"Oh dear, you guys are so slow! If you dawdle any longer, it'll be dark already!"
Liu Weimin even let out an "Ah?", clearly not understanding what he meant.
With a heavy heart, Liu Aiguo closed his eyes and ripped off the last layer of straw.
"Third Uncle, is this true?"
He sensed something was wrong, so he turned around and opened his eyes, only to be stunned.
"Third Uncle, did you rob the steel mill?"
The old man had just braced himself for a long argument with them when this remark made him raise his whip.
"I robbed a bank, you believe me or not?"
Liu Aiguo shrank his neck. This treatment was always given to Weimin. Why was it his turn today?
Liu Weimin's mind isn't always sharp, but after being the village chief for so many years, he eventually figured it out.
Think of what the villagers who came back said: "Young Jian bought a lot of things again."
He was also a little incredulous.
"Third Uncle, you... no, this was also bought by Xiao Jian?"
The old man finally found a chance to show off.
"Alright, what do you say?"
Is that even a question?
Not to mention him, even Liu Aiguo, who lives next door, doesn't have a pot at home. Seeing this, he's practically drooling.
The people next to them weren't much better off; they were all stunned and bewildered.
The reaction was so lukewarm that the old man couldn't keep gloating.
"What do you mean by this? If you don't want her, I'll send her back!"
This time the reaction was quick; seven or eight men stopped the oxcart in an instant.
Liu Weimin spoke too quickly this time.
"Unload it now. Hurry up, be careful, whether we can have a hot stew for the New Year depends on you guys."
He moved closer to the old man.
"Third Uncle, did Xiao Jian say whether this thing is for direct exchange for cash or is it a local product?"
He realized that the little girl was closer to her third uncle's family, which might also be related to the fact that he was the village chief and didn't want people to gossip.
Do you remember how much you bought that pot a few years ago?
"How could I not remember? It's the only major event in my life."
It was right after the canteen had been disbanded, and these iron pots were in incredibly short supply. And, incredibly, it was a coincidence—the person was in such a hurry that they only asked for fifteen yuan and didn't ask for a receipt.
"These are all a bit flawed, but there's no need to ask her. I'll just order them for her. No matter the size, I'll just charge ten yuan. It can be cash or local produce, either way."
Liu Weimin was stunned.
"Third Uncle, ten yuan, won't that little girl lose a fortune?"
He knew how scarce these things had been these past few years. Even the flawed ones were rare; his village hadn't managed to get many, let alone pick and choose.
When he came back, he asked a few questions, but didn't mention the price, just said it wasn't expensive.
He overheard a few words when he talked to some other educated youths, and said that eight yuan would be fine.
He then understood.
He realized that this little girl, on the surface, didn't care about anything else's business, and although she certainly wasn't one to suffer losses, she was actually always thinking of everyone and sharing good things with them.
They're just old farmers, they don't have anything good to offer, so there's probably not much hope for a return.
But isn't the child right here? There's plenty of time; we'll pay it back slowly.
"Never mind, it's just ten yuan. You just notify them. The sizes are different, so check and see how to divide it."
Weimin, I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid of some people who, when given too much, start to have big ambitions.
Didn't you notice any of these things, one by one?
They're helping us solve our living difficulties, and I really don't want an ungrateful person to appear in our village.
It's not easy for a 15-year-old girl to come all this way, and yet she still thinks of us.
Weimin, if you were in his shoes, how much could you have done?
Liu Weimin stiffened.
"Third Uncle, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things."
"Just keep it in mind. By the way, leave one of these big pots for the educated youth compound, so they can give the money directly to the little girl."
"Okay, Uncle."
After finishing the tapping, the old man's steps became lighter.
He shouted as soon as he entered the door.
"Little Flower, Tiger, Grandpa's back."
After all that fuss, it was already past four in the afternoon, and the kitchen was filled with a hazy mist.
"Why are you so late? We almost ate two meals at home."
"There's not much work to do, so a couple of meals will do."
The old man, beaming with joy, saw the child enter and pulled out a paper package. The old woman was already very familiar with this routine.
"What delicious treat did that little girl give you this time?"
The old man is just like a child.
"I was so busy that I didn't eat lunch. On the way back, the little girl gave me and a few other educated youths a piece of peach shortbread each."
Hehe, they didn't see it. She secretly slipped me another bag. I touched it, and it cost several yuan.
"Come here, come here, try this peach shortbread, isn't it delicious?"
His family was considered well-off in the village, but even so, neither of his children had ever tasted this precious treat.
The two children ate with squinted eyes and smiles, looking very satisfied.
"This is peach shortbread? It's delicious and sweet."
"With so much oil and sugar, how could it not taste good?" she scolded the old man as she turned around.
"Tell me, ever since Xiao Jian came, how much better food have these two kids eaten? And you, they offered you their children and you just took them?"
"No, we're friends, why are you being so formal?"
Jian Dan probably never expected that this would actually become a legal transaction in the village.
The main thing she did today was mail out the items; apart from that pile of pots and pans, she didn't buy anything else.
After some planning, I've pickled the sauerkraut, have enough firewood, and enough meat. It seems like once I finish making the bean buns, I can hibernate.
I heard that other villages have pear trees, and in previous years people would buy them and freeze them themselves. I wonder what the pears will look like this year given the crop conditions. If they do have pears, I'd like to get some to try, just to follow local customs.
Besides, everyone should experience different lifestyles.
A few days ago, I asked Grandma Liu to help me exchange some red kidney beans. Jian Dan had nothing to do at the moment, so she simply washed them and put them in a big pot to cook.
The steps for making the dough and sticking the dough were the same ones the old lady had told her a few days ago.
The sticky corn I brought back last time has been ground into flour. I mixed in half of the regular corn flour, added yeast, poured in warm water, kneaded the dough until it was smooth, and put it on the kang (a heated brick bed) to heat.
The kidney beans in the pot are almost cooked. I thought about the red bean buns from later generations and realized that sweet ones are still the best. If we have the means, why not make them to our own taste?
There was no one else around, so he simply took out a pound of white sugar and poured it in. Seeing that it wasn't much, he poured in another pound. While using a long spoon to mash the cooked and soft beans, he happily thought about the delicious bean buns.
The cooked kidney beans crumble easily when touched, and when mixed with white sugar, they release a sweet aroma.
I couldn't resist taking a bite. Mmm, this stuff is free of pollution and chemical fertilizers, it's delicious.
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