Chapter 277 - 277 266 Innermost Thoughts

Words : 1506 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

277: Chapter 266: Innermost Thoughts 277: Chapter 266: Innermost Thoughts Manbao blinked her eyes. The Liu family village? Wasn’t that her former brother-in-law’s village? Zhou Xi’s lips curved, unable to suppress the smile on her face as she said, “She went back to her parents’ home a few days ago and saw a lively scene. It was Liu Dalang, his son turned one, and during the birthday celebration, the villagers came to watch and found that the child didn’t resemble him much, but looked a lot like someone from the neighboring village, Da Ma Village. Someone from Liu family village who is familiar with that person recognized it immediately.” Manbao was not young anymore and, of course, caught the implications of those words. Not to mention, she’d heard similar remarks quite often. For example, when she was younger and visited her uncle’s home for New Year, or when guests at Qian Family’s house saw her on the street, they liked to pinch her face and then laugh, “This child is so cute, so fair and round, we really don’t know whom she resembles.” At that time, Manbao was still young and would proudly claim to resemble her mother. But those people would laugh ‘hahaha’ and then say, “Your mother has an oval face, and your father’s is square, you resemble neither.” At the time, Manbao felt somewhat displeased inside, but felt marginally better when someone remarked that her eyes were a bit like her father’s. As she grew older, she was under the care of Silang, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Brother. The eyes of the four siblings resembled each other’s, in fact, the eyes of all the Zhou siblings looked alike, with Manbao and Zhou SiLang’s eyes being the most similar. That’s how Manbao finally escaped from that strange atmosphere. So the moment Zhou Xi mentioned this, she reacted, “The child is not my former brother-in-law’s?” Zhou Xi was rather restrained, not bursting out laughing, but happiness still radiated from her face as she nodded and said, “Not his, the entire Liu family village knows now.” So she was very happy. That’s why she decided not only to make new clothes for Manbao, but also to buy more meat and bones to bring home for the family to nourish themselves. Her lips curled up as she said, “Manbao, the things your elder sister tells you, you mustn’t tell anyone else.” Manbao nodded vehemently, “I won’t say anything, I’m very good at keeping secrets.” Zhou Xi naturally trusted her, cheerfully adding, “Hearing this news made me as happy as if I’d been working in the fields under the sun for three hours and then drank a bowl of ice water from the well and enjoyed a breeze coming over the mountains.” Manbao replied, “Like having an ice cube.” Zhou Xi was momentarily stunned, then laughed and asked, “I’ve never had ice before, but you have?” “Yes,” Manbao said, “I had it at Shanbao’s home, cheese made with ice, and also red bean sweets carved from ice, all so delicious.” Zhou Xi hadn’t expected her youngest sister to have really tried ice. She subconsciously touched her stomach, hesitantly asking, “Ice is cold, right? Eating something so cold, didn’t it upset your stomach?” They all knew that their youngest sister had a weak stomach, although she had been careful with it for years... Looking dejected, Manbao said, “Auntie Zheng wouldn’t let us eat much, just a small bowl each time.” It really was a small bowl, barely enough for just a few bites between the two kids. Because it was so scarce, they were both reluctant to eat it, savouring it slowly, and due to their pacing, they avoided any stomach problems. Relieved, Zhou Xi’s spirits lifted again, “Right, it should be as joyous as eating ice on a day like today.” It’s been nearly two years since Zhou Xi returned home. Every now and then, a matchmaker would come knocking, but she had no intention of leaving the house. The proposals were all unsatisfactory, even after word spread from Ms.Qian that her illness had been cured and her health restored. Old Zhou originally wanted to marry off his eldest daughter urgently, but she’d been back for almost two years now, and he’d grown accustomed to having her at home. Seeing her not in a hurry, he too eased up on the urgency. Mainly because the suitors brought by the matchmakers were too inferior, even he couldn’t accept them, let alone Ms.Qian and his daughter. If the Zhou Family had not constructed the adjacent house, Old Zhou would certainly be anxious, because the entire family crammed together would make living quarters uncomfortable, surely causing him irritation. But now, each son and daughter had their own room, and even the grandchildren had separate shared bedrooms. The house could accommodate a few more births without issue—he had no worries left. Plus, Zhou Xi was still a competent worker. Whatever Junior Ms.Qian and the others did at home, she would do the same. During the busy farming season, she worked the fields with the family, and in the off-season, she could tend the vegetable garden and handle household affairs. When autumn came, she had her own bit of ginger crop to harvest. Last year’s ginger income made Old Zhou more accommodating toward her. If Zhou Xi could earn such an income every year, aside from what was due to the public fund, she could save the rest. With room and board at home, she would be able to save a significant amount of money. What about after saving for ten or twenty years? Fretting day and night about his daughter not wanting to marry, his wife constantly advising him to consider his daughter’s feelings—that a forced union is not sweet—and his youngest daughter warning that unhappiness for her elder sister meant an unhappy marriage, Old Zhou’s eagerness to marry her off diminished. Since his eldest daughter came back, Silang was able to win over someone as good as Ms.Fang, and Fifth and Sixth would have even less trouble. Therefore, his eldest daughter’s return had minimal impact on the matrimonial prospects of the other children in the family. In light of this, it’s fine if she remains unmarried. When they get a bit older, they would figure out how to start a ‘female household’ for her or she could just rely on her brothers to get by. The room she currently lived in would be hers, and even after the Zhou brothers divided the inheritance, no one would be able to drive her out. As for his biggest worry—care in old age—Old Zhou had thought it through. If his daughter could continue selling ginger and save for twenty or thirty years, she could simply announce that whoever took care of her would be compensated. He couldn’t believe that of Zhou Jin’s many grandchildren, none would be tempted then. How long can one live when they reach the age of needing care? A year, or three years? At most, perhaps five years. Spending twenty years’ worth of savings for five years of filial piety was more than enough. Naturally, Old Zhou’s thoughts were not just idle musings; he had discussed them with Ms.Qian, who in turn conveyed them to Zhou Xi, advising her to spend more sparingly. On clothes, decorative accessories, and the like—don’t buy if not necessary. And to refrain from buying things for the family all the time. She should also be stricter with her brothers; anyone borrowing money must go through them first. With their backing, no brother would dare default on repayment... And as for things like meat and sweets, buy less of them. Save the money—that’s her livelihood for the future. Ms.Qian had already spoken to Zhou Xi about this in the spring. But Zhou Xi wasn’t overjoyed because she felt that her parents hadn’t really let go, and even though her current living situation was good, no one had confidence in her future. Zhou Xi felt pain in her heart. There was both perplexity about the future and guilt toward her parents. She was already this old, yet still a cause of worry for them. Thus, there were some things she couldn’t discuss with her parents or with her sisters-in-law and younger siblings, let alone her brothers. Therefore, she could only talk to Manbao—who else could she confide in when the Zhou household had only two daughters? On hearing about Liu Dalang being cuckolded and unwittingly raising another’s son, she felt a wave of gleefulness that washed away all her subdued frustrations. As she talked about her delight, Zhou Xi hugged Manbao and burst into hearty laughter. Ms.Feng had just finished bathing the remaining children when she heard the laughter and turned her head to glance at Zhou Xi’s room, curiously asking Zhou Erlang, “What’s with the elder sister? Why is she so happy?”

Chapter 277 - 277 266 Innermost Thoughts

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