After confirming in his heart that it wasn't his fault, Chen Shuning walked over to Shen Baogen's side, holding Tiedan's hand in one hand and carrying a teapot in the other.
As he approached, he handed the teapot to Shen Baogen and said, “Uncle Captain, I asked Tiedan to help me with some work. This is a thank-you gift for Tiedan. Please take it back first, and we will send him home after we finish our work. I’ve heard so much, I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back. Please also tell Aunt Guihua when you get back so she won’t worry.”
Chen Shuning has been in the countryside for over a month now, and Shen Baogen knows her quite well. He's completely at ease with his grandson being with Chen Shuning.
Without asking what the two were going to do, and without being polite to Chen Shuning, she smiled and took the teapot that Chen Shuning was trying to deny, saying, "Your Aunt Guihua won't worry about this kid. If you take him away, his grandma will feel more at peace. Otherwise, if this kid keeps talking nonsense in my ear, not to mention your Aunt Guihua, even I get a headache just listening to him."
Tie Dan, who was initially pleased to hear Chen Shuning use the word "thank you gift" instead of "wages," immediately had his smug face fall upon hearing his grandfather's words. He said with dissatisfaction, "Grandpa, how could you say that to me? You have no idea how much my grandma loves me. She said that she misses me terribly if I'm out for even a short while. If it weren't for Aunt Chen asking me to do something, I would have gone home right away to help my grandma harvest cabbages."
"You're kidding me. Your grandma only said that to coax you because she was afraid you'd fall into an ice hole by the river. She's so happy you're not home."
"Alright, I think it's going to rain again soon, so you'd better hurry up and go take care of your aunt Chen."
After scolding his grandson, Shen Baogen looked at Chen Shuning and said, "With this coal, you won't have to worry about the winter, but you can't rely solely on this coal."
Yesterday I met with the Party Secretary, and he said that this winter is likely to be colder than usual. After we finish paying the grain tax in a few days, the Party Secretary and I will organize the team to go up the mountain to chop firewood. You should come along and get some more wood and wormwood.
In our area, firewood is just as important as food in winter. It's better to have too much and not be able to use it all than to wait until heavy snow closes the mountains and we're freezing with nothing to burn.
This principle makes perfect sense to Chen Shuning, who has a very low sense of security and likes to hoard things.
He nodded repeatedly in agreement: "That makes sense. I will definitely go with everyone then."
Chen Shuning was quite satisfied with Chen Baogen's diligence and hard work, so he was willing to give him a few more pointers.
"This snow came so suddenly, the hazelnuts and chestnuts on the back mountain are probably all fallen to the ground. Once the weather clears up, I'll have your aunt take you to the back mountain to pick some mountain produce. Things that have fallen to the ground after being frosted taste even better."
Upon hearing about collecting mountain produce, Chen Shuning's eyes lit up instantly. Before coming here, she had boasted that she would send mountain produce home.
Although the time they spent together was short, the warmth that family gave her was something she missed very much.
So after hearing Shen Baogen's words, Chen Shuning, who really couldn't wait to go up the mountain to collect wild produce, said excitedly, "That's great! Then please tell Auntie when she goes into the mountains that she must call me. I'm always available."
Tie Dan, who had been staring at the teapot in Shen Baogen's hand and occasionally reaching out his little hand to test the temperature, saw that the two of them were talking non-stop.
She impatiently pulled on Chen Baogen's hand and said, "Alright, Grandpa, Aunt Chen and I still have a lot to do here. You should hurry back and harvest the vegetables. If you go back too late, Grandma will say you're shirking your duties."
"Oh, Grandpa, go back and tell Grandma that Aunt Chen wants to exchange cabbages. Have Grandma pick out the best ones and set them aside for Aunt Chen. Also..."
As he spoke, Xiao Tiedan pointed to the teapot in Shen Baogen's hand and said, "Grandpa, you have to keep an eye on those teapots at home. Don't let them all go to me. You have to leave some for me. This is what I worked hard for. Don't let me end up not being able to drink a drop."
Looking at Xiao Shunzi's greedy face, Shen Baogen felt amused but also heartbroken. It was all because of his own incompetence that his family had to suffer.
He smiled and patted his grandson's head, replying, "Don't worry, I'll put it away when we get back, and we'll drink it together when you return."
Seeing that Grandpa still favored him the most, the little guy was very happy. He twisted his fingers shyly and said, "No need for that. Didn't Grandma catch a cold after getting caught in the rain yesterday? Grandpa, when you go back, give Grandma some to drink. Aunt Chen said that this is the best drink for people who have caught a cold."
Grandpa, you should hurry back home. The ginger and jujube tea won't taste good if it gets cold. Go back and give it to Grandma, but save some for me. I'll take Aunt Chen to Dazhu's house to exchange for radishes and then go home.
By the way, Grandpa, Grandma's eyesight isn't good, so you should let my dad pick out some cabbages for Aunt Chen. You have to make it clear to him that he should pick the good ones without any bugs.
I've already bragged to Aunt Chen that our cabbages are the best in the village. You have to tell my dad to pick the best ones, and not let him embarrass me by picking the bad ones.
At this moment, Shen Baogen finally understood why his wife always said that his grandson was a chatterbox like his mother. It really was true.
So he pretended to be impatient and slapped Xiao Tiedan's bottom, scolding, "You little brat, hurry up and beat yourself up. Is your dad that kind of person? If your dad heard you say that, he would kick you."
The old man didn't use much force, and Little Iron Egg knew that his grandfather was just teasing him, so he didn't get angry and said with a smile, "Is my dad here? If he finds out, it must be because you told on me, Grandpa. But I believe that Grandpa is not the kind of person who talks behind his wife's back."
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