Tian Sisi sent over sixty Qingming Cakes. Had it been another family, they would have eaten for at least half a month, steaming four or five each al, but won would not get any, only the n in the house could eat. However, the Zhong family was different; everyone shared the delicious food together, n, won, and children alike, which is why Zhong Ani was so generous to steam thirty of them at once and planned to finish the remaining thirty the next morning.
"The Tian family sent so many cakes over? Then our family should also prepare so to send back tomorrow." Yu Xiuhua was sowhat surprised; although she knew her two sons had a good relationship with Tian Xinhua from the Tian Family, she did not expect them to send so many Qingming Cakes.
"But our family doesn’t have as many ingredients as Sisi’s house, I just ate one, and Sisi’s Qingming Cakes had a lot of at in them." Tian Ani hesitated for a mont but still spoke up, worried that if their cakes did not taste good, Sisi would look down on them.
"It’s fine, the Tian are not that kind of people, they won’t look down on our Qingming Cakes for having less at." Zhong Anping spoke slowly, calming his sister; he was a handso boy, the so-called ’face as white as jade’ referred to soone like him.
Zhong Ankang ate a salty cake, satisfied, he squinted his eyes and agreed, "Yeah, the people from the Tian Xinhua’s family are all quite nice, not like other families. Otherwise, my brother and I wouldn’t be friends with Tian Xinhua."
Zhong Yubai patted his daughter’s head, and said with a gentle smile, "An i, don’t worry, we do what we can with what we have, and should neither feel inferior nor superior. Thirty years on, thirty years off; the world won’t always be like this. As long as we are diligent and honest, neither harming others nor being hard, one day we will see the light. You must have faith in the future."
Zhong Ani grinned and nodded. Sotis, when she felt aggrieved and resentful about being born into such a family, just listening to her father’s words would uplift her mood again, making her feel that those criticisms were insignificant. Hmph, now she is looked down upon as a landlord’s child, but one day she and her brothers will rise above and make those who look down on them have to look up instead.
If Zhong Ani had lived in later tis, she would know that what her father Zhong Yubai said was what future generations call ’chicken soup for the soul,’ and her father was like a tap of it, always able to offer a comforting bowl. It’s also because of Zhong Yubai’s optimism and wisdom that the three siblings maintained a cheerful and optimistic attitude in these troubled and abnormal tis, which is truly exceptional.
In the afternoon, He Xuewen and his son He Chengsi returned on Zhong Fugao’s tractor, loaded with things He Xuewen bought - good fabric, kerosene, biscuits, fruit candies, white sugar, brown sugar, at, red leather shoes, etc., covering both food and non-food items. The red leather shoes were specially bought by He Xuewen for Tian Sisi, of the kind with shoe straps, the retro-style leather shoes that many girls liked to wear in later tis, they made one look very ladylike.
After unloading the items, He Xuewen handed a bag of white sugar and a new bundle of Xin’anjiang to Zhong Fugao, who, after declining several tis, accepted them joyfully and went back ho. He Xuewen took out the beautiful pair of shoes and handed them to Tian Sisi, "An Nan, try these shoes, see if they are too small? If they don’t fit, I’ll go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative tomorrow to exchange them."
"Ah, Xue Wen, why did you buy such expensive shoes? Quickly return them, this pair of shoes costs more than ten yuan!" Granny Zhao was anxious, He Xuewen had rely stayed at her house for one night and had one al, how could he spend so much?
"It’s okay, they didn’t cost much. I adore An Nan, and wouldn’t mind giving her not just one pair of shoes, but even ten pairs would be worth it." Having recently found his daughter, He Xuewen felt like snatching the moon from the sky to give to his beloved daughter, he wouldn’t care about a pair of shoes. Besides, after years of working hard and traveling around, he had earned a decent amount of money.
Granny Zhao was about to say more but was stopped by the Old Man. In the Old Man’s view, his granddaughter was naturally likeable, and it was fine for He Xuewen to buy a pair of shoes for An Nan, especially since he saw that He Xuewen was not short of money.
