Lin He vaguely explained the matter of the wooden box at Uncle Li’s place, saying she would discuss the start date with her parents upon returning and would have her father come over that evening to speak with Uncle Li. Uncle Li agreed, saying he would wait for her father at home that night.

After Lin He left, Aunt Xu and her husband chatted. Aunt Xu remarked, “The Er Niu family is finally seeing better days. Er Niu’s wife and children suffered a lot over the years; it’s all worth it now.”

“Indeed. Look how sensible and successful their son and daughters are. Unlike our Er Gouzi, who only knows how to roam around all day. Er Gouzi isn't much younger than He’er, yet He’er, a mere girl, manages everything at home,” Uncle Li sighed.

“Tell me about it. We just don't have the good fortune to bear such a wonderful daughter; we’re destined for toil, and we can’t blame anyone else. However, husband, if what Lin He proposed comes to fruition, our days won't be bad either,” Aunt Xu mused, her face alight with anticipation.

Uncle Li smiled broadly, “Yes, He’er is helping us too, offering such a good price. Even if it were lower, many people would take the job. This work is excellent; no exposure to wind and sun, they can stay home and look after things. During the busy farming season, they can hire help for the farm chores without delaying the work. The income is three taels of silver a month! Working for a year, we could buy several acres of prime land.”

Hearing Uncle Li’s words, the smile on Aunt Xu’s face deepened; their own lives were about to improve significantly. Uncle Li then said, “In the afternoon, I’ll bring Er Gouzi back. He’s grown up now; he can’t keep wandering outside forever. It’s time he learned to do some work with me. Look at He’er’s family; even Chen’er, who is younger than Er Gouzi, follows He’er around doing many tasks every day.”

Although Aunt Xu felt sorry for her young son and worried he couldn’t manage much, she agreed that her husband had a point; the boy was indeed too wild, and this situation couldn’t continue. She nodded, deciding to fetch him after lunch. Poor Er Gouzi was currently scampering about at his maternal grandmother’s house, utterly unaware that his parents were about to begin strict discipline.

Lin He returned home to find Huang Shi preparing lunch. Er Niu was also back, sitting in the courtyard. Lin He said, “Father, since you’re here, I have something to discuss with you.”

Lin He sat down in the courtyard and explained her plan to have Uncle Li make the wooden boxes, as well as the arrangement for Da Sheng and Da Jiang to cut timber. Since this added work, she decided to give each of them an extra two hundred wen in wages per month. Huang Shi also emerged, saying, “Six hundred wen a month for them isn't low pay, and you want to add another two hundred? You won't get wages this high anywhere else; one month's pay here is equivalent to two or three months’ pay outside.”

Of course, Lin He knew her mother was anxious about the money, so she smiled and replied, “Mother, while the wages are a bit higher, the workload is also greater. Cutting trees, though not a daily task, is physically demanding and quite strenuous. Besides, Uncle Da and Brother-in-law Da have been diligent in watching the fish pond for us for so long; higher wages are fine.”

“Moreover, by having Uncle Li make these wooden boxes, we’re saving quite a bit of money. Every month, in wages paid to Uncle Li and the two of them, we save almost twenty taels. These small sums are nothing; no need to fuss over them too much.”

Er Niu nodded, saying, “That’s true. Ever since Big Brother and Da Sheng started working for us, they’ve treated our affairs as their own. I rarely manage the fish pond myself now; they handle everything from start to finish. If we hired outsiders, even if their wages were lower, they certainly wouldn't be as dedicated. Let's not haggle over this.”

Lin He also nodded; Father was absolutely correct. Although some others in Uncle Da’s household were detestable, Uncle Da himself was truly exceptional. During the busy season, when Brother-in-law Da returned to his own farm, arrangements had been made initially to allow them time off for their own fieldwork. But Uncle Da would carry a huge load of fish grass to the pond every morning before anyone else was awake, and he would bring over feed or more fish grass in the evenings after work. He even brought duck and pig manure to the pond. Someone else would never have managed this level of dedication.

Seeing her daughter and husband speak this way, Huang Shi said no more and returned to the kitchen to continue preparing lunch. Lin He and Er Niu then discussed the specifics of the execution. Er Niu mentioned that since they had decided to do it themselves, they should proceed quickly so the new boxes would be ready for the next use instead of having to buy them externally. He planned to visit Uncle Li that afternoon to confirm they could start searching for suitable timber tomorrow.

Lin He agreed; since the weather was currently good, cutting and drying the wood would be easier. If they were going to do it, they might as well cut enough to make a large batch at once to avoid frequent trips there. Er Niu said Uncle Li would handle the arrangements and instructed Lin He to focus on her own tasks. Once the wood was dry, Lin He could then clearly explain the required specifications to Uncle Li. Lin He agreed; she certainly wasn't eager to manage that much physical labor herself.

Time flew, and nearly two months passed. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching—a holiday highly valued by the people here. Zhao Shi had announced a month prior that this year, the several related families would celebrate the festival together. For years, the eldest branch had been in the town, and they hadn't celebrated Mid-Autumn together.

Lin He was somewhat reluctant. It was better for her immediate family to celebrate alone. With more people, especially the He family, who were known for taking advantage, and who always seemed to benefit at the expense of Lin He’s household, she preferred solitude. However, Grandmother Zhao Shi had issued the decree, and everyone had agreed, leaving her no room to object. Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a joyous occasion, a time for reunion; having the family together wasn't inherently a bad thing, and it was only for one day, so it shouldn't cause major issues.

Still, Lin He had one other concern: Old Man Qin and his grandson were staying at their house; they certainly wouldn't go to Zhao Shi’s courtyard. Their family unit would be quite lonely. However, Old Man Qin assured her it was fine; the two of them together constituted their own reunion.

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhao Shi finalized the plan: each family would contribute one hundred large cash coins for the communal meal, which needed to be quite substantial. On the festival day, after breakfast, the women were to gather in Zhao Shi’s courtyard to help in the kitchen. Huang Shi and Zhou Shi were assigned the main cooking roles, He Shi was in charge of vegetable chopping, and Lin He and Song Yue Mei would be the assistants. Er Niu and Da Jiang were tasked with going to town to purchase the necessary foodstuffs.

Lin He discussed this with Er Niu, agreeing that he would buy the groceries tomorrow and purchase an extra portion of festival items for Old Man Qin and his grandson to celebrate with. Even though it was only two people, those items shouldn't be skimped on, especially fruits and pastries, which they could enjoy themselves upon returning home that evening.