The sun was high in the sky, and everyone was taking a short rest after lunch; it was a rare moment of leisure during this time.
Lin Fengnian couldn't wait to go to the fields to finish the work he had done that morning, but Song Anxin stopped him and told him to wait until the weather wasn't so hot and to take a good rest.
But Lin Fengnian couldn't rest. Seeing that it was too hot, he watered the vegetable garden in the yard again and also fed the rabbits some grass. There were already twenty-six or twenty-seven rabbits in the rabbit hutch, which looked like a zoo at first glance.
The rabbit also felt hot and stayed in its burrow, refusing to come out. The small burrow was a bit cramped, and its bottom was sticking out, which was kind of cute. She thought about giving the rabbit a more spacious place.
Some vegetables have already sprouted in the garden, lush and green. In a few days, Song Anxin's family will be able to eat fresh vegetables other than wild ones.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?" came an old man's voice from the gate of the courtyard.
Lin Fengshou had just borrowed the oxcart from Uncle Zhao's house when he ran into them.
"Aren't you Uncle Zhang from the yamen gate that time? What are you doing at my gate?"
Lin Fengshou asked in confusion.
Hearing the commotion, Song Anxin came to the courtyard gate and met Old Zhang. When Old Zhang saw that it was the two of them, his face immediately lit up with surprise and joy.
He said to Song Anxin, "So you are my benefactors. I have been looking for you all this time. Without you, my daughter would have been gone long ago. Please accept my bow, my great benefactors."
He was about to kneel down before Song Anxin when Song Anxin, startled, quickly grabbed him.
"Uncle Zhang, I can't accept this. How could I, a junior, let you kneel before me?" She then asked with concern, "Is your granddaughter feeling any better?"
Song Anxin felt ashamed. Couldn't people in ancient times change their habit of kneeling to thank others at the drop of a hat? Lin Shitou was also afraid that if another old man like this came along, she would shorten her lifespan.
Old Man Lin smiled and said, "It's fine, it's just that the family is too poor and the child was so hungry that he didn't know what he ate on the mountain."
The doctor said it was fortunate that she received timely treatment, otherwise my granddaughter would have died. How could I face her deceased parents then!
Upon hearing this, Song Anxin realized that the girl was truly unfortunate. Her father had died in battle, and her mother was gone. It seemed that only the old couple, Uncle Zhang and his wife, were left to raise her.
Judging from what he said, his family situation must not be very good, otherwise the child would not be eating random things when hungry.
Old Zhang kept expressing his gratitude and even wanted to bow in thanks, but Song Anxin said it would shorten his lifespan, so he stopped.
After exchanging pleasantries, Song Anxin said, "Uncle Zhang, how did you end up at my house?"
“Hey, I didn’t know you were my benefactor’s family, otherwise I would have come to thank you long ago. I heard that there was a family in Linjia Village that collected duck eggs, but it was too far and time-consuming to go to the county to sell them, so I asked around and came to your house. I never expected it to be your benefactor’s family.”
Song Anxin smiled, surprised that the people of Dawu Village knew about it. She said, "You've come all this way and must be tired. Bring the duck eggs in so I can count them and you can rest."
Old Zhang responded and quickly turned to get his things from the oxcart behind. Only then did Song Anxin notice that there was an extra oxcart at the door, and the other one belonged to Uncle Lin.
Song Anxin welcomed Old Man Zhang in and asked Zhang Mei to pour him a bowl of tea.
Zhang Mei exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him, "Uncle Zhang, it's you!"
When Mr. Zhang heard someone calling him, it was a young woman. He looked her over for a while and really didn't know when he had met her before.
Seeing that Old Man Zhang didn't recognize her, Zhang Mei said with a smile, "It's me, Zhang Mei, Meizi. Uncle Zhang, how come you don't recognize me?"
Old Zhang suddenly realized: "Oh my, it's Meizi! You've changed so much, I didn't even recognize you!"
I heard from my wife that you remarried into Linjia Village, but I never imagined you married into the family of your benefactor. You've changed so much; even your own brother and sister-in-law wouldn't recognize you.
Zhang Mei noticed her brother and sister-in-law's eyes darken and said, "Second Uncle, I'll go pour you some tea."
