Chapter 849: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 849: Unexpected Competition (2)
Li’er, whose full name is Han Xueli, is Han Zhiyun’s second daughter. She is seven years old this year, the same age as Sheng’er, and in terms of age, she is indeed similar to Zhen’er.
Mo Qingze was momentarily stunned. While he pondered whether his friend was joking or if there was any real intention behind it, Zhen’er suddenly pulled his hand out of Han Zhiyun's and, holding Sheng'er’s hand, said seriously, “Uncle Han, when I grow up, I’m going to marry Sheng’er, so I can’t stay betrothed to Li’er. It’s wrong to have two hearts!”
Oh no!
Not only was Han Zhiyun stunned, but everyone else was also taken aback by Zhen'er’s words. But seeing him tightly holding Sheng’er’s small hand and speaking so seriously, no one could laugh. Everyone could tell that the little one was speaking from the heart.
“Hahahaha!” Han Zhiyun snapped back to reality and patted Zhen'er on the shoulder, laughing loudly. “Good boy! You’re already thinking about marriage before you’ve even grown up. Ambitious! Hahaha, ambitious!”
Madam Han shot her husband a glare for speaking out of turn, “The children are here, what nonsense are you talking?”
Han Zhiyun realized his mistake and quickly shut his mouth, bowing his head apologetically to his wife. His wife’s firm control over him caused everyone to chuckle quietly.
The conversation moved on, and everyone dismissed it as a joke, not taking it seriously. As per Master Liu's suggestion, the eighteen people who would participate in the bamboo shoot digging contest were paired up into nine teams, with their opponents decided by a drawing.
Without paper or pen, everyone cut nine bamboo sticks of different lengths to use for the draw. The two people who drew bamboo sticks of matching lengths would compete against each other, with the loser promising a prize for the winner. The nine winners from the first round would draw again, and one of them would get a “bye” and directly enter the next round. The others would continue to compete in pairs until the final winner was determined.
The first round of the draw quickly concluded: Mo Yan was paired with Han Zhiyun’s eldest daughter, Han Xue, Xiao Ruiyuan with Master Liu, Mo Qingze with Yun Zhao, Liu Tinglan with Li Xiu, Han Zhiyun with Master Liu, Zhen’er with Shen Ji, Madam Han with Xin’er, Liu Fu with Tang Xin, and Zhen’er with Li Yan. The younger children were excluded due to concerns they might accidentally hurt themselves, but they still joined in the fun by helping to pick the largest bamboo shoots.
In this patch, the bamboo shoots were just little tips poking out of the ground. At first glance, it was impossible to tell how big the shoots underneath might be. The participants weren’t experts at digging bamboo shoots, so it was more a matter of luck and skill in choosing a spot to dig.
Each round was allotted fifteen minutes, plenty of time to find and dig up the shoots. Mo Yan focused on the task at hand, blocking out the chatter of Xue Tuanzi in her mind. Soon, she found a promising bamboo shoot and eagerly began to dig.
Before long, other participants were also digging in response to the kids' arguments. The sound of hoes hitting the earth echoed through the bamboo grove, sending the birds flying off into the distance in fear of the disturbance.
Time passed quickly, and everyone began returning with their largest bamboo shoots. After comparing, it was found that Mo Yan, Xiao Ruiyuan, Mo Qingze, Liu Tinglan, Yun Zhao, Shen Ji, Madam Han, Tang Xin, and Li Yan all had bamboo shoots that were significantly larger than those of their competitors and thus advanced to the next round.
As for the prizes... no one had expected a bamboo shoot competition, and since everyone had removed their accessories for the climb and left them at Mo’s home, they could only owe the prizes for now. After descending the mountain, the prizes would be redeemed. Mo Yan, for example, received a jade pendant from Han Xueyao, which was used to weigh down the corner of her clothes. The others also received various promises of prizes, ranging from jade pendants and bracelets to golden peanuts, each one different.
(End of Chapter)
No comments: