help her clean up the four or five mu of land near her home.

  Those were all wastelands. Zhen Er didn't plan to have a big harvest in the first year, she just wanted to plant some crops and wait until next year to make a good plan.

  The two laborers were both adult men, digging up the stone was a bit difficult for Zhen'er and Hu'zi, but it was an easy task for them. After finishing digging the stone, they used oxen to plow the land once, then sowed green bean seeds.

  It had been over a dozen days since the several mu of land, including Zhen's family backyard, were cleaned up. After finishing her busy work, Zhen suddenly realized that she seemed to have forgotten many things.