Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 849: Sudden Incident in the Competition (2)

Chapter 849: Chapter 849: Sudden Incident in the Competition (2)

Li Er’s full name was Han Xue Li, the second daughter of Han Zhiyun and just seven years old this year, the same age as Shengsheng and indeed similar in age to Zhenzhen.

Mo Qingze was taken aback, wondering whether his good friend was merely joking or was actually serious, when Zhenzhen suddenly broke free from the grip of Han Zhiyun’s large hand, took Shengsheng’s small one, and said with all seriousness, "Uncle Han, when Zhenzhen grows up, he’s going to marry Sister Shengsheng, so he can’t be betrothed to Sister Li Er anymore. Being fickle-hearted is not right!"

Oh!

Not to mention Han Zhiyun’s astonishment, everyone else was also thunderstruck by Zhenzhen’s declaration. But seeing how he firmly held Shengsheng’s little hand, his pledge seeming so earnest, none could bring themselves to laugh, believing the little fellow’s words came from the heart.

"Hahaha!" Han Zhiyun regained his composure, clapped Zhenzhen on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "Good lad, thinking about taking a wife before his whiskers even grow in—ambitious, haha, very ambitious!"

Seeing her husband’s unguarded speech, Lady Han glared fiercely at him, "The children are all here; what nonsense are you spouting!"

Realizing his gaffe too late, Han Zhiyun hushed himself and made a plea for mercy with his hands clasped towards his wife. His wife-ruled demeanor prompted a round of muffled laughter from the crowd.

The conversation was effectively diverted, and everyone took the statement as a joke, not taking it to heart. Finally, following Mr. Liu’s suggestion, the eighteen participants in the bamboo shoot digging contest were paired into nine groups of two by drawing lots to decide the competitors.

Lacking paper and pen on hand, participants used nine sets of bamboo sticks of different lengths as a stand-in, with the two people drawing sticks of the same length becoming competitors. The loser would have to give a prize to the winner. After the first round, the nine winners continued to draw sticks; with one stick granting a bye, whoever drew it would automatically advance to the next round. The rest continued to compete in pairs until the last round determined the victor.

The results of the first round of drawing lots were quickly determined: Mo Yan paired with Han Zhiyun’s eldest daughter Han Xueyao, Xiao Ruiyuan with Mr. Liu, Mo Qingze with Yun Zhao, Liu Tinglan with Lixiu, Han Zhiyun with Mr. Liu, Zhenzhen with Shen Ji, Lady Han with Xin Er, Mrs. Liu with Tang Xin, Zhenzhen with Liyan, and the rest were too young.

As Shengsheng and others were too young and might hurt themselves accidentally, they were not allowed to participate. Nevertheless, they added to the excitement by helping the others choose the so-called largest bamboo shoots which counted as participating.

The bamboo shoots here were little more than tiny sprouts poking out, and one simply could not discern the size of the shoots underneath from the surface. No one present was an expert in digging for bamboo shoots; it was a level playing field. It all came down to eyeing a promising shoot, then digging in and seeing who unearthed the largest one.

A round of the contest lasted for three quarters of an hour, which was plenty of time to find and dig up shoots. Mo Yan, tuning out the incoherent chatter of Xuetuan, focused on locating a promising bamboo shoot with a little hoe in hand. He quickly found one and happily started to dig.

It wasn’t long before the others, amid the chirping debates of the children, successively located their "targets." For a time, the entire bamboo grove rang out with the dull sound of hoes hitting soil. Birds flying by overhead upon hearing the commotion swerved away, not daring to stop and rest there.

Time flew by, and everyone returned with their respective largest bamboo shoots. Upon comparison, Mo Yan, Xiao Ruiyuan, Mo Qingze, Liu Tinglan, Yun Zhao, Shen Ji, Lady Han, Tang Xin, and Liyan had all unearthed much bigger shoots than their respective competitors, securing their spots in the next round.

As for the prizes... the bamboo shooting contest hadn’t been planned, so for convenience during the climb, everyone had left their ornaments back at the Mo Family residence, meaning the prizes would have to be owed for now and redeemed after descending the mountain. Consequently, Mo Yan received the jade pendant promised by Han Xueyao as a token for his victory. The other eight victors received corresponding promises—a range of items including jade pendants, bracelets, golden peapods, an assortment of various ornaments.

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