Chapter 44
“That’s true. They’ve been bringing more money home recently. Apart from buying rice and grains, we can save up a little money.”
It was no wonder that the straw shoes wore out so easily. It was because they had worked hard. On the other hand, Guan Chibei had been hunting and brought home food every day. They ate well, which in turn nourished the strength of the men from the Guan family.
How wonderful.
However, after hearing these words from her two sisters-in-law, Ye Lulu thought to herself. In fact, it was time for her family to think of some ways to earn money. Farmers could do manual labor or short-term work in the city. The methods to earn money were actually very limited.
Previously, she had just given birth and was still very weak. She did not have the energy to divert her attention to think about these things. But now, she had to start thinking about improving the Guan family’s living standards.
She could not watch the Guan family continue to be poor. Although they could eat a few good meals during this period by relying on Guan Chibei’s hunting skills, Eldest Brother Guan and the rest still had to go out every day to do manual labor to earn money and maintain the supply of rice and grains at home.
In short, the Guan family was still so poor that they did not have any money left.
Eldest Brother Guan and the rest were going out to do manual labor. It was too exhausting. Furthermore, the returns were small. It was not worth it. This was not a long-term solution.
Ye Lulu calculated in her heart during the day and called Guan Chibei into the house at night.
Guan Chibei was still wearing a rough brown shirt. He was thin and had a fair face. He walked in and looked at her calmly.
He wondered why she had called him in.
Ye Lulu leaned back and said, “I called you in because I have something to tell you. You’ve been working in the city for more than half a year, right? Is there a big dock in the city? I remember that Yuan City is famous for its water transportation… I want to know how big the docks are, how many people there are every day, and what living standards the people in the city have. How are they compared to us?”
Since she wanted to find a livelihood, she naturally had to understand the objective conditions.
Guan Chibei raised his eyebrows and his eyes darkened. He did not know why she was asking these things. He looked at her and replied, “The docks in Yuan City are indeed big. There are large-sized ships passing by. As the voyages are smooth and business is prosperous, the development of Yuan City under the mountain is not bad. However, the citizens in the city spend a lot as well. If an ordinary family wants to buy food for a day, they would need around twenty to thirty copper coins. It would be much cheaper for their family to cook. However, apart from rice and grains, there would be two to three dishes. Calculating the cost, it’s similar to eating outside.”
Ye Lulu was a little surprised, but at the same time, not surprised. This was because cities with developed shipping would definitely be prosperous and their businesses would be relatively prosperous as well. They would not be poor.
Eldest Brother Guan and the other ordinary villagers could easily find jobs in the city, which meant that Yuan City was very active.
Furthermore, she vaguely remembered that on the morning after labor, Eldest Brother Guan and the rest had said outside the straw hut that they would see if they could get steamed buns when they went out to do manual labor…
Since they could get steamed buns, it also meant that the environment in the city was probably quite good, unlike in the village.
It was no wonder that many slightly stronger men in Yunwu Village ran out to work like Eldest Brother Guan and the others to maintain their home life.
There was no land to grow grains in the mountains, so every family only had a little vegetable field that they watered all year round. They could grow some vegetables, but they couldn’t grow grains.
It was the autumn harvest time now, but Ye Lulu did not see the Guan family being busy. It was because of this reason.