stingy landlady

Chapter 57 The Farmhand Brothers

Pan Sen and Pan Qiang glanced at Gui Zhi, a young girl they didn't recognize. Neither of them spoke.

Old Zhou introduced them: "Hello, Third Miss! This is the elder brother, Pan Sen! This tall and thin one is the younger brother, Pan Qiang!"

Pan Sen, Pan Qiang! This is the Third Miss!

Pan Sen and Pan Qiang immediately felt awkward, and the two called out nervously, "Third Miss!"

Guizhi smiled and looked the two of them over, saying, "Hongmin, Hongli are our good friends! They call you uncles!"

Pan Qiang explained, "Third Miss! Hongmin and Hongli call us Uncle!"

Guizhi smiled and said, "Oh! So it's Uncle! You've done a great job in the vegetable garden!"

Then, turning to Old Man Zhou, he said:

"Grandpa Zhou! My second sister and I are buying a few more bolts of coarse cloth and a few pairs of shoe soles today! We'll need Aunt Zhou's help to make them some clothes and shoes!"

"It's nothing, Miss, you're too kind! I wouldn't dare say it's troublesome!"

Old Zhou said to Guizhi.

"Third Miss! They're both very good at their work! They're quite strong! And they've done a great job tending the vegetable garden! It's so good to be young!"

Pan Sen stammered, "Third Miss! Grandpa Zhou! Can we plant plum trees around the vegetable garden? When the plums bear fruit, the ladies will have fruit to eat!"

Guizhi exclaimed in surprise:

"Of course! But it has to be a good variety! I've heard that plums come in dry-pitted and wet-pitted varieties, early-ripening and late-ripening varieties, and they come in red and yellow! Sweet ones are the best!"

Pan Qiang then looked at his brother and said:

"Third Miss! Grandpa Zhou! The plums in our village are delicious! They're dried-pitted, early-ripening plums!"

There are also late-ripening plums, with wet pits; when fully ripe, one bite releases a burst of juice, so sweet!

Does anyone sell plum seedlings?

Pan Qiang hurriedly said, "Third Miss! I... I have many saplings in my garden! We used to throw the plums in the garden after we finished eating them, and they would grow on their own!"

Guizhi thought for a moment and asked, "Has your family's vegetable garden been sold?"

Pan Sen thought for a moment before saying, "Third Miss! It shouldn't be! The casino just took over the house! They won't let us live there anymore! It's only been a few days, it shouldn't have been sold yet!"

Guizhi then asked, "What kind of house do you own? How much is it valued at the casino?"

Pan Qiang replied:

"Third Miss! My house is just a thatched hut! It's just that the garden is very big! My father, my father might have exaggerated at the casino. When the casino people came to collect the house, they were very angry, saying that such a dilapidated house was a waste of two taels of silver!"

Then, feeling wronged, she said, "They look down on this dilapidated house and won't let us live there! They said they'd rather it rot away!"

The two brothers were thinking about unpleasant things again! The atmosphere became a bit somber.

Guizhi broke the deadlock, "It's alright! Since you're here, make the best of it! At least you have a place to stay!"

Pan Qiang forced his eyes open, holding back his tears. Then he said:

"Third Miss! The master has a carriage. We can go to my vegetable garden and pick a few more plum seedlings! If the casino won't allow it, almost every family in the village has plum trees, and they're not worth much! The two of us can go and ask for a few to plant around the vegetable garden!"

Guizhi thought for a moment and asked, "Do you two have any urgent tasks to do today?"

The two brothers shook their heads and looked at Old Man Zhou again.

Guizhi also turned to Old Zhou and said:

"Grandpa Zhou! If there's nothing urgent to do today, let them come with us to town!"

Your family lives in the direction of the county seat, past Xing'an Town, right?

Pan Qiang nodded hurriedly and said, "Third Miss! Yes! It's easy to find! The village is right by the roadside, with only a few households."

Old Zhou thought for a moment and said:

"Third Miss! It's good that you're going with them! They've been out for so long, they must be thinking about going back to see them!"

He then said to Pan Sen and Pan Qiang:

"Follow the two young ladies and don't cause any trouble! When we get to the village, we'll visit your parents' graves and put your mind at ease!"

Pan Qiang whispered, "Grandpa Zhou! We don't have any coins to buy paper money and incense!"

Old Zhou had no money either; his family had never received a monthly allowance!

Guizhi had no copper coins on her. Looking at the people before her, she saw they toiled every day just to earn a decent meal! This wicked old society! Fine! She was just like that stingy landlord's daughter!

"Alright! When you get to town, the second young lady will give you some copper coins! How can you call it grave sweeping if you don't buy paper money and incense? Send your parents plenty of paper money so they have money to spend down there!"

Pan Sen pulled Pan Qiang to kneel down and kowtow!

"Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!"

The two of them had never been away from home for this long before, and they were already homesick! Although it was just an empty house, it didn't belong to them yet!

Oh, my dear! Memories are always beautiful, aren't they?

Humans are contradictory. The two brothers recalled those tragic days when they were driven out by thugs from the gambling den! Their parents were only able to be hastily buried with the help of the villagers!

The two were so hungry they were dizzy, but as time went by, they thought more and more about the warm home where they had grown up with their loving parents!

I always long to go back and take another look, to see the place where I once lived! That place that brought me both joy and sorrow!

A light drizzle was falling from the sky as Lin Xiaoyun, wearing a raincoat, drove the horse-drawn carriage!

Pan Qiang and Pan Sen refused to sit in the carriage with the two young ladies, so the three of them sat outside, all tight-lipped and silent! They remained silent until they reached the kitchen of Xiangmanlou Restaurant in town!

Guizhi got out of the car and said, "Brother Pan, Second Brother Pan, remember this place! When Steward Zhou is busy, you'll need to come here to collect swill to feed the pigs!"

The Pan brothers, Pan Sen and Pan Qiang, nodded quickly, "Got it! It's Xiangmanlou!"

Guizhi asked in surprise, "You can read?"

The two nodded. "My maternal grandfather was a scholar, and we studied under him for a few days."

"What about your maternal grandfather?" Guizhi asked, puzzled. He had a powerful maternal family, yet her mother still committed suicide?

Pansen explained:

My maternal grandparents have been gone for several years!

Li, the purchasing agent, came out smiling and asked, "Another newcomer! Gui Hong and Gui Zhi! Life is getting better and better!"

Guizhi smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words! Uncle Li! These are Pan Da and Pan Er! If my Uncle Zhou doesn't have time in the future, let Zhou Xing or the two of them come and collect the swill!"

"Okay! No problem! Zhou Xing is a good kid! He's quick-witted!" Li, the purchasing manager, said while watching his subordinates weigh the vegetables, and also glanced at the vegetables on the truck.

"Guizhi! This batch of vegetables is sold out. Are there any more in the garden? We can't sell any more! If everyone has them, they'll be worthless!"

Guizhi jumped back onto the carriage and said, "Uncle Li! To tell you the truth, my family has been growing and selling vegetables for so long, but we haven't even had a proper meal together yet!"

After a long pause, the purchasing manager asked:

Don't you yourselves eat it?

After calculating the cost, Gui Hong said, "Uncle Li! We can't afford to eat such expensive dishes! But we can eat them every day when they're cheaper!"