Chapter 6

The children worked together until the sun was high in the sky. Everyone was so hungry they could barely move, and they figured it was time for breakfast, so they carried their things and headed home.

Furilang still squatted down to carry Manbao.

However, Manbao was very concerned for her brother. Mainly because he was now dirty and sweaty, and smelled quite bad, so she insisted on walking back herself.

Furilang thought about it. Since it was mostly flat ground from here to home, Manbao should be able to walk. Her mother probably wouldn't scold him either, so he held Manbao's hand and went home with peace of mind.

On the way, they encountered many villagers returning from the fields for breakfast. The Zhou family was currently a hot topic in the village, especially Furlang.

When the villagers saw them, they first gave Furlang a concerned look at his buttocks, then earnestly advised, "Furlang, you mustn't gamble. It can ruin a family."

"Furlang, you're still young. Don't make such mistakes again."

...

Every time they met someone, Furlang's face turned green. He didn't respond, and Wulang and Liulang also felt embarrassed. Only Manbao, being young, didn't feel ashamed. She genuinely thought the uncles and brothers were right in their advice.

So she responded throughout, "Uncle Liux, you're right. If you see my fourth brother heading to the gambling den, beat him up for me. My father will definitely treat you to a big meal."

"Isn't that right, Bigzhu? Next time you go to the county town, keep an eye on my fourth brother. If he's not honest, tie him up and bring him back. My mother will definitely thank you."

Seeing her fourth brother's sullen face, Manbao even slapped him, "That's impolite. Don't you see the uncles and brothers talking to you? Are you not sincere in your repentance? Do you still want to gamble?"

Furlang could only respond with a sad face, thanking anyone who spoke to him or scolded him.

The villagers, seeing this, whispered among themselves that Furlang was probably truly turning over a new leaf. After all, he was still young, and it was understandable to be tempted.

So those who had previously given up on arranging a marriage for him started to reconsider.

If Furlang could reform, he would still be a good young man. He was strong, worked well, and had many capable brothers.

Indeed, the villagers all agreed that the three Zhou brothers who were already married were very capable. They worked hard in the fields and were diligent, always taking on short-term jobs at the landlord's house to earn money. Zhou Lao and Qian Shi were also known for their diligence. Therefore, Furlang should not be far behind.

The villagers looked at Furlang with more tolerance.

Furlang didn't realize this because as soon as he got home, his mother ordered him to chop wood.

Now that the autumn harvest was over, the family needed to prepare firewood for the winter. In the past, the older brothers had been in charge of this task, and the heavy work of chopping wood was always done by the third brother because he was strong.

The younger, unmarried brothers were responsible for collecting wood from the mountains and bringing the chopped wood to the shed.

However, because Furlang had lost money gambling, Qian Shi and Zhou Lao decided to assign the task of chopping wood to him. This was both a punishment and a show for the other sons and daughters-in-law.

With many children in the family, Qian Shi couldn't treat them equally, but she had to maintain a good appearance. Otherwise, if one of them started causing trouble, the household would never be peaceful.

Zhou Lao, looking worried, squatted on the threshold, watching his fourth son fetch the axe before turning his gaze away.

Seeing his little daughter, he smiled, "Manbao is back. Did you have fun?"

Manbao nodded happily, "Yes, Father. The mountain was so much fun. There were many flowers and grass. I want to go again in the afternoon!"

"In the afternoon, the sun will be too strong. You should rest at home. Let your fourth brother and the others go," Zhou Lao said. "If you like flowers, your nieces can pick them for you. You mustn't get sunburned, or you'll have to take medicine."

Manbao thought of the black juice her mother had to take and wrinkled her nose, her whole face scrunching up as if she were in pain.

Zhou Lao found this amusing, and his mood improved. He let his daughter go inside and sit down, saying they would eat breakfast soon.

Farmers ate breakfast after finishing a round of farm work, having only two meals a day.

One meal was at around 9 AM, and the other at around 3 PM. After dinner, they would tidy up and go to bed when it got dark.

This was the routine for adults, but children were an exception. In summer and autumn, because the days were longer, the family would usually boil some porridge in the evening for the children to eat so they wouldn't go to bed too hungry.

Manbao entered the main room. Qian Shi, who was not in good health, had been shocked and angry yesterday and was still in bed.

Seeing her daughter covered in grass, she couldn't help but smile, "Did you have fun?"

Manbao nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking very obedient, "Mother, I want to go to the market with Second Brother next time."

"What will you do there?"

"I want to learn how to do business."

Qian Shi couldn't help but laugh, "You just want to play, don't you?"

Qian Shi thought about it. Manbao hadn't gone to the temple fair in the spring, and now that the harvest was over, if she didn't go, she would be stuck at home when it got cold.

Thinking this, Qian Shi agreed, "Let your second sister-in-law take you. The others will go too. They were all scared yesterday. Going out to play will help calm their minds."

As for Manbao's talk about doing business, Qian Shi didn't take it seriously. To her, it was just a child's talk.

But Manbao didn't think it was just talk. She was very serious about it.

So after breakfast, instead of going to school, she gathered Wulang, Liulang, and her nieces and nephews to brainstorm.

Wulang touched his sister's forehead, "You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"

Liulang laughed, "What do we have to sell?"

Manbao shook her head, "We don't have anything, but there's plenty outside."

She pointed outside, "There are so many beautiful grasses and flowers. We can sell them."

Everyone was speechless.

Even the third brother said, "We won't be able to sell them!"

"How can we not sell them?" If such smart and capable people like Kekexi liked these wild grasses and flowers, others should like them too.

Manbao was very decisive, waving her hand, "It's decided. We're going to pick flowers and wild grass to sell."

Wulang wanted to persuade her, but Liulang held him back, "Let's follow Manbao."

"Are you crazy too?"

Liulang: "I'm not crazy, but if we don't listen to her, can we go to the market?"

Wulang thought about it and found it reasonable.

The market was quite far from their village, about half an hour's walk. They hadn't been there since the temple fair in the spring.

The two immediately signaled to Dada, Daya, and the others, who understood and happily agreed to Manbao's plan, promising to bring many beautiful wild grasses and flowers to the market.

Whatever, let's go to the market first.