Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 297 - 296: Labor Delivered to the Door

When all the soap materials on Qin Yao’s side were ready, the fleet led by Liu Bai and Liu Fei set off once again for the Prefecture with a thousand finished book boxes.

In addition to accounting, which required her input, everything else at the factory was handled by others. Only occasionally did they seek her advice, allowing Qin Yao a rare moment of leisure.

After Liu the carpenter assembled the team of artisans, he too felt relieved, no longer needing to handle everything personally, finally experiencing the sense of being a boss.

While Qin Yao was busy cutting freshly made soap with Ah Wang, the village chief strolled over leisurely, hands tucked behind his back, reminding her to go to the county town and take care of the paperwork for the stationery factory.

Qin Yao slapped her forehead, "Good thing you reminded me, or I might have forgotten!"

The village chief smiled kindly, "So when do you think we should go?"

"Tomorrow?" Qin Yao tentatively asked, as she had plenty of time.

The village chief nodded, "Then let’s go together early tomorrow morning. You carry on with your work, I’ll be going back now."

He waved to indicate Qin Yao didn’t need to see him off and got up to leave.

But Qin Yao still followed him as far as the courtyard at the entrance before returning.

With people at home, she didn’t close the door. Just as she stepped inside, two strangers followed her into the courtyard.

It was a father and daughter. Once inside, the father picked up an axe in the yard and started chopping the uncut logs with a "bang bang".

The daughter found a broom by the door and started sweeping the yard.

What was going on?

Qin Yao was a bit stunned, as she felt no threat from them, so she didn’t immediately kick them out.

Ah Wang was also taken aback. When he realized someone was taking over his chores, he frowned quickly, put down the cutting string, and was about to grab the father and daughter.

Qin Yao raised her hand to stop him, signaling him to wait, as this was new to her and she was curious.

Ah Wang was anxious and said earnestly, "This is my work!"

Alright then, Qin Yao lowered her hand, and Ah Wang immediately rushed over, grabbed the axe from the father, and threw him before Qin Yao. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

A cry of pain rang out, and the little one hurriedly dropped the broom and rushed over, kneeling before Qin Yao to explain:

"Madam, spare us! My father and I just wanted to help you with work in exchange for a meal, please spare us!"

Perhaps they hadn’t expected there to be someone as tough as Ah Wang in this small farmhouse, catching the father and daughter off guard.

Their method had always worked before; people would give them some food after seeing the work they did, even if they were unhappy about it.

The father seemed unable to speak and made anxious "ah ah" sounds, continuously bowing to Qin Yao and Ah Wang in apology.

Qin Yao folded her arms and skeptically asked, "Judging by your accent, are you refugees from the neighboring prefecture?"

The father and daughter nodded. Seeing that Qin Yao didn’t intend to drive them away, the little girl asked again, "Madam, we can help you with a lot of work. Do you have any we could do? Just a little food would do."

The girl looked about seven or eight years old, but from her mature way of speaking, Qin Yao guessed she was probably a ten-year-old who looked small due to poor nutrition.

With a softer spot in her heart for the girl, Qin Yao signaled the father and daughter to stand up.

"Ah Wang, go and get them a bun left over from this morning." Qin Yao was kind but not overly so; one bun was sufficient for them to share.

Ah Wang brought the bun over, cast a wary glance at the father and daughter, and then continued with his unfinished work.

Qin Yao got a bench for the two of them to sit on.

The white steamed bun, still warm, was quickly devoured within a few bites once the father and daughter received it. With something in their bellies, their spirits improved significantly.

They dared not sit, expressed their thanks to Qin Yao, and then hoped to help her work.

"No hurry, I want to ask you some questions first. Rest for a moment. Judging by your appearance, did you come from the back mountain of our village?"

The father and daughter nodded slightly, sitting gingerly on the bench. The girl said, "My father doesn’t speak, you can ask me anything, Madam. My name is Little Hua, you can call me Hua’er."

Qin Yao asked why they didn’t return home with the grains given to them for returning to their homeland, but instead came to her small mountain village for food.

Hua’er said the court did issue them grain and encouraged them to return home to prepare for the next wheat planting season, with seeds provided by the court, assuring them once they got through this crisis, things would get better next year.

But only a few people went back because the wheat planting was still three months away, and many couldn’t survive if they returned home, so they boldly came here seeking work.

"My mother and two younger brothers have already gone back with the return-home grain. There’s still over half a year to endure, and the grain isn’t enough to last, so my father and I stayed behind to find food for ourselves, hoping to save two portions for them. It’d be even better if we could find some work to save a little money."

Hua’er spoke with a helpless, adult-like smile.

Qin Yao asked, "How many stayed behind like you?"

"About half?" Hua’er wasn’t too sure, but each family among their fellow countrymen left some strong young people behind.

They wanted to find work to sustain themselves and go back in winter.

Qin Yao frowned, "Do you have companions nearby?"

Hua’er fell silent, and both the father and daughter lowered their heads awkwardly.

They were just here to test the waters; if the village could accommodate them, they’d inform their fellow countrymen to come along.

The silence of the father and daughter gave Qin Yao her answer, and her expression visibly cooled.

But what could she say to them?

Compared to those who had no moral compass, having done all kinds of bad things, the father and daughter just wanted to survive using their labor.

Although somewhat shameless, when survival is at risk, who still cares about such things?

Seeing Qin Yao not speaking for a long time, the father and daughter awkwardly stood up, bowed again to thank her for the white steamed bun.

They turned and were about to leave.

"Do you have anyone who can handle accounts?"

Hua’er turned around in surprise, "Yes! Uncle Qian is the accountant at our tavern!"

"Do you know how to build roads?"

Hua’er’s father nodded quickly, eagerly wanting to express himself, his hands gesturing rapidly. Hua’er anxiously urged her father to slow down and helped to explain:

"Madam, my father says they can build bridges and roads. If someone in the village wants to build a house, they can do that too. My father is a mason, and the houses he builds are very sturdy!"

Hua’er looked at Qin Yao with a yearning expression that clearly said, "Please choose us," her small, pale face adorned with bright, pitiful almond eyes.

Remaining expressionless, Qin Yao pointed towards the river at the foot of the North Mountain and instructed:

"See the river at the foot of the mountain? Call your people over there and wait for me."

The father and daughter glowed with happiness, immediately running towards the mountain to gather their fellow villagers.

Watching them head into the mountain, Qin Yao instructed Ah Wang to keep an eye on the house and not let anyone come in so easily. She then set off to catch up with the village chief who had just left.

Previously, she had thought that due to the current severe manpower shortage in the village, road construction could be postponed until after the autumn harvest. Now, it seemed that advancing the plan might also be a good idea.

Labor freely delivered to your doorstep shouldn’t be wasted.