Betrothal
Certainly, even the cautious Qian family finds them more delicious than chickens, not to mention the villagers.
However, these creatures are not easy to catch, especially in the bamboo forest. They can disappear in the blink of an eye, slipping into bamboo holes or ground holes with remarkable speed.
Unless they are lucky enough to trap them in a shallow or single-mouthed hole, just like Zhou Sirlang and his group did.
On that day, Zhou Wulang and his group brought back two bamboo rats. The next day, the villagers went to the bamboo forest on the mountain to look for bamboo rats. However, after searching the whole morning, they didn't even catch a glimpse of them.
They had no choice but to descend the mountain. On their way down, they saw Zhou Liulang playing with his friends, so they called him over to ask how to catch the bamboo rats.
Zhou Liulang, only thirteen years old, was in the age of boasting, but no one believed him. When he became anxious, he revealed the incident of catching a bamboo rat by himself.
The villagers were even more incredulous. How could someone as young as Zhou Liulang run around in the mountains with his short legs?
In response to their doubts, Zhou Liulang explained how they chased the bamboo rats and how they found Zhou Mabao, who was holding a bamboo rat.
At that time, Old Zhou was standing behind the crowd, initially enjoying his son's boasting, but then he became extremely upset.
Up to now, not only did Zhou Sirlang and Zhou Wulang blame him for letting the cat out of the bag, but even Old Zhou blamed him for being too talkative.
He believed that if it weren't for his tendency to speak impulsively, this incident would not have been exposed. Consequently, he would not have resorted to punishing Mabao by making her kneel and whipping her with bamboo sticks, which led to her catching a cold. He also wouldn't have scared her, thus preventing her from developing a fever later on.
So, Old Zhou was furious, and for five consecutive days, he made him follow Zhou Sanlang to clear the fields.
All the brothers of the Zhou family were implicated, and they were all driven out by Old Zhou to assist Zhou San in clearing the fields.
Zhou Sanlang had already decided to clear a piece of land. Since the winter was not idle, he had started cutting grass, digging up trees, and picking stones in the field.
Of course, when the Zhou brothers were free, they would help with the hoe, but they didn't go often because the family was busy fertilizing.
Next year, the family needed an additional twenty acres of land, so they required a significant amount of fertilizer. Therefore, even though it was winter, there was not a single day of true leisure.
The Zhou brothers needed a substantial amount of fertilizer, so they assumed as much of Zhou Sanlang's work as they could, allowing him to clear the fields.
But when Old Zhou was angry, he simply didn't let them rest during the winter. Every day, they woke up before dawn, completed the household chores, fertilized the fields in the morning, and assisted Zhou San in clearing the fields in the afternoon.
Despite it being winter, they were busier than they were during the farming season.
Not only the younger Zhou brothers, but even Zhou Sanlang, the main beneficiary, felt a bit overwhelmed.
But Old Dad was still angry, and obviously, no one dared to disobey.
So, time passed quickly, and when they finished clearing the field and fertilizing it, the New Year was approaching.
Zhou Sirlang was about to be betrothed.
Mabao, who had a busy life and was always occupied, was stunned when she heard her mother say that she needed to prepare for the betrothal.
She widened her eyes and asked, "Mother, who is my sister-in-law?"
"It's the young lady from the Fang family." "You've met her before, don't you remember?"
Mabao was shocked and asked, "When did you decide, and why didn't I know?"
Qian laughed, "It's not your wedding." Why do you need to be involved in every step? Your fourth brother knows; that's enough.
Mabao then looked at Zhou Sirlang and asked, "Fourth brother, did you know all along?"
"I knew," Zhou Sirlang glanced at her and said, "If it weren't for your illness, we would have been betrothed long ago. Maybe we could have been married before the New Year."
Qian then glanced at him and said, "Do you think getting married is just a game? Can we have a wedding just because we're betrothed? "Go away, don't push everything onto your sister."
But in fact, this matter was indeed related to Mabao.
At that time, both families were considering each other. The Fang family was initially hesitant about the Zhou family, but their daughter was very pleased with Zhou Sirlang, so they did not reject the matchmaker's proposal.
Qian was also very pleased with the young lady from the Fang family. He thought she was generous, bold, and had a determined mindset. So, she informed the matchmaker about it.
One person did not refuse, while the other was intentional, so the matchmaker understood that this arrangement was likely to succeed. Consequently, the matchmaker became even more diligent in mediating between the two families.
During the two days that Mabao was sick, Qian was too busy to leave. However, as soon as Mabao recovered, she took Zhou Sirlang to Dali Village again.
This time, they openly discussed the betrothal. Qian and Cheng explained the situation of both families, which was considered a formal intention.
After that, Zhou Sirlang could often visit the Fang family to introduce himself.
However, because Old Dad was furious, he rarely had time to spare, and he could only go every two or three days. He would either walk with the young lady from the Fang family or help with the work at the Fang family.
As a prospective son-in-law, helping with the work at the future in-laws' house was also part of the assessment, which had become a customary rule.
At least in the village, it was.
When the Fang family had gathered sufficient information about Zhou Sirlang and his family, they would then decide whether or not to arrange a marriage with their daughter.
But to reach this stage, unless the man's performance was exceptionally poor, it would generally succeed.
During that time, the Zhou brothers were frequently coming and going at all hours, while Mabao was deeply engrossed in her studies and remained unaware of these events.
She did not know that the candies she gave to her fourth brother out of guilt had ended up in the hands of the young lady from the Fang family, becoming a sweet snack for her future sister-in-law.
After a month of observation, the Fang family finally agreed to the betrothal when the matchmaker came for the second time, officially setting the date.
So next, the Zhou family had to prepare the betrothal gifts and then choose a date for the wedding.
However, Qian estimated that the likelihood of getting married before the New Year was not high. After the New Year...
Qian thought for a moment and said, "We shouldn't rush the new bride into the house before the busy spring season." I think we should wait until after the spring planting season to get married, to give the young lady some time to rest.
Old Dad nodded, "Then let's choose a date in May." By then, the busy spring season will be over, and the weather will be warm, so the new bride can have two months to adapt.
This matter was naturally decided by the parents, and everyone agreed.
Qian's plan was passed on to the Fang family through the matchmaker, and Cheng couldn't help but comment to the butcher from the Fang family, "The Zhou family is truly generous." "Although Zhou Sirlang is a bit lacking, his parents are reasonable, so the future looks promising for our second daughter."
The butcher from the Fang family nodded in satisfaction and said, "When our second daughter mentioned that she liked Zhou Sirlang, I instructed someone to inquire." None of the three wives in their family entered the house before or after the New Year; they all entered after the autumn harvest. "Our second daughter missed the opportune moment, but this date is not unfavorable either."