This is no big deal!
How much food can two girls eat?
Besides, girls are better. Once they grow up and marry, they can easily get tens of thousands of yuan in dowry!
In rural areas, anyone who isn't divorced and has a son is highly sought after.
Having a son makes you less popular.
Unexpectedly, Lang Ying said she would never remarry?
Despite their disappointment, everyone didn't give up. They all thought that Lang Ying must have just gotten divorced and was holding back her anger.
When she and her two daughters can no longer make ends meet, they can come to her door to propose marriage again, and maybe they can even negotiate a lower price for the bride price.
Perhaps because they wanted to earn this money as a thank you for the matchmaking, the village aunties and gossipy women were very enthusiastic towards the divorced Lang Ying. They even held her hand and told her that if she encountered any difficulties in life, she must come to them for help and not be shy.
Lang Ying forced a smile, made an excuse that the child was sleepy, and quickly took Da Niu home.
It was called a "home," but it was really just two and a half thatched huts. The thatch on the roof had been blown away by the wind, and the inside smelled terrible.
In order to occupy this piece of land, the Jiang family told the village that it was the homestead for the elderly couple to live on in their old age, but they didn't have the money to renovate it for the time being, so they had been raising cattle here.
However, the cow is no longer there.
It's obvious that she and Jiang Erming are divorced. It's already a favor that the Jiang family is willing to let her and her two children live in these two dilapidated houses. Do you think they would give her a cow?
It must have been while she and Jiang Erming were in the county town to finalize their divorce that her in-laws came and took the cow away.
Even people in the mountains look down on this kind of old house now, but it will be the future home for Lang Ying and her two daughters.
Looking around, Lang Ying simply put the sleeping Er Niu on the ground in the woodshed in the yard and asked Dan Niu to help watch over her. She rolled up her sleeves and went to clean the bedroom next door.
It's called a bedroom, but there's not even a bed inside.
Fortunately, several bundles of hay had been piled up here beforehand to make it easier to feed the cattle.
Lang Ying first swept the floor clean, then simply swept away the dust on the walls, and then laid out a simple "hay Simmons mattress" on the floor with dry grass.
When she came out, she saw Da Niu leaning against the woodpile, her eyes almost closed. Lang Ying almost cried. She quickly reached out and picked Da Niu up, put her inside to sleep, and then carried Er Niu inside as well.
She wanted to go to the Jiang family to get her dowry, bedding, and clothes and daily necessities for herself and her children, but the place was a bit remote, and she was really worried about leaving her two children there.
Just as they were in a dilemma, Jiang Xiaoman arrived with Jiang Yu and two unfamiliar elderly women.
"Sister Yingzi, this is Ah Hu and Qingshan's mother. I think your house is too dilapidated. Since everyone is free today, I'll ask two aunties to come and help you clean the room."
"This... Xiaoman, look, I don't even have a stove. Everyone came to help, but we didn't even get a sip of hot water..." Lang Ying said with shame.
"What's the big deal? Sister Yingzi, I was just about to say that since both of our families have children, why don't you come to my house for a few days and eat with me? It'll take at least three days for your stove to be built. Are you going to let the two girls starve for those three days?"
Upon hearing Jiang Yu mention Da Niu and Er Niu, Lang Ying was immediately speechless.
Yes, she can endure any hardship herself, but her two daughters are still so young. It's not that she can't let them eat roasted potatoes with her for three days, but it would be too pitiful.
"I think it's settled then! At worst, when Yingzi's house is fixed up, you can treat us to a meal, and we'll come and warm your house too!" Jiang Xiaoman waved her hand and made the decision for her.
However, upon entering the house and seeing that the roofs of the two old houses belonging to the Jiang family were almost rotten, Jiang Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, and immediately cursed Jiang Erming, that beast, to death in her heart!
Is this thing even human?
Putting aside the fact that Lang Ying was his wife for a time, even his eldest daughter and second daughter were his own children!
He, on the other hand, went to live in a big house in the city.
If they had any conscience, they should have left the nice house that the Jiang family is living in now to Lang Ying and her two daughters, instead of letting their former daughter-in-law and two biological daughters live in this stinking cowshed!
