The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 2034 - 2009: New Year’s Celebration II

Old Zhou’s words at the village entrance soon reached Ms. Feng’s ears. She immediately went to look for Ms. Qian. "Mother, is Manbao really matchmaking for Erya? With whom?"

Ms. Qian: "...Nothing is certain yet, there’s no rush."

"Erya is already that age. Isn’t it urgent? Girls her age in the village are already mothers of two children."

Ms. Qian didn’t stop her work and continued kneading the dough. "What’s there to worry about? Even Liulang married late, but he still got a good match, didn’t he? If one is capable, even being late won’t prevent a good marriage."

Ms. Feng pondered, feeling that her mother-in-law was right, but... she hadn’t seen her daughter in two years and wondered how she was doing.

Ms. Feng couldn’t help asking, "Mother, are you and father going to the capital after the New Year?"

Ms. Qian thought for a moment and said, "No rush. If there are many things to do at home, we won’t go."

Ms. Feng really wanted them to go. Even if she couldn’t accompany them, their presence would provide some oversight for the children a bit. Both Second Son and Erya are in the capital, and they’re not young anymore, they should be considering marriage.

Ms. Qian comforted her daughter-in-law and turned to Zhou Sanlang, who was repairing farming tools. "Sanlang, it’s getting late. Go call your father back."

This task was usually done by the children at home, but now since they weren’t around, Zhou Sanlang had to put aside his work to call his father.

Old Zhou was called back reluctantly, as were the villagers. A few of his close friends followed him home and continued chatting outside the Zhou Family’s courtyard for quite some time before dispersing.

Now, the Zhou Family was quite prestigious in Qili Village, and their relations appeared better than ever.

This wasn’t just because Manbao had become an official and was the most successful person from Qili Village, but also because of the Zhou Family’s influence on Qili Village.

Many families in the village were now planting medicinal herbs like yam, ginger, and privet, all in several acres. Once harvested, some were sold by Zhou ErLang to the county, prefecture, and neighboring counties; the rest Zhou SiLang sold to farther places.

In the past two years, they earned a lot of money from this, so during Zhou SiLang’s return this time, four families in the village bought the dozen or so cattle he brought along.

The rest were sold to several nearby villages.

Because they were fellow villagers, Old Zhou decided to lower the price a bit. Each cow was sold for about a hundred wen less than at the county cattle market.

Old Zhou made the decision with a bit of heartache, but he told his sons, "This is the root of our family. You do business outside, and Manbao is an official in the capital, but no matter where we go, we’ll return here eventually. So we should share benefits with the villagers. Most of you brothers are now out there, and when the villagers build houses, marry wives, or send off elders, you can’t help, so you have to repay them in other ways."

Zhou ErLang and the others nodded in agreement.

Old Zhou then turned his words, "But don’t give too much either; the family’s money is earned through your hard work, and doing business out there is risky."

Ms. Qian added, "Giving too much in good times can create resentment. Even when taking your cousins along, be mindful of what’s appropriate, giving when necessary but not overindulging them, else good people might get spoiled by your generosity."

This time, Zhou SiLang intended to take two cousins from the Qian Family with him, mainly to go in and out of the grasslands. Many things still required trustworthy people. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They hadn’t escaped danger altogether in the past. Last time, due to a shortage of manpower, they hired two more cars and just as danger approached, those hired hands ran away, taking some of their goods.

However, the three sons and the people under Xiang Mingxue’s command remained steadfast, so Zhou SiLang felt that it’s better to use their people.

Zhou ErLang was now in charge of the herbal business in the nearby counties and the prefecture. Each time he went out, he hired young and strong people from the village and his uncle’s family, but he was only busy during the autumn and winter, as those were the times their herbs were harvested.

Because of these, the Zhou Family now held a lot of respect in the village. Even the village head liked to come to Zhou ErLang for discussions.

Of course, after Old Zhou returned, the village head came to him for advice.

This time, the village head discussed with Old Zhou whether to offer a pig’s head to the ancestors for this year’s ancestral worship.

Qili Village was poor in the past. During ancestral worship, they had chicken, meat, and fish, but rarely offered a pig’s head, as they were too expensive.

The last time they offered a pig’s head to the ancestors was when they heard that Manbao had become an official, and the village celebrated on its own.

The time before that was because Zhou Yin’s injustice was redressed, and he was posthumously awarded as Prefect of Mianzhou...

The village head brought this up to consult Old Zhou and hoped he would contribute financially, not all, but a significant portion.

This had become an unspoken rule in the village: the more affluent a family, the more they should contribute, as the ancestors were believed to bestow blessings.

In the past, the Zhou Family always contributed a fair share, neither too much nor too little, falling in the middle group.

But Old Zhou was not stingy about this; he agreed without hesitation. He didn’t need to ask Ms. Qian for money; he took it out himself and said to the village head, "You have to ask the ancestors to bless our family with wealth and prosperity, so that everyone in the family remains safe and healthy."

The village head: ...if he had those abilities, he wouldn’t need to consult anyone. He would have handled all the offerings himself.

However, he said with his mouth, "Rest assured, Uncle Jin, the ancestors will surely bless your family."

Qili Village became very lively, starting from the thirtieth night of the New Year when fireworks were set off, reaching a peak on New Year’s Day during the morning ancestral rites. The sound of fireworks continued until the third day of the New Year, finally dying down a bit.

The capital was also lively, but it was the common folk who celebrated. This year, officials only exchanged simple New Year’s greetings, a bow sufficed, and no official gifts were exchanged, except among relatives.

As for banquets, unless they drank behind closed doors, no one dared to openly celebrate with drinking.

On the eighth day, when the government reopened, seven or eight officials were impeached for having banquets during the mourning period for the emperor, and one was even impeached for taking a concubine during the national mourning.

Thus, during her first court session in the new year, Manbao witnessed the demotion of eight officials. The one who took a concubine was demoted outside the capital, from fifth rank to seventh, and reassigned as the county magistrate of a remote county.

Manbao became a bit more attentive, then felt uncertain. After the court session, she quickly caught up with County Magistrate Tang.

Curious, County Magistrate Tang turned to look at her and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Manbao pulled him aside to a secluded spot and whispered, "I know taking a concubine during the national mourning is a taboo, but what about consummating a marriage?"

County Magistrate Tang’s face twisted a bit, and he whispered back, "As long as nothing fatal happens in the marital chamber, who would investigate such matters?"

"But what if something fatal does happen?"

County Magistrate Tang: ...

He scrutinized Zhou Man up and down and asked softly, "Who came to you with such a request?"