The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 449 - 438: Everyone Gets a Share

Chapter 449: Chapter 438: Everyone Gets a Share

Old Zhou paused, sighed, and then said, "In the future, when your mother and I get old, we won’t be able to manage the household for you, so we’re thinking, while we’re still alive and there’s some money at home, why not distribute it now? Let each of you learn to manage the household, so when your mother and I are gone, you siblings won’t be lost."

Zhou Dalang and the others were deeply touched, tears almost streaming down their faces. Speaking on behalf of his siblings, Zhou Dalang said, "Dad, you’re still young, you won’t get old."

"Get out of here, I’m already this old, and you still think I can plow the field for you?" Old Zhou said, "I know better whether I’m old or not."

The brothers: ...We didn’t ask you to plow, and now we have oxen at home.

Old Zhou faltered for a moment, took a while to recover his emotions, and then said, "Even though I’m giving you the money, you’re not allowed to spend it recklessly."

Old Zhou finally regained his composure and started instructing as if he was commanding an army, "Eldest, Datou is not young anymore. In a few years, he should also be marrying off, and Daya too. Although your mother and I are the heads of the household now, they are your son and daughter. You should have an idea of this in your mind, got it?"

Zhou Dalang and Junior Ms. Qian nodded repeatedly to show they understood and firmly stated they definitely wouldn’t squander money.

Old Zhou was quite reassured about the eldest branch and then looked at Zhou Erlang, sighing, "Second Son is not like you, otherwise he could have learned accounting with Manbao and might even have become an accountant in the county town. Never mind, it’s fine for a girl too. Let Erya learn more. When you have the money, buy her an abacus or something, and it’s best if she also marries into the county town in the future, so she can help her siblings out then."

Ms. Feng was stunned, thinking to herself, who in their family had married into the county town? This "also" word...

Zhou Erlang was very clever and nodded repeatedly, "Right, Dad, when she’s in the county town, she can also take care of her little aunt."

Zhou Erlang previously thought it would be great if his youngest sister could marry into the town, but after this grain sale, he and his father agreed that his youngest sister would definitely marry into the county town!

Old Zhou then looked towards Third but spoke about Four, "Third, I see that Four is very clever. You’ve saved money well, so let him learn more characters with his little aunt. When he gets a bit older, if he’s truly bright, you should send him to school, got it?"

Note the emphasis on "you send him to," and Zhou Sanlang actually understood. He first glanced at his son, then responded, "Hmm, I’ll listen to Dad."

Old Zhou was pleased.

Then he skipped Zhou Silang, summarizing directly, "Alright, even if your mother and I are no longer here, you siblings should still help each other. Dalang, you’re the eldest; you need to set a good example for your younger brothers and sisters."

Zhou Dalang agreed.

Only then did Old Zhou turn to Zhou Silang, sighing repeatedly, "Four, you need to learn more from your Third Brother, don’t spend money lavishly as soon as you get it. I really..." don’t feel like giving you money at all.

Old Zhou felt that giving money to Four and Manbao was just like throwing it out the window.

The difference was that when Manbao spent money, you could at least hear it, but with Zhou Silang spending money, he probably wouldn’t even see the shadow, let alone hear it.

Old Zhou said, "You have a wife and son now; don’t always think about having your eldest sister raise your kid. Save money and raise him yourself, got it?"

Ms. Fang’s eyes widened, wondering what he meant by having the eldest sister raise their kid?

Zhou Silang nearly choked on his own saliva, coughing twice before calling out, "Dad, that, that was years ago when I was still young, alright? Now I really cherish my son."

Old Zhou said, "I can see that, so I’m telling you to spend less money. Tell me, he’s not even a hundred days old yet, why do you buy so much fabric for him? And those fancy toys, don’t they cost money?"

Old Zhou was frustrated, "You’re spending like this with only one son, what about later on?"

Zhou Silang awkwardly said, "Well, I only have one son now, the rest can use their brother’s stuff."

"Therefore, I’ve decided to give you less, you can share with Five..."

Ms. Qian coughed to interrupt him, glancing at him with disapproval before saying, "Four’s spending is indeed a bit much, but the money is spent on his wife and child, so it’s not being squandered. Just stick to the original agreement."

Zhou Silang, although not sure how much his parents had agreed on before, also caught the implication—he was definitely getting more than Five and those who weren’t yet married!

So when his father wanted to reduce his share, he nodded again and again, agreeing completely with his mother’s words.

Old Zhou was not very happy; Four was spending money far too lavishly...

But Ms. Qian felt quite satisfied, knowing how to pamper his wife and child; wouldn’t Zhou Silang be able to save money in the future?

She glanced at Old Zhou, a man who never learned that in his lifetime. Come to think of it, Zhou Silang was somewhat like his younger uncle.

Asserting her position, Old Zhou had no choice but to give in, mainly because he didn’t want to argue in front of the children as he felt it would undermine his authority.

Then there was nothing much left to discuss, for Zhou Xi had always held onto his own money, and Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang’s funds were kept with Manbao. These two brothers, except for occasionally getting some money to buy treats in the county town, had no major expenses.

They carried on the Zhou tradition of saving money.

After the discussion, Old Zhou began to distribute the money. He reluctantly caressed the silver ingots in front of him, falling silent for a while before he said, "Eldest, go ahead and distribute it to your younger brothers and sisters; you and Two and Three each take fifteen taels, Four gets ten taels, and the rest, each gets five taels."

Ms. Qian then added, "Four, you’ve just started a family and have only one son. Household responsibilities aren’t heavy, so your father and I decided to give you ten taels, less than your three elder brothers. In the future, when you have more children, you’ll naturally get the same."

Zhou Silang grinned from ear to ear, nodding. At least his father didn’t withhold five taels, right?

The entire Zhou household was overjoyed—they never expected their parents would distribute this money to them.

When they started handing out the money, Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang didn’t hide the fact that Manbao kept their money. After feeling the weight in their hands for a while, Zhou Liulang even secretly bit the silver ingot to test its authenticity before reluctantly passing it back to Manbao for safekeeping.

Manbao herself got an ingot and smiled so hard her eyes nearly closed.

Datou and the grandchildren watched enviously. As the grandchildren, they didn’t yet have the right to receive a share, so they turned to their parents, asking to touch the ingots.

The brothers of the Zhou family generously let the ingots go round for them to feel to their heart’s content, only forbidding them from biting.

Touching it wouldn’t make it less; it was a good opportunity for the children to gain some experience.