The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 143 - 132: Jiang Makes a Move (Extra update for 20,000 recommendation votes at the start)

Chapter 143: Chapter 132: Jiang Makes a Move (Extra update for 20,000 recommendation votes at the start)

The harvested beans were spread out in the courtyard to dry; once they were sufficiently dry, they could be threshed. After threshing the beans, it was time to harvest the rice, which then had to be de-husked, dried, and by the time all these tasks were done, it was already past Mid-Autumn Festival and into September.

During this busy period, naturally, nobody had time to think about growing ginger or anything like that. Zhou Silang was bustling around daily, almost wearing himself to the bone. Every evening as soon as it got dark, he insisted on sleeping in his hay shed, and every morning, he was awakened by a kick from Zhou Wulang.

No matter how tired he was, he still made sure to guard the ginger field. In his words, they had come too far to give up now as this was critical to his debt repayment.

Though once he was in the hay shed, he would sleep soundly with his stomach full, probably remaining unaware even if someone were to pull up all the ginger, his mere presence there acted as a deterrence. Truthfully, they hadn’t lost any more ginger since then.

He felt it certainly wasn’t because people were too tired from the autumn harvest to steal ginger, but rather that they were deterred by his bravery and hard work.

After the melons and beans were harvested, there was no time to rest before the rice ripened, and the weather began to change, with rain falling from time to time.

To keep up with the farming season, except for Ms. Qian and Manbao and a few of the younger ones, everyone in the Zhou Family had to work the fields. This year, with Zhou Xi added to their ranks, they were able to work a bit faster than before.

Bundles of rice stalks were carried back to the courtyard, and even though he was exhausted, Old Zhou’s face was full of smiles.

Due to the sheer amount of work, Manbao took out all her savings to buy meat for everyone, and Ms. Qian spared no expense in food and money, personally cooking for the family.

So, after a month of autumn harvest, though everyone was darker and leaner, their spirits were high.

Old Zhou called his daughter over to calculate how much tax they had to pay this year. The harvest was finished and now it was time to pay the grain tax.

Thinking back to the issues with Four last year, Old Zhou glanced at him and said, "This year, Eldest will take Two, Third, and Five; Four will stay home."

Zhou Silang bowed his head, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

The day to deliver the autumn grain happened to be Manbao’s day off, and she wanted to join the excitement, so she took Old Zhou’s hand and said, "Dad, let Four go, and we can take some ginger to sell."

"Is the ginger ready to sell?"

"Yes, yes, let’s exchange some for money to buy meat," she suggested.

Old Zhou was somewhat worried; how could his little girl be thinking about food all the time?

He patted her head and said, "Sell it and let your Four pay off the debts at home. We’ll use the money to build a few rooms, and if there’s enough, we’ll build one for you too."

He had it all planned out. "You are educated now; you ought to have your own room. We’ll have Second Brother make a bamboo screen for you to block it off; half for sleeping, half for a study."

Manbao’s eyes lit up at the idea. With her own room, she could talk with Keke for as long as she wanted, right?

She immediately expressed her loyalty, "Dad, I’ll give you the money I earn to help build the house."

Old Zhou: ...What, the money from the ginger field has to be shared? Isn’t that all his?

Obviously unaware of her father’s thoughts, Manbao calculated the grain tax for him and then rushed to find Zhou Silang, "Four, when we sell the young ginger, we should include the leaves because you can stir-fry them. Our family doesn’t have an iron pot, but those who do, they’ll surely like it."

Zhou Silang blinked and asked, "How do you know? Have you eaten it before?"

Manbao, salivating, said, "No, but a friend told me."

"It must be that young master from the Bai Family, right? What tastes good stir-fried with ginger leaves? Tell me, so I can answer customers when I’m selling."

"With meat, of course," Manbao felt that everything tastes good when stir-fried with meat.

Zhou Silang obviously agreed and nodded.

Keke said helplessly, "Actually, they taste even better stir-fried on their own. You can also stir-fry them with eggs."

This was a recipe from their era, and the type of ginger Manbao was growing came from the marketplace, boasting remarkable propagation capabilities; a small piece could spread into a much larger one.

Its leaves were also delicious, and now that they were still tender, whether stir-fried or used in soups, either was fine. However, Manbao had tried it in a soup before and didn’t like it, so she excluded that option, insisting that stir-frying was better.

Though she had never actually tasted stir-fried ginger leaves.

Since it was their first time selling ginger and they were unsure of the market price, Zhou Silang didn’t dare dig up too much. After unearthing a small basketful, he took it to the river to clean.

Today, all six Zhou brothers were going to the county town, Zhou Xi included.

Manbao insisted on this, explaining to her parents, "That plot of ginger belongs to Eldest Sister; how to sell it and how much money it makes should be decided by her."

Then she said to Zhou Xi, "Eldest sister, you should keep your own money. That way you can do what you want with it. If we sell the ginger for you, we’ll have to take a commission."

Zhou Xi laughed and asked, "But won’t you also use the money to buy meat for the family?"

"Yes, because the money is in my hands. If I want to buy meat for the family, I buy meat; if I want cloth, I buy cloth. But if it’s in Mom’s hands, then surely I won’t be able to do anything I want." That’s why Manbao had learned from an early age that she needed to earn her own money and keep it for herself.

Zhou Xi was slightly taken aback, then nodded after a moment of thought, "Okay, I’ll go with you."

Zhou Xi had put a lot of effort into the land too, just as Manbao said, the only things that truly belonged to her in the family were those two plots of land.

At first, she hadn’t paid much attention to whether the ginger would survive, but after it began sprouting, she had taken great care.

Fertilizing, weeding, and catching insects were all done by her hand, and even the division of plants, which Zhou Silang hadn’t considered, had been initiated and assisted by her.

Over the past half-year, she’d eaten her medicinal herbs continuously. Living back at her maiden home, where she wasn’t as worn out and ate better than before, her complexion had become noticeably rosier, and her hands and feet were no longer perpetually cold.

Correspondingly, her money had been nearly spent.

Zhou Xi had wanted to provide for Manbao before, but her mother adamantly refused. Giving up that idea, since she didn’t want to marry, she needed to prepare for becoming an independent household head.

Her father might not say it, but Zhou Xi knew he was somewhat displeased with her for suggesting she could provide for Manbao.

Zhou Xi said to Manbao, "I’m not familiar with the county town. You guide me in selling the ginger, and I’ll give you a cut of the profit too."

Manbao’s eyes sparkled at this, and she guaranteed with a slap on her chest, "You can count on me, Eldest Sister. I’ve already lined up several buyers. But we shouldn’t take too much at once or they’ll push down our prices. Four has taken one basket, so you take one too."

Zhou Xi smiled and agreed, asking her, "Who are your buyers?"

"Oh, there are plenty, you’ll find out once we get to the county town."