Chapter 25: Can’t Let Zhenyu Become a Burden 

The entire family had grown accustomed to a life of comfort and ease. Apart from Second Zhao and his wife, who were somewhat capable, the rest were utterly useless. When harvesting bamboo shoots, they’d complain incessantly—now thirsty, now exhausted, now with an aching back, now with a growling stomach. The old woman and Laidi even kept running off to relieve themselves. The bamboo shoots, once abundant, suddenly became a prized commodity and were quickly stripped bare. They had to fight for what was left, yet even then, they couldn’t compete. By the time they spotted a patch, others had already cleared it. After a full day of backbreaking labor, all they managed to gather was half a sack—about sixty or seventy catties—once the bamboo shoot leaves were cleared away. 

The old man, unaware of how much others had harvested, thought this was a decent haul. After all, one catty earned them one copper coin, so dozens of coins in a single day left him thoroughly pleased. 

“Second Son, carry these to the neighbors and sell them.” 

“Aye!” 

Second Zhao couldn’t shake his frustration. As he passed Liu Shunzi’s house, he saw the quantities others had gathered. His family wasn’t any smaller in number, yet their yield was pitifully meager in comparison.

After a whole day harvesting bamboo shoots with the same number of people, how come others earned one or two hundred copper coins—some even two or three hundred—while his family only got a few dozen? His heart burned with resentment. If Third Zhao’s family were still here, they’d surely have made the most money in the whole village! 

‘Father is such a fool. Couldn’t he have waited before splitting the family?’ 

Liu Shunzi spotted Second Zhao from a distance. He had no intention of dealing with him—much less buying his bamboo shoots—but the Village Chief shot him a warning glance. Now wasn’t the time for conflict; they had bigger things to handle. 

‘Fine, I’ll take them.’ 

He eyed the meager haul with disdain. The quantity was about the same as what Old Qian and his grandson had brought—and that old man could barely walk, while the boy was only eleven. ‘Heh. Without Third Zhao, the whole family is just a bunch of good-for-nothings!’ 

“Sixty-three coins. Take it or leave it.”

Second Zhao glanced at the line of people behind him, his face burning with shame. Snatching the copper coins, he hurried off without another word. 

“Today, every household in the village has made a tidy little profit!” 

“Absolutely! Village Chief, your family’s haul is unmatched!” 

The Village Chief burst into laughter at the praise. “All thanks to you! But with so many bamboo shoots harvested, are you sure there won’t be any issues?” 

“None at all. This is just a one-time windfall—tomorrow, folks will be hard-pressed to earn this much again. The bamboo shoots are pretty much all cleared out.” He had inspected them carefully while buying. These people had gone mad, even plucking the tiniest shoots. He made it clear that shoots that small shouldn’t be taken in the future—otherwise, there’d be nothing left to grow.

“You’re right,” the Village Chief nodded. Tomorrow, even getting a few dozen catties per family would be difficult—he’d heard the bamboo groves had been picked clean. 

His own family wouldn’t be gathering in the village tomorrow. He knew of two large bamboo forests near the county town, and that’s where they’d head. It wasn’t his fault if others hadn’t thought of it—the money-making method was obvious: where there were bamboo shoots, there was profit. Everyone in the village knew where the groves were. If they hadn’t figured it out, who could they blame? 

The Zhao and Liu families worked late into the night before finally resting. “Daughter, with so many bamboo shoots, do we have enough silver?” 

Zhao Zhenyu also realized she had been careless—she should have set the price at two catties per coin. “It should be enough for now. Let’s take them first. Get some rest early—tomorrow you’ll need to make deliveries to the county town.” 

“Aye! It’s just today’s situation that’s left me uneasy. Your Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, and even the Village Chief ended up earning the least.”

Zhao Zhenyu: “…” 

She truly hadn’t expected the harvest to be this heavy—she never imagined everyone could gather so much. In her past life, she had never farmed or done manual labor, so she had no real sense of these things. 

