Xiao Zhu, carrying half a basket of eggs, quickly arrived at Aunt Tong’s house.
Aunt Tong was an honest person. The pickled chili she gave to Mo Yan was grown in her own garden, and it only cost her so salt. She refused to accept the eggs, and only after much persuasion from Xiao Zhu did she reluctantly take them, thinking to herself that she should prepare so appetizers to send to Miss Mo.
Next, Xiao Zhu talked about the Mo Family’s request to hire soone to take care of the orchard and asked Aunt Tong for her opinion.
Aunt Tong was initially delighted, but then she rembered her own family’s circumstances and refused, "Xiao Zhu, you are a good child, and I know you an well for Aunt Tong’s family, but your Uncle Tong is not in good health, and Xiao Qing is just a little kid. Aunt Tong needs to take care of them; I can’t work for Miss Mo’s family!"
"Aunt Tong, that’s not a problem. Miss Mo’s family has a house in the orchard. When the ti cos, you can bring Uncle Tong and Xiao Qing with you. Wouldn’t it be great if you could manage both?"
Xiao Zhu knew that the Mo Family had built a house in the orchard, otherwise, she wouldn’t have made this suggestion to Aunt Tong.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Tong was even less inclined to agree, "Xiao Zhu, you know that in my family, the old are too old and the young too young. We’re not very useful when it cos to work. Miss Mo is a good person; I can’t take advantage of her."
Aunt Tong was upright and disliked taking advantage of others. Over the years, her family had gone through hardships, and they were indebted to the care of their neighbors. However, Aunt Tong never took any advantage without returning the favor. Whatever work there was at the neighbors’, she would help out without being asked; this was also why the neighbors always maintained good relations with the Tong family.
Xiao Zhu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, "Aunt Tong, you just have to keep an eye on the orchard on a regular basis and not let anyone cause trouble. When it cos ti to water, fertilize, or prevent pests, the Mo Family will still hire people to help. You only need to teach them how to do it—that’s not taking advantage at all!"
"Is it really like that?" Aunt Tong was genuinely intrigued. A stable job was much easier than cultivating and selling fruit seedlings.
"It’s true. If you don’t believe , we can go to the Mo Family right now and ask Miss Mo for confirmation." Seeing that Aunt Tong was interested, Xiao Zhu imdiately seized the opportunity.
As long as Aunt Tong was willing, with a reliable person to take care of Miss Mo’s orchard, the Tong family’s life wouldn’t be as difficult as before. It would be good for both families.
Seeing that it was still early, Aunt Tong agreed. She went inside to speak with her spouse and grandson, then took a jar of unopened pickles from the kitchen before going with Xiao Zhu to the Mo Family’s ho.
Aunt Tong was willing to help take care of the orchard, and Mo Yan was naturally overjoyed. She explained the situation in the orchard and what Aunt Tong would need to do. Once Aunt Tong felt comfortable with the tasks, Mo Yan brought up the matter of paynt.
"Aunt Tong, there’s a house in the orchard where your family of three can stay. You will cook your own als, but what are your requirents regarding the salary?"
Aunt Tong shook her head repeatedly, her face full of gratitude, "Miss Mo, talking about taking care of the orchard, it’s really just a bit of direction, not strenuous at all. You can pay whatever you think is fair, as long as it’s enough for my family of three to live on."
This was a very modest request. For a family of three like Aunt Tong’s, they only needed to buy so grains and at. They could grow their own vegetables, and with Uncle Tong’s dicine expenses, by their calculations, five or six hundred Wen per month would suffice.
But after all, Aunt Tong’s family had technical skills, and Mo Yan couldn’t possibly give them just six hundred Wen; so she said, "I’ll pay you one tael of silver each month, and I’ll also provide you with grains like rice and flour every month. If the orchard is well taken care of, I will give you an additional bonus at the end of the year."
One tael of silver a month plus food supplies?
Aunt Tong was astonished. She knew that tirelessly cultivating and selling fruit seedlings didn’t earn her much silver, and in her spare ti, she even had to sew shoe soles in exchange for so oil and salt money. Even so, life was tough for their family. But now, without much effort, she could have twelve taels of silver a year—it was like a pie in the sky!
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