Secretly
Mǎn Bǎo poked him harder, and Zhōu Sìláng took another step forward, still crouching without moving.
Mǎn Bǎo, frustrated, pushed Zhōu Sìláng, who was caught off guard by her strength, and ended up lying on the ground.
Zhōu Xǐ, who was doing housework, looked over, and Mǎn Bǎo punched him in the lower back. Zhōu Sìláng had no choice but to awkwardly step forward, blushing, and said, "Third Sister-in-law, is it your turn to clean the chicken coop today?"
"Yes, what's the matter?"
"I'll do it," Zhou Silang said. "I'll take care of cleaning the chicken coop from now on since I have nothing else to do."
When did Fourth Brother become so diligent?
Hé shì looked at him suspiciously.
Mǎn Bǎo, noticing his awkward silence once more, promptly intervened, "Third Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother mentioned feeling restless with nothing to occupy his time, while you and the elder sisters are occupied daily. It might be best to assign the household chores to him."
He glanced at Zhou Xi standing on the side, thinking she understood, and said happily, "Great, Fourth Brother is becoming considerate; it seems he has really grown up."
Not only Hé shì, but even Qián shì and Féng shì thought that Zhōu Sìláng's actions were aimed at helping to alleviate some of the burden for Zhōu Xǐ, as it would be her turn to clean the chicken coop the next day.
Even Zhōu Xǐ thought so, and she glanced at Fourth Brother, feeling a bit relieved, but she didn't say anything in front of her sister-in-law and younger siblings.
Zhōu Sìláng sighed and immediately went to get a broom to clean the chicken coop. Seeing Mǎn Bǎo standing far away, he raised the broom and glared at her.
After cleaning the chicken coop and spreading a layer of straw inside, he took out the trash. Looking around and seeing no one, he dumped half of the trash from the chicken coop into his own compost pile, and the rest into a dirty bamboo basket. He then covered the remaining trash with prepared dry grass and leaves, and carried the basket to his barren land.
Mǎn Bǎo had arrived early, and Zhōu Wǔláng and Zhōu Liùláng brought a large amount of dry leaves and mud from the woods. They directly threw the mud into the pit and placed the dry leaves on a wooden board, cutting them with a knife before throwing them in.
The three brothers stirred the mixture with a thick stick, added water, and covered the pit with a grass cover as requested by Mǎn Bǎo. To keep it warm, they added a lot of dry grass on top.
Zhōu Sìláng was skeptical, "Is this enough?"
"Not yet, we still need to add more every day." "Fourth Brother, you must remember to clean the chicken coop every day," Man Bao said.
Zhōu Sìláng slumped his shoulders and said, "If Dad finds out I stole the chicken manure, he will definitely beat me."
"No, Dad never cares about the chicken coop." He won't suspect you. If you're worried, just dig some soil from the mountain and throw it in. "Dad won't find out then," Mǎn Bǎo reassured him.
Zhōu Sìláng thought it was a good idea, so he and his younger brothers exchanged glances and began to secretly do things.
Mǎn Bǎo had planned to steal half of it in a day and fill it with soil so Dad wouldn't notice. But to her surprise, Zhou Silang became greedier. After a few days, when he realized that no one was paying attention, he secretly disposed of all the cleaned trash in his own compost pile, while only leaving the soil dug from the mountain in the family's compost pile.
At first, Lǎo Zhōu didn't notice, but in February, Zhōu Dàláng and Zhōu Sānláng plowed the seedling field, and they were about to transplant the seedlings on a favorable day. So, he went to check the compost at home. Upon inspection, he found a thick layer of soil next to it.
Although the soil looked better than river mud, he had never dug any soil other than river mud. Upon closer inspection, he found that this year's compost was much less than last year's.
Lǎo Zhōu was furious at first because in the countryside, a small amount of water and a spoonful of compost could cause the entire family to argue. His initial reaction was that someone had stolen the compost from his family. He went home angrily to question his three daughters-in-law about how they managed the household, unaware that the compost had been taken.
When Mǎn Bǎo bounced back home with her little book box, she saw Zhōu Sìláng kneeling on the ground. The yard was quiet, with no one around.
Mǎn Bǎo stopped for a moment, picked up Mǎn Bǎo Dàtóu, and cautiously looked inside. Then the two children tiptoed inside and peeked into the main room.
Zhōu Sìláng lifted his eyelids to look at her and said, "Don't look, no one is here."
Mǎn Bǎo breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Fourth Brother, what bad thing have you done again?"
"It's not too bad." I just listened to someone and took the compost from home.
Mǎn Bǎo instantly felt guilty and asked in a low voice, "Did Dad and Mom find out?"
"Yes, Dad asked me to wait at home for you and bring you to see him when you come back," Zhou Silang said, picking up Man Bao and walking away.
Mǎn Bǎo, who was short, was lifted by him and quickly grabbed his arm, saying, "I want to walk by myself!"
Most of the Zhōu family members were at the compost pit on the barren land. At first, Lǎo Zhōu was furious that his sons and daughters-in-law had stolen the compost, not realizing the impact it would have on the year's harvest.
So, he took his three eldest sons to retrieve the compost. When they arrived, they opened the lid, and a wave of heat hit them, almost causing them to vomit.
But Lǎo Zhōu quickly regained his composure and, after sniffing the air, became somewhat excited.
Even Zhou Dalang was surprised.
He was also a skilled farmer and had been making compost with his father since he was nineteen, so he knew what good compost should be like.
The book detailed the smell, appearance, and process of making compost.
The book outlined numerous methods of making compost, all of which were similar but varied in material requirements and temperature adjustments.
Of course, Mǎn Bǎo couldn't replicate it completely because she didn't have the shed on the tree or the warming bag mentioned in the book. However, she wasn't ignorant and knew that compost needed to be kept at a specific temperature. Therefore, she planned to cover the compost pit with grass. If the temperature wasn't adequate, she would start a fire.
Yes, it was also mentioned in the book, commonly referred to as "burning manure," but it had too many requirements. Mǎn Bǎo didn't fully understand it, so she didn't plan to pursue it for the time being.