Fortunately, Old Madam Zhou’s reflexes were quick. She pulled the little trousers into her arms, causing the young and physically strong Li Chunzhu to lunge and hit nothing but empty air.
Li Chunzhu stumbled and turned around, only to see Old Madam Zhou frowning deeply at her.
“This cloth was saved by Third’s wife from her own allocation for making clothes, and she asked me to make it for Mianmian.” Old Madam Zhou shot a sideways glance at Li Chunzhu.
Li Chunzhu’s eyes darted around guiltily as she finally remembered where the fabric had come from.
Back when spring began, Old Madam Zhou had helped a wealthy family in the village wash clothes in exchange for some fabric, which she then divided among her three daughters-in-law so they could each make a short blouse. When Li Chunzhu had received her share, she even complained it was too little, and greedily demanded half of Second’s wife Sun Pinghua’s share to make two sets of new clothes for herself. Song Nianxi, however, couldn’t bear to use it for herself and saved all the cloth for Zhou Mianmian. This was how this little pair of trousers came to be.
Li Chunzhu found it hard to argue further. However, she still couldn’t resist muttering surreptitiously under her breath.
“She’s just a three-year-old girl, and she’s growing fast. What a waste to dress her in brand new clothes.”
“Mianmian is smaller than Meifu. It makes more sense to give the new ones to Meifu to wear first, and then let Mianmian pick up Meifu’s hand-me-downs.”
Old Madam Zhou could not tolerate this bitter woman’s nonsense and immediately roared out.
“Shut that filthy, gossiping mouth of yours right now! Let my precious granddaughter pick up some dog’s leftovers? I spit on that! You better watch that thick skin of yours. If you dare utter any more nonsense, this old woman will use your face as a shoe sole!”
Li Chunzhu was shrieked at until her heart, liver, and lungs trembled, and she hurriedly shrunk her shoulders and hid to the side.
Old Madam Zhou smoothed her breathing, and fearing she might have frightened Mianmian, she hastily scooped the little girl into her arms, cradling her affectionately.
The little thing was still small and easily grew drowsy. Seeing that she was nearly asleep, her chubby little face adorably puckered, Old Madam Zhou couldn’t resist pinching it a couple of times.
“Come, my precious baby, Grandma will change you into your new little pants.”
Saying this, Old Madam Zhou didn’t bother to shield her from the others and nimbly changed her.
Zhou Mianmian only felt a chill on her legs. When she dazedly blinked her eyes open, she discovered that the entire family was actually gathered around watching her get changed into the little trousers. Her little face flushed with embarrassment, and she angrily kicked her short little legs.
At least cover her up a little!
Regrettably, her little legs were too short to be intimidating at all, and instead made the Zhou family laugh.
Old Madam Zhou found it astonishing. “What’s wrong with my precious granddaughter? She’s only so big, yet she already knows how to shy away from people.”
“No matter the age, she’s still a baby girl.” Song Nianxi smiled softly and gently. She took a small short jacket and wrapped it around Zhou Mianmian. Only then did Zhou Mianmian pull back her aggrieved little gaze and stop kicking her legs.
Old Madam Zhou was even more delighted at the sight and raised her hand to pat her granddaughter’s bottom.
“Our Mianmian knows shame so early. One look and you can tell she’s different from the other girls in the village. In the future, she might even marry a young master from a wealthy family.”
Zhou Mianmian was bounced up and down by the pats, nearly turning into a little ball of anger. Don’t pat there! Seeing that her protest was futile, she simply closed her eyes, tilted her little head, and pretended to be sound asleep.
Since there wasn’t much water to wash the discarded trousers right now, Old Madam Zhou could only pack them into her bundle. Before sleeping, she poured most of the remaining water from the water skin into the pot. She intended to add a little sugar tomorrow morning to make some sugar water for Mianmian and the other youngsters to drink.
Over the course of the night, the Golden Bamboo Fungus grew rapidly inside the Spiritual Space.