Old Zhang realized he had said the wrong thing. He heard from his wife that the plums were sold by her brother and sister-in-law. Sigh, how could such a heartless person come from their village!
Song Anxin silently counted the duck eggs without saying a word. Most of the people in this big village are surnamed Zhang, so they must be related to each other to some extent. It's not surprising that Old Man Zhang and Zhang Mei know each other, but Old Man Zhang didn't recognize Zhang Mei.
Indeed, Zhang Mei used to be thin and frail, with yellowish skin, dry hair, and her whole body was tattered.
Unlike now, she's becoming more and more beautiful, looking like a young unmarried girl in her new pink dress. Song Anxin was very satisfied, which proved that she had taken good care of this daughter-in-law.
After counting, Song Anxin said, "Uncle Zhang, there are a total of sixty-three duck eggs here. They cost two coins each, which is a total of one hundred and twenty-six coins. Is that correct?"
Uncle Zhang, realizing what had happened with Zhang Mei, said, "Yes, yes, my benefactor, you were right."
However, I cannot accept this money. You saved my granddaughter's life and made Meizi your daughter-in-law. I noticed that Meizi's clothes are all new, and she looks more energetic and presentable than before.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to recognize you. You treat Meizi better than her scoundrel brother and sister-in-law.
You are my granddaughter's benefactor, and also Meizi's benefactor. Her parents are indifferent and heartless, and her brother and sister-in-law are ungrateful. I thank you on her behalf. These few dozen duck eggs are my old man's token of gratitude.
Zhang Mei happened to be pouring water when she heard this, and her eyes reddened.
Song Anxin thought that Old Man Zhang was a really good person. Zhang Mei was probably just one of his many juniors in Dawu Village. She didn't expect that Zhang Mei's parents didn't care about her, but he actually thanked this junior and even brought out such a valuable gift for farmers. He probably wouldn't even be willing to eat a bite of it himself.
This type of person is usable.
She said, "Uncle Zhang, I do business here with clearly marked prices, I can't just take your duck eggs for free."
Your granddaughter's life was saved by the doctor, so please don't keep calling me your benefactor. Just call me Fengnian's mother like the other villagers do!
As for Meizi, she married into my family and is now my daughter-in-law, so it's only right that I treat her well.
If you really want to thank me, could you do me a favor? My family is currently very busy and we don't have enough manpower.
Upon hearing that his benefactor was in trouble, Old Man Zhang quickly said, "Benefactor, please tell me, and I will do everything I can to help you."
“Uncle Zhang, if you keep calling me your benefactor like that, I won’t let you help me anymore.”
Song Anxin feigned some displeasure.
Old Zhang quickly changed his tune: "Yes, yes, Aunt Fengnian, what difficulties have you encountered?"
Song Anxin smiled again and said, "It's not a big problem. My family makes duck eggs, but the quantity is far from enough."
I was thinking that since you have an oxcart, could you help me collect duck eggs from a few nearby villages? I was originally planning to have my second son, Fengshou, borrow an oxcart from the village.
But my son has to go deliver goods, and we're busy in the fields; as his mother, I can't bear to see him so tired and overworked.
Old Zhang immediately replied, "Fengnian's wife, don't worry, this job is simple, I guarantee I'll keep it safe for you."
Song Anxin nodded and said, "However, Uncle Zhang, you'll have to pay for the duck eggs yourself first. I can only settle the money with you after you collect them and bring them to me."
Old Zhang said no problem, the pension money was enough to buy an oxcart and there was still some left, enough to collect duck eggs.
Seeing how readily Uncle Zhang agreed without even asking about the fees, and how he wasn't worried about not getting his money back after paying out of pocket, Song Anxin realized that he truly trusted her completely.
She certainly wouldn't betray that trust, and said to Old Man Zhang:
"Look, besides the money for the duck eggs, how about you give me one coin for every ten? But let me make it clear, I won't accept anything less than three hundred."
If the number exceeds three hundred, it will require manpower, vehicles, and financial resources to pay the fees.
The reason Song Anxin did this job for Old Man Zhang was because she felt he was reliable and trusted her.
Also, Old Zhang has an oxcart and, like her, received a pension and has some money in his pocket, but he needs capital to collect duck eggs.
Furthermore, Song Anxin genuinely wanted to help Old Man Zhang, as this business suited him very well.
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