Chapter 22: Hidden Thoughts
Zhou Shiwei couldn't be bothered to deal with his secretary right now. His eyes were full of shock as he asked Song Deling, "Comrade Deling, how did you know those insect ashes would have such a massive effect on the crops?"
Song Deling let out a sigh. "How would I know? It was all said by our Baozhu." Speaking of this, his face filled with regret.
"At the time, if I hadn't thought she was too young and failed to listen to her, if I had scattered all those ashes into the fields, who knows how much more this year's crop yield would have increased!"
Song Baozhu.
How could Zhou Shiwei ever forget that name? It was just that she was so young, last time, when the method to discover and eliminate the pests was found, no one believed she had researched it.
They all assumed she had simply stumbled upon it by accident.
Once could be called a coincidence, but twice was not necessarily so.
Masking his internal shock, Zhou Shiwei addressed the people from the other villages: "You all head back first. I'm going to the Song house to take another look."
The others didn't want to leave yet. The bumper harvest of Xiangfu Village had given them a huge shock, and now hearing that it was discovered by that little girl Song Baozhu, they felt they had to meet her no matter what.
Thus, the whole group headed over to Song Baozhu’s home.
At this hour, however, Song Baozhu wasn't at home. After finishing lunch, she had followed Wang Guifang to feed the pigs as usual.
Two months had passed, but these few pigs still hadn't grown much, they were still thin and scrawny.
The pig-feeding squad was efficient. After boiling the pig feed and pouring it into the troughs, Song Baozhu rested her chin on her hands and watched the pigs scramble to eat.
Because the feed was nothing but dry, withered grass, the pigs spat out almost half of what they ate.
Ma Xianglan let out a huff. "These pigs are quite picky!"
Another person replied, "Who doesn't want to eat delicious food? Pigs are no exception. Look at this feed, it's all withered grass without a bit of bran. It’s a wonder the pigs can swallow it at all. They’re just barely hanging on to life. Feeding them like this, how could they possibly put on meat?"
Ma Xianglan knew she was right and rolled her eyes. "Who doesn't know that? The village won't give us grain to feed the pigs. They can't blame us when it's time to weigh them at the end of the year."
"Just be content. Our village did well this year, we even harvested more grain than last year. Do you know about the autumn harvests in other villages? They’re at least half of what they were last year. I only went back to my mother's house a few days ago. The food on the table was only enough to be half-full. When the hunger gets too much, they can only fill their stomachs with water. I was afraid my family would ask to borrow grain, so I stubbornly kept quiet about our village's situation." This woman’s face was somber, but she had no choice.
Her family hadn't split up yet, her in-laws and several brothers all ate from the same pot. The grain was entirely managed by her mother-in-law, and she couldn't make a single decision. If her natal family asked to borrow grain, what could she do?
She simply chose not to speak of it to avoid being caught in a dilemma. But she knew this matter couldn't be kept a secret, someone would eventually leak it. She was currently fretting over this.
Wang Guifang and Ma Xianglan were both astonished. Wang Guifang had a poor relationship with her natal family and didn't return often.
Ma Xianglan, however, was on very good terms with hers.
Hearing this, she said in surprise, "I went back a few days ago too. Why didn't my mom tell me?"
Immediately, she understood. Her parents and brothers doted on her, they hadn't mentioned the family's hardships because they didn't want her to feel pressured.
Once she realized this, her expression changed, and she dropped the wooden bucket in her hand. "Second Sister-in-law, help me put away the pig buckets. I’m going back first."
Wang Guifang understood her and her natal family well enough. During those years of famine, Ma Xianglan’s family had forced a bag of grain into her hands, otherwise, her two children would have suffered terribly.
Unlike her own natal family—who, despite knowing she and her husband had so many children to raise, still had a mother who would throw a tantrum and roll on the ground just to borrow grain.
It was that specific incident that caused Wang Guifang to become completely disillusioned, aside from a single visit during the New Year, she rarely had any contact with them.