Before dawn, when Zhou Mianmian used her consciousness to check inside the Spiritual Space, these bamboo fungi had already taken on a golden, plump appearance, floating on the surface of the spiritual water. This was the most premium quality of Golden Bamboo Fungus.
Zhou Mianmian merrily clapped her small hands, took out all the bamboo fungus, and placed them into the battered pot next to Old Madam Zhou. Having done what needed to be done, she happily went back to sleep.
“Oh my Lord, what on earth is this!”
Early in the morning, what woke Zhou Mianmian up was Old Madam Zhou’s gasp of shock.
The entire family surrounded the pot, completely stunned. Where did so many fine fungi come from? This was truly an eye-opener for the Zhou family!
Zhou Laosan picked up a few stalks of Golden Bamboo Fungus and looked them over repeatedly, his palms trembling slightly.
“Mother, Axi, isn’t—isn’t this the bamboo fungus Mianmian had me pick? How did it become so big?”
Old Madam Zhou was also stunned, unable to speak for a long time. She hurriedly rummaged through the linen wrap inside her bundle and opened it to look. Sure enough, the bamboo fungus inside was gone. It appeared that the ones in the pot were indeed the very ones Third had picked yesterday, transformed.
Old Madam Zhou felt as though she were dreaming. The fungus that had been thin and shriveled before had somehow changed its appearance today. Moreover, they had all grown so exceptionally well. If these were taken out to be sold, they could be exchanged for a massive amount of money. Was this a stroke of good fortune that a poor family like theirs could actually stumble upon?
Old Madam Zhou’s eyes welled with tears of excitement.
“Mother, what does this fungus taste like? Let’s have a taste.” Li Chunzhu approached excitedly.
Old Madam Zhou had just been rejoicing, but upon hearing this, she almost fainted from anger. Zhou Lousan hastily pushed Li Chunzhu away.
“Go away! This is a top-tier wild delicacy. How could we afford to eat it? It must be saved to be sold.”
“Yes, it must be sold for money, so we can have some funds to support ourselves.” Zhou Laosan was overjoyed.
After the initial astonishment passed, Old Madam Zhou seemed to have realized something and turned her head to look at little Mianmian, who was currently rubbing her eyes. The affection in her eyes practically overflowed; she truly was the Zhou family’s little darling. If Mianmian hadn’t insisted on plucking those wild fungi, how could they have these treasures now? It was all thanks to Mianmian’s good fortune.
Old Madam Zhou’s heart was pounding. She quickly placed the lid back on the pot, held it tightly in her arms, her hands still shaking slightly.
At this moment, the Zhou family members all shifted their gazes in unison onto Zhou Mianmian. Even someone as dim-witted as Li Chunzhu could hardly fail to realize that the appearance of this bamboo fungus was related to Mianmian. Otherwise, why would a small child like Zhou Mianmian inexplicably tell Third to gather so much fungus yesterday?
“Mianmian, tell Fourth Aunt, how did you make this bamboo fungus turn so big?” Li Chunzhu tightly gripped Mianmian’s small hand, greed flashing in her muddy eyes.
Zhou Mianmian couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her. She stuck out her little tongue, turned around, tilted her head, and drifted back to sleep, snoring softly. She left Li Chunzhu with nothing but a cold little back, leaving her to stare blankly in frustration.
“Enough, don’t disturb Mianmian’s sleep.” Old Madam Zhou dragged Fourth’s wife to the side. Having good things should be a cause for celebration; just accept it and be done with it. Why ask so many questions? Don’t ruin her precious granddaughter’s good fortune.
“Third, if we take them out to sell, how much can these Golden Bamboo Fungi fetch?” Old Madam Zhou asked Zhou Laosan.
On regular days, Zhou Laosan went to the town the most among the family, often taking the prey hunted by Zhou Lousan to restaurants to sell, so he understood the market best. High-quality Golden Bamboo Fungus was a scarce ingredient for restaurants, so there was no worry about finding a buyer.
Zhou Laosan counted on his fingers. “These bamboo fungi can sell for at least five strings of coins.”
“Five strings?” Old Madam Zhou nearly leaped into the air with excitement.
