"Dad, Mom, do you have sothing on your mind?" Lian Manman asked when she saw Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang return.
Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang exchanged a glance, and the couple shook their heads.
"Nothing, nothing at all, what could we have... we still have to wait..."
"Still have to wait, wait for what?" Lian Manman sensed sothing unusual from their deanor and pursued the question.
"Nothing to wait for, you’re still young, we’ll talk about it when the ti cos." Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang exchanged another glance, and Lady Zhang spoke to Lian Manman.
Afterwards, no matter how much Lian Manman inquired, the couple evaded her questions, talking about irrelevant matters.
"Mom, why do I feel like you’re hiding sothing from us?" In the end, Lian Manman could only say helplessly.
"No." Lady Zhang firmly denied.
Since she had already speculated and was preoccupied with planning another important matter, Lian Manman didn’t pay much attention and shelved the issue. In their family, it was a habit to discuss important matters collectively rather than making decisions privately, so Lian Manman felt at ease with many things.
"If there’s nothing, then I have sothing to discuss." Once everyone sat down, Lian Manman said, "I think we should go ho early after finishing the important matters, what do you think?"
"Why?" Everyone asked, puzzled.
In the family, the ones who enjoyed coming to the Prefecture City the most were Xiao Qi and Lian Manman. After all, the splendor and excitent of the Prefecture City were unmatched by the village or county town. At Lian Manman and Xiao Qi’s age, they particularly enjoyed such things.
Moreover, being in the Prefecture City, far away from the matters of Thirty Mile Camp, freed them from worries and brought peace of mind.
"We’ve hired the schoolteacher, and the school is set to open in February. If we head back now, there are still many preparations to be made." Lian Manman explained.
Lian Manman was right, but the family had already planned ahead, and there was no need to return early.
"There’s another reason I’d like to go back early: to organize help for sewing so warm clothing to send to the Border Town." Lian Manman added.
"Oh." The family understood that this reason was Lian Manman’s true intention.
Although Shen Liu had said it wasn’t necessary when Lian Manman brought it up, these items are only ever in shortage, never in excess.
"That’s a good idea." Lian Shouxin nodded first.
No matter the situation, Lian Shouxin retained the simplicity of a tenant farr. This was evident in his actions, speaking and acting straightforwardly. He disliked people who were all talk but never put in the effort when the ti ca.
In fact, the whole family shared this sentint. When Lian Manman made her statent, she was sincere and of course, ready to take action.
"Manman, what’s your plan?" Wu Lang asked Lian Manman.
"Although Sixth Master said there was no shortage of warm clothes, I thought we’d have little ti to whip up a batch now. I plan to make knee pads and insoles first, they’re easy to make. We’ll buy the materials back ho, distribute them to the villagers for help. We’ll explain the purpose, and offer wages. I’m sure everyone would be eager to help. In a few days, we’ll have a large batch ready to send to the Border Town, just in ti." Lian Manman replied.
Now in the off-season for farming, with the big girls and young won having ti, not only can they earn wages for making these, but they can also contribute to protecting their ho. This will surely motivate everyone.
"That’s a solid plan." Wu Lang nodded.
"Manman’s idea is good." Lady Zhang said as well, "Our family alone can’t finish making these things, we definitely need help. Warm clothes might not be sothing everyone can make, but knee pads and insoles can be made even by girls just learning needlework. With more helping hands, we’ll produce them faster."
"Sis, what do we need to buy?" Xiao Qi asked.
"We’ll definitely need to buy cotton cloth and cotton. I also plan to get so sheepskin," Lian Manman pondered aloud, "And since we’ll be making a lot, we’ll need needles and thread too. We’ll distribute those to avoid anyone running short while making things."
"Right, that’s just about it." Lady Zhang agreed.
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