Heart Matters
Zhou Xi's lips curled up, unable to suppress the smile on her face as she said, "She went back to her parents' house a few days ago and witnessed a lively scene." It was Liu Dalang, whose son had just turned one year old. When the villagers came to see the child for the "Zhuazhou" tradition, they noticed that the child looked nothing like them but rather resembled someone from the nearby Dama village. Since some villagers from Liu's village were familiar with that person, they immediately recognized the resemblance.
Man Bao, being older, naturally understood the meaning of these words.
In fact, she had heard similar things before.
For instance, when she was younger and went to visit her uncle during the New Year, or when she encountered people from the Qian family on the road, they would often pinch her cheeks and say, "This child is so cute, so fair and round. I wonder who she looks like."
At the time, Man Bao was naturally proud and would say she looked like her mother.
But they would just laugh and say, "Your mother has an oval face, and your father's face is square." "You don't look like either of them."
Man Bao was a little upset at the time, but when someone mentioned that her eyes resembled her father's, she felt a little better.
As she grew older and was accompanied by her fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers, their siblings all had similar eyes. Man Bao and Zhou Silarong bore the closest resemblance in their eyes.
Only then did Man Bao escape from the strange atmosphere.
Upon Zhou Xi's mention, she immediately understood, "The child does not belong to her former sister-in-law?"
Zhou Xi managed to restrain herself and didn't laugh out loud, but her face still exuded joy as she nodded and said, "No, the entire Liu family village knows about it."
This made her very happy.
So, she decided not only to make new clothes for Man Bao but also to buy more meat and bones to nourish the family.
She said with a smile, "Man Bao, don't tell anyone what I've just told you."
Man Bao nodded firmly, "I won't." "I'm very good at keeping secrets."
Zhou Xi naturally believed her and said joyfully, "When she heard the news, she worked under the sun in the fields for three hours, drank a bowl of spring water, and felt as happy as if she had just eaten ice."
Man Bao said, "Just like eating ice."
Zhou Xi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, "I have never eaten ice cream." Have you tried it?
"Yes," Man Bao replied. "I've eaten at Shan Bao's house." They made cheese with ice and red bean sugar flowers carved from ice, and they were delicious.
Zhou Xi hadn't expected her younger sister to have actually eaten it and instinctively placed her hand on Man Bao's stomach, hesitantly asking, "Ice is cold, won't eating such cold things be bad for your stomach?"
It should be noted that their youngest sister had a poor digestive system, despite her efforts to care for it over the years.
Man Bao expressed disappointment, "Aunt Zheng only gives us a small bowl each time."
It was indeed a small bowl, just enough for the two of them to eat a few mouthfuls.
Because there was so little food, they were both reluctant to eat quickly and ate slowly, which prevented any issues arising from their slow eating pace.
Zhou Xi breathed a sigh of relief and then became happy again, "Yes, eating ice on a day like that would make anyone happy."
Zhou Xi had been back home for nearly two years, and the matchmakers came to her from time to time, but she showed no interest in leaving home.
Despite the Qian family spreading the word that her illness had been cured and her health restored, it was of no use due to the low quality of the people they introduced.
Lao Zhou was initially anxious to get his eldest daughter married, but she had been back for nearly two years, and he had already gotten used to her being at home. Seeing that she wasn't in a hurry, he wasn't so anxious either.
The main reason was that the people the matchmakers brought were unsuitable, and he didn't like them, let alone Miss Qian and his daughter.
If they hadn't built a house next door, Lao Zhou would have been anxious because the whole family was crammed together, living uncomfortably, which would have made him very upset.
But now, each of his sons and daughters has their own room, and even the grandchildren have separate shared rooms. The addition of a few more children wouldn't pose any problem for their household, so he had nothing to worry about.
And Zhou Xi's labor was still valuable.
She did whatever the Qian family needed her to do.
During the busy farming seasons, she worked in the fields with her family, and during the off-season, she took care of the vegetable garden and household chores. In the autumn, she also had her own income from a patch of ginger.
It was precisely last year's earnings from growing ginger that made Lao Zhou more tolerant of her.
If Zhou Xi could generate this kind of income every year, apart from her contributions to the collective, the rest would be her own. With her accommodation and meals provided by her family, she could save a lot of money.
And what about the money accumulated over ten or twenty years?
The eldest daughter always expressed her reluctance to get married, and her mother kept advising her to consider her feelings. A forced marriage wouldn't be a happy one. The younger daughter also expressed that if the eldest sister was not happy, it would not be good for her to get married. As a result, Lao Zhou's desire to marry off his eldest daughter had faded.
When the eldest daughter returned home and accepted someone with conditions as good as those of the Feng family, it would be even easier for the fifth and sixth children.
So, the eldest daughter's return home didn't have much impact on the marriages of the younger children. Therefore, if she didn't want to get married, she didn't have to.
As they grew older, they could either establish a household for themselves or rely on her brothers to guide their lives.
The room she was currently living in was given to her, and after the six brothers in the Zhou family had divided the property, no one could kick her out.
As for his biggest concern in old age, Lao Zhou had already made up his mind. If his daughter continued to sell ginger consistently, saving up for 20 or 30 years, she could ensure that whoever took care of her would be compensated.
He didn't believe that Zhou Jin, with so many grandsons, wouldn't be tempted by this in the future.
When a person requires care, how much longer can they live? One year, or three years?
At most five years.
Eating the fruit of his labor for 20 years in five years of filial piety would be enough.
Of course, Lao Zhou's thoughts were not merely idle musings. He had discussed it with Qian, who relayed the message to Zhou Xi, asking her to be frugal in her daily life.
She didn't need to buy unnecessary items like clothes or accessories, and she shouldn't always purchase things for her family. She should also be more frugal with her brothers, who would need to ask her for money first. With a bit of money from her, they wouldn't dare not to pay it back.
When it comes to meat and snacks, she should purchase only the essentials, save money, and turn them into her source of income. Qian had already said this to Zhou Xi in the spring.
But Zhou Xi didn't feel happy about it, as she could sense that her parents were not very confident. Although her current life was good, no one had faith in her future.
Zhou Xi didn't feel good about this. She felt lost about her future and guilty toward her parents. At her age, she didn't want them to worry about her.
There were some things she couldn't bring herself to tell her parents, let alone her sister-in-law and siblings, let alone her brothers.
So she could only confide in Man Bao, as it was unfair that the old Zhou household only had two daughters.
When she heard that Liu Dalang had been cuckolded and had raised another man's son, she was so ecstatic that she felt all her grievances evaporate.
Zhou Xi burst out laughing while holding Man Bao, expressing her happiness.
Feng had just finished bathing the remaining children when he heard laughter. She turned her head and glanced at Zhou Xi's room, looking curious. Then she turned to Zhou Erlang and asked, "Why is the eldest sister so happy?"