Contemplation
In winter, everyone wants to bulk up, and Man Bao is no exception. So, he often uses his personal funds to purchase meat and brings it home. In addition to the chickens raised at home, some of them need to be slaughtered so the family can enjoy good meals during this time.
After eating well and resting, the new house was recently completed. With nothing to do every day, he happily takes the younger ones to the fields to forage, dig for bird eggs, catch sparrows, or go fishing. So, his spirits are exceptionally high.
When the aunts and sisters-in-law took a good look at him, they were surprised. They hadn't expected Zhou Sirlong to grow up so well. Just last year, he was noticeably thin and a gambler, and everyone thought he had a somewhat shady character.
Zhou Sirlong was already sweating from pushing the millstone, and being stared at by so many people made him sweat even more. He considered himself to have thick skin, but at this moment, he couldn't help but blush, almost burying his head in his chest.
The aunts and sisters-in-law were even more satisfied and began to contemplate which nieces or nephews from their maternal families would be suitable.
In fact, the Zhou family's conditions were quite good, especially after they built seven large brick and tile houses, which was quite an achievement in their village.
Of course, the homes of Mr. Bai and the young Mr. Bai were excluded.
Everyone's thoughts turned to the Zhou family, which may not be as well-off as the village head's family. Although they had more large brick and tile houses, it was because they had more sons. The village head's family also had the same type of houses and even had some to spare.
Their family background may not be as privileged, but the advantage of having many brothers was that with six siblings from the same mother, who in the village would dare to bully the Zhou family in the future?
Furthermore, their brothers were very close. As long as they were willing to help each other, their lives would surely become more prosperous. When the husband's family is prosperous, it will naturally also support the wife's family to some extent.
After examining the family background, they looked at the individual.
Hmm, Zhou Sirlong's shortcomings were quite obvious: he was lazy and had a history of gambling. This could be considered a major flaw, but it seems that he has already changed over the past year. The Zhou family's upbringing was strict, so he probably wouldn't dare to do it again in the future, right?
Many people thought this way but still hesitated to let it go. None of them were wealthy families, and the risk of having a gambler was too great.
This was a high-risk investment.
Upon seeing Zhou Sirlong's face, some people secretly thought that even if he were a gambler, the young ladies would still be willing, especially considering his eloquence.
Zhou Sirlong's laziness was also well-known in the village. It wasn't that he had already become lazy in the village, but the main reason was that the Zhou brothers were all hardworking, especially his three older brothers.
Let's not talk about Zhou Dalang, the eldest in the family. After assuming the role of the head of the family, he began working in the fields, employing traditional farming techniques. He would leave early and return late every day. Most of the time, after dinner, he would still go to the fields with a hoe to check the water, loosen the soil, or weed, never resting for a moment.
As for Zhou Erlang, whenever he had free time, he would either go to the mountains to cut bamboo, do bamboo weaving at home, or visit the market. He was as busy as a spinning top.
As for Zhou Sanlang, there was no need to say more. Not only within the Zhou family but also throughout the entire village, he was known as a skilled farmer who was willing to work hard. Every year, Mr. Bai would hire him as a temporary worker, and he was always the first to be chosen. Sometimes, he would even get an extra bun at mealtime.
In comparison, Zhou Sirlong was considered extremely lazy. If there were no orders from his father or brothers, he wouldn't even bother to pick up a broom in front of him.
This was normal in other families, but in the Zhou family, it was abnormal.
So, the aunts and sisters-in-law, who were initially 80% willing, now had some doubts, while those who were just hovering around the passing grade buried their thoughts, feeling the need to reconsider.
When Man Bao joined the fun during a school break, she noticed everyone teasing Zhou Sirlong.
As the aunts and sisters-in-law, who had lost interest, teased Zhou Sirlong even more unkindly, he blushed and wished he could leave the situation behind and walk away.
Zhou Dalang, who lacked brotherly love, watched with amusement from the side. Before getting married, everyone has to go through this process. When he was getting married, it was the same.
But Man Bao didn't understand. Seeing that her brother's ears were turning red, she quickly squeezed through the crowd, stood in front of him, and asked with her head held high, "Are you all bullying my brother?"
"Oh, Man Bao is here," everyone finally noticed the little girl, and also saw the young Mr. Bai who had squeezed in with her, and smiled. "We're not bullying your brother; he's about to get married, so we're just asking him what kind of girl he likes."
Upon hearing this, Man Bao immediately put her hands down and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, he likes beautiful girls."
"Oh, Man Bao knows that you should marry a beautiful girl, but what kind of girl is beautiful?"
Man Bao had read many storybooks recently and felt that she understood women very well. Therefore, she said without hesitation, "Someone like my sister-in-law is very beautiful."
Upon hearing this, the other person was so happy that she hugged Man Bao and Little Qian Shi, saying, "This child doesn't know how well she was raised in your family." How did she turn out so well?
Little Qian Shi looked at Man Bao and smiled, "It's all thanks to her grandmother's good upbringing."
A voice in the crowd said, "It's probably genetic." "This mouth, it's just like her father's when he was young, always saying nice things as if they didn't cost anything."
The voice wasn't very loud, but Man Bao and Little Qian Shi had sharp ears and heard it. Before they could ask, a very young woman in the crowd exclaimed, "Uncle Jin used to be so amazing."
At this point, no one in the crowd responded, but the sister-in-law who was holding Man Bao laughed and said, "I didn't see her yesterday, but after just one day, her face is even more tender, plump, and fair."
Man Bao puffed out her little chest and said, "It must be from eating tofu."
Little Qian Shi said, "Maybe it's from eating loaches." "I often eat tofu, but I haven't become fair and plump like you."
Man Bao turned to look at him and, after assessing him, said, "You've clearly gained weight." Look, there are chubby knots on your hands.
Little Qian Shi didn't like it when people said he was fat. He retorted, "You're the one who's fat; you have knots on your body."
Man Bao was quite happy with her chubby appearance. With a smile, she proudly displayed her plump little hands, saying, "My goal is to become as round as lotus roots." She added, "The books say that people like that are the most beautiful and adorable."
Keke: ... You must have misunderstood the content of the book.
But unexpectedly, this statement received the support of all the adults present, who nodded and said, "A little plump is good; it looks prosperous."
"Being plump seems fortunate."
"Look at how pretty Man Bao is now." She used to be too thin and small.
"If Zhou Sirlong gains a little weight, he'll be even more handsome." "When the young ladies see him, they won't need anyone to propose; they'll probably come on their own."
The conversation slowly turned back to Zhou Sirlong. With his sister's arrival, the redness on Zhou Sirlong's face had just subsided a bit, but now it was starting to rise again.