Zhou Dazhu stepped forward, snatched the kettle, poured himself a bowl, and drank it down.
With just one sip, Zhou Dazhu froze as well.
"Wh-why is this water so sweet?" Zhou Dazhu looked at the bowl in his hand, completely baffled. "Our well water usually tastes sweet, but today's water… why does it taste like sugar was added to it? No, it's even more refreshing than sugar water! After drinking it, I feel completely energized."
Just then, Liu Guihua and Old Man Zhou walked out of the room.
Hearing the exclamations of her two sons, Liu Guihua walked over, gave Zhou Erzhu an exasperated smack, and chided, "What's all the fuss about? Can a pot of water sprout flowers or something?"
Zhou Erzhu hastily handed the kettle to Liu Guihua and said urgently, "Mom, you really have to believe me! Taste it—this water really is different!"
Looking skeptical, Liu Guihua took the kettle and poured a bowl for both herself and Old Man Zhou.
The elderly couple raised their bowls and took a sip. Instantly, shock was written all over their faces.
Old Man Zhou set down his bowl, smacked his lips, and said to Liu Guihua, "Old woman, what did you put in the water today? After drinking this, my old lower back doesn't seem to ache as much, and my whole body feels light as a feather."
Liu Guihua was equally bewildered. She turned to ask Li Xiulan, who was busy at the stove, "Eldest Daughter-in-Law, did you add sugar when you boiled the water today? Or did you put in some other rare ingredient?"
Carrying Xiao Tiedan, Li Xiulan walked out. Hearing her mother-in-law's question, she shook her head in total confusion. "Mom, I didn't. I just boiled it in the big iron wok like usual. I didn't add anything at all."
The family stood in the kitchen, staring at the aluminum kettle, utterly perplexed.
Though everyone was filled with doubt, the water was simply too delicious—sweet, refreshing, and deeply thirst-quenching. Unable to resist, Zhou Erzhu poured himself another bowl and drank it down in one gulp. Wiping his mouth, he said, "Whatever! As long as the water tastes good, who cares? I'm drinking more today so I'll definitely have plenty of energy when I work the fields this afternoon."
Li Xiulan looked down at Xiao Tiedan in her arms. After a moment of thought, she said to Liu Guihua, "Mom, since this water is so wonderful and makes people feel so comfortable after drinking it, I'm thinking of boiling some today, letting it cool, and giving some to Xiao Tiedan."
Liu Guihua nodded in agreement. "Alright. It really does feel great to drink, so it'll definitely be good for the child. Eldest Daughter-in-Law, use this water later when you mix Tiedan's powdered milk."
The afternoon passed in the blink of an eye.
When evening came, the Zhou family gathered around the low wooden table in the central room for dinner.
Dinner was very simple: a large basin of sweet potato porridge, a plate of homemade pickled vegetables, and a plate of cucumbers freshly picked that morning.
Thanks to the Spirit Spring Water, none of them had felt tired while working that afternoon, and their appetites were exceptionally good tonight. Zhou Erzhu devoured three large bowls of sweet potato porridge in a row, his belly stuffed round as a drum.
Seeing that everyone was almost done eating, Zhou Xing'er felt it was time to speak her mind.
She set down her chopsticks, looked at Old Man Zhou sitting in the seat of honor, and spoke in a soft voice, "Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Second Brother, Sister-in-Law, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Seeing Zhou Xing'er's serious expression, the family slowed their movements and turned their eyes toward her in unison.
Looking at his daughter, Old Man Zhou asked gently, "Xing'er, what is it? Just speak your mind. Why be so polite with family?"
Zhou Xing'er took a deep breath and said, "Dad, on my way back today, I saw quite a few people doing business in town. Some were selling clothes, some were selling food, and some were selling general sundries. I heard that nowadays, lots of folks in the cities have gotten rich through business and become 'ten-thousand-yuan households.' I was thinking, our family watches over just these few mu of land day in and day out, and we barely make any money all year round. Couldn't we also run a small business to improve our family's life?"
Hearing Zhou Xing'er's words, the room instantly fell silent.
Old Man Zhou and Liu Guihua exchanged a glance, both looking troubled.
The two elder brothers also hung their heads and remained silent.
Holding the child, Li Xiulan opened her mouth, but in the end, only let out a sigh.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Zhou Xing'er felt a bit strange and asked, "Dad, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Old Man Zhou sighed, looked at Zhou Xing'er, and said with earnest sincerity, "Xing'er, it's not that your mother and I don't want to do business. I know about all the things you mentioned. Over the past decade, quite a few bold folks really have struck it rich by doing business. But doing business requires startup capital."
Old Man Zhou pointed at the rundown house and said with a trace of guilt, "You know our family's situation. Getting wives for your big brother and second brother wiped out all the savings we had. Right now, we can't even scrape together a hundred yuan in savings. To do business in town, you have to rent a storefront, and the monthly rent for a shop costs quite a bit. Our family simply can't afford that kind of money to open a store."
Liu Guihua wiped the corner of her eyes as well and sighed, "Yes, Xing'er. Your dad is right. We're poor folk; how could we afford to play the games city people play? If we lose money, our whole family won't even have food to eat."
Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu also looked at their sister with guilt, feeling that it was their own uselessness that had caused her to suffer in poverty with them.
Seeing her family looking so troubled, Zhou Xing'er wasn't angry in the slightest; instead, a warm feeling welled up in her heart. They weren't scolding her for having pipe dreams; they were merely fretting over the family's harsh reality.
She smiled and said to Old Man Zhou, "Dad, Mom, you misunderstood me. I didn't say we have to go rent a storefront and open a big shop right off the bat. If our family doesn't have money, we can start by setting up a street stall."
"A street stall?" Zhou Erzhu was taken aback and asked, "Little Sister, what could we sell at a stall?"
Zhou Xing'er pointed toward the backyard and said, "We can start by setting up a stall to sell vegetables! We grow so many vegetables in our backyard. In the past, once the vegetables ripened, we just wholesaled them cheaply to the town's vegetable peddlers for just a few cents a catty—hardly making any money at all. I was thinking, why don't we transport the vegetables to the county town ourselves and set up our own stall to sell them? That way, we can earn several cents more per catty. Besides, our family's vegetables grow so well; they'll definitely sell like hotcakes."
Hearing Zhou Xing'er's proposal, Old Man Zhou fell into contemplation.
He took a puff from his dry-tobacco pipe and said slowly, "If it's just setting up a stall to sell vegetables, that really doesn't require any capital. After all, the vegetables grow right out of our own dirt. It's just… can setting up a stall to sell vegetables actually make money?"
Zhou Dazhu spoke up at that moment. Looking at Zhou Xing'er, he said in a gruff voice, "Little Sister, I think this idea works. We have to sell the vegetables from our land anyway. Going to sell them ourselves might be harder work, but it really will bring in more money. Erzhu and I are strong; carrying the shoulder poles to the county town every day won't be a problem."
Zhou Erzhu slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "That's right! Big Brother is right! Little Sister, as long as you're willing, Big Brother and I will be your pack mules every day. Besides, there are so many people doing business in the county town now. If our vegetables really sell well and we truly get the business off the ground in the future, our family's living conditions will improve so much!"
Seeing her two brothers eagerly volunteering their labor, Zhou Xing'er smiled happily. Her family was truly so accommodating, and exceptionally united.
She turned to look at Li Xiulan and asked, "Sister-in-Law, what do you think?"