Chapter 351 - 351 340

Words : 1415 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

351: 340 351: 340 Ms. Qian tore off the last piece of pancake she had in her hand, stuffed it into her mouth, chewed slowly, and then swallowed before looking up at Junior Ms.Qian. The family stared in disbelief. Old Zhou had returned at some point and was now sitting on the side with his mouth agape, watching his wife as she looked at the eldest daughter-in-law. He touched his smoking pipe and finally said, “Eldest daughter-in-law, go and cook. We’ll have pancakes tonight. Make a few extra.” Junior Ms.Qian closed her mouth, “Alright,” she responded, and turned to head to the kitchen. The remaining three daughters-in-law saw this and immediately followed suit. The room was suddenly left with only the Zhous, including the eloquent Mr.Zhou Si. Old Zhou turned to his wife and asked, “What’s wrong with you?” Ms. Qian had eaten three pancakes because her stomach had suffered from hunger before, which is why she always chewed her food slowly through the years. This time with the pancakes, she chewed them into fine pieces before swallowing, but the speed of her eating accelerated considerably. The sight had startled the entire Zhou family. Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, Ms. Qian did not answer Old Zhou but instead turned her head and ordered Zhou Xi, “Go to the kitchen and fetch some hot water, I’ll take a bath first.” The weather was beginning to turn cold. Water was hard to carry, and firewood was becoming precious, so the family didn’t bathe every day. Moreover, Ms. Qian got sick easily and bathed even less frequently. Zhou Xi hesitated before heading to the kitchen. Ms. Qian, supporting herself with Manbao’s hand, got up and tightly clutched her arm, saying, “Come, help mother back to the room to find some clothes.” Manbao, using the “observing” skills she had learned for half a year, confirmed that her mother’s complexion indeed seemed to improve, appearing a bit rosier; thus, she eagerly helped her enter the room. Old Zhou, not getting an answer, wasn’t gloomy. He waved his hand towards his children and grandchildren, “Alright, go about your business.” Everyone promptly dispersed. Not long after, Zhou Dalang came over, pulling out a handful of coins from his pocket, “The Bai Family has paid the wages; there’s no need to go there tomorrow.” Zhou Erlang also came over, holding out a bamboo box, “This is the money from selling things today...” Zhou Silang and the others came up as well, “Father, this is our contribution to the community fund...” Ms. Qian, who was being assisted to her room by Manbao, heard the voices in the main room and then asked in a low voice, “Manbao, was what you gave me medicine?” Manbao nodded vigorously. Ms. Qian asked, “Was it expensive?” “Yes, very expensive.” “How much?” “I can’t tell you.” Ms. Qian then changed the subject, “What’s the name of the friend who sold it to you, and where does he live?” Manbao continued to shake her head. Ms. Qian then touched her head and smiled, “Is he the one who sold you the candy?” Manbao nodded, “Yes.” Ms. Qian didn’t ask further, instead she said, “Do you still have some candy? Give some to mother.” Manbao took out a large handful of sweets from her pocket and gave them to Ms. Qian. Looking at her pocket, Ms. Qian took the candy and placed it on the bed, and put the clothes she had found into her arms, “Come, help mother to bathe.” After bathing and feeling refreshed, Ms. Qian emerged just as Junior Ms.Qian had nearly finished preparing the evening meal. Although they were having pancakes, there were also plenty of dishes cooked. Despite having already eaten three pancakes, Ms. Qian still felt a bit hungry. She sat down with them for the evening meal, restraining herself to just two more. This prompted curious glances from everyone except Manbao. Without changing her expression, Ms. Qian put down her bowl and chopsticks and then said to Junior Ms.Qian, “Find a prettier basket and place eighteen eggs in it for me; I am going to visit Mr. Zhuang later.” Old Zhou immediately looked at Manbao, “Did Manbao get into trouble?” Ms. Qian gave him a sideways glance and responded, “Nonsense, Manbao is well-behaved. I remembered that the gift we sent for Double Ninth was too modest, and now that our family situation has improved, I want to give Mr. Zhuang an additional gift.” Old Zhou felt a bit downcast, “But what reason should we use?” Even though the gift was for Mr. Zhuang, Old Zhou still felt the pain of giving away something without getting anything in return. Ms. Qian said indifferently, “Manbao’s birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it? Seven years old is a significant milestone. It’s appropriate to give her teacher a gift.” Old Zhou didn’t understand why turning seven was a milestone for Manbao or why they should give a gift to her teacher for her birthday; wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? However, seeing his wife’s serene demeanor, as if this were common knowledge, Old Zhou doubted his own ignorance and thus didn’t press for further explanation. If Old Zhou behaved this way, his sons and daughters-in-law were even more accustomed to taking orders from Ms. Qian. They subconsciously felt this must be a custom they were unaware of. Ms.Fang was especially keen on taking note, thinking to herself that she had much to learn from her mother-in-law. She touched her belly, knowing that when her own children were born, she couldn’t afford to get these rules wrong. Junior Ms.Qian found a nicer-looking basket and placed eighteen eggs in it for her. Ms. Qian also put the candies Manbao had just given her on top, easily visible. This time, Ms. Qian didn’t ask Zhou Dalang to accompany her and went to the schoolhouse carrying the basket herself. Mr. Zhuang lived alone, and the Bai Family would send him meals every morning and evening. In the past two years, Old Master Bai and Mr. Zhuang had grown closer, and Old Master Bai would invite Mr. Zhuang over to the mansion for meals, drinks, and conversation on two out of every three days. In this remote little mountain village, Mr. Zhuang found Old Master Bai to be the only person he could have a meaningful conversation with. When Ms. Qian arrived at the schoolhouse, Mr. Zhuang was just about to close up and go to the Bai Family. He saw her and hastily invited her in. The yard gate was wide open; Mr. Zhuang invited Ms. Qian to sit down on a stone bench in the courtyard. He had a very clear memory of the mother of his little disciple, clearer even than his memory of Old Zhou. He thought that for the Zhou family to raise such a group of children, Ms. Qian’s role was far greater than Old Zhou’s. He personally had great respect for such a mother. Ms. Qian humbly saluted Mr. Zhuang and pushed the basket over to him, expressing her gratitude for his instruction of Manbao. She smiled and said, “As you know, sir, my Manbao has been frail since childhood. Although she followed her brothers and sisters in receiving her name, it has not yet been recorded in the household register, only as a ‘little miss’.” Mr. Zhuang nodded, indicating that he understood. Many families had this practice for their daughters, listing only the birth order in the household register without a proper name. “But she will soon turn seven, which is a milestone, and over the past two years her health has improved. She has also been learning characters with you, sir. Simply being known by her birth order seems inappropriate. So, I was thinking about recording her name. However, I’m not sure if you think the name Zhou Man is fitting. If not, sir, I’d request that you give her a better one.” Mr. Zhuang hadn’t expected the matter to be about this. He laughed and said, “The name is very good. A name is bestowed by parents and contains their hopes for the child. I believe Manbao likes her name as well. In the future, when she grows older, I can give her a courtesy name.”

Chapter 351 - 351 340

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