ebookland Chapter 227 Manpower Allocation
Chapter 227 Manpower Allocation
Taohua nodded obediently and said, "Okay, then I'll listen to you." Then she concentrated on working with Xiuying.
The mother and daughter worked in perfect harmony in the kitchen. Soon, the steaming lean meat porridge was ready, and the buns were wrapped and steamed. Once breakfast was ready and served, Taohua turned to call Shiliu and Afan.
As she walked, she murmured softly, "These two lazy bums, it's time to get up and eat."
Shi Liu and A Fan came to the table with sleepy eyes, and when they saw the table full of delicious food, they immediately became energetic.
"Wow, it smells so good!" Afan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Shi Liu also smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, mother and sister."
Afan and Shiliu couldn't wait to pick up the meat buns, took big bites, and their mouths were full of oil. Then they picked up the porridge and gulped it down.
They ate so voraciously, taking a bite of meat bun and a mouthful of porridge, their cheeks puffed up like two little squirrels hiding pine cones.
While eating, Afan exchanged glances with Shiliu.
Afan: Practicing martial arts is so exhausting. I feel so hungry that I can eat a cow!
Pomegranate: That’s right, I’ve never been so hungry before. My stomach feels like a bottomless pit.
In a short while, they had devoured most of the food in front of them like a whirlwind. Although their eating manners were a bit awkward, their satisfied expressions made people laugh.
Awang and Taohua looked at the two people who were eating voraciously and couldn't help but say, "What's wrong with you two? Did you go to steal chickens last night? Look how hungry you are!" Awang widened his eyes with an expression of disbelief, while Taohua covered her mouth and laughed.
When Afan and Shiliu heard this, they looked at each other and their expressions instantly became nervous.
The bun in Afan's hand almost fell to the ground, and Shiliu stopped pouring porridge into her mouth: "No, how could we..." The two of them answered stutteringly, avoiding glances, not daring to look directly at Awang and Taohua.
At this time, Xiuying immediately came to the rescue and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Afan and Shiliu are still growing. They consume a lot of energy, so they will naturally get hungry quickly."
As she spoke, she stuffed two more eggs into Shi Liu and A Fan's hands and said, "Eat more. You're still growing. Don't go hungry."
Martial arts training consumes physical energy quickly, so the children need to eat well during this period.
Afan and Shiliu took the eggs, looked at Xiuying gratefully, lowered their heads and continued to eat them.
While Shi Liu was eating, she secretly glanced at Xiu Ying. Her heart skipped a beat, and she secretly realized that her mother seemed to know something. At that moment, her heart was like a little rabbit, with all sorts of ups and downs.
After dinner, Shiliu couldn't hold back any longer and hurriedly pulled Xiuying into the house.
She bit her lips tightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up the courage to say, "Mom, do you have something to ask me?" There was a hint of uneasiness in Shi Liu's eyes.
Xiuying looked at Shiliu, sighed softly, and said slowly, "I'm just worried about you, child. You and Afan were out so late last night, and you're eating so voraciously today. I feel uneasy." Xiuying reached out and gently stroked Shiliu's hair. "But I know you have your reasons. I also believe that you and Afan are good children and won't do anything bad."
Shi Liu nodded heavily, tears glistening in her eyes, and said, "Thank you, mother. Don't worry. Actually, I know you've been worrying about us. I didn't want to hide this from you, but I was afraid you'd worry. But I assure you, we have absolutely done nothing wrong, and we won't bring any trouble to you or this family."
Hearing Shi Liu's words, Xiuying finally let go of the worry she had been feeling. A relieved smile appeared on her face, and she turned back to the courtyard and began to arrange her tasks for the day in an orderly manner.
Xiuying put her hands on her hips and spoke in a loud voice, "Today, Shiliu and Afan will be in charge of the chickens and ducks in the chicken coop. Clean the coop and feed the chickens and ducks. Awang, Qingfeng, take Jindan, Goudan, and Tiedan with you to dig up angelica root. Bring back plenty. Guihua, Lamei, take Huahua with you to pick goji berries. Be careful not to hurt yourself. The rest of you will be responsible for cleaning the herbs at home. Be quick and don't be lazy!"
Shi Liu and A Fan had previously been responsible for digging angelica root in the mountains, a difficult task that often took a whole day and required a great deal of physical effort. Now, however, they were only responsible for the chickens and ducks in the chicken coop, and the tasks assigned to Shi Liu and A Fan were significantly easier.
The chickens and ducks in the chicken coop had previously been taken care of by the youngest, Sixth and Seventh, but now it was their turn to mix the chicken feed. Shi Liu knew that Xiuying was taking care of herself and A Fan. Her eyes welled up slightly, knowing that her mother was worried that she was getting too tired.
Shi Liu was about to say some words of thanks, but before she could open her mouth, Xiuying handed her the basket and said, "Go and pick up the eggs. Be gentle and don't scare the hens." Xiuying had a gentle smile on her face.
Xiuying stood in the middle of the yard, looking at the busy family, and couldn't help but sigh.
Her gaze moved from the chicken coop where Shi Liu and A Fan were, to the figures of A Wang and Qing Feng who were about to set out to dig angelica, and then turned to the direction where Gui Hua and La Mei were preparing to pick wolfberries. It seemed that the tasks were distributed properly, but in fact, the vegetables in the field had not yet been planted, and the large field of sweet potatoes was also waiting to be sown, and the people in front of her were simply not enough.
Xiuying frowned and said to herself worriedly, "There's so much work to do, how can we handle it with just a few of us?"
She raised her hand and rubbed her sore eyebrows, wondering whether she should ask the villagers for help, but every household in the village was busy now.
When Xiuying was at a loss, a familiar voice suddenly came: "Oh, it's quite lively at home!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Master Chen walking in slowly with several servants.
Awang's eyes lit up and he ran over happily, his face filled with an excited smile: "Dad, you're finally back!"
Mr. Chen touched Awang's head lovingly, looked around and said, "You're back. The house is busy. What are they doing?" There was concern in his eyes.
Xiuying quickly went up to him with a smile, bowed slightly, and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Master Chen. I'm arranging for the children to dig angelica root."
As Chen Yonggui walked in, he said, "When I entered the village, I saw that every household was planting sweet potatoes. Why aren't you doing anything?"
Xiuying smiled awkwardly and said with her head down, "Master Chen, to be honest, we don't have enough manpower at home and we are really too busy." After saying that, she sighed softly.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yonggui said cheerfully, "That's perfect! I've brought some help for you."
As he spoke, he waved to the servants behind him...