Chapter 28 28 Daddy's Visit

After dinner, Zhou's father thought about digging herbs and looked at Yang Chunyan, "What herbs did you dig in the mountains?"

Yang Chunyan pointed to the basket placed under the eaves outside the house, "There are motherwort, Polygonum multiflorum, Chuanxiong... Without Huai'an's help, I can't dig them all up by myself!"

Li Qiuyue leaned over to take a look and saw that both backpacks were full. She looked at Yang Chunyan with envy, "There are so many herbs in the mountains?"

Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "They are all worthless herbs."

Seeing Zhou's father asking about herbs, Zhou Huaian also came over to show off his newly learned knowledge of herbs to Zhou's father, "Old man, let me tell you, Ganshan whip is also a herb, the name of the medicine is Banzhilian, and Huoxiang is also a herb..."

Father Zhou hummed, and his expression improved a little when he looked at him, "Learn from Chunyan and work hard. Don't fish for three days and dry the net for two days."

It was a rare occasion for Zhou Huaian to see his old man in a good mood, so he didn't argue, "I understand." After saying that, he thought of the bet with Yang Chunyan and walked to Yang Chunyan, "Yan'er, quickly pack up the herbs so that you can go to the county town to sell them for money tomorrow."

Yang Chunyan nodded, and the two began to unpack the sacks tied to the backpack.

Zhou Huairong looked at him in surprise, "Look, the youngest has really changed!"

Zhou Huaijun curled his lips, "Brother, I bet he can last for three days at most. If he can't last more than three days, I lose. Let me bet a pack of Da Chongjiu, do you want to?"

Zhou Huaishan was even more outrageous, "Three days is too long. I bet he can only last two days at most."

Seeing his brothers betting in front of him that he had no perseverance, Zhou Huaian felt that they looked down on him. He put down the hemp rope in his hand and looked at Zhou Huairong, "Brother, if you bet with them, I guarantee you will win!"

Zhou Huairong thought about it and didn't have much confidence in this youngest brother with a long criminal record. A bag of Double Ninth Festival costs 350 yuan, and he would have to buy several bags for spring plowing. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, I don't believe you."

It's so discouraging.

Zhou Huaian was so angry that he couldn't even speak clearly, "Second brother, third brother, I'm going to bet with you."

If I bet with you, you’d be a fool!

The brothers shook their heads without hesitation, "No."

"Forget it." Zhou Huaian went to help Yang Chunyan sort the herbs in dismay.

"Huaian, are you going to sort these herbs at home or go to the ditch to wash the Houttuynia cordata?"

Zhou Huaian took a look and said, "I'll wash my ears."

Yang Chunyan poured the Houttuynia cordata out of the sack and said, "Wash the yellow mud clean. Rub it gently and don't rub it until it's too thick."

"I got it, stop nagging!" Zhou Huaian put the Houttuynia cordata into the basket and walked outside with it.

Yang Chunyan shook off the dirt on the rhizomes of Motherwort and spread them out in a large winnowing basket to dry.

Zhou Jiaming and the others looked at her curiously, "Aunt Yao, do you know herbs?"

Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "I recognize some."

Zhou Xiaoqian looked at her and asked, "Then can you diagnose illnesses and prescribe medicine?"

"No, only those who have studied medicine can do that." Yang Chunyan glanced at a few people and said, "You should study hard."

Zhou Jialiang asked curiously: "The teacher also teaches us how to treat illnesses? Then why didn't our teacher teach us?"

"Only university teachers teach people how to treat illnesses. You should study hard, go to the provincial capital to study at university when you grow up, and then live in the city and treat patients."

Zhou Jiakang ran to Zhou Huaijun and said, "Dad, I want to go to the provincial capital to study."

Zhou Huaijun slapped him on the butt and said, "Get lost! You are not fit for study!"

"I'll tell my mom if you hit me." Zhou Jiakang ran away with his lips pouted and his hands covering his butt.

