Chapter 614 The Zhao Family Distributes Gifts
Old Master Cheng emerged from the mansion in a disheveled state.
People often pass by the entrance of this courtyard, and they were immediately surprised and gathered around.
"Hey, isn't this that guy from Chengjia Village? Didn't he go to the capital with Cheng Zhao to enjoy a life of luxury? Why is he suddenly back?"
"Why are you all wet and look so pale? What happened?"
"Could it be that he was sent back from the capital and then kicked out of the courtyard by Aunt Dashan..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Old Master Cheng straightened his collar and puffed out his chest. "My son is a high-ranking official in the capital. He has never forgotten the kindness of Cheng Family Village, so I came back to take care of the villagers on behalf of my son."
He flicked his wet sleeves and got into the carriage.
Zhao Dashan had his men load the local specialties and gifts that the Cheng family had bought in the capital onto the carriage, and then they went to Chengjia Village together.
The villagers stared at the carriage, still discussing and speculating about why Boss Cheng had returned from the capital...
At this moment, Cheng Wanwan walked out of the courtyard, followed by Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi carrying a large box. When the box was opened, it was full of various pastries, cakes, and candies.
"These are all trendy snacks and treats I bought from the capital. They're popular with wealthy families in the capital, so I brought them back for everyone to try." She smiled and told the villagers to help themselves. "Take some back for your children. I have several boxes at home."
In the capital, she bought mostly books and food. She distributed several boxes to the villagers to try, took two boxes to the workshops to distribute to the workers, and kept one box at home to eat slowly. With so many children in her family, she wasn't worried about not being able to finish the whole box.
"I must say, the pastries in the capital are indeed tastier."
"So many exquisite foods, it must have cost a lot of money. Aunt Dashan is so generous."
"Anyway, we'll get meat to eat if we follow Aunt Dashan. Let's grab our food and get to work. Let's stop gossiping here."
Villagers came and went in waves, and for those who didn't come, Cheng Wanwan had her maid deliver food to their door.
After the gifts were distributed in the village, she had someone carry the boxes to Old Zhao's house.
The Zhao family's house is different now than before. In the months she was away, the Zhao family had their courtyard expanded with blue bricks, which made it look grand. There were stone tables and benches in the courtyard, a large tree was transplanted to provide shade, and grape seeds were borrowed and planted. It was somewhat similar to her old courtyard.
"Auntie, you're here!" Donghua greeted her with a big smile. "We have tea and sweet soup at home. Which would you like, Auntie?"
Cheng Wanwan noticed that the girl had grown taller and her face had matured. She was wearing clean clothes and looked more lively.
She smiled and said, "Plain water is fine."
Donghua ran inside and poured out a glass of water.
Qiu Hua quickly brought out the best chair in the house, and even put a cloth on it, for Cheng Wanwan to sit down.
Chunhua and Xiahua were not at home; one had gone to Dahe Banquet and the other was at Cao's Embroidery Workshop. Dawang and Erwang were also not there; one had gone with Ergou to inspect the branch store, and the other was studying diligently at the school.
"Auntie, have some sunflower seeds." Wang Damai came out carrying a plate of sunflower seeds. "These are sunflower seeds that Grandma grew. They smell very good when roasted."
Cheng Wanwan cracked some melon seeds and waited for a while, but none of the adults in the family returned. So she stood up and said, "The box contains the gifts I bought for you in the capital. When your grandparents come back, we'll open the box and distribute them."
Donghua had seen the box of things long ago, but had been restraining herself from asking about it. Now that Cheng Wanwan brought it up, she jumped three feet high: "Grandpa is making a cabinet at Grandpa Zhou's house, and Grandma is strolling around the soap workshop. Auntie, wait a minute, I'll go and call Grandpa and Grandma back right away."
Before long, Donghua had called everyone back: the two elders of the Zhao family, Zhao Youyin and Zhao Youcai, as well as Wen Shi and Sun Shi. The whole family was there, and everyone's eyes were on the trunk.
Old Zhao coughed and said to Cheng Wanwan, "Eldest daughter-in-law, why did you buy all this? Aren't you tired from traveling all this way back and forth?"
"You old man, weren't you guessing what your eldest daughter-in-law bought yesterday? What are you pretending for now?" Old Mrs. Zhao rolled her eyes at him.
Old Zhao: "..."
We've been married for so long, can't we at least give him some face?
Cheng Wanwan chuckled and said, "I bought everything a while ago, I just got back a little late. Come and see if you like it?"
She opened the box, revealing its contents, the top of which was a hand warmer.
"These are hand warmers used by some older ladies in the capital. I also bought some silver wire charcoal. In winter, a small piece of charcoal can be put in and it will burn for a day. This small box of charcoal should last for four or five months."
“Your father is a carpenter now, and he often has to take measurements, but his eyesight isn’t very good. I specially asked someone to find a pair of glasses that came back from abroad. Once you wear them, you can see things up close more clearly. Give them a try, Father.”
Old Zhao had never seen anything like it before. He immediately took it and put it on. The moment it was placed on his nose, he felt a little dizzy, but after a while, he could see everything clearly.
"This thing is so rare and so useful, it must cost a lot of money."
These are actually reading glasses. She heard that some people sell them in this era, but because they are imported from overseas, they are expensive but not available. So she bought one from the mall for just over a hundred coins, which was very cheap. Of course, she couldn't say that.
She smiled and said, "It fits Dad perfectly. It's cheap if you make the most of it. Just be careful to store it properly, otherwise it won't work if the lens breaks..."
"And these fabrics are all good materials suitable for ordinary people. I bought seven or eight bolts, enough to make several sets of clothes for each person in the family."
"These are things I bought for the children. For Donghua and Qiuhua, these are cookbooks. I bought more than a dozen for you. Study them slowly."
“I heard from Master Yu that Erwang is a good student, so I bought him the Four Treasures of the Study that people in the capital like to use.”
"As for Xuanxuan, he's still young and inevitably gets bumps and bruises. This ointment is good; it can help remove scars..."
Cheng Wanwan introduced everything in the box, and everyone in the Zhao family received a gift, beaming with joy.
"Sister-in-law is the best." The gift from Madam Sun was a jade bracelet, which she loved very much. Her words were as sweet as honey. "From now on, whatever you say goes. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. If you tell me to butcher a fish, I will never kill a chicken."
Donghua hugged Cheng Wanwan's leg tightly: "I want to be my aunt's daughter..."
"Auntie..." Zhao Mingxuan mumbled, "...hug me..."
Seeing her son and daughter reaching out to Cheng Wanwan, Mrs. Sun felt a pang of jealousy, but she didn't mind her children getting along well with Cheng Wanwan.
Grandma Zhao pushed her grandchildren aside: "I'll have my second son go to the city to buy some good meat and wine. You can eat here tonight..."
Cheng Wanwan surrendered immediately: "I still have to go to Dahe Academy, I'm leaving now."
She turned and left quickly; she simply couldn't bear the Zhao family's hospitality.
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