The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 641 - 630: Gift (Extra - as a Reward for the Book Friend "Al Pacino")

Chapter 641: Chapter 630: Gift (Extra Chapter as a Reward for the Book Friend "Al Pacino")

Manbao had handed out all the gifts she had purchased, and even the youngest, the fifth and sixth brothers, received gifts: a pair of particularly attractive tiger-head shoes and some toys.

The entire Zhou Family was as happy as if it were the New Year.

Junior Ms. Qian and Zhou Xi soon returned with Datou and Daya. Manbao immediately threw herself into Junior Ms. Qian’s arms, "Sister-in-law, I’ve missed you so much."

Zhou Xi couldn’t help but tap her forehead and jest, "You only miss your sister-in-law, not your elder sister?"

"Of course, I do, elder sister. Have you been taking the medicine Fourth Brother brought you properly?"

Zhou Xi blushed slightly and nodded, asking softly, "Does that medicine really work?"

"Absolutely, it’s a secret formula from the palace."

Whether it works or not, the patient herself has to believe in its efficacy.

Zhou Xi’s eyes brightened. Although Fourth Brother had said the same thing, it somehow seemed more credible coming from Manbao.

The gifts Manbao gave to Junior Ms. Qian were similar to those she gave to the other sisters-in-law, so today the Zhou Family was harmonious and joyously united.

Even Old Zhou, jealous after seeing that his sons had one less pair of shoes than him, felt more balanced in his heart.

After all, wasn’t he still much better off than his sons?

Old Zhou said, "The selected date is the twelfth of June. I thought it would be good if you could return by the tenth, but you came back even earlier, on the sixth."

Manbao replied, "Bai Shan had his mid-year exams on the second, and once they were finished, we got ready to come back. After all, we only had a ten-day break."

Old Zhou asked, "He has to attend school, so he follows the schedule, but you don’t go to that official school. Couldn’t you have asked Mr. Zhuang for a few more days off?"

Zhou Silang chimed in, "Dad, aside from Mr. Zhuang’s, there’s also the pharmacy. Now Manbao is really impressive. I’ve asked Shopkeeper Zheng, and with our Manbao’s intelligence and talent, she’s sure to become a great doctor someday."

Zhou Silang moved closer to his father and added, "Dad, just think, a great doctor, and then when Manbao returns to the county city to open a pharmacy..."

Old Zhou was spiritedly enthusiastic and immediately said, "Alright, Manbao, you must study hard. I think what you’re learning from Mr. Zhuang is enough; the most important thing is to master a skill."

"Dad, Mr. Zhuang knows much more than Mr. Ji," said Manbao. "But don’t worry, I’ll learn everything without neglecting anything."

She inquired about Zhou Xi’s upcoming marriage, "Elder sister is about to get married, so why are you still working in the shop?"

Old Zhou frowned, "She can’t sit still; we tell her, but she doesn’t listen. What can we do?"

Since it was Zhou Xi’s second marriage and she was not keen on it, Old Zhou and Ms. Qian were not very strict with her, and they did not plan to invite many people.

Apart from some relatives, only some clan members and close neighbors from the village would come for a meal.

Old Zhou and Ms. Qian had also set aside some private savings to prepare her dowry, almost comparable to her dowry from her first marriage.

Outsiders were very envious, but the Zhou family members didn’t take it to heart, for compared to their current wealth, this dowry was not significant.

So no one objected.

After the parents provided the dowry, brothers and sisters added to it, making the dowry grow considerably.

For example, Zhou Dalang gave her a tael of silver, Zhou Erlang gave her money to make a cabinet, and Zhou Sanlang went up the mountain to chop wood and also hired a carpenter to make two trunks...

Even Zhou Lijun knew to give his elder cousin a quilt cover, not to mention Daya and Datou; with all these contributions piled up, the dowry became quite substantial.

Manbao, for her part, gave medicine and a handbook on fertility, which she had written based on what Teacher Mo had told her.

Fearful that Zhou Xi might not recognize some characters, Manbao read each line to her and explained them once more.

Looking at Manbao’s youthful face, Zhou Xi felt her entire face burning with embarrassment. How old was her little sister...

Manbao, unphased, finished teaching her elder sister and stuffed the booklet into her arms, "Elder sister, this is my gift to you."

Zhou Xi coughed lightly, "Manbao, write down that imperial secret prescription for me as well. In the future, you won’t need to buy medicine for me from Yizhou City. I can buy it myself in the county town."

Manbao replied, "Elder sister, you can stop taking that medicine. The medicine I have prepared for you will be sufficient. You cannot take those imperial prescriptions when you are officially trying to have children."

After a moment of thought, she added, "However, it’s good for you to have the prescription. I’ll write it down for you later. Keep it safe, as it may become a treasure for the entire family one day."

Manbao realized during her time learning in the pharmacy how precious some secret formulas were. Some doctors could base their entire career on just one prescription.

Therefore, she was particularly attentive to secret formulas, especially those from the palace and ancient times.

However, Zhou Xi muttered, "I don’t want such a family heirloom. I’d rather that my descendants never have to use it."

Manbao nodded in deep agreement when she heard this. "Right, if all wishes could come true, there would be no need for doctors. But we still need to make the necessary preparations."

Zhou Xi was silent...

Manbao had already memorized the prescription, as she had personally prepared the medicine the last two times.

After silently reciting the formula and making sure the ink was dry, Manbao handed it to Zhou Xi, admonishing, "Elder sister, make sure you keep this safe."

Zhou Xi put it together with the booklet, nodding, "I know."

She knew the value of what she had, although she hoped not to have to use it again in the future. It was indeed something rare.

Manbao sat cross-legged on her bed, propping her chin up, watching her curiously, "Elder sister, didn’t you not want to get married? Why did you agree to marry Guan Xin?"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Xi replied, "Because he didn’t look down on me?"

"Huh?" Manbao tilted her head and asked, "Who looked down on you?"

With a smile, Zhou Xi felt more at ease as they were alone in the room, "Aside from our own family, who outside hasn’t looked down on me?"

Manbao frowned slightly and remained silent.

"At first, outsiders didn’t know that Liu Dalang was infertile, so they thought I was the one who couldn’t bear children. The proposals that came to my parents were all from widowers with children," Zhou Xi explained. "That’s not much of an issue. As a woman who has returned home after a divorce, I’m not much different from a widow. But who were those people..."

"Later, when my parents declared that I was cured and Liu Dalang’s situation became known, I was absolved of the injustice. But still, the marriage proposals that came my way were from widowers, or men with disabilities, or those who couldn’t marry for some unacceptable reasons."

"No matter who it was, when they came before me, the matchmakers and those I met for arranged meetings didn’t really see me. Even those who seemed nice at the start, after a couple of visits, couldn’t hide their scorn and doubt."

Zhou Xi continued, "I know, regardless of whether I can have children or not, being divorced, in their eyes, is mostly my fault. So why should I marry?"

At first, she did want to get married, thinking it was better than being a burden in her parents’ and brothers’ home for the rest of her life.

But life at home was so good. At first, she was disheartened and did not want to marry, but as she moved past that, her family allocated a room for her, even clearing a piece of wasteland...

She then realized, even if she didn’t marry, even if she lived in her parents’ and brothers’ home, her life was not bad, and she didn’t even feel like she was just staying there.

So, she thought, if that was the case, why should she

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