Chapter 341 Exploration
Qian broke the last piece of pancake in her hand and put it into her mouth. She chewed it slowly and swallowed it, then looked up at little Qian.
The whole family was stunned.
Old Zhou had returned at some point and was now sitting by, staring at his wife with his mouth wide open. Seeing her looking at the eldest daughter-in-law, he touched his pipe and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, go cook. We'll have pancakes tonight. Make a few more."
Xiao Qian closed her mouth, said "ah", and turned to go to the kitchen.
When the remaining three daughters-in-law saw this, they immediately followed.
Suddenly, only people with the surname Zhou were left in the room, including Zhou Sitou, who was speaking fluently.
Old Zhou looked at his wife and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Qian ate three pancakes. Because her stomach had been starving before, she had always chewed her food slowly over the years. This time, she was used to chewing the pancakes carefully before swallowing them, but she still ate a lot faster.
The Zhou family was shocked.
Qian felt uncomfortable with the sticky feeling on her body. She did not answer Old Zhou's words, but turned around and told Zhou Xi, "Go to the kitchen and get some hot water. I'll take a bath first."
The weather started to get colder, water became harder to get, and firewood became precious, so the people at home didn't take a bath every day.
What's more, Qian was so prone to illness, so she washed even less.
Zhou Xi hesitated for a moment and went to the kitchen. Qian Shi helped Man Bao stand up, holding her arm tightly with one hand, and said, "Come, help me go back to the room to find clothes."
Manbao used the "look" technique he had learned for half a year to confirm that his mother's complexion had indeed improved and seemed to have become a little rosy, so he happily helped her into the house.
Old Zhou didn't get an answer, but he wasn't upset. He waved to his children and grandchildren, "Alright, go do what you need to do."
Everyone dispersed immediately.
After a while, Zhou Dalang came up again and took out a handful of copper coins from his pocket. "Master Bai's family has paid my wages. You don't have to go tomorrow."
Zhou Erlang also came over and took out a bamboo box, "This is the money from today's sales..."
Zhou Silang and the others also came up, "Dad, this is the public school we should hand in..."
Qian, who was helping Manbao back to the house, listened to the noise coming from the main room and then lowered her voice to ask Manbao, "Manbao, was that medicine you just gave mother?"
Manbao nodded vigorously.
Qian asked, "Is it expensive?"
"It's expensive. So expensive."
"How much?"
"I can't tell you."
Qian then changed the question, "What's the name of the friend who sold it to you, and where does he live?"
Manbao still shook his head.
Qian patted her head and asked with a smile, "Is he the one who sold you the candy?"
Manbao nodded, "Yes."
Qian stopped asking and said, "Do you have any candy left? Give me some."
Manbao took out a handful of candy from his pocket and gave it to Qian.
Qian took a look at her pocket, took it and put it on the bed, put the clothes she found in her arms, and said, "Come, help me take a bath."
When Qian came out looking refreshed, little Qian had almost finished preparing dinner.
Although it was just pancakes, the family also cooked a lot of dishes. Although Qian had already eaten three pancakes, she still felt a little hungry at this time. She sat down to have dinner with them and restrained herself to eat only two.
This caused everyone except Manbao to look at her frequently.
Qian's expression remained unchanged. After putting down her bowl and chopsticks, she said to Little Qian, "Find me a nice basket and put eighteen eggs in it. I'll go see Mr. Zhuang later."
Old Zhou immediately looked at Manbao, "Manbao got into trouble?"
Qian glared at him and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Manbao is very well behaved. I just remembered that the gift we gave on Chongyang Festival last time was not enough. Now that the family is doing well, I want to give Mr. Zhuang an extra gift."
Old Zhou was a little depressed. "What's the reason?"
Even if it was given to Mr. Zhuang, Old Zhou would still feel heartbroken. He would feel heartbroken for any behavior that only gave out money and did not bring in any income.
Qian said nonchalantly, "Isn't Manbao's birthday coming up soon? Seven is a milestone, and I should give him a gift."
Old Zhou doesn’t understand why Manbao’s seventh birthday is a hurdle. The most important thing is why he has to give a gift to the master on Manbao’s birthday. Shouldn’t this be the other way around?
However, seeing his wife's nonchalant expression, as if this was common sense, Old Zhou suspected that he was ignorant, so he did not continue to ask.
Old Zhou was like this, and his sons and daughters-in-law were even more accustomed to listening to Qian's orders. They also subconsciously thought that this must be a custom that they were not aware of.
Fang tried even harder to take notes, thinking to herself: It seems she still has a lot to learn from her mother-in-law.
She touched her belly and decided that after her baby was born, she must make no mistakes with these rules.
Xiao Qian found a nice-looking basket and filled it with eighteen eggs for her.
Qian then put the candy that Manbao had just given her in, placing it at the top where it could be seen at a glance.
This time, Qian didn't let Zhou Dalang follow her, and she carried the basket to school by herself.
Mr. Zhuang lived alone, and the Bai family would deliver a meal every morning and evening. In the past two years, Mr. Bai and Mr. Zhuang had gotten along very well, and two out of three days he would invite him to his house to eat, drink, and chat.
In this remote mountain village, Mr. Zhuang is the only one who can talk to Mr. Bai.
When Qian arrived at the school, he was about to close the door and go to Bai's house. When he saw her, he hurriedly invited her in.
The courtyard gate was wide open, and Mr. Zhuang asked Qian to sit on the stone bench in the yard.
He had a very deep impression of the young disciple's mother, even more so than his impression of Old Zhou.
He felt that Qian's role in the Zhou family being able to raise such a group of children was far greater than that of Zhou himself, and he admired such a mother very much.
Qian humbly bowed to Mr. Zhuang, pushed the basket toward him, and thanked him for his guidance of Manbao. She smiled and said, "As you know, my Manbao has been weak since she was a child. So even though she has been named after her brothers and sisters, she hasn't been recorded in the household register yet. She's only recorded as a young lady."
Mr. Zhuang nodded, indicating that he understood. This is the case for girls in many families. They only have rankings but no names in their household registration.
"But she'll be seven soon, and she's on her feet now. She's gotten better over the past two years, and she's learning to read with the teacher. It's a bit awkward to just remember her birth order, so I'm thinking of giving her a name. I'm just wondering if you think Zhou Man is a good name. If not, please give her a better one."
Mr. Zhuang hadn't expected this. He smiled and said, "This name is very good. It's given by parents and embodies their expectations for their children. I think Manbao will like it too. When she grows up a little, I can give her a nickname."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
