C16 The Shocked Old Couple

With a plan slowly forming in their minds, the siblings finally rode back home on Mr. Qian's tractor. Sure enough, their father, Zhou Hongqu, was sitting at the front door, puffing on his pipe, his eyes fixed on the road, likely waiting for them.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Zhou Hongqu tapped his pipe on the tree root, his face stern as he looked at Ruonan and Dawei standing at the end of the road, hesitant to approach.

"Where have you been so early in the morning?" Zhou Hongqu stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and walked over to them step by step.

Dawei, looking nervous, hid behind Ruonan. But Ruonan, with the maturity of someone beyond her years, smiled at her father’s stern face.

"Dad, we got you some liquor," she said, lifting the bottle of homemade spirits with a confident smile.

"Oh, my girl is back," their mother, Chunhua, said as she came out, drawn by the commotion. Ruonan walked over to her.

"Dawei, bring the meat over," Ruonan called to Dawei, who was still too timid to come forward.

Dawei quickly caught on and took the opportunity to join them. "Oh! Mom, we bought this meat in town," he said.

Zhou Hongqu turned to look at his two kids and the bottle of homemade spirits in Ruonan's hand.

Sighing, it seemed their little scheme was finally catching up with them.

The aroma of meat filled the air. In their household, they only had meat during the New Year, and even then, just a taste. This was a rare treat.

"Ruonan, tell me and your dad how you managed this," Wang Chunhua asked with a delighted expression as she sat down, eyeing the two plates of meat on the table.

Zhou Hongqu silently took a seat. It was a day of celebration for the family, and Wang Chunhua glanced at him.

She gave Zhou Hongqu a playful slap. "Your daughter bought you some wine, say something!"

"Hmph! I'm just worried she'll get caught one day," he grumbled, but still poured himself a glass, savoring the aroma before taking a sip.

Seeing this, Zhou Ruonan couldn't help but think, "Wow, it smells amazing!"

Ignoring Zhou Hongqu's look, Zhou Dawei animatedly recounted the morning's events to Wang Chunhua, embellishing the story.

"Seventeen dollars!?" Wang Chunhua stood up in disbelief. Seventeen dollars was a lot of money. It would take them ages in the fields to earn that much.

Zhou Ruonan picked up a piece of lean meat and casually remarked, "Actually, it was only fifteen dollars. Just for a morning's work, the profit's pretty low."

Though Zhou Hongqu's expression didn't change, his eyes unintentionally glanced at Zhou Ruonan sitting to his left. Whether it's 17 or 15, it's not a small amount for their family right now.

He placed a piece of lean meat into Zhou Dawei's bowl and said, "Eat your meal." Then he added, "This afternoon, Dawei, you're coming with me to check the traps. You and your mom can work in the field."

Zhou Ruonan was taken aback. Since when did her dad become so open-minded?

Zhou Hongqu took a big gulp of his drink and said, "I'll go tomorrow. Your dad's lived this long; if I end up in jail, so be it." He understood that his daughter was doing this for her tuition, and as a grown man, he had nothing to fear. Once the kids succeed in their studies, going to jail won't matter.

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