Chapter 20: Withered
If denied, then so be it – Man Bao resolved to craft her own flower baskets instead. Demanding the system not retract the sample images, she clumsily attempted replicating their designs while adorning her basic woven baskets.
Noticing his little niece mistreating the floral arrangements, Er Ya abandoned her bamboo weaving lessons to rush over worriedly. “Little Niece, what are you doing?”
“Decorating a flower basket,” Man Bao replied simply.
“But you’re ruining all the flowers!”
Blinking slowly, Man Bao decisively discarded the blooms before scooting backwards, gesturing for Er Ya to take over. “Then you do it properly while I instruct you.”
Everyone found this notion laughable – she could barely handle the flowers without demolishing them, yet intended to guide Er Ya instead?
Nevertheless, Man Bao did indeed provide tutelage, deftly compensating for her lack of manual dexterity through a wealth of innovative concepts as she directed Er Ya in twisting the vines and blossoms around the woven basket frame.
Initially reluctant to simply follow her little niece’s directives, Er Ya soon realized that unless she complied, Man Bao would persistently nag and pester until she acquiesced.
Resigning herself, Er Ya figured the wildflowers were expendable at least, with ample replacements available up the mountain if needed. Or they could always forage for supplements along the road tomorrow too.
With that mindset, Er Ya obediently twisted the vines as instructed, gradually shaping the arrangement until she paused in stunned realization – this formerly plain, unsightly basket crafted by their grandmother had transformed into something rather visually striking indeed.
Upon completion, tucking a final sprinkling of blossoms within, Er Ya could only gape speechlessly at the metamorphosed basket her little niece had envisioned.
“Heavens above!” she exclaimed in amazement. “I can’t believe I actually created something so remarkable!”
Clapping her hands gleefully, Man Bao eagerly claimed credit, “But of course, I provided the guidance for you to follow, didn’t I? Though Er Ya, you executed splendidly too – anytime I instructed a certain styling, you delivered it flawlessly.”
Even Old Zhou had noticed this particular flower basket, giving a slight approving nod. “I suppose it does look rather fetching. But such inedible, undrinkable novelties are merely decorative trifles. Who would actually purchase them?”
Though Mrs. Qian also rather admired the piece, she remarked, “If this one doesn’t sell, then no need to bring it. We can just keep this pretty basket at home for Little Niece’s amusement instead.”
Answering with a cheerful affirmative, Er Ya began decorating another unadorned bamboo basket.
As expected, the second attempt flowed far more smoothly as experience settled in. Moreover, Man Bao kept introducing creative variations – adjusting petal placements, experimenting with contrasting color combinations – continuously transforming each basket into an entirely new visually striking design, equally appealing in its own right.
Realizing she would need Er Ya’s assistance for tomorrow’s county town expedition, Man Bao confided, “We’ll definitely need to bring Er Ya along. That way if any of the flower baskets become damaged, she can restore them en route. Fifth and Sixth Brothers wouldn’t know the first thing about properly reassembling the floral arrangements.”
This was her perspective as she voiced her intentions to her father too.
Old Zhou considered it – since their youngest daughter would already be venturing out, including one additional granddaughter posed no real issue.
However, he then recalled that Da Ya was actually older than Er Ya. It made no sense to only permit the younger sister’s participation while excluding the elder. So with a dismissive wave, he decided, “You might as well take both Da Ya and Er Ya along then.”
Unable to contain their excitement, the two girls let out gleeful cheers while Da Tou and Er Tou looked on enviously, pleading with their grandfather, “Grandpa, what about us?”
“You boys stay home and help your Fourth Uncle with clearing those fields, cutting grasses, gathering any stray rocks,” Old Zhou instructed sternly. “With so many mouths accompanying your father and brothers to the county town, they’ll have their hands full just ensuring you’re all fed and hydrated properly without any additional distractions.”
Immediately, Da Tou promised, “We won’t need any food, just drinking water will suffice! And Father won’t need to worry about us, we’ll have Fifth and Sixth Uncles watching over us instead.”
But Old Zhou remained adamant in his refusal. “Absolutely not. It’s an awfully long return journey – without provisions packed, you’d just end up falling ill from hunger, requiring medicine expenditures.”
In unison, the two crestfallen boys turned pleading gazes towards their little niece.
Meeting Man Bao’s eyes sternly, Old Zhou issued his ultimatum.
Recognizing this as a pivotal moment, Man Bao prudently did not attempt pushing her luck further, lest her own traveling privileges be revoked. So she discreetly consoled Da Tou and Er Tou with reassurances, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring candies back to share with you both. If we manage earning money this time, I’ll definitely take you along for the next outing.”
Disappointment written across their faces, the boys could only nod dejectedly. “Okay Little Niece, but you have to keep your word this time.”
“Have I ever broken a promise before?” Man Bao stated confidently.
By the time everyone returned from the fields for the evening meal, Old Zhou and Mrs. Qian had already woven over twenty-five small bamboo baskets between them.
Gleefully, Man Bao insisted on decorating every single piece with elaborate floral adornments, prompting Da Ya to abandon her bamboo weaving lessons to assist Er Ya instead.
Upon noticing her two eldest sons, Man Bao unabashedly recruited them as well, instructing them to continue producing plain bamboo basket frames while she oversaw the decorative process.
