The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 647 - 636: In Front of the Grave

Chapter 647: Chapter 636: In Front of the Grave

The little girl used to fight too, but back then she seemed to only tangle with Bai Shan, and at most they would wrestle on the ground, slapping each other and biting each other. Ms. Qian dismissed it as just children’s squabbles.

However, this time the fight was not only on a larger scale, but also fiercer, escalating to throwing rocks and tumbling into the water. A moment of carelessness could have been fatal, so Ms. Qian was quite furious.

Because of that, after some thought, Ms. Qian said to Old Zhou, "You still want to keep her at home, but look at her capabilities and boldness now. Who in the family can control her? I think it’s good for her to travel and study with Mr. Zhuang. She can learn more, and there will be someone who can keep her in check."

What could Old Zhou do?

He had no choice but to silently agree, and in his heart, he silently extended Manbao’s departure from home by a little.

That evening, as the sun began to set in the west, Old Zhou asked Junior Ms. Qian to place the stewed whole chicken on a dish and also took a fish, placing them together in a basket.

He then took some incense sticks and paper money, and led Manbao to the family cemetery.

"You’re leaving home, so let’s go and pay respects to our ancestors. Let them bless you with a safe journey, good health, and smooth sailing,"

Manbao agreed, took the initiative to carry a basket, and asked, "Dad, is it just the two of us going? Are my eldest sister and brother-in-law not going?"

"They already paid their respects to our ancestors in the hall when they returned today. There’s no need for them to go to the field, just you," he said.

Once in the cemetery, Manbao hurried to her grandparents’ graves. Old Zhou paused, seeing her place the food in front of her parents’ graves, and quickly pointed to another freshly pointed grave, saying, "Bring some of it to your uncles and aunts too, and the incense, paper money... Let’s talk to them..."

Manbao then moved a plate of fish over, and before she knew it, Old Zhou pressed her to kneel in front of the tomb.

She didn’t mind and simply knelt on the ground, chattering away, "Grandfather, Grandmother, I have never met you, um, nor have I met my uncles and aunts, but I come to sweep your graves every year. Do you remember me?"

"If you don’t remember, now you must have a good look. I’m going to travel far away, and you must bless me with safety. Dad, that’s what I’m supposed to say, right?"

Old Zhou smacked her head, "Speak properly."

Manbao shrank her neck a bit, "Alright then, Grandpa and Grandma, I’m your granddaughter. See, your granddaughter is quite accomplished now..."

Old Zhou was amused by her but didn’t stop her. He sat down on a rock at the edge of the cemetery, pulled out his tobacco pipe, stuffed some tobacco leaves into it, and began to smoke leisurely, not minding Manbao’s rambling talk.

Manbao, often accompanying her parents to the grave, knew it was about telling the deceased of the family’s recent situation to put them at ease, then asking for things to go well at home, for favorable weather and bountiful harvests, or to make a fortune.

Manbao, already a chatterbox, talked even more with her father’s tacit encouragement, covering a variety of topics.

She also took the opportunity, in front of Old Zhou, to complain to her grandparents and uncles and aunts about her father’s behavior, "Dad’s temper has grown worse. He’s always getting angry with my elder brothers. Grandpa and Grandma, and uncles, if you have time at night, please visit Dad in his dreams and talk to him, make him less irritable. Getting angry is bad for the liver. Why trouble yourself when it harms your body too?"

Old Zhou: ...

After talking until her mouth was dry, Manbao turned to look at Old Zhou as the sun had fully set.

Old Zhou got up from the rock, saying, "It’s getting dark, and the yin is strong. Pay your respects to your uncles and aunts, then we should head back home."

Manbao raised her hand respectfully and kowtowed. After doing so, she turned to her grandparents’ graves nearby, feeling that since she had knelt and kowtowed to her uncles and aunts, she shouldn’t neglect her grandparents. So, she ran over to their side and kowtowed three times before starting to pack up to go home.

Since they had taken a chicken and a fish with them, the family at home had been waiting to eat dinner.

Once they returned, Junior Ms. Qian reheated the two dishes, chopped the chicken into pieces, arranged it nicely on the plate, and then served it.

Ms. Qian picked up a chicken leg for Manbao with a smile, saying, "Eat up. This is food offered to our ancestors. Eating it brings blessings."

Manbao complied.

Junior Ms. Qian set aside four legs in total, giving another big one to Datou, and the two smaller ones to the youngest, the fifth and the sixth children.

After Old Zhou started eating, everyone at the two tables of the Zhou family began their meal together.

Guan Xin glanced at his sister-in-law sitting by his mother-in-law’s side, aware that Manbao was favored in the Zhou household, but never realized she was this favored.

Normally, matters of ancestral worship were only attended by the male members of the family.

Zhou ErLang somehow found some liquor and poured some for Guan Xin, saying, "Brother-in-law, shall we have a bowl?"

Guan Xin immediately recovered his wits and laughed in response.

All of the evening’s dishes were prepared by Junior Ms. Qian, and Manbao ate with particular satisfaction, but then felt a bit melancholic at rest time, realizing that she would no longer be able to enjoy her eldest sister’s cooking once she left.

Zhou SiLang thought of this too. He ate the last bit of garlic in his plate, then nudged Manbao, signaling her to go and find her eldest sister.

Manbao gave him a look and began to eagerly follow Junior Ms. Qian around.

With amusement, Junior Ms. Qian looked at her and asked, "How was that dried vegetable dish I gave you last time?"

Manbao replied, "It was particularly, particularly delicious and went really well with rice. We all loved it."

Junior Ms. Qian laughed and said, "This time I made five jars of it for you. Two of them are ready to eat. Take them and eat whenever you want."

Manbao couldn’t help but hug her tight, exclaiming, "Eldest sister, you’re so kind!"

Junior Ms. Qian, smiling, tapped her on the forehead, saying, "All you think about is eating. I’ve had Daya read me the cookbook you left me. There are some sauces I think are not bad, but I’ve never seen or heard of many of the ingredients. For example, that chilli – I know about peppers, but what is a chilli?"

She continued, "Also, many of the sauces require black pepper. I asked around; that stuff is from the Western Regions and is very expensive. A small bag costs a hundred wen! I was thinking if it’s possible to grow it ourselves."

Manbao asked, "Did you manage to grow it?"

"No, I planted it in the vegetable garden, but there was no sign of it, wasting lots of seeds. I was really heartbroken," she replied.

Manbao thought for a moment and said, "No worries, I’ll help you look around, maybe we can find some pepper that can be grown. Eldest sister, are all these sauces spicy? Are there other flavors of sauces?"

"Yes, I was just about to tell you, I made a sweet sauce. Take two jars of it with you. If you feel hungry in the morning or evening and are in a hurry, just boil some noodles, and after they’re cooked, scoop them out, rinse with water, then add a bit of sweet sauce. It tastes great." Clearly, Junior Ms. Qian had tried it, and laughed, "This method is both simple and quick, and it tastes quite good. Most importantly, in this hot weather, the noodles cool down after being rinsed, feeling crisp and refreshing, very appetizing."

Hearing this, Manbao couldn’t help but swallow.