"No way! Sister Yingzi, this house used to be a cattle ranch, right? There's cow dung everywhere, and not even a bed. Are you going to have the two girls sleep on the floor?"
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman immediately took out her phone. "Wait here, I'll find you a place to stay for a few days!"
...
When Jiang Baichuan received a call from Jiang Xiaoman, he heard that after Jiang Erming divorced his wife, he actually sent his ex-wife and two daughters to live in a cowshed. He couldn't help but want to curse.
He knew that many families in the mountains favored sons over daughters, and that girls were not as precious as boys from birth. But no matter how despised they were, they would not send their own daughters to live in cowsheds, would they?
“The classrooms here are empty at night. The weather has been nice lately, and no one is staying at school. Why don’t you let Lang Ying take the two children and stay in the classroom tonight?”
"By the way, how do we solve the food problem? How about having Lang Ying come and cook for the school for a few days, and the three of them, mother and daughters, can eat together in the school cafeteria?"
As the school principal, Jiang Baichuan could make decisions on such a small matter.
He wasn't afraid of the villagers saying that he had taken in a divorced single mother, or that there would be any scandals or anything like that.
Of course, no one in the village dared to make such a fuss about Principal Jiang.
When Lang Ying heard that even Principal Baichuan was trying to find a solution for her, she immediately burst into tears.
The old house was so dilapidated that it took several people an entire afternoon to finally clear out all the garbage and cow dung from inside the house and the yard.
Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Yu suggested that Lang Ying take the two children to his house for dinner first, and then they could go to school to sleep afterward.
It was quite a coincidence that we happened to run into the Shanyan couple today, who were treating some of their apprentices and their families to dinner.
Those who go into the mountains are risking their lives to earn money; it's much more dangerous than going out to work, especially when they go into the mountains to harvest honey every autumn and winter. Every year, several people fall down in the mountains.
If you're lucky, even if you break an arm or leg, you can just go to the hospital and get it fixed.
If you're unlucky enough to fall off a sheer cliff, you'll be completely obliterated...
Therefore, ever since he started taking on apprentices, Shan Yan would spend his own money to prepare two tables of good wine and food before going into the mountains every year, and invite his apprentices and their families to have a meal.
Firstly, he wanted to express his gratitude to the other party for trusting him and entrusting their child to him to learn a trade.
Secondly, it's also a routine annual inquiry. If the family is worried that this is too dangerous and doesn't want the child to continue, then this meal can be considered a farewell meal for the master and apprentice. After this meal, they'll go their separate ways.
If a family member doesn't want their child to continue running around in the mountains, they'll bring a big ham when they come to their master's house for a meal, as a way of thanking their master for his years of teaching.
If I continue to go hiking with him this year, I'll just bring some homemade rice wine or vegetables from my garden.
Jiang Xiaoman had never heard of such a rule for honey harvesting in the mountains before, so she paid close attention to the local specialties that each family had brought. She found that none of them had brought ham, which showed that the parents were indeed very reassured by Master Shanyan!
That evening, the Shan Yan family home was bustling with activity. Even Lang Ying, who had just gotten divorced, couldn't help but be infected by the lively atmosphere, and a smile appeared on her sorrowful face.
The eldest daughter and Jiang Yu's mountain fruit were inseparable!
The two girls already knew each other in the village.
However, Shancha had been quite strict with her second sister, Shanguo, before. After school, while other children were playing outside, poor Shanguo was kept at home by her older sister and forced to learn pinyin!
We're having guests over tonight, and Shancha is busy helping her husband, Xiaoyu, so she can't supervise her younger sister's studies. Shanguo is running around the yard with her older sister, feeding the chickens and turtles. With Langying there, she can help look after Shanhua while she's with her younger sister.
After dinner, Jiang Xiaoman personally took Lang Ying to the rented house at the school.
Chapter 130
Jiang Xiaoman hadn't been to school for quite some time, and she was surprised to find that the apartment she rented from the school had changed so much.
The once somewhat empty courtyard has been transformed into mobile prefabricated houses on both sides!