Tian Sisi took off her cloth shoes and tried the new ones on; they were a bit big but still fit well. She put on both shoes; she was wearing dark red corduroy pants, which matched the red leather shoes perfectly, except that the socks she wore today didn’t match, as she was wearing patterned nylon socks, which clashed with the red leather shoes.
Tian Sisi frowned and looked up at He Xuewen, "Uncle He, next ti could you buy a pair of black leather shoes of the sa style? Black shoes are easier to match with clothes, the red ones are pretty but difficult to match. I have to specifically buy skirts and socks to match them, it’s really troubleso."
"You little girl, don’t you know how to be polite? How can you ask Uncle He for gifts? If you need sothing, tell Granny and she will buy it for you." Granny Zhao was mortified. She couldn’t believe her usually well-behaved granddaughter would ask a guest for gifts, such an embarrassnt for her.
However, He Xuewen was extrely happy, seeing it as the girl being informal with him, he nodded eagerly and said, "Sure, next ti I’ll buy the black ones along with so nice skirts and socks for Ah Nan to wear, she will definitely look beautiful."
"Um, the socks should be of one color, not colorful, and the skirt as well. Otherwise, Uncle He, you can buy the fabric and I’ll have Mama make it for . That way I can have it in any style I want." Tian Sisi wasn’t being polite with He Xuewen at all, she saw no reason to be formal with soone like her own dad.
Old Man also happily joined in their discussion, the old, the middle-aged, and the young all chatting joyously. Seeing that she was the only one worrying unnecessarily, Granny Zhao decided to just give up as well. After all, if one is willing to beat and the other willing to be beaten, why should the Emperor worry more than the eunuch? Why bother herself!
During dinner, He Xuewen announced his plan to settle down in Yuequan Village because he found the village highly suitable for recuperation. He’d only stayed one night, but felt much better, so he decided to stay in this blessed place of Feng Shui until he was fully recuperated.
Tian Manjin observed He Xuewen and noticed indeed a healthier complexion and less coughing on his part, which seed to confirm that Yuequan Village really was a blessed place. Everyone present felt honored.
"What are your plans, though?" Old Man squinted at He Xuewen; he had always been sowhat puzzled by this Little Brother He. Initially, he thought He Xuewen might be Ah Nan’s relative, but after so many days without any indication, Old Man couldn’t figure out his intentions.
He also noticed that although He Xuewen appeared refined, he was definitely not a pushover and was very guarded in his speech. Old Man didn’t believe the recuperation story at all and suspected He Xuewen’s motives for staying in Yuequan Village, but for now, it seed that He Xuewen bore no ill will towards the Tian Family, his good intentions clear to Old Man’s discerning eyes, which is why he didn’t reject He Xuewen outright.
"I plan to buy a piece of land at the foothill to build a small courtyard. After dinner, I’ll visit Village Chief Zhong and then Uncle Bajin. If both Village Chief Zhong and Uncle Bajin agree, we can start construction. I’ll of course need help from the villagers with the construction, and I’ll definitely pay them well, settling each day’s wages daily," He Xuewen laid out his plan.
"Buying land and building a house is fine, now it’s agricultural downti, and it gives the villagers an opportunity to earn so money. Since you’ve made up your mind, go ahead and handle it yourself. Before your house is ready, you can stay at my place."
Old Man thought it over; since he couldn’t figure out He Xuewen’s intentions, it might be better to keep him under close watch. If anything suspicious arose, he would be the first to notice. Another reason stemd from his own selfish desires; an old comrade was visiting soon, and it would be a good chance to discuss with He Xuewen about moving in there, thus avoiding drawing attention.
PS: Thanks to anna0626, Phoenix Soaring, Frost Moon-Faraway, friendgirl, and support from others! Dad is staying to protect Sisi! Sisi will be fortunate to have the love of two dads!
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