Man Bao ate the last grain of rice in the bowl, touched his belly and said, "Mother, I'm full."
Qian ate slowly, reached out to touch her protruding belly, and said with a smile, "Go and play."
Only then did Man Bao have the time to care about their accounts, "Mother, what about the money we sell Centella asiatica and yam?"
Qian said: "Your elder brother took it to buy cotton and cloth for you."
Man Bao was stunned.
Wu Wulang and the others raised their heads. He bit his chopsticks and looked at Man Bao with teary eyes, hoping that she could fight for their interests with his mother.
But this is impossible, Man Bao has not sorted out the relationship, scratched his head and asked, "Why should I buy cotton and fabric?"
"Your clothes are short, and you have entered school again. Seeing that it is going to be winter, you have to make a new set of clothes. If not for the lack of money, I would like to make another set for you to replace."
Man Bao is not stupid, she counted the money from selling yams and centella asiatica with her fingers, and said, "There are 1,200 Wen, have you spent all of them?"
"No, it's just that your share has been spent." Of course Qian would not fool the child with the price, what if the child becomes stupid in the future
So she said: "The 1,200 wen are not all yours. After handing over the public service, don't you pay back the money from your elder brother and second brother? There won't be much left on you."
Man Bao figured it out by herself, and found that it was true, so she didn't care, anyway, her attitude towards money has always been like this.
Wu Wulang couldn't bear it any longer, and quickly asked, "Mother, where's ours?"
Qian Shi glanced at him, but said nothing.
Old Zhou raised his head and said, "You? Are you ashamed to ask your family for money? In two years you will marry a wife, and you don't need money to marry a wife? From now on, all the money you earn will be handed over to your mother, waiting for you Once you become a family, you will have a private room like your brothers."
Wu Wulang muttered: "Fourth brother hasn't said goodbye yet, how could I be so fast?"
Speaking of this, Lao Zhou looked at Lao Si and asked, "Silang, how is your drive going?"
Zhou Zhoulang, who was hard at work, raised his swarthy face and said, "The roots of the tree have been dug up, and the stones have been picked up. Now we're starting to hoe the ground."
Old Zhou nodded, "Let the fifth and sixth help you these two days, you are not too young, you should learn more skills, the new Mrs. Bai will build a house in two days, and has already started recruiting workers in the village Yes, you go too, the wages are thirty yuan a day, which is more than carrying grain sacks in the county."
Lao Zhou has already decided that all four eldest sons in the family will go, and the fifth and sixth sons will go to the fields to open up wasteland for the fourth son, trying to make a fortune before the Chinese New Year.
After the meal, he specially recruited Man Bao and asked her to do the math for him. Her four older brothers went to work, and how much money they could earn for the family for a month.
This is easy to calculate, Man Bao thought about something, and said: "I will serve in the military this year, third brother can't go for a month, I will do the calculation again."
The adults of the Zhou family were stunned, and the old Zhou grabbed her hand and asked, "What are you talking about, serving this year?"
"Yes," Man Bao said, "From October 22nd to November 21st, it will take a total of one month."
Old Zhou Tou: "Who told you? It happened to be drawn in our village?"
Qian and the others also sat up straight.
Wu Wulang said: "Man Bao read the notice at the gate of the county government office, and the district chief hasn't come down to notify yet."
Old Zhou felt his waist again, but he couldn't find a cigarette, so he simply stuffed the empty bong into his mouth and didn't speak for a while.
Zhou Dalang took the initiative to ask Man Bao, "What is written in the notice?"
Man Bao's memory has always been good, although he couldn't retell the whole story, he still said a lot.
Zhou Dalang understood, and said: "It's not a draft, but every household in the county must be counted. There are so many people, no wonder they only go for a month."
"In winter, going for a month is enough for people," said old Zhou Tou: "The county lord is really serious. If you want to serve, what a good time to serve after the autumn harvest. Why do you have to choose after winter? This is a cold place. It’s frozen, and the soil is not easy to dig.”
Mrs. Qian closed her eyes and said: "This is a matter for the county lords. We can just worry about ourselves. Third, go to work and save some strength. If your body can't bear it, don't force yourself. Report it and let us Your brothers go for you."
She said: "You are not the only male in your family, you have many brothers, just take turns."
Zhou Lang should go down.
Mrs. Qian said to Mrs. Qian again: "Starting tomorrow, cook an extra handful of grains to supplement the health of the third child. Make up for a month, take care of your health and endure your work."
Xiaoqian agreed without any complaints. This is also the tradition of the Zhou family. Every year, whoever's turn is to serve in the army must be raised for a period of time in advance.
It's just that they received the news late before, usually only ten days in advance.
How scary is military service
Not to mention Zhou Dalang and Tuesday Lang, even the old Zhou Tou, who hadn't served in the military for many years, couldn't help shaking when he thought of the days when he served in the army when he was young.
The atmosphere in the Zhou family was a bit dull tonight. Manbao was still young and couldn't remember many things, so she didn't know why everyone was so depressed after serving in the army.
But she was well-behaved, didn't make trouble, and didn't ask too many questions. She just lay beside her parents' bed and looked at them with bright eyes when she slept at night.
Mrs. Qian touched her little head, and said to old Zhou: "Serving in the military is a big deal. Now that we know it, we should go and talk to the village chief tomorrow and ask him to inquire and see if it is true. If it is true , the people in the village should prepare earlier."
The old Zhou responded, and said in silence for a while: "The dry food for the third child should be thicker."
Qian said in a low voice: "I know."
Seeing Man Bao looking at them with round eyes, Qian smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, your third brother is always in good health, and he will come back safely this time."
"Mother, don't you go to dig water conservancy and build roads in military service? The village also often digs water conservancy and builds roads."
Qian said: "That's different. In the village, the roads are built and the holes are filled. Everyone goes to work in their free time. The home is right where they turn around. How is that the same?"
Not to mention water conservancy, it's just a matter of digging a few hoes in spring.
"The service in the county is different..." But as for the difference, Qian did not tell Man Bao, no matter how she asked, she smiled and said, "You are still young, you will know when you grow up."
Man Bao pouted and turned to ask Ke Ke.
The system searched in the encyclopedia, and became silent. After a long time, he said: "In this era where the host lives, it is recorded in history that serving in the military is a very bitter thing, and dead people are normal."
Man Bao was startled, and asked quickly: "Will my third brother die too?"
"Military service is voluntary labor. Although the county government will distribute some food, but the amount is very small, and I mainly rely on the food I brought to fill my stomach." When it’s cold, people can easily die if they get sick.”
Man Bao suddenly became worried, "Can the third brother not go?"