Chapter 28: An Idea to Make Money
Du Wanchun felt a lump in her throat as she listened, and she was very grateful. This was the first time in her life that someone had said they wanted to care for her.
She quickly got up to help Aunt Zhou go to the kitchen to serve the dishes, saying, "Mom, let me help you."
Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "You and Ruiyuan must be tired from traveling so early in the morning. Go and rest. I can do it myself."
Before she could refuse, Du Wanchun snatched the bowl from her hand and carried it to the front room.
Zhou Ruiyuan sat in the front room, looking up at her from afar. His deep eyes were filled with tenderness that he could not hide. "Wife, listen to your mother and rest first."
Du Wanchun put down the bowl and smiled, "It's okay, I'm not tired."
After saying that, he called out to Zhou Feng and Zhou Zhao inside the house, "Second brother, third brother, dinner is ready."
Hearing the call, Zhou Feng groped his way out of the house and slowly sat down next to Zhou Ruiyuan.
Zhou Zhao, who was chopping wood in the backyard, wiped his sweat and came in, saying, "Brother, sister-in-law, you're back so soon?"
"Hmm." Zhou Ruiyuan responded softly, then asked him, "Third brother, is your ear completely healed?"
Zhou Zhao nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, not only is it completely healed, but I've also found that I can hear much more clearly than before."
Zhou Ruiyuan nodded slightly, "That's good. What are your plans for the future, Third Brother?"
"First, we'll cultivate the land at home, and then..." Zhou Zhao said, his smile fading as he glanced at Du Wanchun beside him.
Zhou Ruiyuan quickly replied, "It's alright, we're all family, just say what you want to say."
Zhou Zhao sat down and slowly said, "Then, we'll go to Chenzhou."
"What are you going to Chenzhou for?" Aunt Zhou asked him, placing the bowl of rice she had prepared on the table.
Zhou Zhao's face darkened, and he said solemnly, "Go to work in the army."
“Go to serve in the army? That means marching and fighting. Do you think you’re still the same person you used to be…” Aunt Zhou stopped mid-sentence, too angry to finish her sentence.
Du Wanchun quickly advised, "Mother, joining the army is a good thing. Maybe my third brother can get an official position in the army."
Aunt Zhou looked unwell. Holding Du Wanchun's hand, she sighed deeply, "I'm just afraid that if he goes, he'll never come back."
Zhou Zhao quickly said, "Mother, no, I will go to see Commandant Lin first when I go to Chenzhou. With him there, he will definitely not just arrange for me to be a lowly soldier."
"Commander Lin?" Du Wanchun asked, puzzled.
Aunt Zhou looked flustered and quickly explained, "That's a friend I met in the capital. He went to Chenzhou as a soldier in his early years and later became a captain after making meritorious contributions."
Du Wanchun smiled and comforted her, saying, "Mother, wouldn't it be better if there were someone in the army to take care of you? Third Brother is not young either, it would be good for him to go out and gain experience. It's better than being stuck in these mountains all the time."
He then looked at Zhou Zhao and said, "Third brother is clever and capable, he will surely amount to something."
Zhou Zhao quickly added with a smile, "Sister-in-law is right, Mother, please believe me this time."
Aunt Zhou hung her head, unable to make up her mind.
At this moment, Zhou Ruiyuan spoke up: "Third brother, you go."
Zhou Zhao was very pleased to hear this and said with a smile, "Thank you, elder brother!"
Zhou Ruiyuan added, "But you have to go after my leg is fully healed. The fields at home need someone to take care of them, and I don't want your sister-in-law to suffer."
Zhou Zhao stood up and nodded repeatedly, "Big brother, don't worry, I will definitely wait until things are stable at home before I leave."
Zhou Ruiyuan was relieved and picked up his chopsticks to serve Du Wanchun some food.
It was a fried duck egg, and it smelled delicious.
Du Wanchun placed the duck egg on Zhou Da Niang's plate again, saying, "Mom, all the dishes are served. Let's eat quickly."
Aunt Zhou, who had been looking worried, immediately felt better after hearing Du Wanchun's sweet voice.
Strangely enough, she always felt that Du Wanchun had something special about her; just looking at her made her happy, and talking to her made her feel cheerful.
She thanked God countless times for giving her such a good daughter-in-law.
"Child, you eat." Aunt Zhou picked up another duck egg from the bowl and gave it to her.
Du Wanchun ate with a smile, "Thank you, Mother."
Aunt Zhou stopped arguing with Zhou Zhao, took a bite of rice from her bowl, and said, "Alright, since you've made up your minds, I won't say anything more. Just remember, Zhao'er, don't cause any trouble."
Zhou Zhao smiled and replied, "Okay, Mother."
After lunch, Du Wanchun followed Aunt Zhou to the backyard to collect duck eggs.
These two ducks in the backyard are incredibly prolific; they laid hundreds of eggs in just two or three days.
Looking at the duck eggs, Aunt Zhou couldn't stop smiling. As she picked them up, she said to Du Wanchun, "Later, I'll take some duck eggs to Aunt Zhang's house next door and exchange them for a piglet. Once the piglet grows up, we'll have meat to eat."
Du Wanchun nodded with a smile, "That's great."
Aunt Zhou laughed along, "Besides, once our crops are ripe, we won't need to buy rice anymore. When we have some spare money, we'll repair the house too."
"Yes, this house really needs to be repaired," Du Wanchun said, looking up at the dilapidated mud-brick house in front of her.
The Zhou family now needs to do more than just repair houses; they also need to acquire fields, land, clothes, and everything else related to food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Selling radishes and duck eggs alone won't earn you much money in a short time.
Du Wanchun suddenly thought of Aunt Zhou's sachet, "Mother, do you know how to make incense?"
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