Little Iron Egg, who had run over, probably knew that he was dirty, so he didn't pounce on Chen Shuning as usual. Instead, he stopped about three steps away from Chen Shuning.
"Aunt Chen, Aunt Chen, this coal is really good. My grandpa said it's enough for you to burn all winter. Now I don't have to worry about you getting cold in the winter. Aunt Chen, you don't know how worried I've been about this these days. I was thinking of asking Gou Dan and the others to help you collect firewood after the autumn harvest. But now it's all good, with this coal."
Looking at the precocious little Tie Dan, Chen Shuning curiously stepped forward and rubbed the little guy's fluffy head, saying with a smile, "It's so cold, aren't you cold without a hat?"
“It’s not cold, it’s only a short while. My grandpa said this sleet came at the wrong time (sleet is a local term for rain and snow caused by a sudden drop in temperature). It won’t last long. It will warm up again in a couple of days. Aunt Chen, when it’s warm, I’ll take you to the mountains to collect mountain produce.”
There are plenty of hazelnuts and chestnuts in the mountains, it's just a pity that this blizzard has probably wiped out most of the fruit. Otherwise, I could take you to pick wild berries; I know several wild pear trees and wild grapevines.”
Seeing Tie Dan's mature-looking regretful expression, Chen Shuning was amused. She raised the teapot in her hand and said, "Thank you so much, Comrade Tie Dan, for thinking of me. To express my gratitude, this is brown sugar ginger and jujube tea that I specially saved for you. Grandpa can take it back and drink it with your older brothers and sisters later, okay?"
Chen Shuning thought the little guy would be happy to hear that she had specially saved food for him, but to her surprise, Xiao Tiedan's face immediately darkened, and he said seriously, "Aunt Chen, this won't do. I have already accepted Aunt Chen's candy, and I can't take anything from you now. Grandpa often taught me that one should not accept gifts without merit, so I can't accept this."
Seeing the serious expression on Tie Dan's little face, which was as red as a frozen apple, looking like a little adult, Chen Shuning suppressed a laugh.
He also raised his chin seriously in the direction of real estate speculation and said, "Who said you received something for nothing? Look, the mud bricks in my woodshed are from your family, and your father helped build this house. How can giving you this little bit of stuff be considered receiving something for nothing?"
After listening to Chen Shuning's words, Tie Dan actually bit his finger and thought about it seriously, but then firmly shook his head and said, "Aunt Chen, you're wrong. These mud bricks are indeed from my family, but you paid for them. My dad also received wages for helping you build the house. After it was finished, you gave us so many nice things. My grandma said that those things were much better than my dad and uncle eating a meal with coal. So these are not acts of merit."
Looking at the somewhat adorable little iron egg in front of him, Chen Shuning thought to himself, "This really is a child taught by the brigade leader. He looks just like me."
So he had no choice but to change his strategy. He bent down and looked at Little Iron Egg at eye level, saying with some difficulty, "Ah? Is that so? What should I do? I was thinking that after you accepted my things, I would be willing to ask you for a favor. But now that you're being so formal with me, I'm really too embarrassed to ask you for help."
Forget it, I'll figure it out myself.
As he spoke, Chen Shuning stood up with a regretful expression, making a gesture as if he was about to leave.
Seeing Chen Shuning's behavior, Xiao Tiedan really thought she had encountered some difficulties, so the somewhat anxious little guy quickly called out to Chen Shuning.
"Aunt Chen, wait a minute. What is our relationship? You can just say what you want to say directly. Why do you have to do all this?"
Also, is your tea any good? It's not that I want to drink it, it's just that my sister caught a chill yesterday while harvesting beans. Does your tea have ginger in it? I'll take it home for her to try.
Because he was in the same team as Wan Guihua, Chen Shuning often received care from Aunt Wan while working, so he would bring Wan Guihua some treats from time to time.
Most of the food ended up in the mouths of the children in the family, so Xiao Tiedan had been craving brown sugar ginger and jujube tea ever since Chen Shuning mentioned it; the name alone sounded delicious.
So when he heard Chen Shuning's words, he was both happy and anxious. Only when he saw Chen Shuning stop and turn back did the little guy breathe a sigh of relief.
He asked with a smile, "Aunt Chen, if you need anything, just tell me. There's no need to ask for anything. As long as it's something I, Tie Dan, can do, I will do it without hesitation."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuning couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was understandable, as the words sounded so familiar. It seemed like the same thing the brigade leader had said when she first went to the brigade leader's house to discuss building a house.
However, Chen Shuning really liked Tie Dan's mature demeanor. In order not to embarrass the little guy, Chen Shuning only chuckled once and then forced back his laughter.
With a serious expression, he said, "I'm worried that the winter-stored vegetables won't sell well because the snow came so early this year. Besides, I'm new here and don't know which vendors have good vegetables, so I thought I'd ask you to help me decide which ones to buy."
Tie Dan, preoccupied with Chen Shuning's ginger and jujube tea, didn't notice Chen Shuning's laughter. So, the reason Chen Shuning asked for his help was because of this.
His mood instantly improved, and he patted his chest confidently, replying, "Hey, I thought it was something serious! Aunt Chen, I'm not bragging, but you've really come to the right person for this. I know which family in our brigade has the best vegetables."
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