She knew the nature of her family well. If news of the bumper harvest in Xiangfu Village leaked out, her troublesome mother and several brothers and sisters-in-law would absolutely not let the matter rest.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly put away the pig buckets and took Song Baozhu back home.
Upon arriving home, she discovered there were actually so many people there. Song Dezhu was just about to head out to look for them when he saw the pair return.
"County Magistrate, Baozhu is back."
Song Baozhu allowed Song Dezhu to lead her into the courtyard by the hand. The yard was packed with people, all of whom were looking at her curiously.
She could faintly hear them whispering, "This is that little girl? She’s certainly a pretty one!"
"No wonder she could solve the pest problem, you can tell she's a smart one just by looking at her."
"Xiangfu Village had a bumper harvest because of her. Maybe we should borrow this little girl for a couple of days to bring us some good fortune too."
Hearing this, Song Dezhu immediately pulled Song Baozhu tightly into his arms. "This is my daughter, she's not for borrowing."
The person who spoke hadn't expected their casual joke to be overheard by her father and felt a bit embarrassed. "Brother Song, I was joking. We just came to see Baozhu, we aren't plotting anything."
However, he was truly envious, if this little girl had been born in their village, they would have been the ones with the bumper harvest this year.
This one little girl was more useful than everyone in their village combined.
Song Baozhu wasn't shy at all.
She blinked her big eyes and looked over the crowd, her eyes lighting up when she saw Zhou Shiwei.
"I remember you, County Magistrate Uncle."
Zhou Shiwei broke into a smile. He squatted down to look Song Baozhu in the eye.
"I remember you too, Baozhu. May I ask, how did you discover that those insect ashes were useful for the crops?"
Song Baozhu answered crisply, "You just have to try it to know!" Practice yields true knowledge, after all; when she conducts experiments, a single successful idea requires countless trials.
Zhou Shiwei was somewhat stunned but soon smiled and patted her head.
"Baozhu, you are very clever." A child could think of "giving it a try," yet they as adults, trapped in the fixed mindset that insects are harmful, hadn't even considered thinking in that direction.
Zhou Shiwei stayed for a while, mainly chatting with Song Baozhu. Song Baozhu loved to chat, her little mouth never stopped moving. The longer they talked, the more shocked Zhou Shiwei became.
He hadn't expected Song Baozhu to have mastered so much knowledge. Setting aside basic textbook knowledge, she was even talking at length about the livestock industry.
If her ideas were realized, the common people truly would no longer lack meat. He couldn't help but swallow.
"Baozhu, where did you learn all of this?"
Song Baozhu was a bit older now and extremely bright; she knew she couldn't mention the System, and even if she wanted to, she couldn't. She said with a beaming smile, "I follow Mama to feed the pigs every day, I thought of it myself."
Although Zhou Shiwei felt something was strange, Baozhu was indeed a rural child with no one to teach her these things. Aside from being naturally brilliant and thinking of it herself, there was no other explanation.
He praised Song Baozhu once more: "Baozhu, you are far too clever."
His background and perspective, shaped by a good education, allowed him to know that the world is not lacking in extraordinary people and strange anecdotes, there are even those who are born with innate knowledge.
He said with a smile, "If you have time, you can come to the county. Don't you like reading? Uncle has many books at home."
This time, he was much more sincere. Since Song Baozhu was so intelligent, it would be a pity to let her waste away in the village.
Nowadays, children in rural areas receive almost no education, they barely finish a grade or two of primary school, learn to recognize a few characters and count a bit, and then return home.
He didn't want a "Lament for Zhongyong" situation to happen to a girl as bright and clever as Song Baozhu, and he developed a desire to nurture her talent.
*Zhongyong(中庸)- The Doctrine of The Mean; It is the Confucian virtue of balance, moderation, and avoiding extremes, aiming for perfect harmony in actions and emotions. [Simply meaning moderation in all things.]
The, "Lament" emphasizes that consistent adherence to the path of moderation—neither too much nor too little, is difficult and often, sadly, abandoned.