Though Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang felt this whole endeavor amounted to wasting time and materials, Man Bao’s insistence coupled with their parents’ active indulgence left them with no choice but to placate their beloved youngest sister’s whims.
Soon enough, Zhou Erlang’s entire stockpile of discarded bamboo scraps had been fully depleted. Surveying the remaining pristine, unused strips longingly, Man Bao turned hopeful eyes towards her second brother’s personal supplies.
But Old Zhou firmly intervened with a stern expression, “Those bamboo strips are your second brother’s unblemished materials, not to be squandered frivolously. Besides, you’ve already accumulated over fifty of these little baskets between you all – surely that’s more than enough now.”
In truth, he would consider it a miracle if she could even sell a single one of them.
Left with no alternative, Man Bao could only abandon her designs on Zhou Erlang’s bamboo stockpile, focusing instead on meticulously guiding Da Ya and Er Ya in artfully arranging each completed basket frame with the lushest floral embellishments.
Naturally, her role centered around providing vocal instructions while the two granddaughters handled the actual manual decorative efforts.
The bountiful wildflowers and grasses they had foraged around midday were soon fully depleted in their arrangements, leaving nearly twenty bare bamboo baskets still awaiting adornment. Waving dismissively, Old Zhou advised, “Alright, that’s enough for now. We can go gather more after the evening meal, there’s still ample daylight remaining before sunset.”
He also reminded them sternly, “But you absolutely must return home before nightfall – I won’t have you getting caught out in the evening dew.”
Everyone answered cheerfully in assent before swiftly finishing their meal and scampering back up the mountainside, with Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang dutifully accompanying them this time.
Eyeing his fourth son’s utterly haggard appearance, Old Zhou rebuked him sharply, “You should go too! With your sister venturing up the mountain, you mean to tell me as her elder brother you have no intention of looking after her?”
Having spent three consecutive days performing the most physically taxing work of clearing new plots, Zhou Silang felt incapable of moving once seated, his body utterly depleted. But this reprimand from his father left him no choice but to sluggishly peel himself off the bench, trudging listlessly after the others.
Watching his sluggish shuffle, Old Zhou’s irritation mounted as he turned to address Zhou Dalang and the others firmly, “From now on, you need to keep a much tighter rein on him. For the next two years, he is absolutely forbidden from accompanying us to the county town. And if I catch him gambling again, I’ll chop off the very hands I gave him!”
Zhou Dalang, Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang all murmured their acknowledgment.
Sighing heavily, Mrs. Qian interjected, “Enough, you’ve had plenty of time to vent your anger about this over all these past days. We really should focus on finding ways to start saving up funds to gradually repay those outstanding debts.”
She suggested to her eldest son, “Elder Son, while at the county town tomorrow, you should inquire about any available labor opportunities too. If you find work, there’s no need to immediately return – you can just directly stay there and let the fifth and sixth brothers escort the children back home instead.”
Frowning skeptically, Zhou Dalang voiced his doubts, “I’m just concerned about the availability of such county work assignments.”
“Even if opportunities prove scarce initially, it’s still worth continuously seeking them out,” Mrs. Qian insisted pragmatically. “We can’t simply sit idly hoping to coast by on our own resources forever. Who knows what conditions next spring will bring? If the weather remains as favorable as this year’s bountiful harvests, then even without managing to save much surplus at least we won’t lack for basic food and clothing necessities. But any drought or flooding could drastically complicate matters.”
Puffing on his pipe stem, Old Zhou tried alleviating her worries, “Have faith – I already consulted Third Paternal Uncle about this very concern. He reassured me that even if conditions aren’t quite as ideal as this year’s, the outlook shouldn’t diverge too severely either.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qian finally exhaled a relieved breath.
Their Third Paternal Uncle, an elderly farmer proficient in studying past seasonal patterns, possessed an almost preternatural ability to forecast meteorological conditions roughly half a year into the future.
Since he had expressed such confidence, it seemed next year’s weather would at least remain relatively stable and amenable for cultivation.
Her mind finally at ease, Mrs. Qian felt thoroughly satisfied – just as Man Bao returned overflowing with armfuls of every wildflower and delicate fern she could gather, convinced tomorrow would undoubtedly prove a wonderful day.
The system simply observed in silence, withholding any dissuading commentary.
Yet when the little girl awoke the next morning and scampered over to inspect her carefully arranged floral baskets by the dim firelight glow, she was dismayed to discover that all the blooms adorning the bottom tier had either wilted or become utterly desiccated overnight.
This is what I understand now in some relationships, Many characters and ways of calling people confuse me haha 🙁
The Zhou family consists of:
- Man Bao (the youngest)
- Zhou Dage (the eldest brother)
- Zhou Erlang (the second brother)
- Zhou Sanlang (the third brother)
- Zhou Silang (the fourth brother)
- Zhou Wulang (the fifth brother)
- Zhou Liulang (the sixth brother)
Zhou Dage is the eldest brother, and Zhou Erlang is the second eldest brother. The use of “Dage” and “Erlang” are honorific titles used to address the eldest and second eldest brothers respectively in this family.
- Da Tou (the eldest nephew)
- Er Tou (the second nephew)
- 三头 (San Tou) (Third nephew)
- Da Ya (the eldest niece)
- Er Ya (the second niece)
- 三丫 (San Ya) (Third niece)
Da Tou is the eldest *nephew*.
Corrected, I missed that, thanks