“They won’t earn this much tomorrow. The bamboo shoots are pretty much gone. Even if they go to other areas, they’ll be cleared out in a few days. The distance will make it inefficient. As for Uncle Liu, Father, let’s see how much we make first, and then we can compensate them a little. Besides, if there are other money-making opportunities in the future, we’ll definitely bring him along—we won’t let Uncle Liu suffer losses.” 

As for the Village Chief? Well, forget it. That old fox was shrewd as they come. She’d bet anything that he’d already pocketed the fattest profits from this venture. 

“Alright, we’ll do as you say.” 

The method for removing the bitterness from bamboo shoots wasn’t some grand secret—any observant person could figure it out after a few tries. This year, they’d make some money, but next year? Unlikely. She planned to sell the bitterness-removal technique to the restaurants once the bamboo shoot season ended. Next year, prices would plummet. But it didn’t matter—they’d find other ways to earn. 

That night, the entire Laomuzhu Village buzzed with excitement. Though their bodies ached from exhaustion, their spirits soared. Everyone was convinced they were on the brink of striking it rich. ‘If we can earn this much in a single day, what about a month? Two months?’ 

Sleep was the last thing on their minds.

‘And next year?’ 

Heavens, they had been sitting on a goldmine all these years without even realizing it! 

Some villagers were already dreaming of the future, while others were slapping their chests in regret. 

The next day, before dawn had even broken, Liu Shunzi and Zhao Dashu set out on the road to the county town. To reach the city, they had to pass by the foot of the mountain. 

“Everyone’s already up harvesting bamboo shoots this early?” 

Zhao Dashu stared in astonishment at the distant flickering torches deep in the groves—one after another, dotting the darkness.

“Everyone’s just trying to make money—can’t blame ’em.” If it were him, he might’ve even slept in the bamboo grove to save time. But no matter how much others earned, he wouldn’t let envy get to him. Last night, he’d talked it over with his wife—they’d promised to help collect the bamboo shoots, and they’d see it through to the end. Others making money was their business; he’d never stoop to betrayal for profit. The two of them had already agreed on sixty coins a day, which was more than fair. 

Besides, even if he hadn’t gone harvesting himself, his three kids had pitched in yesterday and brought home nearly ninety coins. That was plenty—he was satisfied! 

At the county town’s restaurant, the manager inspected the bamboo shoots without fuss, weighed them, and paid promptly. While the payment was being settled, Liu Shunzi tactfully stepped outside to wait—not a word of complaint the whole trip, even though he knew others were earning far more. Zhao Dashu was deeply moved. ‘This is why I trust my brother.’ 

“Come on, let’s buy some meat!” 

“Dashu, save that silver. You still need to build a house. Take my advice—don’t stuff every coin into your mouth. Think about your two kids.” A father with a reputation for gluttony would tarnish the whole family’s name. What decent household would dare marry a girl from a family known for squandering money on food?

“It was my daughter’s idea—she said to stew a big pot of meat for us tonight. And we’re also buying some white flour to make noodles!” Just thinking about it made his mouth water. His daughter really knew how to eat—always picking the best stuff. 

Liu Shunzi looked at him, hesitating. His wife had mentioned that Zhenyu seemed to be taking after Dashu more and more—he hadn’t believed it at first, but now… it did seem kinda true! 

‘What to do? A girl with such a gluttonous streak—who’d dare marry her?’ He’d have to talk to his wife and discreetly mention it to Dashu’s wife. They still had a few years before she’d be of marriageable age—maybe they could still correct this habit. 

But if she couldn’t change… Liu Shunzi gritted his teeth. He and his wife would just have to work harder for a few more years and let their son, Fugui, take responsibility. No matter what, they couldn’t let their sworn brother’s daughter end up unmarriageable! 

‘But Fugui’s also a lazy glutton… If both husband and wife are like this, how will they survive in the future?’ 

Watching Zhao Dashu, whose mind was clearly occupied solely by meat, Liu Shunzi felt a wave of despair.