Chapter 148: Jealousy (Additional chapter for Yunqi's recommendation votes of 110,000)
Early in the morning, a team of laborers went upstream to intercept the river water and dug ditches to divert some of the water. Now the river water is slowly decreasing, but it cannot be completely cut off, and people can stand in the middle of the river.
They had to first clear out the scattered rocks and unwashed soil in the river, and then build the dam.
The county government estimated that it would take about twenty days.
Zhou Silang looked at those on the shore, but he had to help others move stones that were bigger than themselves, and also had to put aside the garbage and mud cleared from the riverbank. After just one day, there were bloody marks on his shoulders, but it was still easier for him than for those in the river.
People standing in the river not only have to clear out the stones, but also have to be careful not to slip. Ten people have fallen today, and one of them fell quite badly. He sat on the ground for a long time and couldn't get up.
So Zhou Silang didn't dare to complain at all, and Zhou Erlang took the opportunity to scare him, "See, it's a good thing you changed, otherwise if you continue gambling, you'll be kicked out of your home and you'll have no choice but to do hard labor like this outside to make a living."
Zhou Silang shuddered and asked tearfully, "Second brother, why are you scaring me?"
"I'm not trying to scare you. Think about it, we have so many brothers. Can we be like the Da Chong family? They sold their daughters and sons after losing the bet, and now they want to sell their wives. Do you have any sons or daughters to sell?" Before leaving, Qian said that she would arrange a marriage for the fourth son when she returned, so she had to scare him thoroughly to prevent him from causing trouble for the family in the future. So Zhou Erlang said whatever he wanted to scare people, "It's impossible for them to sell your nephews and nieces. Besides you, your parents have five sons. They are not short of sons."
Zhou Erlang stuffed a steamed bun into his hand and gestured for him to look at those people squatting by the river eating dry biscuits, unwilling to even buy a bowl of ginger soup. "If you are driven out, you will be worse than them. At least they have a home to return to. You will be doing hard labor outside, and you won't be able to go home when you are sick or tired."
Zhou Silang really cried, "Second brother, I really don't gamble anymore. I'll only gamble this once. If you don't believe me, ask Lao Wu. I didn't even get into the casino when I went to the county town recently."
Zhou Dalang said, "Okay, stop scaring him."
We still have to work soon. Who will serve if we are scared?
Zhou Silang gnawed on the steamed bun with a wronged look on his face while drinking the broth mixed with meat. There was a lot of ginger in the broth, which had a light spicy taste. When the hot broth went down his throat, he immediately broke out in a sweat.
Almost everyone who came here bought a bowl. They also realized how good this thing was. Some even envied Zhou Silang, "Your brothers really love you and even came here to do business."
Some people couldn't help but sneer and say, "If you really care about him, you shouldn't have let him serve. Wouldn't it be more heartbreaking for him to serve in his place? I say Zhou Si, you haven't married or had children yet, right? How old are you this year?"
Zhou Silang said sullenly, "My family is fair, and we take turns serving. I'm eighteen."
Some people were skeptical, "You're eighteen? You didn't lie about your age, did you?"
Zhou Silang was depressed. "What about my six brothers? Do I really need to lie about my age?"
In order to get the ding land faster, some families would falsify the age of their children after they were born, reporting two years more, so that they could get the ding land at the age of sixteen. However, they forgot that adults not only had to serve in the military, but they might also be conscripted, so few people actually did this.
The Zhou family has no shortage of male heirs or land, so there is no need to falsify one's age.
Hearing that Zhou Silang would become a man this year, someone was moved and came forward to ask, "Are you married?"
Zhou Silang blushed and said, "No."
Someone laughed and said, "Now that you're an adult, you should get married. Have your family arranged a marriage for you?"
Someone said sarcastically, "With so many brothers in the family, it's not easy to find a wife. Now that they've gotten married, the matchmaker fee must be four or five taels, right?"
"Haven't you seen how other brothers are doing business? How can their family have less money?" In the past two days, Zhou Dalang's business has been getting better and better. Today, even the dishes are out. Two spoons for five cents, one spoon for three cents, and many people bought them to eat.
Although they didn't know the cost, the cabbage and radishes were all grown at home, so only the meat cost a little money, so it shouldn't be much.
Many people didn't say anything, but their hearts were burning with anxiety, especially the people in Jiangding Village, who wanted to run home immediately to tell their families.
But they were under the supervision of the yamen runners and could not leave without permission except for the half-day rest every ten days. Once they left the camp, they would be convicted of desertion, which would be fatal.
Zhou Silang lowered his head and said nothing.
Everyone knew that there was no marriage proposal. The person who brought up the topic squatted next to him, patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "You are not young anymore, it's time to get married. I have a girl, she is fifteen years old and she is pretty. I will let you meet her later."
Zhou Silang said sullenly, "My mother has the final say on my marriage. Big brother, it's no use asking me."
"Why is it useless? You're getting married, so you should ask your mother what kind of person you like, right?"
Zhou Silang remained silent. He had originally wanted to ask. Last spring, when he had just turned sixteen and a few months earlier, his mother had asked him what kind of person he liked.
Of course he likes beautiful things.
Then his mother asked him to work hard and perform better during the spring planting and autumn harvest, and she asked someone to find a wife for him. Last year, he did behave very diligently and was even assigned to the same group as his third brother during the autumn harvest.
As a result, he took a foolish gamble and the marriage proposal fell through.
Originally, he should have proposed marriage last year and got married before the New Year. All his brothers got married at the age of seventeen.
Alas, the family still needs to build a house, and he doesn't know how many years it will take for him to save enough money to get married. At this moment, Zhou Silang is really sad. He feels that he is on the verge of becoming an older bachelor.
In the countryside, women are also very picky about men. For example, if a man is over 20 years old, he is considered a bachelor and is generally not popular.
Zhou Silang, who often hung out with his friends, felt a sense of crisis when he remembered that they privately called those young men in the village who could not afford to marry "old bachelors".
This sense of crisis lasted for several days, because almost every day someone asked him, "Shou Si, what kind of girl do you like?"
Thursday, from now on, should I listen to my wife or my mother?
It's no wonder that people always tease him, because among the group of working people, he is the only one who is not married. Some people even discuss marriage directly with Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang, and either recommend their own sisters or their own daughters.
Zhou Silang suddenly became a hot commodity, but he didn't feel happy at all.
This depression reached its peak after Manbao came to see him.
Because Manbao brought him a candy and emphasized, "Fourth brother, this is the wedding candy that my nephew Daliang asked me to bring you. He's engaged and will be getting married before the New Year, and he wanted you to share in his good fortune."
Zhou Silang: ...
Daliang is Zhou Silang's little friend, commonly known as a group of bad friends. Of course, he is of a lower generation. He is the one who came of age with Zhou Silang in the village this year. This year, his uncle came to serve in the army, and he stayed at home to prepare for marriage.
After twenty, you are a leftover man. Yes, I am talking about you, Manbao is pointing fingers.
(End of this chapter)
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