Chapter 543 Chapter 544: Collusion

"Old man!" Zhou Huaixing looked at him and said, "Look, now even the third room has found a way to make money. Huaigang and Huaizhong make several trips a day, and money flows into their pockets.

I know why the youngest brother Xiong came to me, but if we don’t join him in collecting red mushrooms, we will be suppressed by the second wife for the rest of our lives, begging for food from them for the rest of our lives, and even the third wife will suppress us!”

Of course Zhou Dachun was unwilling to be suppressed by the second and third wives, but he still felt a little uneasy when he thought about what the Xiong family had done.

He hesitated and said, "Have you forgotten the time when Youngest Xiong robbed Youngest to buy truffles? He found Deshengtang and promised them that he could lower the price of truffles so that they could make more money, but he was kicked out instead. Do you think he can really find the boss behind the scenes this time?"

Zhou Huaixing: "Mr. Xiong said that the owner of the county pharmacy is his comrade's uncle, and that they also collect herbs for the boss in the provincial capital. If it weren't for our relationship with Erliuzi's family, he would have found someone else to cooperate with to collect herbs and sell them."

"Deshengtang, which cooperates with Erliuzi, helps the provincial capital collect herbs. The drugstore called Big Pharmacy that Xiong Laoyao mentioned is also helping the boss in the provincial capital collect. They will definitely be able to find someone who collects red mushrooms and truffles."

"After Qingming Festival, I will go to the county town with the youngest bear to meet the owner of the medicine store. If he is okay there, we will wait until the mushroom picking season arrives and cooperate with him to collect red mushrooms. If he is not okay, we will go pick mushrooms and sell them to the second-rate people."

Li Yinfu was still a little worried. "Last year, Cai Ermei also collected herbs to sell. At that time, she seemed to be cooperating with the county's medicine store. Now, Cai Ermei has disappeared, and that idiot is getting better and better."

Zhou Huaixing said with a smile: "That's why I won't cooperate with him to collect and sell herbs! Because we only know a few kinds of herbs. Who is the wife of this second-rate guy? Her husband is a barefoot doctor and an apprentice of Doctor Wang of Deshengtang."

He paused for a moment, looking at his mother and old man smugly, "Cai Ermei, who doesn't even know a few herbs, is trying to compete with these second-rate people for the herbal medicine business. She is simply an old man who wants to hang himself because he thinks his life is too long!"

Zhou Dachun thought it was a good idea. "It's better not to cooperate with him in collecting herbs. There are still a few months before the red mushrooms are on the market. Don't let the news leak out. If Xiong Laoyao finds out, it will be troublesome for you to do it alone."

He thought about it and reminded, "Remember this, don't go to the second room to ask questions in the future, so as to avoid them getting suspicious."

"Don't worry, old man. Those second-rate guys would never have dreamed that we would start preparing to harvest red mushrooms so early." Zhou Huaixing said proudly.

Li Yinfu also nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, I won't ask again in the future."

Zhou Dachun said with satisfaction: "Okay, go buy the salt quickly."

Li Yinfu happily went to the agency store to buy salt.

…

Zhou Huaian and his father ran back and forth more than ten times before they watered all the vegetable seedlings planted today.

He looked at the vines of cowpeas, green beans, flower beans, white lentils, and various melons. On the vines hung tomatoes as big as small potatoes, as well as eggplants, two-jingtiao chili peppers, and lantern chili peppers...

Zhou Huaian said with a smile: "Old man, there are quite a lot of varieties of dishes this year!"

"There are onions, scallions, chives, and shallots in the field behind the house. The first batch can be harvested in half a month." Zhou's father smiled and said, "Your grandfather also planted some in your vegetable field.

The old man took over the conversation, "The yams we planted last year have also grown, and the vines are now one foot long. And the Jerusalem artichokes and ramie that Chunyan planted are also growing well."

Zhou Huaian said with a smile: "Grandpa, Doctor Xiao Wang said that ramie leaves and mulberry leaves are also herbal medicines. Pigs are not likely to get sick if they eat them."

The old man nodded happily, "Ramie leaves are good for people to eat, and of course they are good for pigs to eat!"

Three generations of grandfather and grandson worked until dark, when they finally watered all the vegetable seedlings and returned to the old house carrying the dung buckets.

Zhou Huaian put the dung bucket in the corner of the backyard and asked, "Grandpa, what has Huaixing been doing all this time?"

"Who knows what he is doing!" the old man said angrily, "I saw him playing with people for money in the brigade's sunbathing area a few days ago, so I scolded him. Since then, he has been hiding when he sees me. I don't bother to meddle in his business."

Zhou Huaian flattered: "Forget about him not letting you take care of him, just take care of my family."

"Yes, I'm too lazy to care about it!" The old man took out his pipe and said, "I'm going back to see our little Jiuer."

Zhou Huaian: "Grandpa, old man, Mom asked a fortune teller to read Xiaojiu's horoscope, and he said that he lacked water in his five elements. So we gave Xiaojiu a name with water in it, Zhou Jiatao. What do you think?"

"Zhou Jiatao!" The old man read it again, "That's right, let's call him Zhou Jiatao!"

"Okay, just call him Zhou Jiatao." Zhou's father also nodded.

Coming out of the yard, Zhou Huaian pushed his bicycle and turned to ask his father who was closing the gate: "When I came here, I saw the youngest Xiong walked onto the main road from our side. Did the Xiong family give us some land?"

"The Xiong family's land is all on the hill next to Xu Hongbing's house." Father Zhou locked the gate and turned around and asked, "What's wrong? What did that bastard do again?"

