Chapter 34 Our Village is the First
"Su Cheng, you're here so late at night. Did something happen to the Xie family?" Aunt Liu, wearing only her coat, opened the courtyard door and welcomed the person outside. "Come into the courtyard and talk."
"Aunt, you're worrying too much. I came here tonight to show Uncle Liu and Aunt something." Su Cheng placed the small package on the table, her eyes smiling into crescents. "Aunt treats the Xie family very well. When they got something good, the first person I thought of was Aunt."
"Kid, why are you being so mysterious?" Aunt Liu looked confused, her eyes quietly falling on the package.
"The eldest daughter-in-law is here?" Uncle Liu greeted her with a smile, holding a bowl in his hand. "You've come just in time. The rain has just stopped, but the wind is still wet. Your aunt has made some ginger soup. You should have a bowl too."
"Thank you, Uncle Liu." A bowl of ginger soup was also a token of friendship. Su Cheng took it without hesitation and picked up the package. "Auntie, open it and take a look."
Aunt Liu was already curious, and unable to resist her temptation, she opened the package and revealed the seeds inside. "What are these... Why are they so big and small, and so dirty? Hey, look, my dear, they're sprouting!"
Uncle Liu was also surprised by this thing and frowned and asked, "Big Brother's wife, what do you mean by this?"
"These are crop seeds. The potatoes they grow are in season in spring and autumn. They can be harvested around March after sowing. One acre can yield over a hundred kilograms, which is very filling." Su Cheng took a sip of the hot ginger soup and felt his body warm up. "I've asked around in Suzhou, Ganping, and even the capital, and they've never sold potatoes. If this is successful, our village will be the first."
Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu looked at each other and saw surprise and suspicion in each other's eyes.
"Big Boss's wife, this..." Uncle Liu quickly reached out and closed the package, his expression solemn. "This is something no one else has ever seen. How did you get it?"
"Don't worry, Uncle Liu. I have my own way of supplying seeds. Once the crops are ripe, we can cut the fruits and sprout them. It's the same principle as chickens laying eggs and eggs laying chickens." Su Cheng smiled and looked at the two people opposite him. "What do you think, uncle and aunt?"
Uncle Liu pondered for a moment, then sighed after a long while. "Eldest Wife, I won't hide anything from you. We old couple don't have much money on our bodies. I naturally believe what you say, and I know that the bag contains good things, but... I really can't help you."
"Your uncle is right. Now our family is so poor that we only have one pot left. My son is a gambler. I just found out a while ago that he owes a lot of money in town. We have to scrape together all our savings to keep him alive. Little girl is less than ten years old and knows nothing. Now our family can only rely on your uncle to go hunting in the mountains and pick wild vegetables to have something to eat. We can't even afford to buy seedlings."
"I went back to my parents' house yesterday to borrow some money." Aunt Liu touched the package on the table, her eyes reddening. "Take these seeds back. We can't afford them."
Su Cheng understood that the old couple thought he was there to sell seeds.
"Uncle Liu, Auntie, to be honest, Xinghua Village is only the size of a palm. Who can hide their happiness or hardship from their neighbors?" Su Cheng held Auntie Liu's calloused hand, smiling softly, "A few days ago, Xie Ming said your land was barren, so I thought you might have encountered difficulties. I won't charge for these seeds."
"No... no money?" Aunt Liu couldn't hide her surprise. She exchanged glances with her husband and whispered, "Such a good thing... child, what do you want?"
Su Cheng smiled sweetly, "I only said I won't charge you any money, I didn't say I'll give it to you for free."
"This..." Uncle Liu hesitated for a moment, then was replaced by determination. "No matter what, you gave us seeds, which means you gave us two old men a way to survive. If there's work to do, just give me instructions. I won't say a word!"
"It's not a big deal, but Xie Ming has been complaining for a few days now, saying that every night, someone would dig up our land and dig out all the seeds we had buried. They didn't plant them secretly, they just did it to annoy us."
Su Cheng sighed softly, a look of grievance on her face. "Our two families' lands are right next to each other. When my aunt's family finishes planting, we might be implicated. I thought of asking Uncle Liu to help keep an eye on it. Uncle Liu goes hunting in the mountains all year round. Cuicui said he can carry a wild boar by himself. With Uncle Liu around, we can feel more at ease. We can make money together."
"Oh! That's it?" Aunt Liu slapped her thigh, a look of anger on her face. "You don't even need to report this little thing to your uncle. I can make the final decision! Your uncle will go lie down in the fields soon. I want to see who dares to touch your Xie family's land!"
"Of course." Su Cheng smiled sweetly and pushed the package into Aunt Liu's arms. "Uncle, please accept these seeds. Our two families live close to each other, so we should visit more often in the future."
"Okay..." Aunt Liu turned her back and wiped away her tears, feeling a great pang in her heart.
Uncle Liu was not good at speaking. He turned around, walked to the wall, picked up the hoe, and said in a deep voice, "I'm going to the fields."
When I returned to Xie's house, the yard was empty.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xie Cuicui ran out first, threw herself into Su Cheng's arms, and called out sweetly, "Mom, you're finally back."
Su Cheng hugged her, gently pinched the tip of her nose, and smiled softly, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I miss mom so much I can't sleep." Xie Cuicui lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "Can Cuicui sleep with mom from now on?"
"Yes, Cuicui is older now, and it's inevitably inconvenient for her to always sleep in the same room with your brother. It's a good opportunity to let Grandpa Du go over." Su Cheng's eyes were full of doting. Seeing that the light in the kitchen was still on, he asked softly, "Who's busy in the kitchen at this hour?"
"It's Fourth Uncle." Xie Cuicui also looked over and smiled, "He said that Mother hadn't eaten for a long time, so when he got home he went to the next yard and was frying eggs for her."
Su Cheng felt surprised and rubbed her little head. "Cui Cui, go back to the house first. Mom will go over and take a look."
Pushing open the kitchen door, Su Cheng looked up and saw a busy figure. The man had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, chopping wild onions on the chopping board with ease. His head was lowered, and a few strands of hair fell on his forehead. Hearing the noise, Xie Ming opened his eyes and looked towards the door. Seeing the green color, his frown relaxed a little. "You're back?"
Su Cheng nodded, his tone brisk, "I gave some seeds to the Liu family and didn't charge them any money. Uncle Liu took his tools and went to squat in the fields. In two days, we'll definitely catch the thief."
Xie Ming hummed softly, lowered his head and continued chopping vegetables. His voice was dull, "You and my second brother told me... that I should join the Dingbei Army?"
"That's right." Su Cheng washed his hands and walked over to his side to help. "I dreamed of you when I was unconscious. Although it sounds ridiculous, your second brother also found a way to confirm that Prince Ruyang of Dingbei is a wise leader worth turning to."
Xie Ming stopped chopping vegetables and looked at her sideways with a focused expression, "Besides my future...what else did sister-in-law dream about me?"
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