Chapter 80 Service
Manbao ate every last grain of rice in the bowl, touched his belly and said, "Mom, I'm full."
Qian ate slowly. She reached out and touched her protruding belly, then smiled and said, "Go play."
Manbao finally had time to worry about their accounts. "Mom, where's the money we made from selling Centella asiatica and Chinese yam?"
Qian said, "Your elder brother used it to buy cotton and cloth for you."
Manbao was stunned.
Zhou Wulang and others raised their heads. He bit his chopsticks and looked at Manbao with tears in his eyes, hoping that she could argue with her mother for their interests.
But this was impossible. Manbao hadn't figured out the relationship yet, so he scratched his head and asked, "Why should I buy cotton and cloth?"
"Your clothes are too short, and you've started school. Winter is coming soon, so you have to make a new set of clothes. If you had enough money, I would have made you an extra set."
Manbao was no fool. She counted the money she had earned from selling the yams and the Centella asiatica on her fingers and said, "There are 1,200 coins. Have you spent it all?"
"No, it's just that your share has been spent." Qian would certainly not cheat the child on the price. What if the child becomes stupid in the future?
So she said, "The twelve hundred coins are not all yours. After paying it to the government, won't you still have to share the money with your elder and second brothers? There won't be much left for you."
Manbao calculated it herself and found that it was true, so she didn't care anymore. Anyway, this was always her attitude towards money.
Zhou Wulang couldn't help but asked quickly, "What about our mother?"
Qian looked at him and said nothing.
Old Zhou raised his head and said, "You? You still have the nerve to ask your family for money? In two years, you will get married, and you don't need money to marry a wife? In the future, all the money you earn will be given to your mother. When you get married, you can have your own private property like your brothers."
Zhou Wulang muttered, "Fourth Brother hasn't even proposed marriage yet, how can I be so quick?"
Speaking of this, Old Zhou looked at Old Four and asked, "Silang, how is your land development going?"
Zhou Silang, who was busy eating, raised his dark face and said, "We've dug up all the tree roots and picked up all the stones. Now we're going to start hoeing the ground."
Old Zhou nodded and said, "Let Lao Wu and Lao Liu help you these two days. You are not young anymore, it's time for you to learn some more skills. In a few days, the new old lady Bai will build a house and has started recruiting workers in the village. You can go too. The daily wage is 30 wen, which is more than the money you can earn carrying grain bags in the county."
Old Zhou has already decided that all four of his eldest sons will go, while the fifth and sixth sons will go to the fields to open up wasteland for the fourth son, hoping to make some money before the New Year.
After dinner, he specially called Manbao over and asked her to calculate for him how much money her four brothers could earn for the family in a month by working.
This is easy to calculate. As Manbao was calculating, he remembered something and said, "I have to serve in the military this year. Third brother can't go for a month, right? Let me calculate again."
The Zhou family's adults were stunned. Old Zhou grabbed her hand and asked, "What did you say? Serving this year?"
"Yes," Manbao said, "from October 22nd to November 21st, a total of one month."
Old Zhoutou: "Who told you? Our village happened to be chosen?"
Qian and others also sat up straight.
Zhou Wulang said, "Manbao read the notice at the county government office gate, but the village chief hasn't come down to notify us yet."
Old Zhou touched his waist again, but didn't feel any cigarette, so he simply put the empty pipe in his mouth and didn't say anything for a while.
Zhou Dalang took the initiative to ask Manbao, "What does the notice say?"
Manbao has always had a good memory. Although he couldn't repeat it completely, he still managed to tell most of it.
Zhou Dalang understood and said, "If it's not conscription, then every household in the county must be counted. There are so many people, no wonder they only go for one month."
"It's winter, and being gone for a month would be unbearable," said Old Zhou. "The county magistrate is really something. If you want to serve, after the autumn harvest is such a good time, why must you choose the beginning of winter? It's freezing cold here, and the soil is hard to dig."
Qian closed her eyes and said, "This is the county magistrate's business. We just need to take care of ourselves. Third brother, go and work with some energy. If you can't handle it, don't force yourself. Report it and let your brothers take your place."
She said, "You are not the only male in your family. You have many brothers. Just take turns."
Zhou Sanlang agreed.
Qian then said to Little Qian, "Starting tomorrow, cook an extra handful of grain to nourish the third child for a month so that he can be in good health and have a long life."
Xiao Qian agreed without complaint. This was also the tradition of the Zhou family. Every year, whoever's turn it was to serve in the military had to be raised for a period of time in advance.
It’s just that in the past they received the news late, usually only ten days in advance.
How terrifying is military service?
Not to mention Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang, even old Zhou, who hadn't served in the army for many years, couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the days when he served in his youth.
The atmosphere in the Zhou family was a bit depressing tonight. Manbao was still young and couldn't remember many things, so she didn't know why everyone's mood was so low after learning about the military service.
But she was well-behaved. She didn't make a fuss or ask too many questions. She just lay in front of her parents' bed and looked at them with bright eyes when she went to sleep at night.
Qian patted her little head and said to Old Zhou, "Military service is a big deal. Now that we know about it, we should go tell the village chief tomorrow and ask him to find out if it's true. If it's true, the villagers can make preparations early."
Old Zhou agreed, and after a pause, he said, "Prepare some more solid rations for the third child."
Qian whispered, "I know."
Seeing Manbao looking at them with a pair of round eyes, Qian smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, your third brother has always been in good health, and he will be able to return safely this time."
"Mom, aren't we supposed to be serving in the military to dig water conservancy projects and build roads? We often dig water conservancy projects and build roads in the village."
Qian said, "That's different. If the village is repairing the road, they just fill in the potholes. Everyone can do it when they have free time. Our home is just around the corner. How can that be the same?"
Not to mention water conservancy, it’s just a matter of digging a few hoes in the spring.
"The service in the county is different..." But Qian didn't tell Manbao what was different. No matter how she asked, she smiled and said, "You are still young. You will know when you grow up."
Manbao pouted and turned to ask Keke.
The system searched the encyclopedia for a moment and then fell silent. After a long pause, it said, "In the era where the host lives, historical records show that military service was a very difficult thing, and death was normal."
Manbao shuddered and asked quickly, "Will my third brother die too?"
"Service is compulsory labor. Although the county government will distribute some food, the amount is very small. You mainly rely on the food you bring with you to fill your stomach," the system said. "Also, October is winter, which is the coldest time of the year. If you get sick, you can easily die."
Manbao instantly became worried, "Can Third Brother not go?"
The backend was stuck for a while, and I almost saved it for the next day. What a shame.
(End of this chapter)
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