After leaving the liquor store, Cheng Yue and the others went straight to Wu's place outside the county town.
Taking pork is secondary; sending wine and braised food is the real business.
"Honey, this wine is so expensive. Don't buy it again, okay? Don't waste money!"
Mr. Cheng accepted the wine from Cheng Yue, saying these words, but his heart was warmed and softened, and he couldn't be happier!
Actually, he doesn't drink alcohol, mainly because he's never tried it and doesn't even know what it tastes like. But even though he doesn't drink, he knows that alcohol is a good thing.
Otherwise, poets from previous dynasties wouldn't have used so many effusive praises.
He never imagined that after most of his life, he would finally get to taste what wine was like; it was all thanks to his daughter.
"You old man, look how pleased you are with yourself! You know it's expensive, so you're only allowed to have a sip each day. If you don't develop an alcohol addiction, your daughter will never be allowed to give you any more!"
Seeing his state, Mrs. Wu couldn't help but warn him, "Being addicted to alcohol is terrifying. A perfectly good family can be ruined by drinking."
Mr. Cheng chuckled, “Even if you asked me to drink more, I wouldn’t be willing. This wine is so expensive. I’ll just sip a little each day!”
The way Cheng's father carefully held the wine in his arms and wouldn't let go made Cheng Yue feel a pang of sadness.
"Don't worry, Mother. Father isn't a heavy drinker either. How could he be addicted?"
Wu's eyes widened, "I'll make sure he doesn't dare!"
Cheng's father winked at Cheng Yue, and Cheng Yue found it amusing. She was being scolded by her wife, but her father seemed to be enjoying it.
After exchanging a few words, Cheng Yue and the others went home.
When I got home, it was already around four o'clock in the afternoon. The village head was standing with his hands behind his back, watching a group of men work.
Seeing Cheng Yue and the others return, the village headman greeted them with a kind smile, "You're back! The chicken and duck coop will be finished soon, come and take a look."
The village head didn't ask how business was, and there was no need to. The Chen family all had happy faces, and it was obvious that their opening day was a great success.
Upon hearing the sound, Liu Chunlai called out, "Brother Chen An, Sister-in-law Cheng Yue, you're back! We were planning to come over early this morning to wish you a successful opening, but who knew you'd leave so early!"
Zhang Dajiang chimed in, "Yes, Brother Chen An, we don't know any auspicious words, so we just wish you lots of money and a better life!"
Others echoed this, saying auspicious words.
Chen An pulled on the reins, stopped the oxcart, and replied with a smile, "Thank you, brothers, thank you, Uncle Village Head!"
Cheng Yue jumped off the oxcart, looked over there, and exclaimed in surprise, "How come you're working so fast? It's almost finished! I thought we'd have to go tomorrow!"
Liu Chunlai raised his chin and gestured towards the village head, "Village head has been watching us all morning, scaring us so much we didn't dare breathe. How could we not hurry?"
Chen An glanced helplessly at Liu Chunlai. This kid was being cheeky again, daring to make jokes even about the village head.
Li Tieniu joked, "Brother Chunlai, what kind of description did you give Uncle Village Head? You went to the outhouse several times today, and Uncle Village Head didn't stop you!"
"Hahaha, that's right, you dare to say you didn't dare to breathe? You're the one who's breathing the most!"
The village head was too lazy to pay attention to them. They were just a bunch of talkative kids. As long as they worked hard, he didn't care about anything else.
Hearing everyone laughing and joking, Cheng Yue called Chen Tong and Chen Ning to quickly go into the kitchen and make a large basin of sweet soup, and also took a stack of bowls.
"Everyone's worked hard. Let's have some sugar water to soothe our throats before we get back to work!"
Then he scooped up a bowl of sweet soup and handed it to the village head with both hands, saying, "Uncle Village Head, please have some too. Thank you so much for today!"
Cheng Yue felt that she was very lucky to have transmigrated to Houshui Village. Most of the people were warm and simple, and the village head was especially kind and considerate, which made her feel less worried.
If you were to go to a village where people are treacherous, you would probably be fighting with all sorts of awful people, making daily life uncomfortable, let alone doing business smoothly.
"You're being too polite!" The village head waved his hand, took the sweet soup, and took a sip, the sweetness reaching his heart.
The men came over and gulped down the sugar water, not daring to stop for a moment, and quickly went back to work.
Even if the village head isn't present, they are still self-aware. They can finish a task in one day and not drag it out for two days. Wouldn't that be deliberately cheating out of their wages?
Cheng Yue and the others have returned, so the village head no longer needs to keep an eye on them. He simply greets them and prepares to head down the mountain.
Cheng Yue handed the braised food and wine she had prepared in advance to the village head, saying, "Uncle Village Head, this is braised food for business purposes. Please have a taste."
The village head's eyes suddenly widened. Not to mention braised food, he had never eaten this before. His eyes were fixed on the wine jar in front of him.
Before the disaster, his family was doing alright. Once during the New Year, they bought some liquor to drink. It was spicy and pungent, definitely not the kind Cheng Yue had. You could smell the faint aroma of the liquor even from a person's distance away. How much money must that have cost!
“Cheng Yue, I can’t accept this. It’s too expensive. You didn’t buy this wine for a lot of money, did you?”
To be honest, I'm not helping you out of any personal gain. I just feel that since you don't have any elders around you, I should take care of you. Please don't be so formal.
I'm happy for you guys for making money in your business! But there will be many places where you'll need money later!
"Now is a good year, and the world is at peace. But if something happens, no amount of money will be enough. You must plan for the future and not spend recklessly!"
The village headman spoke earnestly and patiently, giving them a long lecture. His words only made Cheng Yue and the others feel even more moved.
Chen An's voice was muffled, "Uncle Village Head, my father passed away early, and my mother is in such a state that we've severed all ties. I don't have any uncles or aunts."
The village head took good care of us in every way, and we were very grateful. We regarded him as a true elder.
After hearing this, the village head sighed. If only Chen An's father had brothers, with uncles and elders to persuade him, Zhao Shi wouldn't have dared to make such a fuss.
Cheng Yue sensed the atmosphere turning somber again, so she quickly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Uncle Village Head, you've always gone to great lengths for us, this is our way of showing our respect to you."
Now my husband's family is practically non-existent, and my family lives far away, so we're entirely relying on Uncle Village Head for help. You won't even accept our filial offerings, so we dare not expect you to take care of us!
"Yes, Grandpa Village Head, please accept it. Our real grandfather is gone, and our grandmother is no longer our grandmother. From now on, we will treat Grandpa Village Head as our real grandfather!"
Chen Tong has the sweetest tongue, and her chatter made the village headman overjoyed. He had several grandchildren, but none of them were as eloquent as her. It seemed he would have to let the children get to know each other better in the future.
The village head pretended to have a stern face and said, "Fine, I'll take it. You family, with your endless chatter, how can an old man like me argue with you? But you really can't buy this wine anymore!"
Cheng Yue and the others readily agreed, "Okay, we won't buy any more!"
The village head felt relieved and, carrying the wine and braised food, sauntered down the mountain.
Strange, I haven't even had a sip of the alcohol, but I already feel like my legs are floating, I'm getting a little tipsy...
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