Chapter 6: Mangosteen

Li Xiulan held the child, a look of longing spreading across her face. She smiled and said, "Little sister, your eldest sister-in-law thinks this idea isn't bad either. Honestly, seeing so many ten-thousand-yuan households pop up in the city over the years has made my heart itch with envy. We've spent our whole lives stuck in the countryside, facing the yellow earth and looking up at the sky—truly getting nowhere. If we really can make some money selling vegetables at a stall, then little Tiedan will have better conditions for school in the future."

Liu Guihua saw that everyone agreed, and the worry lines on her face eased considerably. She laughed and said to Old Man Zhou, "Old man, look how spirited the children are. Why don't we let them give it a try?"

Old Man Zhou looked at the eager eyes filling the room and finally broke into a smile.

"Alright! Since you all want to do it, then we'll do it! Dazhu, Erzhu, tomorrow you two go to the backyard and sort out the best-looking vegetables. We'll head to the county town first to test the waters!"

"Yes, Dad!" Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu answered in unison, their faces full of excitement and anticipation.

Just as the Zhou family was happily discussing going to the county town to set up a vegetable stall, a sudden noise came from the main gate of the courtyard.

The wooden fence gate was pushed open forcefully, letting out a dull creak. Then a set of hurried footsteps entered.

Everyone in the Zhou family turned to look toward the yard.

Walking in was a young woman in her early twenties. She wore her hair in two braids, a blue short-sleeved shirt with small floral patterns that had faded slightly from washing but was ironed very clean, and plastic sandals on her feet.

This woman was Zhou Erzhu's wife, Zhang Fangfang.

Zhang Fangfang had packed her bags and gone back to her parents' home two days ago after a few sharp words with Zhou Erzhu. Zhou Erzhu had been worrying about how to bring his wife back these past two days, never expecting she would return on her own today.

Zhang Fangfang carried a mesh bag containing two packets of pastries and a few changes of clothes. As soon as she entered the courtyard and saw the whole family sitting in the main hall, a flash of awkwardness crossed her face, but she still forced out a smile.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back." Zhang Fangfang set the mesh bag on the table, complaining slightly, "The muddy roads were really hard to walk on these past two days. I even got blisters on the soles of my feet."

As soon as Liu Guihua saw her second daughter-in-law return, she said, "Fangfang is back. Quick, sit down and rest for a bit. Erzhu, why are you standing there like an idiot? Go pour your wife a bowl of water!" Liu Guihua slapped Zhou Erzhu on the shoulder, urging him hastily.

Zhou Erzhu gave a silly chuckle, quickly stood up, picked up the aluminum kettle from the table, poured a full bowl of water, and handed it to Zhang Fangfang.

"Wife, you're finally back. How was it staying at your mom's house these past two days? Drink some water quickly; this water is sweet." Zhou Erzhu looked at Zhang Fangfang with a fawning expression.

Zhang Fangfang glanced sideways at Zhou Erzhu, though inside she was no longer angry.

She took the bowl and drank a large mouthful.

The moment the water touched her tongue, Zhang Fangfang froze completely.

She blinked, looked down at the water in the bowl, and asked in disbelief, "Erzhu, did you put sugar in this water? Why is it so sweet? When did our family get so generous that we're willing to sprinkle handfuls of white sugar into the water?"

Zhou Erzhu scratched his head and laughed, "No way, wife, you know our situation. This water was just drawn from the well; there's no sugar in it. I don't know what happened today, but the water just tastes sweet, and drinking it makes my whole body feel comfortable."

Zhang Fangfang didn't quite believe it and gulped down several more mouthfuls. A cool, sweet taste flowed down her throat into her stomach, dissipating much of the fatigue from walking. She felt puzzled but didn't think too much of it, placing the empty bowl on the table and looking at everyone.

"Dad, Mom, what were you whispering about in the room just now? I heard you talking animatedly as soon as I walked in," Zhang Fangfang asked curiously.

Old Man Zhou said, "Fangfang, you came back at just the right time. Our family was just discussing something. Xing'er brought it up, saying we can't just guard these few acres of land every day. We plan to sort out the vegetables in the backyard and take them to the county town to sell at a stall. Selling them ourselves can earn us a few extra coins to supplement the household income."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fangfang immediately furrowed her brows. She turned her head, looking at Zhou Xing'er sitting nearby with some suspicion.

