Chapter 191 - 191 180

Words : 1375 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

191: 180 191: 180 Ms. Qian finally agreed. Manbao happily led Zhou Silang by the hand as they left the house, but before they went out, Ms. Qian arranged their destination for them, “Since you’re going into the mountains, you might as well check out the share of land that’s yours and also pick up some firewood on the way.” Then she said to Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang who were trying to sneak out to play, “You two go together. We’re running low on firewood at home, so make sure to gather a good amount to bring back.” Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang hung their heads in agreement. As soon as they were out the door, they complained to Manbao, “Why bother heading into the mountains on such a cold day? Look, now we have to go collect firewood because of you.” “I even had plans to catch sparrows.” Manbao defended herself with pride, “I am on an important mission here, and besides, there are so many fun things in the mountains.” “Isn’t it just plucking flowers and grass? Next time we go to the mountains, we’ll pick some for you. Can’t we skip it just for today?” “No, we must go!” Manbao, who had just been shown a blueprint by Keke, was full of ambition. How could she possibly miss this? The three Zhou brothers could only sigh and continue to lead Manbao out of the village toward the distant mountains. This place they were visiting was somewhere Manbao had never been before. It was Zhou Silang’s allocated share of land. Though it was called ‘land’, it was actually a forest mixed with a barren wasteland. Each person had forty mu of these allotments. The Chief and the village head were fair, distributing the land starting from the mountains near the village. By the time it was Zhou Silang’s turn, the mountains close to the village were almost all allocated, so his share was a bit farther away, about a half-hour’s walk, nearly reaching the borders of another village. This division was rough and not measured in detail. There wasn’t much else in their area, just small hills. The mountains were filled with miscellaneous trees and weeds. They claimed it was forty mu, but it was actually just the village elders estimating and then drawing a circle with their hands saying, “This is forty mu.” So, everyone would mark the area by planting a wooden stake here and there, and that would be the set boundary. Anyway, these mountains weren’t really useful for anything; when someone died, it would just revert back to the state. But when Zhou Silang stretched out his hand and drew a circle, telling Manbao that this whole mountain was his, she couldn’t help but stare in envy, exclaiming in awe, “Silang, you’re so amazing! Silang, you have so much land!” Since this was something every adult male in the village possessed, Zhou Silang didn’t originally find it something to take pride in. However, now that his sister admired him with such adoration, he couldn’t help but puff out his chest with pride and say, “Of course!” Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang chimed in, “We’ll have ours too when we grow up.” Manbao asked, “What about me?” Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang turned their heads to look at Zhou Silang, who scratched his head and said, “I’ve never heard of girls having one.” Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang thought it over seriously and nodded, “It seems our eldest sister doesn’t have one either.” Manbao pouted, “Why don’t girls have one?” The three Zhou brothers spread their hands. They didn’t make the rules—how would they know? However, now wasn’t the time to discuss this matter. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, they began to search for dry firewood. Despite it being winter, the mountain still had its share of greenery. Zhou Silang casually plucked a green blade of grass and asked Manbao, “Do you want this?” Knowing that he was teasing her, Manbao humphed at him and proceeded to walk further inside, steadying herself against trees. Keke also diligently scanned their surroundings, ensuring they didn’t miss any potentially point-yielding organisms. The mountain was considered barren, with its trees growing haphazardly and many plants bearing thorns. They avoided denser areas and instead chose places where the trees were sparser, and the paths easier to walk. When Zhou Wulang and the others saw dried branches scattered on the ground, they lazed through collecting and bundling them up. Manbao finally found her source of fun, scouring around for firewood and dragging any finds back to her brothers, bursting with joy. The Zhou brothers couldn’t fathom her happiness, dragging firewood while grumbling, “Instead of staying in our cozy home, she’d rather come out to the mountain to catch a cold. There are neither flowers nor fruits here; what’s so entertaining?” Keke had already located a nearly extinct plant. Following his directions, Manbao went to dig it up and looked up to say, “Silang, this is your mountain. Isn’t it good to come and check on it?” “Whether I check on it or not, it’s still here, isn’t it?” said Zhou Silang, “It’s not like it’s going to run away.” “But you should still come and have a look and think about what you could use this mountain for in the future.” Zhou Silang frowned in distaste, “This mountain is so far from home, what good is it? Let it be. If you get married in the future, though, you could pick one or two presentable trees from here for your dowry.” Zhou Wulang looked at the bent and twisted trees with disdain, “Come on, these are just miscellaneous trees, how could they possibly make up your dowry? Dad has already planted several good trees on his own mountain. As soon as you discuss marriage, they can be cut down.” Old Zhou’s mountain was at the edge of the village, even Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang’s mountains were not far. Manbao knew them well since she often visited. Unlike Zhou Silang’s land, filled with wild grass and trees, Old Zhou’s mountain was much better managed. He cleared the wasteland at the foot of the mountain to plant hemp, and on the flatter parts of the mountain, he had planted quite a few trees. Last year, when the Bai Family was building a house, they sold a few trees and replanted afterward. This year, because of the construction, they had cut down the remaining mature trees, and Old Zhou was planning to buy more saplings in the spring to plant. He felt he’d live for a good while longer—ten or twenty years was enough time for trees to grow to maturity. By then, whether his grandsons needed to build houses or his granddaughters needed dowries, they could cut another batch from his mountain. Zhou Dalang and the others managed their mountains the same way. Essentially, every family in the village did this; the allotted lands were used just for planting trees or hemp. Zhou Erlang was somewhat different, as his mountain had many bamboo trees. Instead, he mainly planted bamboo and used it for his bamboo weaving business. As a result, the trees Zhou Erlang planted for Second Son and Erya were not on his own mountain, but on Zhou Dalang and Zhou Sanlang’s mountains. The practice of planting trees for one’s children on a sibling’s mountain wasn’t rare in the village. Essentially, as long as the brothers didn’t have a falling out, there wouldn’t be conflicts in the future. Zhou Silang himself planned the same, “My mountain is too far from home. I’ve planned it out; when my wife gets pregnant, I’ll speak to Third Brother and plan to plant the trees for our child on his mountain.” Zhou Wulang looked at him with contempt, “Silang, first you need to find a wife.” Zhou Silang bared his teeth at him, “Just you wait, it won’t be long before I find one. Besides, if I can’t find one, you definitely won’t be able to get a wife either.”

Chapter 191 - 191 180

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