Catching Loaches
Lǎo Zhōu was surprised, "Mǎn Bǎo, why aren't you eating?"
Mǎn Bǎo lowered her head and picked at her food, saying, "I'm not hungry."
Qián Shì reached out and touched her little belly, asking, "What did you eat at the Bai family?"
"I had some snacks, they were delicious," Mǎn Bǎo reminisced about the taste of the glutinous rice cakes and suddenly felt that the rice was not as delicious.
So she put down her bowl.
Qián Shì frowned slightly and said, "Mǎn Bǎo, you are not allowed to eat too many snacks in the future." "Do you understand?"
Mǎn Bǎo realized that she had accidentally revealed too much and shrank back in guilt.
Liú Shì also noticed that Bái Shànbǎo's appetite was not good tonight, but she only glanced at her guilty daughter-in-law and said nothing more.
Shortly after dinner, Bái Shànbǎo was ordered to drink half a bowl of hawthorn water, while Mǎn Bǎo was given half a bowl of sweet and sour water.
The next day, when the two little friends met at school, they whispered, "I hope your mother will bring us snacks every day."
Bái Shànbǎo also wished, but it was impossible.
Liú Shì took over the task of bringing them snacks, providing a limited amount every day. If Mǎn Bǎo were to come, the kitchen would only supply a maximum of two glutinous rice cakes, and no more.
The two children resumed their routine of eagerly anticipating tomorrow after enjoying their snacks for the day. However, they soon realized that snacks were just a minor concern as the winter solstice was approaching. Zhuāng Xiānshēng took the opportunity to call the two of them to the courtyard and asked, "How are your essays coming along?"
The two children perked up and looked at each other guardedly, then nodded in unison, "They are all written, just a few more modifications are needed."
Mr. Zhuāng looked at their reactions with some amusement.
It has been two months since the assignment of this essay. They studied and wrote together, and he didn't believe that their essays could still be kept secret.
Sure enough, Mǎn Bǎo regretted a bit. She shouldn't have let Bái Shànbǎo correct her mistakes in the first place. Bái Shànbǎo also regretted it. He shouldn't have boasted about his writing skills and shown her the essay.
They didn't know if he or she could write better than them.
The two children decided to go back and make some changes.
But their abilities were evident as they were writing about the same topic and using the same data. After making numerous changes, they couldn't come up with a better solution.
Within a few days, they submitted the revised and copied essays, thinking they were the best.
Zhuāng Xiānshēng didn't read them immediately. Instead, he set them aside and smiled, "Alright, you have finished this major assignment." I will assign you another longer task.
After a pause, Zhuāng Xiānshēng said, "This summer, didn't you dry some snow lotus for Jìshìtáng? You can write an essay on this topic.
The two children were puzzled, "Isn't it just selling snow lotus?" What is there to write about?
Mǎn Bǎo said, "Teacher, I not only sell snow lotus, but also sell candy, ginger, yams, bamboo baskets, and even eggs." Can I write about these?
Mr. Zhuāng was surprised that the young disciple was already a savvy businessperson at such a young age. His face darkened slightly. "No, just write about snow lotus and Jìshìtáng." I don't care how you write, as long as it stays within the scope.
Mǎn Bǎo and Bái Shànbǎo couldn't help but frown. Zhuāng Xiānshēng then said, "This assignment is not urgent. I can give you six months to complete it; just submit it before the middle of next year."
Mǎn Bǎo couldn't help but exclaim, "That's such a long time!"
"Yes, this is an additional assignment, so your regular homework cannot be neglected." Since tomorrow is a rest day, I will give you two more assignments.
Bái Shànbǎo couldn't help but turn his head and glare at Mǎn Bǎo. It's all your fault. If you hadn't exclaimed, the teacher might not have remembered.
Mǎn Bǎo also lowered her head, pouting in grievance.
No matter how much they loved studying, they always wanted to play during their days off. Who likes to do extra homework?
But Zhuāng Xiānshēng didn't care about this and gave the two children more assignments than the other children in the class to show his favor, then waved them away.
The two children walked out with their small school bags, their heads hanging low.
Mǎn Bǎo no longer needed someone to pick her up, but Dà Jí still insisted on picking up Bái Shànbǎo every day, waiting outside at the designated time.
As soon as the young master came out, he approached them. He saw both children with their heads hanging low and asked with a smile, "Did the teacher give you a lot of homework?"
The two children nodded with heavy hearts. When they reached the intersection, Mǎn Bǎo said goodbye to Bái Shànbǎo, "I don't want to go to your house today; I want to go back to my own house."
Bái Shànbǎo said, "If you don't do your homework today, you can't go out to play tomorrow."
Mǎn Bǎo sniffed and said, "But I don't want to do homework now; I want to go catch loaches in the river."
Bái Shànbǎo's spirits lifted, "I'll go too!"
Saying that, he grabbed her hand and ran towards the village. "Let's put the school bags at your house first." Last time, I didn't catch a single loach, but this time I will definitely catch some.
Dà Jí hurried to catch up.
During the coldest and driest time of the year, the water level in the river had significantly decreased, exposing a vast expanse of damp river mud.
Some puddles still contained water, and a few small fish were left behind. So, the children enjoyed going to the river to touch the fish, and sometimes they couldn't resist catching some loaches.
Fortunately, at this time, there were only a few thin pieces of floating ice on the river surface. As long as the children did not intentionally step into the water, it was safe.
Many children in the village enjoyed poking around in the river mud with sticks, clearly searching for loaches.
Zhōu Sìláng also brought his two younger brothers, nieces, and nephews to join in.
Among the large group of children, he stood out because he was too old.
But there was no other way. The ginger in the house had all been sold, and only the seeds were left. The yams had been sold, and only a few were left for their own consumption. At this time, they had nothing to do.
As the most famous child in the village, how could Zhōu Sìláng not participate in activities such as digging for loaches?
Not only did he participate, but he was also very domineering. With ten years of experience in the mud pond, he quickly marked off a large area. He then had his younger brothers, nieces, and nephews surround it. After rolling up his sleeves, he started digging.
No one was allowed to come over.
When Mǎn Bǎo and Bái Shànbǎo rushed over hand in hand, he had already dug up about ten of them.
At this moment, he was bending over and feeling around in the mud.
Just as Mǎn Bǎo rushed over, he accidentally touched one of them, causing his hand to slip forward, squeezing it and throwing it to the ground next to the children's feet.
Bái Shànbǎo reacted the fastest, exclaiming and reaching out to grab it. However, she applied too much force, causing the loach to slip from her palm and fall to the ground. Mǎn Bǎo also reacted by pouncing to grab it, and the two of them bumped heads together.