Fighting for Wealth
The next day, Qian's family asked Xia Qian to make tofu, and then sent two portions to the Bai family.
Xia Qian and the two sisters-in-law were very skilled at making tofu. Since learning how to make tofu, she prepares it every few days. Not only could her family eat it, but the people in the village would also exchange beans with her.
When Zhou Erlang met at the market to sell bamboo products, he would also bring some to sell.
During winter, when there were few vegetables available, tofu was a good option.
Of course, it was impossible to make money. Basically, it was all about exchanging beans for tofu, where one pound of beans could be traded for two pounds of tofu.
When it comes to dealing with surplus beans at home, they would typically be brought to the county grain store for sale.
But because they were too lazy to take the mountain road, the beans at home had not been removed yet, and they were still piled up in the room.
At that time, the Qian family had an abundance of beans.
After offering tofu for a day, the next day Qian's family chose some high-quality yams to give to Bai Shanbao, and on the third day, they prepared a large amount of sesame candy to send to the Bai family.
The Bai family received gifts for three consecutive days. Liu, on the other hand, couldn't help but ask, "Does the lady of the Zhou family have something to ask of us?"
Mrs. Bai also thought so.
Liu smiled and said, "I guess she saw the New Year's money we gave to Manbao." The lady of the Zhou family is virtuous in every aspect, but she tends to give excessive gifts.
Mrs. Bai then remembered this and couldn't help but smile, "Our second son also took their New Year's money." "It's quite a lot."
Mrs. Bai also smiled and said, "Yes, there were eight of them."
In the past, it was customary for in-laws to give New Year's money to the children. The Zhou family had to give New Year's money in multiples of eight, not more or less.
When Zhou Sirlang got married, it would be ten years next year.
Although each red envelope was not much, only six cents, eight of them added up to quite a bit.
Especially since everyone in the village knew that the New Year's money given by the Zhou family to Bai Erlang was six cents each, which was clearly intentional and quite generous.
Of course, the Bai family would not expect the Zhou family to give the same amount of red envelopes as their own; after all, their financial situations were different.
However...
Mrs. Bai was curious, "It's already the ninth day of the New Year." How did the lady of the Zhou family know? "Doesn't she collect the New Year's money for their children?"
Despite Bai Erlang being favored and the Bai family being wealthy, his New Year's money was still collected by Mrs. Bai, and Bai Erlang didn't have much money on him.
So, Mrs. Bai knew how much New Year's money he had received.
Liu smiled and said, "The little daughter they raised is different." I heard that when she was very young, she saved her own New Year's money.
Last year, Bai Shanbao was unwilling to let Zheng Shi hold the large amount of New Year's money for this reason, and insisted on holding it herself.
Liu estimated that he had saved quite a bit of money this year, especially with the earnings from selling ginger to the family. After all, he didn't need to buy meat like Manbao.
But Liu was happy to let him manage it himself.
Mrs. Bai also wished for her own son to be as considerate.
Mr. Bai had no objection and nodded perfunctorily, "As you wish."
So the next day, Bai Erlang welcomed the first spring of his life, and to his surprise, his mother returned all the New Year's money he had received this year.
Bai Erlang hugged the box, unable to contain his excitement, then embraced his mother before running off with it. Mrs. Bai, who had many things to say to him, was unable to stop him.
Oh well, let's talk when he comes back to play.
Was Bai Erlang's New Year's money a lot?
It must be a lot, at least more than Bai Shanbao.
In Luojiang County, he had not only his maternal family but also many friends of his father. During the New Year visit, he received a lot of New Year's money.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai would also give him New Year's money, although it had to be collected back after being given out. However, now all that money was in his hands.
Although there was nowhere to spend money in the village, Bai Erlang still excitedly grabbed a handful of coins.
He wanted to show off to his little friends, especially to Bai Shanbao and Manbao, those two underprivileged children.
In his eyes, Bai Shanbao and Manbao were considered poor kids; after all, they had to dig snow herb in the summer and sell ginger in the autumn.
Not far from the school, Bai Erlang emptied his purse to show Bai Shanbao and Manbao the money, boasting, "Do you have money like this?"
Manbao was not envious at all and said, "I do too."
She collected all her New Year's money by herself. Apart from the five very attractive gold coins, the rest were all copper coins, which amounted to a substantial sum.
Every married person in the village, whether older or of the same generation, would give her a penny for New Year's, including the one from her family and the one she received from her uncle's house.
Manbao also took out the money bag from her bag. Without having to pour it out, just shaking the container would reveal that she had more money than Bai Erlang brought. ###
Only Bai Shanbao, who didn't bring any money with her, looked silently at the two of them…
Bai Erlang was not convinced and said, "I also have silver, wait, I'll bring my money box."
With that, he turned and ran.
Bai Shanbao also said, "I have money too."
He wanted to drag Manbao back to his house and said to Bai Erlang, "Bring your money box to my house to compare."
Manbao immediately stopped him, "Host, you can't take the money box out like this." "Your bag can't fit the money box."
So she couldn't pretend to take the money box out of her bag. Bai Erlang might have been a fool, but Bai Shanbao wasn't.
Manbao shook off Bai Shanbao's hand and ran back to her house. "Wait, I'll go back and get the money box."
The five gold coins that Manbao received last year were not swindled away by Lao Zhoutou in the end. She truly cherished these five attractive gold coins, and even her mother was unwilling to part with them, let alone her father.
Manbao ran back to her room, took the money box from Keke, climbed up to take down the five attractive gold coins hanging by the bedside, and then ran out.
So, the three children gathered in Bai Shanbao's study, pushed their money boxes forward, and started competing for wealth!