“Mom, the Lin family is my family too. Why can’t you come and stay? My parents-in-law have passed away. My older brother and sister-in-law are very kind people and would never say anything. If anyone in the village says anything, it’s because they’re jealous that you have such a good daughter like me.”
Lin Fengnian and the younger children also said, "Grandma, why don't you come and stay with us? Our house is lively, and you must be lonely at home all by yourself."
Lin Fengyao said earnestly, "Grandma, Grandma, I like you. Come live with me. If anyone talks about you, I'll shovel them with my little shovel."
Song Anbang also said, "Mother, my sister's family is very nice, and the villagers in Linjia Village are very kind and honest. I still teach there. You will like it. Please come."
Seeing that her daughter, grandson, and son all said so, Old Mrs. Song couldn't very well say no to going.
Since her daughter started interacting with the family and often came to visit her with her grandchildren, she has experienced the joy of having her children and grandchildren around her. She thinks about her daughter and grandchildren visiting her every day when she is alone at home.
She was overjoyed when her daughter invited her to stay at her home for the holiday.
"Okay, then I'll stay at your house for a while. I'll go back and pack my things right away." Her tone was quite eager and cheerful.
Song Anxin chuckled; her mother really was a hypocrite.
And so, Lin Fengshou, Song Anbang, Lin Fenghe, and Song Mei went back to Yong'an Lane with Old Madam Song. Lin Fengshou went to fetch the oxcart, Song Anbang had books and other things to carry, Lin Fenghe naturally followed along, and Song Mei wanted to help the old lady pack her things.
Song Anxin didn't go with them because she had some things to do. She took Lin Fengnian and Feng Yao to the largest grain store in the county. The shop assistant there recognized Song Anxin immediately. This was mainly because Song Anxin's demeanor was different from that of an ordinary peasant woman. She could be easily distinguished in a crowd. Moreover, he had gotten his promotion thanks to this aunt, so of course he remembered her even more clearly.
It was afternoon, and the grain shop was nearly empty. The young clerk stepped forward to greet him:
"Auntie, it's been a long time since you've come. What would you like to order this time? I'll make sure you get plenty."
When Song Anxin saw that it was the same shop assistant again, saying the same thing, she smiled and said:
"Then give me some corn and wheat flour...some." She still had white rice at home, so she could hold off on buying it for now. She then added, "Could you please call your shopkeeper out? I need to talk to him about something."
The young man immediately replied, "Yes, ma'am, wait for me, I'll call him right away."
He didn't ask what the matter was; in short, he just told people not to ask too many questions about important matters and to handle them properly.
The young shop assistant quickly brought out the kind-faced, slightly overweight shopkeeper. "Auntie, I've brought the shopkeeper for you. I'll weigh out the grain for you now."
Song Anxin asked Lin Fengnian to take Feng Yao to see how much of each kind of grain they needed, and also to see what kinds of vegetables could be planted in the fall.
The shopkeeper approached Song Anxin, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it's you, sister-in-law. The shop assistants told me you wanted to see me."
Manager Liu was very puzzled. What could a mere grain and seed seller possibly want from him?
Song Anxin said, "Shopkeeper, I know you are the largest grain and seed store in our county, and you have all kinds of seeds. I would like to ask if you have received any crops or seeds that we have not seen before recently?"
The shopkeeper looked bewildered by the question, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "We really don't have any. We don't want any crops or seeds that we've never seen before."
Song Anxin was not disappointed. She knew it wouldn't be easy to find them. She actually wanted to find sweet potatoes and potatoes. After thinking it over, she felt that nothing was more beneficial to the country and the people than high-yield crops that could feed people.
However, the search must be done slowly. Lin Fengnian has also bought the grain. His family is growing larger, and he bought about 100 jin of each grain. Lin Fengnian also picked out some vegetable seeds.
After paying, Song Anxin said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, if you come across any rare crops or seeds in the future, could you please help me collect them? I'll pay whatever it costs."
Seeing that Song Anxin had bought so much grain again, the shopkeeper knew she was a big customer and said with a smile:
"It's no trouble at all. I just happened to see something that was easy to do. Here's your change, sister-in-law, please take it."
"But you guys can't carry all this grain, can you? Should I have one of the workers deliver it to you?"
Song Anxin politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, shopkeeper, but there's no need to trouble yourself. My second son will be here in a little while with his oxcart."
Seeing Song Anxin's reaction, the shopkeeper told her not to rush and to wait patiently while he went back to his work. Meanwhile, the young shop assistant, seeing that no one else was coming in, struck up a conversation with Lin Fengnian. Lin Fengnian was very experienced in planting and farming, and the young man had worked in a grain store handling seeds and grains; the two actually found themselves having quite a bit to talk about.
Lin Fengyao couldn't stay still and ran out to wander around. Song Anxin had no choice but to follow him. This place was not like Linjia Village. The county town was quite big. It wouldn't be good if they got lost and encountered a child.
Lin Fengyao walked up to a flower stall by the wall and looked at the pots of flowers on the ground, saying, "These flowers are so beautiful, Mother, come and see!"
Song Anxin smiled helplessly and walked over.
Seeing that someone had finally come to his flower stall, the vendor quickly greeted her, "Auntie, would you like to buy some flowers? These are all grown by me, and they're not expensive."
Song Anxin saw that the flowers were all well taken care of, each one blooming with great vitality, and the colorful flowers in their small pots were quite beautiful.
She smiled and asked, "You're a young man who can grow flowers?"
The vendor scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "I like these flowers and plants, so I tended to some. My wife said the flowers I grew were pretty, so she asked me to bring them out to see if anyone else who loves flowers as much as I do would buy them."
Song Anxin nodded and said to Lin Fengyao, "Fengyao, which one do you like? Mom will buy you one."
Lin Fengyao chose a pot of unidentified purple flowers, which, since it wasn't a rare variety, only cost a few coins. Just as the young man turned around to get the flowers, Song Anxin, with her sharp eyes, noticed a cloth bag behind him. The bag was open, revealing some yellowish things, slightly larger than sesame seeds.
Song Anxin's eyes lit up: "Young man, what's that cloth bag on your back? Can you take it out and let me see it?"
The vendor turned his head: "Auntie, is this what you mean?" He took the item out and showed it to Song Anxin, saying, "I was chatting with some elderly people who love flowers as much as I do. They saw how much I like flowers and how well I take care of them, so I always like to give them some."
I don't know who gave me these flower seeds. They said they got them from a foreign merchant who couldn't grow them either, so I don't even know if they'll survive.
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