Chapter 121: Too Much Talk While Eating

Li Xuemei was pregnant, and Yan Huaiwen and his brother had many affairs to manage. Mealtimes in the Yan household were no longer as they used to be—there was no fixed order, and they rarely ate together as a whole family.

“Do not speak while eating, do not talk in bed”—Yan Huaiwen had followed this rule in the past. But in this lifetime, he had not deliberately enforced it. Yan Yu was lively by nature. She had once been too timid to speak during meals, but now, with her mouth full of wontons, she couldn’t stop talking.

His younger brother indulged her as well, not only listening attentively but also offering compliments from time to time, which led to Yan Yu returning the praise.

This father-daughter pair… At least there were no outsiders around.

As if talking between themselves wasn’t enough, they had to pull him in, urging him to give his opinions from time to time.

“You’ve done well with these labor points!” Yan Lao’er feigned ignorance and praised heartily, “It’s all small and scattered tasks—neither convenient for payment nor goods exchange—so recording them first and accumulating them over time is a good approach. Once there’s enough, they can be exchanged for something useful, even copper coins. My daughter is truly clever! Hahaha!”

“Hey? Brother, can we use this method too?”

Yan Huaiwen slowly chewed and swallowed a wonton.

Softly, he replied, “Yes.”

“But your rate is set a bit too low. When our family trades goods, we should at least cover the costs, right? You need to understand—Father sells horse meat and pork cheaply, but he still takes real copper coins in return. The price is determined by current market conditions.

You also have to consider the future. These labor points are intangible; they aren’t the same as copper coins. Once you set a rate, it’s best not to change it later. Otherwise, what if someone has saved up for a long time just to exchange for something they want, and you suddenly adjust the points required? Wouldn’t that upset them?”

“Uncle, should I set the rate a bit higher then?” Yan Yu asked.

Yan Huaiwen sighed and put down his chopsticks, saying, “It’s best to use the market prices in Guanzhou as a reference. The labor points should be slightly lower than the market rate so that people feel they’re getting a good deal. That would be ideal.

Even though they’re children, they’re still contributing like adults. Their effort shouldn’t be undervalued too much.”

Yan Lao’er clapped his hands. “Your uncle is right. The kids you’ve recruited are all capable of doing work. At home, they’re already considered half a labor force. Helping us means they’ll have less time for their own family’s chores. If it doesn’t feel worthwhile, they might not mind in the short term, but over time, it’ll seem like we’re taking advantage of them.”

“This is too hard! Dad, you calculate it instead!” Yan Yu wanted to give up.

“This started because of you. The children from various families are eagerly looking forward to this. How can you quit halfway?” Yan Huaiwen reprimanded with a stern face.

“I was just saying.” Yan Yu muttered, then pleaded, “Uncle, can you teach me how to do it?”

Only then did Yan Huaiwen relax his expression, speaking in a gentle voice, “Do not fear difficulties. After we eat, I will go over it with you. Heng’er, you should join as well.”

Yan Xiangheng was enjoying his meal and quickly nodded. After swallowing his food, he added, “Yes, Father!”

He couldn’t help but comment to his second uncle, “Uncle, your cooking is really good—it’s delicious!”

In the past, he would never have dared to speak at the dining table. But now… it seemed he could.

Yan Huaiwen looked at him without a word. He picked up his chopsticks again, retrieving the wonton he had just put back.

Da Ya watched her father, pursed her lips, and softly added, “Uncle, it’s really good.”

Yan Huaiwen paused for a moment. Oh well, if they all wanted to talk, so be it. It was just within the family—relaxing a little wouldn’t hurt.

—

The children, full of anticipation, hurried over to the Yan household after finishing their meals, eagerly waiting nearby.

They watched as Yan Xiao’er and Xiangheng cleared the table, wiped it clean, and set out paper and brushes.

The scholar sat upright, explaining something as Yan Xiao’er nodded continuously and wrote on the paper.

“Yan Xiao’er wasn’t lying!” one of the children suddenly exclaimed.

The others nodded in agreement. “The scholar is really teaching her how to write.”

“What did your families say about this?”

“My parents said I was incredibly lucky and told me not to exchange for anything else—just the copybooks to learn how to read.”

“Same with my family!”

“Mine too!”

“Is learning to read and write really that important?”

“It must be! Otherwise, why would it be so expensive?”

“But I want to exchange for scented soap for my mother.”

“I want fabric from the Yan family so my mother can make me a backpack like Yan Xiao’er’s.”

“Dried meat is great! It doesn’t spoil, and I can eat it whenever I want.”

“You’re all so dumb!” The one who said this with a scoff was the little brat from Doctor Cui’s family.

His older brother quickly pulled him aside—he’d better stop talking, or he’d get beaten up.

“You get points for each task you do, so just do more work!” The little brat looked down on them. How could they not understand something so simple?

“You think you’re the only smart one? Paper is expensive, so the copybooks must be too! If you exchange for that, you won’t have enough points for anything else.”

More and more children gathered, their noisy chatter growing louder.

Yan Xiangheng glanced over and said to his frowning sister, “Xiao’er, aren’t you going to check on them?”

Yan Yu looked up and followed his gaze.

She called out loudly, “Wait for me! I’ll be done soon!”

Her sharp voice stunned the father and son at the table.

“Xiao’er, next time, go over there to talk, okay?” Yan Xiangheng suggested.

Yan Yu shook her head. “Running back and forth wastes time. Ugh, Brother, stop distracting me! I was almost done thinking, and now I have to start over.”

Uncle was a treasure trove—whenever she had a question, he almost always had an answer.

“Uncle, I finished writing!” Yan Yu handed over her messy, heavily edited paper.

Yan Huaiwen took it, examined it carefully, and nodded.

“This will do.”

Yan Yu grinned, grabbed the paper, and dashed toward the waiting children.

As she ran, she shouted, “It’s done! Our labor points system is finalized!”

The children immediately swarmed her.

“Tell us, tell us!”

“Don’t push!”

“What can we exchange for what?”

Yan Yu had to shout, “Everyone, assemble!”

The chaotic crowd immediately began sorting themselves into their positions.

Though slow and a little messy, no one stood in the wrong place.

Yan Yu was beyond pleased. After so much practice, there were finally results.

“Let’s move to another spot. Follow me!”

She led the way, and the children instinctively followed in formation, as if they were on patrol.

Liang Manshan happened to be passing by with his son, Liang Fengnian. Seeing this scene, he was utterly shocked!

Regaining his composure, he quickly said, “Brother Huai’an, this is my son, Fengnian.”

“Greetings, Second Uncle Yan.”

“Fengnian—good name.” Yan Lao’er praised before calling out, “Xiao’er, come here for a moment.”

Yan Yu was about to leave with the group when she heard the call. She quickly ran back.

“Dad, what is it?”

“This is your Uncle Liang’s son, Fengnian. Take him along to play. Your uncle and I have matters to discuss.”

Yan Lao’er silently thanked his older brother for giving him some pointers earlier. Otherwise, if Liang Manshan had suddenly brought his child over, he wouldn’t have known what to do. Did he need to give a meeting gift? Or slip the child some money…?

Cough, cough. Luckily, there was no need.

Liang Manshan simply wanted the children to get to know each other and play together.