Admitting Mistakes

Mǎn Bǎo pursed her lips and reached out, saying, "Give it to me!"

Zhou Sìláng was unwilling, and Zhou Wǔláng ran over to block the door. Zhou Liùláng and the others watched Zhou Sìláng with a fierce gaze.

He felt a bit aggrieved. Everyone had money in their hands, except for him. He could only watch as he wanted to buy a bun in the county town.

Zhou Sìláng felt so aggrieved that his eyes turned red. He wiped his eyes and reached into his pocket, slapping a handful of copper coins into Mǎn Bǎo's hand. The coins made a clattering sound as they fell to the ground. He hadn't finished taking them out, and it took three attempts before he was done.

Dàtóu and Èrtóu immediately squatted down to pick them up.

Zhou Sìláng squatted on the ground, wiping away his tears, feeling extremely aggrieved.

Mǎn Bǎo squatted in front of him and said, "Fourth Brother, if you make a mistake, you must be punished." We agreed on this early on. "You cannot break your promise."

Zhou Sìláng remained silent, feeling a bit guilty, but apologizing was very embarrassing.

He picked at the dirt on the ground without saying a word.

Mǎn Bǎo continued, "How could you secretly withhold money?" Every time Wǔláng goes to the county town, he brings back the exact amount of money needed. You still owe money to the family. Aren't you worried at all? Father's private savings, accumulated over the years, are not as substantial as what you withheld this time.

Under her persistent nagging, Zhou Sìláng no longer felt as uncomfortable. Dàtóu and the others placed the collected copper coins on the bed, gesturing for Mǎn Bǎo to look.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few coins. Dàyā secretly said to Mǎn Bǎo, "There are eighty-six wen."

Mǎn Bǎo glanced at her guilty fourth brother, put the money into a cloth bag, and then asked him to take it back to their mother.

Zhou Sìláng hesitated, "It's better if you take it." How can I explain it if I take it?

"If you feel embarrassed, just say you forgot." "Mother will understand," Mǎn Bǎo replied.

Zhou Silang:...

He was unwilling to go because he felt too ashamed and embarrassed.

Mǎn Bǎo handed him the money and then led him by the hand to the main room.

The Qian family's money box had not been put away, as if they were waiting for someone.

Zhou Sìláng felt extremely guilty and did not dare to lift his head. When he reached his mother, he handed over the money bag with a red face, saying, "Mother, I forgot about this just now."

Qian Shi's lips twitched slightly as she took the money bag, counted its contents, and her smile faded a little. She had thought that her child might have withheld some money, but she hadn't expected him to withhold this much.

She found a string and strung the copper coins together one by one. She didn't speak and didn't allow the two children to leave. Even Mǎn Bǎo couldn't help but sweat on her forehead.

Not to mention Zhou Sìláng, who was sweating profusely. His forehead was soon soaked with sweat, and he was more afraid of his mother than his father.

Qian Shi strung the eighty-six wen together with the previous loose change, making a total of one hundred wen. She then took out ten wen from the remaining loose change, thought for a moment, put back five wen, and handed it to Zhou Sìláng, saying, "You need some money when you go to the county town to sell things every day." Now that your sister-in-law has to attend cooking school, she won't be able to prepare your meals. Your younger brother has money, so you don't have to worry. Take a few coins with you, and if you get hungry, you can buy a bun in the county town.

Zhou Sìláng's eyes lit up as he happily accepted the money, smiling, "Mother, rest assured, I will definitely sell all the ginger from our fields and get a good price."

Qian Shi nodded with a smile, "Good, go on." Once you've paid off the family's debts, there will be enough money for you to marry. The remaining money will be yours, but you shouldn't be extravagant after getting married.

Zhou Sìláng happily agreed, then turned to wink at Mǎn Bǎo before leaving.

Mǎn Bǎo wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a long sigh, leaning against her mother.

Qian Shi smiled and patted her daughter's cheek, asking, "What are you looking at?"

"Mother, is this like offering someone a sweet date after hitting them with a stick?" Mǎn Bǎo asked.

Qian Shi was momentarily stunned. She then patted her daughter's head and nodded with a smile, "Yes, your fourth brother is a bit mixed up." He doesn't remember to eat or to be disciplined. He clearly remembers more about eating than discipline, but we can't give him too many indulgences.

Qian Shi patted her daughter's head, feeling a bit worried. Mǎn Bǎo was becoming increasingly clever, especially after studying. This was a good thing, but also a bad thing.

Some truths, she had stumbled upon countless times, and only understood them when she was older. Her young daughter already knew the routes, which could save her from taking some detours, but it also meant that she would encounter even more challenging problems in the future.

"Mother, please create a small book for Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother to help them manage their finances," suggested Mǎn Bǎo.

Qian Shi smiled and asked, "How will they know how to keep records?"

"They will, they will." Although Fifth Brother doesn't know many characters, he can write numbers. They can simply keep track of the numbers, including the quantity sold and the revenue generated. "When they come back, we can check to see if they are missing any money," Mǎn Bǎo explained.

Qian Shi pondered, "This method is not bad, but paper and ink are valuable, and it's not easy for them to carry around."

Mǎn Bǎo also thought about it and then ran out of the room. The remaining money of Dàyā and the others had just been taken by their parents. They had planned to use the money to buy food, and the large sum had been handed over to their aunt for safekeeping. But their parents had even taken the small change, leaving them feeling resentful. So, they were now channeling their anger by writing on the ground with sticks.

Mǎn Bǎo rushed over and saw Dàyā writing on the ground with a burning stick. The characters were slightly charred. She had noticed that Dàyā and Èrtóu liked to write with burnt sticks because they felt that the characters were clearer that way, so everyone had been writing like this recently.

Mǎn Bǎo thought this was a good idea. She went back to the room and took out a piece of paper, writing with Dàyā's burning stick. The characters were printed in black as well, but the paper was too large, leading to wastage.

She felt a bit regretful, "If only the burning stick were smaller, the size of a brush tip."

Dàyā and Èrtóu came over and asked, "Little Aunt, what are you doing?"

Mǎn Bǎo explained her plan to them, saying, "I'll have Fifth Brother carry a piece of charcoal and write directly on the paper."

"That's easy." We just need a smaller stick to burn. "Even the big one can be split, but it's too dirty and hard to carry," Èrtóu said somewhat disdainfully. "If Uncle Five carries the charcoal on him, I don't want to wash his clothes."

"I don't want to either," Dàyā added.

Mǎn Bǎo suggested, "What if we wrap it in scraps of cloth?"

"We need some scraps of cloth," Dàyā said in a low voice. "I know there are some scraps in my mother's box." I can go get a small piece.

Èrtóu thought this was a good idea, and Mǎn Bǎo agreed.

Kēkē couldn't help but say, "Host, you can try using bamboo."

Mǎn Bǎo blinked, "Bamboo?"

Kēkē opened the store for her to see the various pens inside and said, "Although in the future, electronic books will be very advanced, and even signing documents can be done electronically, handwriting is still one of the most important traditions for children to develop their abilities. That's why there are all kinds of beautiful pens in the store. Of course, I don't recommend that the host purchase and use them, but the host can take a look for reference.