Yan Xiaonan didn't want to go back so early. She hadn't even had the famous roast duck yet, and her grandmother was worried she'd catch a cold. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Why don't we wait until Southwest comes back and eat together?"
Yan Xiaonan frowned. It was already past October, why hadn't her second brother returned yet? Could something have happened back home that delayed him?
Southwest originally planned to take Tang Jianjun to Beijing before October, but things didn't go as planned. Tang Jianjun wasn't going to just pack his bags and leave so easily. He was in charge of all the family's affairs, so even if he left, he had to make sure everything was in order.
The contracted farmland that had just been signed was to be transferred. Tang's mother wanted to keep one or two acres to cultivate, but Tang Jianjun disagreed. He said that two women taking care of two children was already hard enough, and to have to farm would be exhausting. Both the Yan family and the Tang family had their own plots of land, and they could just take care of those plots.
Village Chief Ma strongly agreed with Tang Jianjun's choice. The Yan family had already transferred their contracted land, so the Tang family could too. The old bachelor had returned, so transferring the land to him was perfect. Don't underestimate the old bachelor just because he's a bit old; he's a skilled farmer, and managing ten or eight acres is no problem for him.
Tang Jianjun entrusted his wife, daughter, and two grandsons to Village Chief Ma. Xinan said that he would have to come back next year to take the college entrance exam, and once he passed the exam, the whole family would move to Beijing.
Village Chief Ma was filled with envy, but when he thought about how his eldest son had also been admitted to an agricultural university, he felt incredibly proud. It was all thanks to Yan Xiaonan. Now Yan Xiaonan had contracted a furniture factory in Beijing, and Southwest was about to take the college entrance exam. Every member of the Yan family was successful.
"Why don't I let my second son take the college entrance exam next year? He can't drive a tractor for the rest of his life," Village Chief Ma was thinking when Southwest took out a 60-year-old ginseng from his luggage and handed it to him. The strong aroma of ginseng made Village Chief Ma's heart leap into his throat.
"This is Nan Nan's dowry for Ma Minghua. I wish her a happy marriage, a long and happy life together, and many children." Nan Nan said a string of congratulatory words, and the village chief Ma was so happy that he didn't know what to say when he held the ginseng.
Ginseng! Such a precious thing, and this young girl just gives it away like that. She's really generous. Village Chief Ma is in a bit of a dilemma. He can't bear to refuse, but he feels a little embarrassed to accept it. What should he do?
Southwest knew what Village Chief Ma was thinking just by looking at his expression: "Uncle Village Chief, this ginseng was given to Ma Minghua by Nannan. You can take it back to her."
Village Chief Ma blushed. How could he have forgotten such an important matter? It was a friendship between two girls, what did it have to do with an old man like him?
Looking at the ginseng with its long tendrils, Village Chief Ma really wanted to pluck one and taste it. He was over fifty years old and had never tasted ginseng before.
Ma Minghua was tidying up her dowry in her room. In a few months, she would be leaving home to become someone else's wife. She felt both longing and reluctance when she suddenly heard her mother's exclamation from the main room. She quickly ran out.
"Goodness, Nan Nan is too extravagant! Giving away such precious things so easily, how can we accept that?" Sister-in-law Ma hesitated.
"It's not for you, it's for Minghua's dowry. It's Nannan's thoughtful gift." Village Chief Ma said with a smug smile, realizing that his wife thought the same way he did.
"That's wonderful! With this, my Minghua's status has improved a lot. She can hold her head high in her husband's family now. Nannan is so thoughtful." Sister-in-law Ma was overjoyed. She had originally worried that her in-laws, who were from the county town and had access to government-subsidized grain, might look down on people from the countryside. Now, there was no need to worry at all.
"Yes, we should thank Nannan. Oh, Minghua, you're out! Look, this is the ginseng Nannan gave you as a dowry. It's very precious. You should quickly write a letter to Nannan to thank her properly," Village Chief Ma said as soon as he saw Ma Minghua.
Minghua wiped away her tears, took the ginseng and examined it carefully: "Father, Mother, I won't take this ginseng with me. I'll keep it at home to help you both recover. I'll go write a letter to Nannan to thank her for still thinking of me."
“That won’t do. The ginseng is a gift from Nan Nan to you. What kind of image would it have if it stayed at home? Besides, with this ginseng, your status will be greatly enhanced.” Ma Da Sao disagreed.
“Mother, I’m just a peasant. They knew that when they came to propose marriage. If they look down on me, then this marriage is off. How long can we rely on ginseng to save face?” Ma Minghua said resolutely.
Village Chief Ma thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Minghua, just keep the ginseng at home. Come and get it whenever you want. Anyway, it's something Nannan gave you, and no one can take it away."
Ma Minghua quickly broke off two ginseng roots, washed them with water, and fed them to Village Chief Ma and his wife: "Try it and see if it tastes good."
The two looked at the broken ginseng rootlets with a pained expression. This child, why doesn't he know how to cherish things? With two ginseng rootlets missing, will the price of this ginseng be reduced?
The rich ginseng flavor spread in his mouth, but Village Chief Ma grimaced, blaming himself for thinking too highly of ginseng. To be honest, it wasn't that delicious, at least not as good as Lao Bai Gan (a type of Chinese liquor).
Mrs. Ma ate with relish. She had heard that eating ginseng could prolong life, and that eating a ginseng root today would at least add a year to her life.
While the Ma family was beaming with joy, trouble was brewing in the Tang family. Tang Xiaoling saw that Xinan had brought out such a large ginseng to give to Village Chief Ma without even saying hello to her. She was both anxious and angry and wanted to stop him, but she was also quite shrewd. What if her father and Xinan left? She would still have to rely on the village chief for help.
Once Village Chief Ma was out of sight, Tang Xiaoling exploded: "Southwest, what do you mean? You just gave away such a big ginseng without even asking my opinion."
Southwest hadn't expected Tang Xiaoling to care about this, and asked somewhat strangely, "What's your problem? Is this ginseng yours?"
"You, but this ginseng is yours!" Tang Xiaoling exclaimed angrily.
"This ginseng was a gift from Nan Nan to Ma Minghua as a dowry. Are you deaf or stupid? You didn't understand what I was saying to Uncle Village Chief." Southwest was angry.
"Nan Nan is so generous. I didn't even see her give me ginseng when I got married." Seeing that Xinan was angry, Tang Xiaoling was a little scared, but she still muttered something.
Southwest is furious: "When you got married, my family gave you a job, a dowry, and a share of the family property. We also gave you a newly built house with a full set of furniture. When you were in confinement, my mother took care of your meals and the baby. Are you blind or have you forgotten? Tang Xiaoling, if you dare to have any complaints about Nannan, let's get a divorce."
After finishing speaking, Southwest picked up his luggage and left, but Tang Jianjun grabbed him and said, "Tang Xiaoling, Southwest is my apprentice. In my eyes, my apprentice is much more important than my daughter. Go pack your things and get out of here."
Tang Xiaoling looked at Tang Jianjun in disbelief: "Dad, I'm your daughter, how could you treat me like this? What did I say wrong? Such a big ginseng is worth so much money, and it's not for Uncle Village Chief, it's for Minghua to take to her husband's family."
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