Zhou Huaian was worried that his father would ask the eldest wife, so he smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm just asking."

When the three generations arrived home, they found out that Zhou Yumei and Luo Haili had come to give them postpartum gifts, and Zhou Huairong had already sent them back to town.

After Zhou's mother set the table for the four of them to eat, Zhou's father returned to the old house to feed the pigs. Zhou Huaian gave dog food to the dog and also carried a pig food bucket to feed the pigs.

The old man came into the pigsty with a bundle of straw in his arms, "Youngest, has your aunt brought the postpartum gift?"

Zhou Huaian was afraid that he would be unhappy, "He should be here! I'll ask my mom later."

"Hmm!" The old man spread the straw on the pigsty and went out to smoke with his pipe in his mouth.

Mother Zhou cleaned up, ran some hot water for the baby and changed his diaper.

Yang Chunyan and Zhou Huaian were horrified when they saw her lifting the child's legs to wash his butt. "Mom, will Xiao Jiuer feel uncomfortable if you hold him like this?"

Mother Zhou glanced at the two of them with a smile, "Don't worry, you guys and Jiaming's mother all wash like this."

Zhou Huaian pulled Yang Chunyan and said, "Yan'er, luckily mom is here to help! Otherwise, I wouldn't even dare to hold him after unwrapping him, let alone wash his butt."

Yang Chunyan nodded repeatedly, "Yes! I don't really dare!"

"Don't be afraid. When you are feeling better, I will teach you!" Mother Zhou said as she put Xiao Jiuer on the quilt, put a diaper on it and wrapped him up again.

Zhou Huaian came forward and said, "Yan'er, I think my little Jiu'er seems to be a little different from when he was just born!"

Yang Chunyan touched his little face, "Hmm! The skin on his face is not as red as when he was just born."

Zhou's mother smiled and said, "Of course, children grow up with the wind. It will be different tomorrow! Wait for two more days, when the sun is not too hot, cover his face with a handkerchief and take him outside to bask in the sun."

"Yes!" Yang Chunyan took the child and fed him.

She remembered hearing before that the ultraviolet rays in sunlight have strong bactericidal ability. Most newborn babies have jaundice, and sunbathing can help reduce jaundice.

At the same time, sunbathing can help the baby absorb calcium, prevent rickets, promote the baby's bone development, and make the baby feel happy, which is beneficial to his growth and development.

Zhou Huaian took the basin out, rinsed the diapers in it under the faucet twice, and then went to Zhou Huaishan's house.

He felt that he should discuss the matter of the house with Zhou Huaishan in private, to avoid rift between the brothers if he found out later.

After Zhou Huaishan heard that the house was his, he felt more relieved. "My mother told me about it, and I think it's a good idea. As for relatives, Qiuyue has an aunt who is married in Mou County next door. After Qingming Festival, I will go to Secretary Xu to get a letter of introduction and pretend to go to her aunt's house.

"That's fine, I'll give you the key in a few days." Zhou Huaian said a little embarrassedly, "It's mainly because of Third Sister-in-law's temper, otherwise I wouldn't have kept it from you."

"Don't I know this clearly?" Zhou Huaishan smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's right not to let Qiuyue know. If she knew, she would probably ask you to help her buy a house in the city!"

Zhou Huaian smiled and said, "If you want to buy it, talk to Brother Huang and Doctor Xiao Wang and ask them to keep an eye out for it."

Zhou Huaishan thought for a moment and asked, "Youngest brother, do you think it is more cost-effective to buy a house or rent one?"

Zhou Huaian: "How can I explain this? I think even if you buy a house and don't live in it, the rent you collect is almost the same as the interest you earn from putting money in the bank."

"Is that so?" Zhou Huaishan scratched his head. "When I go to the county to deliver vegetables tomorrow, I will talk to Brother Huang and Doctor Xiao Wang. If we can buy it before Qiuyue gives birth, we will buy a small courtyard. If we can't buy it before she gives birth, forget it."

Zhou Huaian: "Okay, you decide for yourself. We'll have a three-day banquet tomorrow, come back early to help."

Zhou Huaishan smiled and nodded, "Youngest, let me make it clear to you first. We will give you the same amount of money per month as you rent the house to others."

Zhou Huaian: “…”

Zhou Huaishan put his hands on his shoulders and said, "Third Brother knows that you don't need that ten dollars now, but it's not that Third Brother can't afford the rent of that ten dollars now.

Having a baby in someone else's home is a taboo. If they weren't your brothers, you wouldn't rent the house no matter how much money they gave you. If you don't charge rent, I'll feel uneasy!"

Seeing him say this, Zhou Huaian had no choice but to nod, "Okay! Just follow your heart!"

"Thank you, youngest brother. Go back and tell your sister-in-law that I will remember your friendship all my life!" Zhou Huaishan hugged him and turned into the yard.

"Eh~" Zhou Huaian rubbed the goose bumps on his hands, "It was so corny, it almost gave me a cold."

He ran home happily, closed the gate and ran to the steps, where he saw the old man sitting in a chair in the main room holding little Jiuer.

"Grandpa, where are Chunyan and my mom?"

"Lazy dog!" The old man rolled his eyes at him, "The diaper was left there without being washed, and your mother went to wash it again."

"Hehe!" Zhou Huaian laughed, "I went to visit my third brother and thought I would wash it when I come back."

"A lazy person doesn't care too much!" The old man patted her, "Chunyan has gone to the toilet, you go and see her and help her."

(End of this chapter)