Their old Zhou family was about to strike it rich!
A few years ago when the harvests were good, the entire family could only save one or two strings of coins a year. Later, a severe drought brought famine, the crops failed, and the meager family savings were completely wiped out. Five strings of coins was something the Zhou family could never have even dared to dream of before! If they were back in their old village, any household that possessed five strings of coins would be considered a well-off family.
The more Old Madam Zhou thought about it, the happier she became, and she felt a newfound hope for the days ahead. She scooped the bamboo fungus out of the pot and boiled the water that was originally inside. They couldn’t bring themselves to eat the Golden Bamboo Fungus, but the water that had soaked the fungus was still something a poor family like theirs could drink.
After finishing the “bamboo fungus soup,” Old Madam Zhou commanded the entire family to set out immediately and head to the town to sell the Golden Bamboo Fungus!
Seeing Old Madam Zhou hand over the bamboo fungus to Song Nianxi for safekeeping, Li Chunzhu’s eyes remained glued to it, her gaze burning with intense envy.
“Let Fourth carry you today, Mother,” Li Chunzhu said flatteringly.
Old Madam Zhou gave a nod of assent. But the moment she climbed onto Zhou Lousan’s back, she heard Li Chunzhu at the rear start spouting nonsense again.
“Mother, once the bamboo fungus is sold, can you make two sets of new clothes for us?”
“And Meifu, you should buy her two pairs of ready-made trousers so she has some to change into and wash.”
“Also, regarding those five strings of coins, could you distribute a portion to us…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Old Madam Zhou spat at Li Chunzhu and ordered her to shut up immediately.
“You spendthrift creature! The money isn’t even in our hands yet, and you’re already thinking about spending it. Do you really think we’re a wealthy household?”
The Zhou family didn’t even have a place to settle down yet; these five strings of coins were their capital for survival. How could they afford to make new clothes or buy trousers? Besides, how expensive were the trousers in a clothing shop? Even Mianmian had never worn clothes from a shop; they were all handmade by Old Madam Zhou and Song Nianxi. This Golden Bamboo Fungus was brought in by Mianmian, so what right did Li Chunzhu’s child have to benefit from it?
Li Chunzhu pouted. “But haven’t we suffered for so many days? I figured we ought to live comfortably for a couple of days.”
“Pah! Is it your place to figure things out?” Old Madam Zhou utterly detested this side of her. “If you’ve truly had enough of suffering, you should know your boundaries even more. You gossiping thing, you never show any sense of how to properly manage a household. Get away from me!” Old Madam Zhou’s eyebrows contorted in fury.
After receiving a severe scolding, Li Chunzhu finally quieted down. Pulling a long face, she followed at the very back with an aggrieved air, calculating those five strings of coins all along the way.
After walking for the better part of the day, to the point where the straw soles of Zhou Laosan’s sandals were nearly worn through, the Zhou family finally arrived at a town.
The moment they reached the town, the Zhou family members excitedly began looking for restaurants everywhere. They didn’t have a single penny on them, so mustn’t they exchange the goods for money first before they could resolve their food and lodging?
Zhou Mianmian lay on Zhou Laosan’s back, curled up into a soft little ball. Seeing that Zhou Laosan was about to head toward the nearest restaurant, Zhou Mianmian whimpered, and her white, lotus-root-like small arms tightened around her father’s neck.
Don’t go there!
“What’s wrong, daughter?” Zhou Laosan obediently came to a halt.
Zhou Mianmian grunted in indistinct speech, “Ask around first… see which shop… doesn’t swindle people.”
Zhou Laosan slapped his forehead. Truly, how could he have been so foolish? Coming from so far away and being completely in the dark, it would be extremely easy to be cheated by a dishonest shop.
Thus, Zhou Laosan told Old Madam Zhou and Song Nianxi to rest where they were first, while he ran around for a long time. Finally, he managed to gather clear information.
There was a Ju Yun Pavilion in the town, and their prices for purchasing goods were the most fair. Consequently, carrying Zhou Mianmian on his back, he hurried toward Ju Yun Pavilion.