The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 786 - 775: Chatterbox

Chapter 786: Chapter 775: Chatterbox

Junior Ms. Qian made it a point to visit her parental home every year, and Zhou Dalang would naturally accompany her, as it was not only his in-laws’ home but also his uncle’s.

In addition to the couple, their sons and daughters also needed to be taken along, and most of the time, their unmarried brothers and sisters would follow them back as well.

Manbao was definitely going with them. In previous years, Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang had also accompanied them, but this year Zhou Wulang was visiting his in-laws with his wife and children, while Zhou Liulang, afraid of being urged to marry, decided to stay indoors like a tortoise, refusing to go out at all.

So, it was just Manbao who still enthusiastically went back with them.

On the morning of the second day of the lunar new year, everyone went their separate ways, and the old Zhou household was left with just the couple and Zhou Liulang.

Old Zhou detested idleness and tasked Zhou Liulang with chores, "Split some firewood and take this opportunity of fewer people in the house to clean the kitchen. We’ll just have a simple meal of noodles at noon."

Of course, kneading and boiling the noodles was Zhou Liulang’s job; the old couple just sat waiting to be fed.

Manbao visited the three homes of her uncles from the Qian Family and collected quite a sum in New Year’s money, but now that she had grown up, she no longer scurried all around the village paying New Year’s visits like before.

Once at her uncles’ house, she behaved herself, sitting quietly and playing only with her cousins.

There was no helping it, as her elder cousins were all about the same age as her brothers, and the difference in years was a bit much.

Eldest Aunt Qian glanced outside and saw Manbao playing in the courtyard. She whispered to Junior Ms. Qian, "It’s been only half a year, but Manbao seems to have grown so much."

Junior Ms. Qian smiled and said, "Children grow fast. Go around a bit, and they become sensible."

Eldest Aunt Qian nodded and asked softly, "Does she still cling to you as much as before?"

"Isn’t it still the same as ever?"

Eldest Aunt Qian then breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, "That’s good. I was worried that you two might grow apart. By the way, Datou is old enough to marry now, right?"

Junior Ms. Qian nodded, "But the boy isn’t in a rush. He’s currently out dealing with business with his Fourth Uncle. I figured I’d wait for him to develop some skills before considering marriage. At the very least, he needs to know how to plow and understand farming, right?"

She sighed with concern, "There are many uncles above him, and with his father still there, he hasn’t even handled a plow yet. His father and I have discussed letting him learn to plow come spring. Once he’s mastered the farmwork and found his own feet, then we can talk about getting him a wife."

This was the educational method of the Qian Family, and Eldest Aunt Qian knew it well. She nodded her head, "But I think that with land matters, it’s all about fate. Don’t you also have a shop? In the future, that shop should also be left to Datou. It would be better to teach him the business now."

Junior Ms. Qian, however, said, "That shop is to be left to Manbao in the future."

Eldest Aunt Qian couldn’t help but whisper, "Can Manbao even value just one shop now? I’ve heard that your Silang has expanded business all the way to the County Magistrate of Yizhou City; it was Manbao who made the connections, wasn’t it?"

They had asked for help from the village when they transported the grain, which was delivered directly to the County Governmental Office and offloaded at the government granary with officials handling the transfer.

People even saw them going inside the building to settle accounts. At that time, it was Manbao who led the way, and some saw her talking to County Magistrate Tang.

Once one person talks about such a matter, word spreads quickly and everyone in the region knows about it, especially since the Qian Family is kin to the Zhou Family. Eldest Aunt Qian has heard it mentioned more than once.

With Manbao being so capable, their family’s eldest branch was the happiest.

Because Manbao was filial.

Not only did she regard Junior Ms. Qian as her mother, but she treated her daughter, Junior Ms. Qian, like her own mother as well. The previous year, she had even given her niece a shop.

That was even more filial than having a son. Eldest Aunt Qian would be surprised if they weren’t happy.

She whispered, "I think since she has given that shop to you, she probably has no intention of taking it back. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it for Datou..."

Junior Ms. Qian couldn’t help but exclaim, "Mother—"

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop," Eldest Aunt Qian ceased there, saying, "In the end, it’s the Zhou Family’s affair, and I was just mentioning it out of concern. I was thinking that if Datou had a shop, it would make arranging his marriage a lot easier. By the way, have you taken a fancy to any family?"

Junior Ms. Qian shook her head, "I’ll look into it after the harvest next year."

The two skirted the topic. Eldest Aunt Qian, with the sesame candy she had made, went outside and waved to the children, "The candy is ready, come and eat."

Everyone then ran up, and Eldest Aunt Qian stuffed a bowl brimming with sesame candy into Manbao’s hands, "Don’t jostle with them, or you might ruin your clothes."

Manbao took a bite of the sesame candy from the bowl, saying, "It won’t, Eldest Aunt. Your sesame candy is delicious, just as good as my sister-in-law’s."

Eldest Aunt Qian’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "If you like it, I’ll pack a bag for you this afternoon. You can take it home and enjoy it slowly."

Manbao nodded repeatedly, happily saying, "Thank you, Eldest Aunt."

Sesame was valuable, but sugar was even more precious. In previous years, the Qian Family could not afford to use so much sugar to make sesame candy. Last year, however, the harvest was good, and they sold quality wheat to Old Master Bai. The good new wheat went to the Zhou Family and earned them quite a bit of money.

That’s why Eldest Aunt Qian felt at ease making so much sesame candy and adding so much sugar to it.

It was sweet without being cloying, with the richness of sesame. Manbao especially liked it and nearly filled up on candy, unable to eat her rice.

They had lunch at Eldest Uncle Qian’s house. The Qian Family’s second and third branches came over, which was also a yearly custom.

They sat at two tables. Manbao and her cousins sat together, where she was bombarded with questions, mainly about whether Yizhou City was bustling, how it differed from their county town, and what she did in Yizhou City...

Manbao, who was inclined to talk, was only encouraged further by the eager audience. She spoke so much that even after the sunset meal, when Junior Ms. Qian tugged her home, Manbao still felt unfinished.

The cousins stood watching her family leave until they were out of sight, all of them releasing a collective sigh of relief.

The eldest cousin patted her chest and said, "Manbao has become quite the chatterbox."

The second cousin replied, "I only asked her if there was a Jishi Hall in Yizhou Prefecture, and she went on for half an hour. All that Inner Road this, and what road that, how could I understand? It wasn’t polite to stop listening."

Eldest Aunt Qian looked at them disdainfully, "You don’t even understand when it’s explained to you. So much for broadening your horizons."

The eldest cousin asked her husband, "Did you understand?"

Her eldest brother-in-law shook his head, "No."

The eldest cousin was then satisfied.

Eldest Aunt Qian was momentarily speechless and turned to go home.

Meanwhile, the still enthusiastic Manbao, tugged by Junior Ms. Qian, spoke up, "Sister-in-law, don’t you want to go out and play? How about Yizhou City? Teacher said that the world out there is so vast, and Yizhou City is still too close. Or do you want to go somewhere even farther?"

Junior Ms. Qian replied, "Rest up a bit. You’ve been talking all day, how come your throat isn’t sore?"

Datou chuckled, "Mother, my little aunt is used to this. Haven’t you seen her in the pharmacy, treating patients? She can chatter away for ages without a break, going hoarse would be a surprise."