In Zhang Fangfang's mind, this sister-in-law, Zhou Xing'er, had always been delicate and selfish. Normally, she wouldn't even bother picking up a fallen broom at home; how could she suddenly change her tune and think about helping the family earn money?

"Selling vegetables at a stall in the county town?" Zhang Fangfang disagreed, "Dad, Mom, the county town is far away. Besides, there are plenty of people selling vegetables there; will ours even sell? If they don't sell, we'll have wasted time away from the field work—that's just messing around for nothing."

Eldest Young Madam Li Xiulan, holding little Tiedan, gently advised from the side, "Second sister-in-law, little sister has a point. If we wholesale the vegetables cheaply to middlemen, it's only a few cents per jin. If we carry them to the county town to sell ourselves, we can get a few more cents per jin. Plus, everyone agrees. Dazhu and Erzhu are strong; they'll handle carrying the loads, and we can just help out alongside them."

Zhou Erzhu also chimed in, "Yes, wife. I've already talked with Big Brother. Tomorrow we'll go to the backyard to sort the vegetables, and the day after tomorrow, we'll head to the county town early to test the waters. It doesn't require any capital anyway. If we really can make money, won't our family's life be easier in the future?"

Listening to everyone, Zhang Fangfang pondered it for a moment.

She was a shrewd person. Hearing that setting up a stall required no capital, and that the heavy labor of carrying loads would be done by Dazhu and Erzhu, meaning she wouldn't need to do much strenuous work herself, and if they earned money, she as the wife would definitely share in the benefits—thinking this, her reluctance vanished like smoke.

"Alright, since Dad, Mom, Big Brother, and Eldest Sister-in-law all agree, then I certainly have no objections." A smile appeared on Zhang Fangfang's face as she looked at Zhou Xing'er, "Little sister, you're really sensible this time, thinking about the family. As long as this business makes money, Second Sister-in-law will definitely join in."

Zhou Xing'er knew the original host's second sister-in-law's personality: a bit scheming, but not a bad person.

She curved her beautiful peach-blossom eyes and smiled, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry. Our family's vegetables grow well. As long as we're willing to endure hardship, we'll definitely make money. Then each member of our family can get a share and have a good New Year."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Upon hearing about sharing the money, Zhang Fangfang was so happy she couldn't close her mouth.

That night, Zhou Xing'er lay in her simple little room.

It was somewhat muggy inside. Outside the window, clear chirps of insects occasionally sounded. Lying on the hard wooden plank bed, Zhou Xing'er felt her whole body groggy, her head heavy as if filled with lead.

She had originally planned to map out the route for setting up the stall in the county town, but her eyelids grew incredibly heavy, refusing to stay open. Before long, she completely lost consciousness and fell into a dream.

After who knows how long, Zhou Xing'er felt the darkness before her gradually fade, replaced by a vast expanse of white mist.

She walked through the mist in a daze. As she walked, the sound of rushing water suddenly reached her ears.

Following the sound, Zhou Xing'er moved forward and found the mist before her dispersing.

Here lay a wide, clear river. The water was green like a massive piece of jade, shimmering with soft golden light under the sun. Various colorful small flowers bloomed along the banks, emitting a faint fragrance.

Curious, Zhou Xing'er stood by the riverbank.

At that moment, she saw a small object upstream slowly drifting downstream with the current.

Squinting to look closely, she realized it was actually a round little wooden basin.

The small wooden basin drifted leisurely toward her along the gentle river. Zhou Xing'er felt extremely strange—how could there be a wooden basin in such a remote wild river?

Unable to resist, she stepped forward a few paces onto the shallow bank where the water barely covered her feet.

As if possessed of spirit, the small wooden basin wobbled directly to her front, finally bumping lightly against her ankle and stopping.

Zhou Xing'er lowered her head to look into the basin, and the entire world seemed to stop.

Inside the basin lay a snow-white, soft blanket, and upon it rested a plump, fair-skinned baby!