As the evening glow was replaced by nightfall, a dazzling star rose from the hilltop opposite the house. A while later, the bright full moon emerged from the shadows of the bamboo forest, like a giant light bulb hanging in the sky, illuminating the night.
After dinner, some villagers took out palm-leaf fans and sat by the big banyan tree next to the village well to enjoy the cool breeze and chat. Li Xiuju thought the night was just right, so she also moved a small stool over to join in the fun.
Zhou Chenyu was worried that she would become a target of public criticism as she got older, so she sat quietly at her doorstep.
Baoyu also didn't like to stay with older people, so he stayed at home.
"There it is! Hurry, go there!"
The sounds of children running and laughing came from afar. Zhou Chenyu looked over and saw that they seemed to be chasing something. "Hey, hey, what are they doing?"
Zhou Baoyu lazily raised his eyes, "Oh, they're catching fireflies. Kids love those."
"What are fireflies?" Zhou Chenyu muttered. The child's voice was getting closer and closer. She looked in the direction from which the voice came, and suddenly two fluorescent green lights floated into the dimly lit narrow alley.
Zhou Chenyu suddenly realized, "So they are fireflies."
Two fireflies, twinkling in the air, floated past her. She opened her palm and caught them. The tiny fireflies, like little bees, were trapped in her hand, their green fluorescence seeping through her fingers.
The children passing by stopped in front of Zhou Chenyu. Several of them awkwardly pushed him forward, not daring to ask for fireflies.
Zhou Chenyu stared at one of the cute-looking girls and smiled, "Little sister, do you want these two fireflies?"
The little girl stepped forward timidly, blinked her big, watery black eyes, and uttered in a childish voice, "Um, sister, can you give it to me?"
Zhou Chenyu squatted down in front of the girl, hugged her with one arm, and asked with a smile, "So, do you think I'm pretty?"
The little girl blinked, then suddenly leaned in and kissed Zhou Chenyu on the cheek.
Zhou Chenyu's heart melted at the sudden kiss. She patted the girl's head and said, "Oh, you're such a good girl, how could I not give it to you? Here, take it all."
"Thank you, sister."
The little girl put the two fireflies into a paper lantern, turned around and went back to the children. The group then went to another place to look for other fireflies.
Zhou Chenyu watched the little girl walk away, then turned around and met Baoyu's frustrated gaze. He complained, "Sister, why are you only so mean to me?"
"What? You think I'm not good to you?" Zhou Chenyu glanced at him sideways, and Zhou Baoyu immediately suppressed his resentment and replied with a grin, "Sister, when are you going to give me such a beautiful little niece?"
"Which of you wants to have a little niece?" Li Xiuju asked with a smile after returning from her chat.
“It’s me…” Zhou Baoyu was about to answer when Zhou Chenyu glared at him, forcing him to swallow his words.
As night fell, Zhou Chenyu lay in bed in her pajamas, thinking about the absurd question Baoyu had asked.
She put her hands behind her head, blinked, and murmured, "Give birth."
Although the child was her own flesh and blood and called her "Mom," Zhou Chenyu really didn't know what kind of man would be worth her stepping into the gates of hell to give birth to a child.
Zhou Chenyu yawned, and after thinking it over, she could only come up with the most absurd reason to convince herself, "Maybe it's because that man saved my life."
——
The next day, Li Xiuju went to the vegetable garden to pick some green beans to stir-fry. Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu ate breakfast, packed light, and took a few dozen copper coins before leaving.
To get from Zhoujia Village to the market, you have to go through a mountain road. Along the way, all sorts of people are pushing carts, carrying baskets on their backs, or carrying shoulder poles, all eagerly taking their good stuff to the market to sell.
Upon entering the city, Zhou Chenyu did not go directly to the candy shop to buy anything, but instead wandered around aimlessly.
Baoyu was getting a little tired from walking, so he asked her, "Sister, what do you want to buy? Tell me and I'll take you there."
"Who said I wanted to buy anything? Can't I even look at it if I don't want to buy anything?" Zhou Chenyu picked up a small purse from the stall, brought it to her nose and smelled it; it still carried the scent of a woman's perfume. "Sister, how much is this sachet?"
The young female stall owner gestured, "Girl, ten coins."
"Ten coins?" She examined it closely. The sachet was made of high-quality material with fine stitching. In modern times, it would definitely be a handmade product and would fetch a good price.
Zhou Chenyu put down her purse and walked to the stall across the street, where she was selling rouge, a favorite among young women.
Zhou Baoyu had no interest in any of this. He slumped to the side, rubbing his legs in frustration. "Sister, if you're not going to buy anything, why are you wandering around like this?"
"If you want to do business, of course you have to understand the market."
Doing business?
Zhou Baoyu opened his eyes wide and asked in confusion, "Sister, we don't know anything, what kind of business can we do?"
Zhou Chenyu looked at the elderly people selling vegetables and chickens on the street. Some of them could barely walk steadily, yet they still had to come out to make a living.
She said, "These days, if you don't do business, do you really want to spend your whole life picking bamboo shoots to sell? You can pick them for a few years when you're young, but what will you do when you're old and can't walk anymore?"
"That's what you say, but we only have so much money at home. Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"
“Who says we’re not afraid? But high risk brings high reward. How will we know the outcome if we don’t try?” Zhou Chenyu saw that Baoyu’s face was flushed from the sun, as if he was about to faint from heatstroke at any moment. “Alright, let’s find a place to sit down and have a bowl of noodles.”
Zhou Baoyu was waiting for a word, so he immediately crossed the crowd to the other side and grabbed a good spot. Zhou Chenyu followed slowly behind. Before the two of them had even warmed their seats, they suddenly heard several men laughing and a girl pleading humbly.
"Sir, please give me back my money. My mother won't let me go home with the things I bought; she'll beat me. I beg you, please give it back to me."
"Little girl, you only have a dozen or so coins. If I skip one game at the gambling den, I can get the money back. Since you care so much about this money, I have a solution. How about I marry you and make you my wife? That way, you can get your money back, and I can quit gambling. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
Zhou Chenyu frowned. Could this person's voice be...?
She followed the sound and immediately saw Qian Rushan's round face. Painful memories from the past flooded her mind. "Holy crap, it really is him!"
Although she had the upper hand last time, she might not have a chance to win again.
A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle; of course, the best of the thirty-six stratagems is to flee.
run!
Zhou Chenyu immediately grabbed Zhou Baoyu and pulled him to a corner where he couldn't be seen.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
"Shh!" Zhou Chenyu pointed to the group of scumbags opposite him, signaling him to leave quickly. Zhou Baoyu saw the woman surrounded by Qian Rushan and seemed to freeze in place. "It's Sister Wanqiu."
"What? Qian Rushan is bullying Zhou Wanqiu?" Zhou Chenyu leaned against the wall and saw several grown men surrounding Zhou Wanqiu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com