Chapter 18 Flower Basket
The Zhou family never let Manbao get close to the river. This was Manbao's first time to be in such close contact with the river water. She happily soaked her hands in the water and had a lot of fun.
When she turned her head, she saw Erya rubbing clothes. She also pulled a piece of clothes and rubbed them like Erya, then put it in the water and stirred it, and then wrung it out like everyone else.
Erya watched silently, and waited until she finished washing before washing the clothes again. She quickly washed the clothes and pulled her sister-in-law back home. She was already prepared to be beaten when she got home.
Manbao was still very excited, "The river water is so cool, so fun, Erya, I will accompany you to wash clothes in the future."
"No," Erya refused, "Aunt, not only can you not wash it clean, but if grandma finds out, I'll get beaten. You'd better stay at home and play with Ertou."
"No, I just want to play in the water," Manbao said, "I've already made an agreement with my second sister-in-law that I will teach you how to read, and then you have to take me to wash clothes."
Erya hesitated, "Did my mother agree?"
"Of course," Manbao said proudly, "I've been begging for this for a long time."
Erya was half-believing and half-doubting, and as soon as she got home, she pulled her younger sister-in-law to the kitchen to find her mother.
Feng was making breakfast. When she saw Erya, she asked her to come over and help light the fire, and told Manbao to go out and not to get smoked in the kitchen.
As Erya went to light the fire, she asked, "Mother, my aunt said you promised to let me learn to read?"
Feng took a look at Manbao, who was looking at her with pride and pride, and coaxed her, "Yes, yes, as long as you can make money by learning to read, I will agree to it."
When Erya heard this prerequisite, her face turned bitter.
Seeing that she was about to cry, Manbao couldn't help but pull her out and said to Feng: "Second sister-in-law, Erya hasn't hung out the clothes yet. I'll go with her to dry the clothes."
"Hey," Feng only had time to shout before Manbao dragged Erya away.
Feng had no choice but to light the fire herself.
Manbao pulled Erya into the yard and whispered, "Are you stupid? I told you to learn to read and make money, so how can you make money if you don't know how to read?"
Tears were about to fall from Erya's eyes. She belatedly realized what she was saying, blinked, and asked with sobs, "Can it be like this?"
"Anyway, my second sister-in-law agreed to it herself."
Erya thought about it and felt that it was a bit unreliable. "Well, what if I still can't make money after studying for a while, and my mother doesn't want me to study anymore?"
Manbao said seriously, "That must be because you haven't learned well enough, or deeply enough, so you can't make money. So in order to make money, you have to continue learning."
Erya nodded thoughtfully, "Aunt, I think you are right."
Erya became happy again and went to hang clothes.
Manbao was short, so he handed her clothes.
Ertou ran in sweating profusely from outside. Seeing Manbao standing under the clothes drying rack, he ran up and asked, "Auntie, where did you go just now? It took me so long to find you."
"You're so stupid, I'm right by the river."
Ertou said "Oh", then she remembered something and jumped up and said, "Grandma didn't ask you to go to the river, okay, Second Sister, you... woo woo woo."
Erya covered his mouth with her hand, and Manbao threatened him, "If you dare to shout, I won't give you candy anymore."
Ertou feels very aggrieved. If you don’t let me tell anyone, then don’t tell me!
Ertou's eyes were filled with tears, but he changed his tone, "Aunt, I have found all your manuscripts for you, please go back and read them."
Manbao: "Don't worry, let's go pick wild flowers. I've already figured out how to make money."
Ertou and Erya felt it was unreliable, but what could they do? This was their aunt's request, and Qian also said, "After breakfast, you can go with us to open up the wasteland and take care of your aunt."
So everyone rushed to the foot of the mountain again. Zhou Silang had been there for two days to reclaim the land, and the land at the foot of the mountain looked much better.
It was about an acre in size, and most of the weeds had been cut, but the vines were difficult to remove. Some of the roots were buried too deep, and Zhou Silang might not be able to dig out three in a day.
At this time, his hands were scratched a lot, and he was squatting on the ground staring at the tree root that he couldn't dig out.
Manbao also squatted down to look, "Is it so difficult to hoe?"
Zhou Silang looked at her with red eyes, "So why did you ask me to come and open up the wasteland?"
Manbao said confidently, "Who asked you to gamble?"
Zhou Silang was choked and continued to lower his head in sorrow, "The hoe is dull and I can't dig it out at all."
"We must have found the wrong method," Manbao snorted after being reminded by Koko, dragged him aside, and let his fifth and sixth brothers dig.
Zhou Wulang held the hoe and asked, "Dig that far?"
Manbao waved his hand majestically, "Listen to me!"
Zhou Wulang had no choice but to listen to her. He pushed the soil that had been dug out aside and slowly dug a big hole towards the roots of the tree. Then Liu Lang pulled out the roots with one force.
Everyone was silent.
Manbao hummed proudly and asked Zhou Silang to continue digging tree roots, while she and Datou and the others went up the mountain to look for beautiful flowers.
By the way, she mentioned her plan, "Let my second brother help us weave some beautiful baskets. We can decorate the baskets with flowers like we did yesterday, and then sell the baskets."
"Then I'm just selling baskets, right?" Ertou said, "My father made the baskets, so the money from the sales must go to my father. He won't give it to us."
Manbao said, "It's not that big basket, it's the small basket my second brother made for me."
Daya said, "That small basket can't hold anything, so no one will buy it?"
"Didn't you all like it when my second brother made it for me?"
The children were confused and said, "We like it, but adults won't buy it."
Erya said, "The kid has no money."
"Then we'll go find some rich kid."
Everyone thought it was impossible, "How could a child have money?"
They don't have any, so they think all children in the world are the same. Similarly, Manbao said: "How can there be no children? I have money, so there must be children like me, maybe even richer than me. Let's go find them."
Manbao then proposed his ultimate goal, "When the time comes, we will put the candy in a basket and sell it."
When they heard that there was candy in the basket, everyone became more confident and started looking for wild flowers.
Although it was autumn, there were many wild flowers on the mountain. Before long, everyone had an armful of flowers. With Manbao around, Datou and Daya became bolder. They left their three brothers who were still working hard and went home happily.
Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang looked at her with envy, and only regretted that they were a few years older so that they could not take advantage of the youngest sister.
But when they turned around and saw their fourth brother squatting and cutting grass, they felt much better. After all, they could go to the county town tomorrow, but their fourth brother still had to come to open up the wasteland.
Manbao ran home to find Zhou Erlang, but Zhou Erlang and Zhou Dalang had gone to the fields.
Although the busy farming season is over, the land still needs to be prepared and nurtured for half a year before sowing in the spring of next year.
Zhou Erlang was not around, so Manbao could only ask his father, "Dad, please weave a small basket for me, just like the one my second brother made for me."
I would like to thank the book friend "Fei Fei Fei Yu" for his reward and support.
(End of this chapter)
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