Tong Sanlang had hired twenty people to watch over the handful of troublemakers in the Tong Family, ten men and ten women, divided into two shifts each with five men and five women, responsible for various chores such as their meals, clothing, and chamber pots. Each person was paid one hundred wen a day, a job all the villagers considered an unusually good opportunity.
Li Rou, carrying a large basin of egg soup, arrived at the old house out of breath. She set the basin on a small table in the courtyard and then stepped into the kitchen.
First, she served several troublemakers, and with more than half of the basin left, she cheerfully invited everyone to come over and have a taste.
Egg soup with bean sprouts and large chunks of egg blossoms floating inside, her enthusiastic invitation saw the villagers not refusing as there was plenty left in the basin, and they scooped up generous helpings with their bowls.
Seeing this, Li Rou, smiling, carried the empty basin away.