'Lament For Zhongyong' This phrase is used to reflect on the rarity of sustained, balanced, and ethical behavior in society, serving as a reminder to pursue harmony despite the difficulty in maintaining it.
So since everyone is following'moderation in all things', Baozhu is now passed the standards of being moderate at her age which could lead to problems.
Song Baozhu nodded with a smile, she had never been to the county seat in all her life and was quite curious.
Zhou Shiwei chatted with her for a while longer before finally leaving. Upon his departure, he gave her another fifty yuan: "When you go to the county, buy whatever you like."
After the magistrate left, Song Baozhu tried to give the money to Wang Guifang, but Wang Guifang told her to keep it herself: "The County Magistrate gave this to you, Baozhu. Keep it and spend it however you want."
The two hundred yuan from last time also belonged to Baozhu, it should have been saved as her dowry, but Baozhu herself insisted they use it for household expenses.
Song Baozhu didn't mind either way, if Wang Guifang told her to keep it, she would.
However, Qian Xiao'e, standing nearby, pursed her lips and finally couldn't help herself, "Mom, isn't it a bit improper for Little Sister-in-law to hold onto so much money? What does a child like her need all that money for?"
Wang Guifang shot her a look: "The County Magistrate gave that to Baozhu. What business is it of yours! Even if she loses it, it's not for you to worry about."
Qian Xiao'e turned pale from the rebuke. She had always heard others say her mother-in-law was formidable and shrewish, but since she married into the Song family, Wang Guifang had always been quite pleasant toward her.
She hadn't yet faced Wang Guifang’s sharp side head-on. Now, being so bluntly called out on her underlying motives made her feel extremely embarrassed.
Song Baozhu watched Qian Xiao'e's face flush red, then looked at her eldest brother, who stood there at a loss, not knowing how to mediate the conflict between his mother and his wife.
She walked over and patted Song Zhidong's hand, while Qian Xiao'e was directly ignored. She could sense that Qian Xiao'e didn't like her very much. Despite her constant smiles, Baozhu only truly held her family in her heart; if Qian Xiao'e didn't like her, then so be it.
Wang Guifang called out to her, "Baozhu, come to Mom."
"Oh, coming!" Song Baozhu grinned, wrapping her arms around Wang Guifang’s neck as she was carried into the house.
Who knows what Song Zhidong said to Qian Xiao'e after they returned to their room, but the next day, she spent the whole time cautiously trying to please Song Baozhu.
To keep her eldest brother from being unhappy, Song Baozhu pretended to be happy and chatted with Qian Xiao'e for a few minutes.
Qian Xiao'e breathed a sigh of relief. After they had returned to their room the night before, Song Zhidong had scolded her: "That is Baozhu's own money. What kind of ideas are you entertaining?"
Qian Xiao'e felt wronged: "What ideas? I was just worried about a child like Little Sister-in-law having so much money in her hands."
That was the first time Song Zhidong looked at her so sternly: "Xiao'e, you've been married in for so long; I know your thoughts. Aren't you just thinking that since we are the eldest branch, our parents' money will be ours once the family splits? That's why you're afraid Baozhu will spend it all."
Qian Xiao'e stood there stunned. She hadn't expected her usually simple and honest husband to see right through her.
"If it weren't for Baozhu, there would have been no harvest this year. Besides, that two hundred yuan from before was a reward from the county for Baozhu. Didn't she let the family use it? Isn't that enough? As the Eldest Sister-in-law, how can you have the nerve to constantly covet your sister-in-law's things?"
Two hundred yuan was a massive sum. By rights, they should have saved it for Baozhu's dowry, but Baozhu refused and said that money would be needed when her little nephews and nieces were born, so the family should use it freely.
With Baozhu being so sensible, how could Qian Xiao'e have the face to target her belongings time and time again?
Only then did Qian Xiao'e feel afraid, leading to the scene the next day.
However, Qian Xiao'e soon had no time to worry about this, her natal family had come to the Songs to borrow grain!
As luck would have would have it, Wang Guifang’s natal family arrived as well, and the two groups ran right into each other.
Translated by Jade on From Han To Heart ~
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