It's Hard to Be Confused
Xiǎo Qián smiled and bargained with her, "Before, Wǔ Láng and the others picked the yam beans to sell. However, the shopkeeper at the pharmacy claimed he had never heard of them being edible, so they couldn't sell them outside. Consequently, they had to consume them at home. "So, you can't ask for a high price."
Mǎn Bǎo couldn't help but scratch her little head. She really didn't understand pricing. In the past, she sold items based on market prices, except for candy.
Yam beans were not available on the market, so there was no reference price. And she was buying from her beloved sister-in-law, which made Mǎn Bǎo feel conflicted.
Xiǎo Qián calculated, "The yam seeds were brought back by you and Wǔ Láng, and they were taken care of by Sì and Wǔ." When it comes down to it, they also have a share. Everyone needs to get paid. "Also, since you took the money for the yam beans from your sister-in-law, you should also repay her when you eat yam bean candy in the future."
Mǎn Bǎo wrinkled her nose and said, "Sister-in-law, you never asked me to pay for it before."
"That was before." "Now you're asking me for money, aren't you?"
Mǎn Bǎo thought about it and felt that something wasn't right.
Xiǎo Qián treated her like a daughter, feeding her more than the other three combined. Seeing her distressed, she hugged her and gently said, "Mǎn Bǎo, we are family." "Siblings should keep accounts clear in important matters, but in small and trivial issues, it's better to be forgiving to maintain harmony within the family."
Mǎn Bǎo looked at her sister-in-law in confusion.
Xiǎo Qián smiled and asked, "Then may I ask, who takes care of the vegetable garden?"
"Mother, sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and elder sister."
"You see, you don't grow vegetables, and neither do Sì, Wǔ, or Liù." "Do they have to pay for eating the vegetables in the future?" Xiǎo Qián laughed and said, "Money isn't calculated this way." In a family, such small matters do not need to be considered.
Mǎn Bǎo seemed to understand a bit. After a while, she clapped her hands and said, "I understand now." This is what the eldest daughter-in-law often says, "One bowl of water can't be level."
Xiǎo Qián's expression was somewhat difficult to describe. She asked, "When did you talk to Eldest Sister-in-law again?"
Due to the ancestral land dispute, the relationship between the Zhōu family and Zhōu Dà Yuán's family was somewhat strained. During this time, Xiǎo Qián avoided Zhāng and didn't even ask about her.
Mǎn Bǎo laughed and said, "I didn't talk to her." It's too much trouble to talk to her. She talks to people in the village, and when she sees me coming back from school, she yells so loudly, saying that their family only has one son. No matter how biased they are, they tend to favor the eldest son. Unlike some families with six or seven children, their hearts are biased towards the end...
Mǎn Bǎo imitated Zhāng shì's voice so vividly that Xiǎo Qián shì was stunned, as if she could see a disdainful Zhāng shì in front of her.
Mǎn Bǎo even imitated Zhāng shì's body movements and continued in a loud voice, "This bowl of water can't be level." When the children are still young, it's manageable, but when all six of them have their own children, they will be old. Let's see how they will live then.
Mǎn Bǎo put her hands down and sat back in her sister-in-law's arms, smiling. "Sister-in-law, is it true that when there are many people in the family, one bowl of water can't be level, and we have to learn to be flexible?" "Otherwise, if we are too calculating, the family will not be harmonious."
Xiǎo Qián was stunned for a while before she could sort out the cause and effect. It was true, just like Mǎn Bǎo said. So, was Zhāng shì's complaint about their in-laws favoring one child actually correct?
Xiǎo Qián looked down at the little girl in her arms and couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my, our Mǎn Bǎo is so clever." "I really cherish her more than the other three, so I am also biased."
Mǎn Bǎo laughed proudly and said, "I knew that Sister-in-law must love me the most, even more than the other three, so Sister-in-law is also biased."
Since that was the case, Mǎn Bǎo naturally decided not to take the money and could freely pick the yam beans from the field.
While Xiǎo Qián and Mǎn Bǎo were talking in the inner room, Zhōu Dà Láng was making a wooden cart toy for his youngest son in the outer room, fulfilling a promise he had made to him a long time ago.
Upon hearing the conversation inside, Zhōu Dà Láng felt, for the first time, that his wife's eloquence was so impressive that she could persuade Mǎn Bǎo.
After all, Mǎn Bǎo's mouth was just like her father's. Only they could persuade others from a young age. Who else could persuade them?
When Mǎn Bǎo left happily, Zhōu Dà Láng put down the wooden toy and walked into the inner room. "You are really clever." You managed to get money from that child.
Xiǎo Qián threw the clothes she was folding at him and scolded, "You should shut up. Do you speak like that about your own sister?" Mǎn Bǎo is filial.
Indeed, her attitude towards her mother and Xiǎo Qián shì showed that the child was very clever.
That settled the matter, and no one mentioned the price of the yam beans again.
Mǎn Bǎo had no problem, and Zhōu Sì Láng and the others naturally had no problem either. Privately, they also felt that this was normal. Mǎn Bǎo was very clear about the distribution every time, which was actually quite refreshing.
But this also had its benefits, as it avoided the uncertainty of dividing the money after each public work.
The distribution principle has been established. After they finished their public work, the remaining money would be divided proportionally.
Although some people may only receive a few cents at a time, the accumulation of these small amounts on a daily basis adds up to a significant sum.
Especially in rural areas, people had to walk long distances to reach the large market to purchase goods or wait for the peddler to arrive.
In the past, when the peddler came to the village to sell things, Zhōu Dà Tóu and the others could only follow the adults and watch the goods on the peddler's back, drooling over them but not having money to buy. But now it was different. Every time the peddler came, they were the main force in selling the goods.
They didn't need to buy candy anymore because it wasn't as delicious as what their aunt gave them, but other toys or small pastries were very popular.
Mǎn Bǎo once encouraged Zhōu Sì Láng to become a peddler, saying, "It's so much fun. You can leave the village every day, explore wherever you wish, meet many people, and even encounter numerous rare plants and animals."
Zhōu Sì Láng scoffed at this and said to her, "Do you think being a peddler is just for fun? Carrying goods to the west village and walking to the east village are tiring. If you're not careful, you might even encounter robbers. If I bravely protect the goods and refuse to pay, you won't have a fourth brother anymore.
Mǎn Bǎo listened in surprise and asked, "Are there robbers on the road?"
"Yes, there are bandits."
Mǎn Bǎo exclaimed and quickly asked, "Where are the bandits, and what do they look like?"