NFBE Chapter 27: Tell me first, and I'll answer anything I can.
Chapter 27: Tell me first, and I'll answer anything I can.
Lin Chang'er put the turtle into her basket, tied up the large blue crab, and stayed in the forest for about 15 minutes, catching several blue crabs, each one plump and delicious.
We picked up some sea duck eggs along the way, then gathered the whole family and headed back.
Tonight's harvest was plentiful; both the big and small baskets were full.
On the way back, Gu Xiaoman was carried by several adults in turns.
But the little one was happy tonight, so he insisted on going with Gu Xiaolu, his brother, and his fourth uncle. He skipped and jumped all the way without feeling tired.
They set off early tonight and didn't get home too late, but the children had played happily in the bushes and got covered in mud. They couldn't sleep without washing up.
Sister-in-law Gu and her mother went to the kitchen to boil water, while Lin Chang'er led the others to the main room to count the harvest.
A large wild soft-shelled turtle was placed in a small tank first. Several smaller turtles watched it for a while before their excitement subsided.
There were nine blue crabs, four of which were caught by Lin Chang'er. The crabs were all about the size of a palm and were tied up with long grass, so their legs were all intact.
The other five were caught by Gu Dalang and his wife. They were much smaller and not properly tied up. They probably fought in the basket on the way back. Except for the fiercest one, the other four had damaged legs.
Gu Dalang looked at the crabs Lin Chang'er had taken out of her basket, then at his own, and was filled with regret. "Why didn't we think to tie these crabs up? Now they're ruined and won't sell."
Lin Chang'er comforted him, "It's alright, brother. If it's hard to sell, we'll just eat it ourselves. We've worked hard all night, so we should treat ourselves, right?"
Gu Dalang was comforted again and said with a forced smile, "Third sister-in-law is right. Look at me, I'm obsessed with money."
He chuckled and said, "Tomorrow, I'll have to trouble my third sister-in-law to teach your eldest sister-in-law how to tie these crabs. That way, when we go catch more, we can minimize the losses."
With a large family and many mouths to feed, it's always good to earn as much as possible.
Lin Chang'er guessed what he was thinking, and without saying much, she simply nodded readily, "No problem, I'll teach you tomorrow, sister-in-law."
There were 160 intact sea duck eggs and 8 cracked ones. They were separated by size during cleaning.
Excluding those that have cracked open, there are 60 large ones, 60 medium ones, and 40 small ones.
There were also 15 turtle eggs. Turtle eggs have the effect of warming and strengthening the body, so Lin Chang'er thought of leaving them for Gu's mother to nourish her body.
The others had no objections, but Gu's mother, who had just finished boiling water, waved her hand and said, "My health is fine. Since it's a good product, I think it will sell well at the market."
When Gu's mother said this, no one else dared to respond.
Lin Chang'er wanted to refute, but then she thought that such nourishing foods were only effective if consumed over a long period of time; eating a bite occasionally wouldn't have much effect.
It's better to sell it and use the money to improve the family's meals. With better nutrition, their health will naturally improve.
She didn't insist any further, and simply said, "Then I'll listen to Mother."
The Gu family, understanding that Lin Chang'er had to get up early to go to the market, let her be the first to wash up, while the younger ones were helped by Gu's eldest sister-in-law, Gu's mother, and Gu's second sister-in-law.
Lin Chang'er had just finished washing up and was drying her hair with a handkerchief when Gu's mother knocked on the door and came in.
Seeing the water stains on her clothes, Lin Chang'er guessed that she had been splashed while bathing the children, and quickly said, "You can call me anytime, why don't you wash up first?"
Mother Gu waved her hand, "It's nothing, I need to talk to you about something."
Lin Chang'er brought out a bamboo chair for her to sit on, and Gu's mother did not refuse. After sitting down, she took a dry cloth and helped Gu's mother wring out her hair.
Lin Chang'er had roughly figured out the Gu family's mentality; if they weren't allowed to do something for her, they would generally be unhappy.
He didn't refuse, but said, "Tell me first, and I'll agree to whatever I can." Of course, he refused what he couldn't.
Mother Gu pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "It's Erlang and Erlang's wife..."
"What's the matter, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law?" Lin Chang'er asked briskly.
Mother Gu smiled again, "I shouldn't have brought up the Awakening of Insects and White Dew, which have already caused you so much trouble."
However, Erlang's wife couldn't speak, so she was always lacking in the way of raising Xiaoman. Dalang's wife was good, but she lacked insight.
Xiaoman herself likes to be around you, so Erlang and his wife thought they'd ask you to help raise Xiaoman.
Lin Chang'er was taken aback. She hadn't expected that Gu Erlang and Gu Ersao, though honest and kind, would have such foresight.
However, she didn't speak, so Gu's mother assumed she was unwilling and said, "Erlang told Erlang's wife that if you are willing, you can register Xiaoman under your name."
Lin Chang'er: "..." Did she pick up a child?
These words truly startled Lin Chang'er, but then she sighed with emotion, for parents who love their children plan far ahead for them (from "Strategies of the Warring States: Zhao Si: The New Use of the Empress Dowager Zhao").
The ancients were right.
He waved his hand and said, "We're family, why be so formal? By registering Xiaoman under my name, what do you think my second brother and sister-in-law take me for, and what do they think they are?"
Xiaoman is a sensible and obedient child, and I like him too. My second brother and sister-in-law are willing to let him come with me whenever I have free time.
Upon hearing this, Gu's mother exclaimed happily, "Chang'er, are you serious?"
Lin Chang'er nodded, "When Little Goldfish came to me at noon saying he wanted to learn arithmetic, I told him that I would come up with a plan so that all the children in the family could learn to read and do arithmetic together."
It would be best if the adults could learn as well. If we want to make a living in the long run, it's definitely not enough for me to do it alone. Only when everyone can write and do math can our lives get better and better.
I was just thinking of finding some time to discuss this with you! Now that I've told you, I'd appreciate it if you could ask my eldest brother and sister-in-law, and my second brother and sister-in-law, what they think?
Mother Gu grabbed Lin Chang'er's hand, saying excitedly, "Chang'er, my dear Chang'er, I... Sanlang, what have we, the Gu family, done to deserve marrying you..."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
This left Lin Chang'er bewildered. She reached out to wipe away Gu's mother's tears, saying, "We're talking about something good, why are you crying?"
It was their boundless tolerance of the original owner that led to her two-way journey after arriving here.
Mother Gu nodded. "You're right. It's a great thing to be able to read and write. I'll go and tell them right now. From now on, if anyone dares not to study properly, I'll teach them a lesson."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll rely on Mother from now on."
Gu's mother wiped away her tears, and as if in an instant, her back straightened.
Lin Chang'er wasn't worried because the children were being looked after by their mother and others, but she still went to remind Xiao Jinyu that he was going to the market with her the next day.
When I returned to my room, I went to the kitchen to check on the turtle and the crab.
The soft-shelled turtles are fine, but the large blue crabs are not a big problem right now because it's not too hot. However, once it gets hot, their survival rate will be a problem.
If only there were a modern-day cold storage, preferably one that you could carry around with you...
As this thought flashed through her mind, the familiar "ding" sound suddenly rang out.