The clerk took the money and asked, "Auntie, do you need anything else to buy?"
Without waiting for Wu's reply, Li Yan pointed at the food on the shelf and said to the waiter, "Hey, please give me a bag each of candied dates, malt sugar, red dates, almonds, peanuts, melon seeds, and raisins!"
Mrs. Wu glanced at her granddaughter but did not stop her. This child was very independent. If she did not let her buy it today, she might come and buy it herself next time. Mrs. Wu just pretended that she did not see her granddaughter's extravagance.
The waiter happily packed the food and handed it to Li Yan: "Miss, a total of one hundred coins!"
Li Yan paid the money promptly, picked up the things, and followed Wu out of the grocery store.
They passed by a stall selling Spring Festival couplets. Mrs. Wu didn't stop. As they walked, she said to Li Yan, "We don't need to buy these. Your father writes the couplets for our family every year. There's a bookstore up ahead. Go in and buy some red paper to take back!"
Li Yan did not refuse. When the three of them passed by a bookstore, Li Yan went straight in and bought a roll of red paper.
Li Yan put the paper in the basket brought by Wu, and the three of them went to the meat market again to buy a leg of lamb.
After finishing the shopping, Mrs. Wu took her two granddaughters with her and met up with her husband who was waiting outside the city. The group returned home with a full load.
The donkey cart stopped in front of the door. Li Yan heard the sound of laughter coming from the yard. She looked and saw that it was her aunt and her younger brother coming to express her gratitude.
Mrs. Wu also saw the person coming and walked forward with a smile to greet him: "Her aunt is here? You can leave now, stay for dinner!"
The eldest aunt hurriedly greeted Wu: "I brought my brother here today to thank Yan'er. It was thanks to this child that she saved my nephew's life last time!" After that, she pulled the boy standing beside her and said, "Go and thank your sister Yan'er!"
The little boy walked up to Li Yan and thanked her shyly. He was exhausted from diarrhea that day. If the little girl in front of him hadn't given him a bowl of sugar and salt water to drink, it would be hard to say whether he could hold on until he could find a doctor in the city.
Sun Dalang, who was standing nearby, clutched a chicken in one hand and a duck in the other. He said to Lin sheepishly, "We don't have anything to sell at home. These poultry are all raised by us. Please don't despise them, sister!"
Lin knew that her sister-in-law's brother's family was not well off, so she refused and said, "What's the point? The child has just recovered from his illness, so I'll keep it for him to nourish his body."
Li Yan looked at the people who were refusing, then looked at the two children shivering in the cold wind, and hurriedly advised: "Mom, aunt, let's go inside and talk first. It's cold outside!" After that, she called the two children to go into the main room.
Li Yan opened the snacks she had just bought and stuffed handfuls of various fruits between the two children: "Try them. Take whatever you like!"
No child could resist sweets. The two of them gathered around the charcoal brazier, happily tasting the snacks in their hands.
At this time, my aunt took out one gift after another from the bag she was carrying. "This is a bellyband and a tiger-head hat for the child, these are gloves and a hat for Yan'er, and this is a package of sauerkraut buns I just made yesterday. I brought some for you to try!"
Looking at Sun's careful instructions, Lin felt relieved: "Sister-in-law, just come if you want to. Why bring so many things?"
Sun: "It's not worth anything. My needlework is not as good as yours. Don't despise me!"
Li Yan saw that her mother seemed to be in a good mood because her family members came, so she went to the kitchen to see if she could help.
When Li Yan arrived in the kitchen, Li Xiaomei was busy chopping meat. "Yan'er, you've come just in time. I'd like to make meatballs, stew tofu, stir-fry some cabbage, and steam some egg custard for the children for lunch. What do you think?"
Li Yan nodded in agreement: "Aunt, let me help you light the fire!
When the food was served, Li Yan hurriedly invited everyone to eat: "It's just simple food, please don't be disgusted by it, auntie."
Sun: "What nonsense is that?"
After dinner, Sun pulled Li Yan to a deserted corner and took out five taels of silver from her bosom: "My dear girl, last time my aunt left in a hurry and didn't have time to return the money to you. Hurry and keep the silver!"
Li Yan: "Aunt, I'm not in a hurry!"
Seeing that Li Yan didn't take it, Sun stuffed the silver into Li Yan's arms and said, "Good child, keep it quickly. Your aunt thanked you very much that day!"
After paying the money, Sun sat for a while and then wanted to go back: "It's getting late. It gets dark early in winter. Let's go now. Yan'er, come visit us when you have time! Your cousin is missing you!"
Li Yan hurriedly stood up and said, "Aunt, wait a minute, bring some tofu back for you to try!" Then she quickly stood up and went to the kitchen to get a wooden basin and filled it with tofu.
Lin smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, take some back to try. This tofu is made by my aunt, and her craftsmanship is beyond reproach!"
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