Chapter 32 Scattering Wealth
While there was still daylight, Man Bao dragged over a bag to pad the ground before pouring out all the copper coins from the cloth bag to count. She also took out the copper coins and silver pieces from her own little pouch.
Everyone’s jaws dropped. Although they knew quite a bit of money was earned, they didn’t expect there to be so much.
Zhou Da Lang and Zhou Er Lang already knew so they weren’t too shocked. But Zhou San Lang and Zhou Si Lang couldn’t help widening their eyes, staring dumbly with their parents at Man Bao squatting on the ground counting money.
Zhou Wu Lang found a string for stringing coins. Then everyone started counting money.
Although Zhou Wu Lang could barely count to one hundred, he would always make mistakes. So he counted in tens, making piles of tens. Then he would count out ten piles which would be one hundred wen.
Man Bao looked down on him very much, making him string coins behind her while she counted.
Da Tou and the others squeezed over to join watching the fun. While following “sixteen, seventeen” with Man Bao, they would secretly try touching the money. Having a lot of money was still nice to touch.
Very quickly, Man Bao calculated the total money.
Including the ten wen deposit from Fu Wen Yun, it was two hundred and seventy wen.
She took out that broken silver corner and had Qian Shi weigh how much it was total.
Qian Shi weighed it and laughed. “Three coins and four fen, so three hundred and forty wen.”
Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Man Bao counted on her fingers until her forehead sweated. No one helped her calculate how much seventy plus forty was and so on.
After a long time, Man Bao finally shouted, “It’s six hundred and ten wen!”
Qian Shi smiled with a nod. “So how much do you have to turn in to the public funds?”
Of course Man Bao couldn’t calculate a percentage out of thin air. She scratched her head and had Da Tou and Er Tou bring over six large rocks and six small rocks.
Arranging the six large rocks in a row, she pointed, “This is one hundred wen. Sixty wen for Mother…”
In front of the large rocks she put down a small rock. “That’s sixty wen.”
“This is also one hundred wen, sixty wen for Mother…” She counted for a bit then patted her hands saying, “Three hundred and sixty wen total. Then six more wen for Mother.”
Man Bao gave the broken silver corner to Qian Shi and counted out twenty-six wen in scattered coins to give her. This counted as handing over to the public funds.
The remaining money was theirs, totaling two hundred and forty-four wen.
Man Bao called over the little partners who helped earn this money. She generously gave each person ten wen.
This included Elder Zhou and Qian Shi who helped weave her bamboo basket. That was already eighty wen.
Considering that Da Ya, Er Ya, Fifth Elder Brother and Sixth Elder Brother went with her today to the county town and contributed greatly, she gave them each ten wen again.
Everyone watched as Man Bao ran all over the place scattering money like a wealth deity’s child. The children would look at their parents before accepting money.
Seeing Man Bao scatter money so freely, Zhou Da Lang and the others unconsciously wanted to reject it, but then they thought, wouldn’t this make the money leave Man Bao’s hands?
So they became happy again and signaled for them to take it.
It was impossible to snatch money from Man Bao, but they could snatch from their own children. They even squeezed in to watch the fun. “Man Bao, we also helped with that bamboo basket. Don’t we get wages?”
Man Bao thought that was reasonable so she also gave the three elder brothers a share. Then she turned and saw her sisters-in-law and felt they were also working hard, so she gave them a share too.
The strung coins scattered again. In the end, only sixty-four wen remained in Man Bao’s hands, but she didn’t mind. She happily stuffed it into her pocket then realized her pocket was too small. She discussed with Xiao Qian Shi, “Sister-in-law, help make the pocket on my clothes a bit bigger so more money can fit.”
He Shi’s needlework was the best. She laughed, “Little auntie, you’re so little. The pocket can’t get much bigger. When we have some scrap fabric later, I’ll make you a cloth bag like a purse.”
Man Bao was happy. “Great, great!” Her eyes turned, “I want to design the style myself.”
He Shi agreed with a smile. She put away the ten wen Man Bao gave her. They had emptied out money from all the rooms last time to repay Fourth Son Zhou’s gambling debt. Now there was finally some income.
Although Man Bao still had a lot of money left, compared to the previous over six hundred, these sixty-four wen were now overlooked by the adults.
They also knew it was impossible to take the money from her hands. So everyone’s sights turned towards their own sons and daughters.
Elder Zhou first looked at Zhou Wu Lang and Zhou Liu Lang, leisurely taking a puff from his pipe, “You two can keep two wen. Let your mother keep the rest for you for getting wives in the future.”
Zhou Da Lang also said to Da Tou and Da Ya, “Let your mother keep it to buy new clothes for you in the future.”
Zhou Er Lang also looked at their two children, coaxing, “Come, let Father keep it for you. I’ll buy candy for you later.”
The children all clutched their copper coins, wanting to cry but not daring to.
The only one present who didn’t receive money was Zhou Si Lang and the three little ones.
Man Bao’s gaze fell upon Fourth Elder Brother. It quickly slid away from him before she took out three wen to divide among San Tou, Si Tou, and San Ya. She generously said, “Little auntie’s giving this to you.”
The three little ones hurriedly accepted it, saying in soft childish voices, “Congratulations to Little Auntie getting rich.”
Man Bao was elated.
Zhou Si Lang squatted at the side, almost crying out. Man Bao squatted next to him with sighs, “Fourth elder brother, you’re still a bad person right now so I can’t give you money.”
Zhou Si Lang asked with red eyes, “Aren’t I your elder brother? How did I become a bad person?”
“All gambling people are bad people,” Man Bao said definitively. “Only people who repent and reform themselves have a chance of gaining favor. Otherwise everyone will dislike you.”
For the first time, Zhou Si Lang lowered his head and silently squatted without speaking. When everyone else had something while he didn’t, he finally perceived the difference in treatment from his gambling. His eyes brimmed red as he softly said, “I, I know my wrongs now.”
“That’s really great. Then keep working hard and show your sincerity to father, mother, elder brothers and sisters-in-law,” Man Bao imitated Second Brother’s actions, patting his shoulder and asking, “How’s the land reclamation going?”
Zhou Si Lang sighed, “Should be done before winter.”
Man Bao then said, “I’ll go help you tomorrow.”
No. Aside from blindly ordering people around, he didn’t see what use she could be. Zhou Si Lang said heavily, “Don’t you have teaching hall tomorrow?”
“I’ll still go. But I can first walk around the fields then go to teaching hall with Sister-in-law.”
Man Bao still didn’t have a student’s awareness. She felt free to come and go as she wished, still thinking she could do as she liked as before.
