Chapter 229 – The First to Get Paid

Father and daughter strolled back home, and Yan Lao’er decided he’d cook today.

Granny Rong had been working too hard—he should at least shoulder a bit of the load.

They were definitely having fish tonight. After a quick look through the kitchen and seeing a good amount of greens, Yan Lao’er settled on making a fish and vegetable stew.

Yan Yu found a good spot and squatted nearby.

She watched for a bit, and when she saw her father was going to cook with a wood fire, she jumped up and ran outside.

Making sure no one was around, she lifted a few logs—not too heavy for her—and grabbed the axe lying nearby. She stomped once on the chopping block.

Solid enough.

She positioned the log, aimed, swung the axe—crack—right down the middle.

The axe didn’t sink in too deep. Yan Yu raised her hand and brought it down again.

Crack!

The log split in two.

She had perfect rhythm: first a set-up strike, then a finishing blow. In no time, she’d chopped all the logs into stove-ready pieces.

She carried them inside in batches, stacking them neatly where Granny Rong liked to keep firewood.

Yan Lao’er turned his head away. Every time he watched, his heart clenched.

My strong girl… do you even like spinach?

Yan Yu remained blissfully unaware and kept stoking the fire.

She’d already learned how to control the heat by adding and pulling logs with precision.

Even Yan Lao’er had to admit—his daughter’s learning ability was no joke.

“This stove’s connected to the heated bed on the other side, right? How is it? Burns well?” Yan Lao’er asked as he deboned the fish.

“Burns great! Warm from head to tail—Master Lu and his crew really know what they’re doing,” Yan Yu praised sincerely.

“They work fast and clean. Before, they could only finish two heated beds in a night. Now that they’re familiar with the work and the villagers know how to assist, they’re doing three in a night.”

“At this rate,” Yan Lao’er said, “we’ll probably finish heating beds for the whole village around the same time our house is complete.”

“Oh right, Dad—we still need a few bed cabinets, a bed table, and one of those big floor-to-ceiling wardrobes,” Yan Yu said, ticking items off on her fingers.

“And for the windows—we left those big openings to keep things airy and nice-looking. Doesn’t matter if they’re all wood or just wood frames, we’ve got to close them up. And doors too. Also, shouldn’t we put a big work table in the kitchen?”

“And Master Lu said our roof’s called a ‘mountain top’ style—sloped to keep snow from piling up. It slides right off both sides. Looks good from the outside, but if you look up—see?—you can see the beams clear as day.”

“Master Lu said if we want, he can put in a ceiling. It’d look better, keep the place warm, and we could store things up there. Only thing is… it might attract rats.”

Yan Lao’er looked up. The beams were indeed fully exposed.

“Let’s do it. Putting in a ceiling is like adding a loft—actually really practical.”

“Rats? What rats? We’ve got a cat. Any rat that dares show up here won’t make it out.”

“Doors, windows, tables… looks like it’s time for your Uncle Qi Wu to dust off his tools and get back into carpentry. No more fussing with charcoal.”

“We’ll see how things go. If charcoal’s still selling well, we’ll find a couple more folks in the village to help with that.”

Yan Yu couldn’t agree more.

“But Dad, Uncle Qi Wu can’t do it all himself. We need furniture, and so does he. Once the villagers see what he can do, they’ll want some too… we’ve gotta get him a couple apprentices.”

“Hah! You say it like he’s a master craftsman already!” Yan Lao’er laughed heartily.

Then he shook his head. “But not everyone’s like us. Your Uncle Qi Wu trained under a coffin-maker. Villagers still mind that sort of thing—might not want to hire him.”

“That’s old thinking,” Yan Yu disagreed. “We’re in Guanzhou now—it’s a fresh start. Uncle Qi Wu doesn’t make coffins anymore, and he’s not going near coffin shops either. I’ve already seen more people visiting the Qi family than before. Just wait—after our furniture’s done, let’s see if folks still avoid him.”

Having a carpenter right outside your door—honest, reliable, and affordable? People would be lining up to hire him. Might even be hard to get a slot.

The two of them kept chatting, like they’d never run out of things to say.

Granny Rong came and went again.

She brought over a jar of pickled chive flowers.

Yan Lao’er was pleasantly surprised. “You made this too? Perfect with stew!”

Yan Yu added, “Granny Rong’s pickled all kinds of veggies. She even mentioned she’s short on jars and crocks…”

“I’ll head to town tomorrow and buy more,” Yan Lao’er promised immediately.

…

That night’s fish stew had a bit of chili in it, and Master Lu and the others ate until they were dripping sweat and crying out in delight.

They gulped down several bowls of water.

Once they were full, they headed off to the next house on rotation.

And now, one household after another was making their way to the big stone.

The exciting moment had arrived!

Payout time!

Just after nightfall, Village Chief Luo lit the torches.

The area around the stone lit up bright as day.

Yan Lao’er brought out the small square table from home and set it on the big stone.

Yan Yu climbed up, opened her backpack, and poured out the silver bits and copper coins.

Clink, clink, clatter!

To everyone present, it was the sweetest sound in the world.

Smiles bloomed on every face.

Pure, heartfelt joy.

There were two full strings of copper coins, plus a bunch of loose change—more than what the Crouching Tiger City government office had actually paid out.

Yan Yu had come prepared. If anyone wanted silver, she’d give silver. If they preferred coins, she had coins.

When you’ve got money, you can afford to be generous.

“Fengnian, bring out the ledger you’ve been keeping,” Yan Lao’er said.

Liang Fengnian squeezed up front and pulled the account book from his bag.

Everyone knew that notebook—it held the Work Points they earned each day.

Yan Lao’er flipped through it and said, “You all know how many Work Points you’ve logged. This time, we delivered eight bags of herbs to Crouching Tiger. So we’re only counting payment for those eight bags—basically your first three days of Work Points.”

“Let me explain—everyone brought all kinds of herbs to Physician Cui, a mixed assortment with a bit of everything. Some of these herbs take a long time to process, so those won’t be included in this payout.

Don’t worry—your Work Points, how much has been converted and how much deducted, are all clearly recorded. If anything doesn’t match what you’ve been keeping track of, just wait until we’re done distributing the money, then come talk to me. No need to hold up the payout and make everyone anxious.

If there’s a mistake, no problem. We’ve kept detailed records. With careful checking and a bit of thought, we’ll sort it out.

If no one has any issues, I’ll start reading out your Work Points, and we’ll hand out the money in that order.”

Someone with a short fuse shouted, “No questions here! We’re just waiting to get paid!”

“Yeah, hurry and read the Work Points! If you keep talking, I’ll forget how many I had. Took me ages to tally them at home!”

Laughter erupted all around.

Yan Lao’er chuckled too, then began calling out names and the corresponding Work Points.

Everyone held their breath, listening intently. Not a single person made a sound, afraid they’d miss their name and amount.

Yan Lao’er began reading the list.

The first name on it had been waiting impatiently.

It was none other than Yan Yu herself.

That’s right—the Work Points were recorded based on when the herbs were delivered to Physician Cui.

And leading the list was none other than the Young Scouts.

The first to get paid? Naturally, it was the head of the Young Scouts—Yan Xiao’er.

(End of chapter)