"Coming!" Lin Xiaoxiao replied as she quickly walked towards the courtyard gate.
When she opened the door, she saw Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua standing outside, smiling and greeting Lin Xiaoxiao.
"Aunt Li, Sister Chunhua, what brings you here? Come in quickly," Lin Xiaoxiao greeted them warmly.
Wang Chunhua smiled and picked up the basket in her hand, saying, "Xiaoxiao, we know you just moved here and probably don't have many fresh vegetables to eat. These are from our own garden, just picked, they're super fresh!"
Aunt Li laughed and echoed her sentiments, the basket of eggs she was holding seemed to sway slightly with her laughter.
Lin Xiaoxiao was filled with gratitude: "Thank you so much, you've thought of everything. Please come in and sit down." With that, she took the basket from Wang Chunhua and welcomed the two into the courtyard.
The yard wasn't big, but it was kept very tidy.
The corner was tidied up very cleanly by Lin Xiaoxiao.
Once inside, Aunt Li placed the eggs on the table, glanced around the room, and said with a smile, "Xiaoxiao, you've tidied up this room really well; it's so comfortable to look at."
Lin Xiaoxiao smiled a little embarrassedly, turned around and poured two cups of water from the thermos.
She scooped a spoonful of sugar from the small jar into the water, then handed the cup to Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua, saying, "Aunt Li, Sister Chunhua, we don't have much to offer you, please have some sugar water."
Aunt Li quickly waved her hand: "No need to be so polite, child. We just came to get the money for you. Don't worry, it will definitely be through your uncle's hands, and you will get the money."
As Aunt Li spoke, she took something wrapped in a handkerchief from her pocket, opened the handkerchief, and found seven yuan inside.
She handed the money to Lin Xiaoxiao: "There are only 5 eggs here. We've used up all the eggs from our own farm. Don't think it's too little, but you can still take the money."
The things Lin Xiaoxiao gave them last time weren't cheap, so they naturally had to reciprocate; they couldn't just take advantage of others.
Lin Xiaoxiao quickly declined, "Aunt Li, how can this be? You've given me so many vegetables, you should keep the eggs for yourselves, this is unacceptable."
Aunt Li pretended to be angry: "Just take it. It's just a small token of our appreciation. You just moved in and don't have any food. We've hit it off, so this is nothing."
Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't refuse Aunt Li's offer, so she had no choice but to accept the eggs: "Then I won't be polite, Aunt Li." After saying that, Lin Xiaoxiao accepted the things and sat down to chat with them.
The three of them sat down at the table and began to chat.
Aunt Li took a sip of water, put down the cup, and her expression became somewhat serious: "Xiaoxiao, besides bringing some things, we also have something we want to talk to you about today."
"In our village, although most people are very simple and honest, there are also some troublesome individuals."
"Like the Zhang family at the east end of the village, that family is not to be trifled with."
“Their family often tries to take advantage of others, and sometimes they even steal things from other people at the market. You have to be careful and avoid getting into a conflict with them.”
"And those bachelors at the west end of the village, they do nothing all day and sometimes say inappropriate things to the girls and wives in the village. If you go out alone and run into them, stay away."
Lin Xiaoxiao listened attentively, nodding occasionally: "Aunt Li, thank you for reminding me. Otherwise, if something happens, I'm afraid I might not have been able to judge people properly."
Aunt Li had also heard about Lin Xiaoxiao's achievements, and when she heard them, she thought Lin Xiaoxiao had done a good job.
Lin Xiaoxiao did nothing, yet she was targeted; those people are truly heartless.
That's why I thought I'd come and remind everyone who's an eccentric in the village.
Avoid getting involved with these things if possible.
After finishing this matter, Wang Chunhua sent out a message: "Lin Zhiqing, after the spring plowing is over in a few days, our village will organize a group to go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables, and if we are lucky, we may also be able to find some wild game."
"If you want to go, just let me know, and I'll come and get you."
"I want to go up today, but Da Niu and the others won't let me no matter what they say, saying it's dangerous..."
Lin Xiaoxiao immediately agreed. She was just thinking of finding an opportunity to go up the mountain. Going with the group would allow her to learn more information, which was better than going blind on her own.
Before they knew it, it was getting dark, and Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua prepared to get up and go home.
At this time, when every household is preparing dinner, staying any longer would only cause trouble for Lin Xiaoxiao.
Upon seeing this, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly got up and went back to the inner room.
A moment later, she came out carrying two hair ornaments and a piece of cloth.
The hair accessory was the usual style found in supply and marketing cooperatives, and the fabric was a piece of polyester with a plain color.
The cured meat and cloth were carefully selected by Lin Xiaoxiao from her own reserves.
She had a lot of cloth stored in her space. She originally planned to wait until she settled down in the village and see if she could find a suitable opportunity to exchange some of it for money and tickets.
In this era of scarcity, cloth required ration coupons, and it would likely be in high demand on the black market.
Today, Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua came, and she felt she had to express her gratitude properly, especially since Captain Wang had inadvertently helped her keep Wang Lili's family in check, allowing her to operate without any obstacles.
Lin Xiaoxiao handed the wax flower and cloth to Aunt Li: "Aunt Li, Sister Chunhua, this piece of cloth can be used to make a dress for Sister Chunhua. Thanks to Captain Wang for speaking up for me today, otherwise yesterday's events would not have gone so smoothly."
Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua were both stunned; they hadn't expected Lin Xiaoxiao to bring out something so valuable.
Aunt Li hurriedly declined, saying, "This won't do, Xiaoxiao, we can't accept it. It's too precious. We just came to deliver some vegetables and discuss some matters; how could we accept such a valuable gift from you?"
Lin Xiaoxiao stuffed the things into Aunt Li's hands and said sincerely, "Aunt Li, please accept them. I'm new here and don't know anything. I'll have to rely on you to take care of me in the future."
"I'll need your help in the future, and my uncle has already helped me a lot. I'd feel bad if you didn't accept this."
Looking at Lin Xiaoxiao's determined eyes, then at Wang Chunhua, Aunt Li hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the gift: "Xiaoxiao, you're such an honest child. If you ever need anything, just come to us. If you're wronged while you're here all alone, just tell us."
Wang Chunhua's lips never left her mouth when she looked at Da Bu.
She made up her mind: from now on, she would protect Lin Xiaoxiao in the village.
The three of them chatted happily for a few more minutes before Aunt Li took her leave.
After seeing the two off at the gate, Lin Xiaoxiao stood there until they were out of sight before turning back into the courtyard.
She went to the stove and started a fire to heat up the goose from last night.
When Aunt Li and Wang Chunhua returned home, Wang Chunhua hugged the cloth like a treasure and went back to her room with a big smile on her face.
Aunt Li then turned to Captain Wang, who was sitting to the side, and said, "Xiaoxiao is such a kind girl. I only brought some vegetables, and she brought several feet of cloth."
Captain Wang, puffing on his pipe, nodded: "That's right, this girl seems like a sensible person. Take her in, and we'll take care of her more in the future. It's not easy for her to be here all alone, so we should help her as much as we can."
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