A Bet
Bái Èrláng hesitated for a moment but still insisted, "You are talking nonsense. Tanning for a short while won't make me dark." I often go out to play with my classmates under the sun, and I don't get very tan.
This was true. However, Mǎnbǎo scratched her head, looking at his sunburnt face, and ultimately chose to believe Kēkē over him.
She remembered a time vividly when she went out to play, felt dizzy from the sun, and thought she had a fever. Kēkē told her that she had heatstroke. With a red face from sunburn, she was certain to tan the next day and become even darker over time.
Getting sunburned was just the second step to achieving a darker skin tone.
After getting a bit darker, she held onto this conclusion. Looking at Bái Èrláng's flushed face, she confidently stated, "You will definitely tan tomorrow." "I dare you to bet me."
"What should we bet on?"
Mǎnbǎo blurted out, "Bet on your Chinese zodiac animals."
Bái Shànbǎo glanced at her and knew she had planned this for a while.
Due to continuous heavy rain, Bái Èrláng's older brother Bái Dàláng had to return to the village. Upon his return, he brought back twelve colored clay sculptures representing the Chinese zodiac signs, beautifully crafted.
Not only Mǎnbǎo, but even Bái Shànbǎo envied them and wanted a set.
Bái Èrláng stared, "You must be out of your mind."
"If I lose, I will give you the box of rare stones I have."
Bái Èrláng hesitated and seemed conflicted.
Bái Èrláng enjoyed collecting beautiful stones; unfortunately, so did Mǎnbǎo and Bái Shànbǎo.
What's even more unfortunate is that Bái Shànbǎo had a sharp eye for finding rare stones. Not only did Mǎnbǎo possess such a talent, but she also had nieces and nephews under her command. With a simple order, she ended up with most of the best-looking stones in and around Qilicun.
The stones were truly exquisite, and Bái Èrláng had long coveted them.
However, he wasn't very willing to trade his beloved Chinese zodiac animals for them.
After some thought, he said, "Can I make a different bet with you?"
"No, I don't like your other toys right now, only your Chinese zodiac animals."
"Then if I don't bet everything, can I bet two, like the snake and the rat?" These two zodiac animals were his least favorite because he was afraid of them. "If you lose, you have to give me two beautiful stones, and I'll choose them myself."
Mǎnbǎo responded, "No, you have to choose my stones." In that case, I'll also choose your zodiac animals. "Since you've already chosen your zodiac animals, I'll choose the stones for the bet."
He would surely pick the ones he liked the least, so she arranged her stones in a specific order and gave him the two least favorite ones.
Bái Èrláng, knowing he couldn't compete with her, said, "Fine, but I need to see those two stones first." "If I find them attractive, then I'll bet."
"Then come to my house later."
They agreed and together went to chase after the adults ahead.
Looking sympathetically at Bái Èrláng, Bái Shànbǎo realized that he had never learned from his past bets with Mǎnbǎo, never once winning.
He just never seemed to learn.
Magistrate Fù stood on a field ridge, bending to pull out a stalk of paddy and feeling the empty husk. He observed the snails on the rice stalks and their plentiful seeds, and couldn't help but sigh, "Why weren't these captured?"
This was Zhou Daggu's land, and almost every field was in such a state due to the heavy rains. Fù knew his choice was right, but he couldn't help but sigh repeatedly. This land near the river was once fertile, but the floods have washed away the fertilizers and good soil.
The rice that should have been lush green now grew in patches, with some barely forming a continuous line.
Given the current circumstances, he could already predict that even with favorable weather conditions in the future, the yield of this once fertile land would be minimal by the time autumn arrives.
Most importantly, the flood washed away the most fertile layer of soil, turning this previously fertile land into infertile terrain. To reclaim it might take five years or even longer.
Previously, Magistrate Fù didn't understand agricultural matters, but after serving as a magistrate for six years, he had acquired some knowledge.
Sighing, he glanced at the dismal farmland and turned to the village head, asking, "Where are the fields in better condition in the village?"
He felt the need to find something that would bring him joy, as persisting in worrying would lead him to despair.
The village head pointed in a direction, "There's a piece further from the riverside and with slightly higher ground; the situation is a bit improved."
Fù and the others went to see.
That piece wasn't a paddy field but dry land. Part of the dry land near the fields was sown with wheat, and further up, beans were planted.
At this moment, the arid land was moist, and the wheat was withering.
The patch where they stood belonged to the village head. Seeing Magistrate Fù's furrowed brow, the head hurriedly explained, "Three days ago, we made an opening to drain water, but as we were releasing water downstream, more water was being released from upstream, so it hasn't dried up yet."
There was still a layer of water in the wheat field, enough to cover the ankles.
Unlike rice, wheat is more drought-resistant and was originally planted in arid regions. Having water wasn't beneficial as it could lead to waterlogging, similar to a person.
Fù nodded, walked up the terrain, and saw that the beans at the top were struggling but okay.
Feeling a bit relieved, he turned around and saw the green wheat swaying with the wind, creating a rustling sound as layer upon layer waved towards him.
Fù was overjoyed. Anyone who has been observing poor crops for an extended period would be delighted by the sight of a well-maintained farm. He asked, "Whose land is this?"
Before Lǎo Zhōu could reply, Mǎnbǎo, standing beside him, eagerly raised her hand and said, "It's my family's land!"
Seeing her proud expression, Fù smiled and asked, "Why is your family's wheat growing so well?"
Mǎnbǎo couldn't possibly know anything about farming. She immediately turned to look at her father.
With a lowered head, Lǎo Zhōu sneaked a glance at her and then stepped forward to answer, "Replying to the magistrate, our land has a slightly higher elevation than others, so it wasn't as severely flooded. Sixteen days ago, we started draining the water, but it was not very effective. While we were draining the water, the rain continued to pour down. As soon as the heavy rains stopped, we opened two additional outlets to release water more quickly. "With the sun out these past few days, it's much better now."
Text: ### Fù pinched a wheat ear, and his eyes lit up, "Not bad." ### "Although it's not full, it's much better than the flooded rice field."
"At least you can feel wheat grains inside."