Before he ran to the kitchen door, he saw Zhou Xiaoqian and others coming out with sandbags. He immediately forgot about complaining and started playing with the sandbags.

The corners of Yang Chunyan's lips twitched. She felt that children nowadays were more hardy, unlike some children 20 or 30 years later who were very spoiled and would cry for a long time if they were patted lightly.

"Dasong, have you eaten?" Before he finished speaking, Zhou Dachun and the old man walked in.

"I ate." Zhou Huairong glanced at him and asked, "Dad, how come you have time to come to my house today?"

Zhou Dachun smiled and said, "Send your grandfather over here to sit down!"

Zhou Huaijun curled his lips and complained in his heart: Xiong Dahai came to cause trouble, and there was no sign of your family. As soon as he heard about the bezoar, he rushed here.

Father Zhou came out from the main room, "Old man, brother, you are here!"

Mr. Zhou looked at him with a smile, and the two gentlemen began to show off their acting skills.

"Everyone in the village is talking about your family getting a piece of bezoar weighing more than a pound and making a fortune. Is that true? If you really get rich, I'd like to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet with you."

"Old man!" Zhou's father looked at him with a wry smile, "Do you think I look like a wealthy man?"

Mr. Zhou looked at him for a few times and said, "You don't look like a wealthy person."

Zhou Huairong secretly found it funny and went to fetch three bamboo chairs and put them in the yard, "Grandpa, Dad (uncle), you sit down."

Zhou Dachun, who had been watching his brother and the old man, pulled his father to the main hall and said, "Second brother, tell me the truth, your family really didn't get any bezoar?"

Father Zhou shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I don't know who are the people spreading rumors. Xiong Dahai came to see me this afternoon, and then I knew that my family had made a fortune."

Uncle Zhou looked at him and felt that Father Zhou had not lied to him. However, when he thought about what Xiong Dahai said, he became a little skeptical. "Did you really not find the bezoar?"

"It would be great if we could get some bezoar." Father Zhou smiled bitterly and pulled Zhou Dachun, "Brother, last time I sent the offal to your house, I wanted to ask you to borrow some money, but I was too embarrassed to ask. Now I really can't find a way, can you lend me two hundred yuan?"

Zhou's mother also walked into the main room and said with a bitter face, "Brother, look, Huairong's children have grown up, and several people are still living in the same room. The money that was originally saved for repairing the house has been squandered by the youngest child again."

"If you lend me two hundred, we will build three thatched houses for the eldest and second sons and divide them up. We will pay you back after we sell the big fat pigs at the end of the year."

"Haha," Zhou Dachun laughed dryly, "Where would I get the money? I hope you can get some bezoar, and I'll borrow some money from you to buy a tractor for Huaixing!" He said as he stood up and walked out.

Although Zhou's father said this on purpose, he still felt a little sad when he saw him avoiding him. He was so poor that even his brothers from the same mother looked down on him!

Zhou Dachun walked out of the main hall and into the far dam, and said to Grandpa Zhou, "The old man is gone."

Old Master Zhou stood up and looked at Zhou's father, "Come and pick me up early tomorrow." It would be his turn to live in the second house tomorrow.

Father Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Old man, there is no big difference between moving tomorrow and moving today. Since you are here, why don't you stay here? I will go to his house with my eldest brother and move your things over."

"Okay." Grandpa Zhou looked at the eldest brother, "I won't go over there. You and the second brother move the things over to me."

Although the old family lived in a brick and tile house and was filial, he did not like the behavior of the eldest son's wife, thinking that she was narrow-minded and calculating.

What's more, the eldest brother is a henpecked man who listens to his wife in everything. He doesn't want to help his brothers when they are in trouble, but runs away faster than anyone else when there is a benefit.

"Okay." Zhou Dachun agreed readily and left with Zhou's father.

(End of this chapter)