This was a temporary structure that Jiang Baichuan specially applied for.
After the two new teachers arrived, the rented house was simply too small for them. If they were to stay in other villagers' homes, there were concerns that something might happen.
Knowing he would be staying there for another year, Jiang Baichuan submitted a report to his superiors and received additional funding to build several prefabricated houses in the courtyard.
This type of house is easy to assemble and disassemble, and the cost is not high. The key point is that it will not damage the rented yard when it is demolished in the future.
Jiang Baichuan and the two teachers now live in three prefabricated houses on the east side. Of the three houses on the west side, one has been converted into a reading room, and the remaining two have been combined to form a temporary canteen.
Jiang Baichuan settled Lang Ying and her two daughters in the reading room next to the cafeteria.
"It would be bad if these two kids damaged the school's books. Let's go sleep in the classroom instead."
Looking at the neatly arranged bookshelves throughout the room, Lang Ying awkwardly took the hands of her two children.
"What's there to be afraid of? Books are meant to be flipped through and read, right? Are they meant to be displayed on a shelf just for show? It's a good thing that kids like to flip through books. Reading is always beneficial. Just put them back as they are after they're done."
Jiang Baichuan pointed to two makeshift wooden planks in the corner—
“The school doesn’t have any extra beds. These two boards were brought over from when we moved. They’re placed on the floor to keep out moisture. But this is the library, and according to regulations, open flames and electrical appliances are not allowed. We can’t use braziers or electric blankets. We’re sorry to have to make do with this.”
"We don't feel wronged! We're the ones who've caused trouble for the school."
Lang Ying was surprised that she and her daughter could find such a good place to stay. The library was exceptionally clean and filled with the fragrance of books!
She's never seen so many books in her life.
When the two new teachers heard that Principal Jiang had helped an orphan and widow who had been abandoned by a scumbag, they came over to see what was going on. Not long after, Yao Tiantian brought Lang Ying several hand warmers and a fully charged electric hot water bottle.
Gu Qingsong also contributed his electric hot water bottle.
The nights in the mountains are so cold. They are a little better off with their thick quilts, but Lang Ying has two children with her, and the children can't afford to catch a cold.
After settling Lang Ying and her two daughters in, Jiang Xiaoman hurriedly returned to Shanyan's home.
Shan Yan's apprentices and their families had not yet left.
A stove was burning in the room, and a large pot of tea cakes was being boiled on it. The air was filled with the smell of cheap tobacco. When he saw Jiang Xiaoman return, Shan Yan coughed and got down to business.
To make the beekeeping business bigger and stronger, it's definitely not enough for just these two companies to do it alone.
As Jiang Xiaoman had said before, it would be too slow to attract other villagers to join after they made money. Shan Yan and Jiang Xiaoman discussed it and decided to develop the first batch of "franchisees" from among the people around them.
Actually, compared to Langshan Village, which is closer to the highway, the old mountain valley is more suitable for beekeeping. The mountains are rich in nectar sources, and bees can find nectar almost all year round. Moreover, the valley is sparsely populated, and sometimes a few households occupy several hilltops!
If you put more than a hundred beehives on a hilltop, the annual output will be incredible.
Previously, because there was no market for bees and selling to vendors was not profitable, no one thought of making money through beekeeping.
But things are different now.
The local honey from Jiang Xiaoman's area is in high demand and short supply; it sells out instantly every time it's put on the shelves.
Shan Yan first sent several apprentices home to explain the situation to their families. As for whether or not to do it, it was entirely up to them, and he wouldn't force them.
If Shan Yan were to use the master-apprentice relationship to force everyone to raise bees with him, the families of these apprentices would really have some reservations.
But his current "take it or leave it" attitude has only made his family more convinced that beekeeping can be profitable.
Especially the young people in the family who often watch videos online, after studying Jiang Xiaoman's sales performance, they found that she sold several thousand bottles of local honey in just one hour. If they also started beekeeping, wouldn't they be guaranteed to make a profit?
Shan Yan then announced on the spot the "preliminary cooperation plan for the beekeeping cooperative" that he and Jiang Xiaoman had discussed.