Chapter 8: Gifts in the Carriage
Su was very happy to see that her elder sister-in-law liked her son so much. She thought that what the head of the family said was right. Her son's future was guaranteed. As long as he listened to his elder sister-in-law, she would definitely support her son.
Sun Chunlan said to the village chief and others, "Village chief, let's go back first and talk later. By the way, Yu Niang asked me to bring something to you. Wait until I have packed it and take it to you."
The village chief finally heard the news about the old lady, Yu Niang, and asked hurriedly: "Yu Niang, are you doing well in the He family? Is Bao Ge'er doing well?"
Chunlan gave him an affirmative look and said with a smile, "Okay, both mother and child are fine, don't worry."
After hearing this, the village chief was finally relieved.
He said to the villagers: "Go away, go away, don't hinder Chunlan from going home."
When the villagers of Sunjia Village heard this, they hissed, "Village Chief, old man, you are allowed to ask questions, but we are not allowed to listen." Humph!
Sun Chunlan hugged Sun Shan and said politely with a smile: "Dear uncles and aunts, I will go back first. We will talk again when we have time."
He said hello to the people he knew and followed Huang back to the Sun family.
Su saw that her elder sister-in-law was still holding Shanzi, so she hurried forward and said, "Sister, Shanzi is heavy, just let him walk by himself."
Sun Chunlan shook her head and said with a smile: "I can still hold him, but in a few years, even if I want to, I won't be able to hold him anymore."
This made everyone laugh.
He Shuyu pinched her little cousin's face and said with a smile, "Mother, my cousin is still so thin, but he hasn't gained much weight."
Sun Shan glared at his second cousin and said he was thin, but he was just as thin. Humph!
Uncle He touched Sun Shan's head and said in agreement, "Shanzi is indeed very thin. Is he not eating?"
Sun Bomin led the carriage and explained with a smile: "Of course I don't eat. I eat a lot, but I just can't gain weight."
The group chatted and laughed, and soon returned to Sun's house.
The eldest sister Guyu took her three younger sisters to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.
Sun Boming and He Guye unloaded the carriage, put the horses in the yard, and found some cow grass to feed the horses.
Sun Chunlan put Sun Shan down, and took the gifts from the carriage to Huang's bedroom with her second son. These things could not be placed in the main room, lest someone saw them and took them away.
Sun Chunlan and others moved a truckload of things in, which dazzled Su and her daughters.
I was so happy from the beginning. My elder sister-in-law really loves her family. Every time she comes back, she brings a lot of gifts.
Sun Chunlan took out a bag of candy, put it in the living room, grabbed a handful, put it in Sun Shan's pocket, peeled one, put it in his mouth, and said affectionately: "This is milk candy, very fragrant and sweet."
Sun Shan took a bite and his mouth was full of milky aroma. It was so delicious that he almost cried. It tasted very much like White Rabbit candy. It had been a long time since he had eaten such a delicious candy.
He nodded rapidly and stammered, "Aunt, it's delicious. I like it." He had something stuffed in his mouth and couldn't speak clearly.
Aunt Sun touched her nephew's nose and said gently, "Eat slowly, there's more inside." After that, she stuffed Sun Shan's pockets full.
Guyu took the teapot, brewed tea, poured it into a cup, and brought it to Aunt Sun. He said timidly, "Aunt, have some tea." He walked towards his uncle and second cousin and poured them a cup of tea as well.
Aunt Sun took a sip and found the taste was the same as in childhood. She asked with a smile, "Mother, is this tea picked from the mountains?"
Poor people want to drink tea, but they can't afford to buy it, so they can only go to the mountains to pick wild tea and stir-fry it themselves. But the taste is also unique.
Huang also took a sip, nodded and said, "Yes, this year's spring tea, if you like it, take some back. We have some at home."
Aunt Sun was not polite and accepted it with a smile: "Okay, the tea at home is delicious."
He said to the four sisters of the Sun family, "Guyu, you guys want some candy too, take it for yourselves."
Sun Guyu nodded and said with a red face, "I understand, aunt."
They knew it, but they didn't dare to reach out to take it. The eldest aunt was a very kind person, but she always had a kind of noble air about her city life. The four sisters of the Sun family were a little scared, not as calm as their younger brother.
Sun Chunlan knew that the four sisters didn't dare to reach out for it, so she took the candy, gave each of them two, and said with a smile: "Eat, these candies are different from the previous ones. They are brought back from the capital and taste good."
The Sun sisters had only heard of it in the capital, not to mention the capital. They nodded reluctantly, took the candy, and put it in their pockets without eating it.
After Sun Bomin settled his brother-in-law's horse, he walked into the main room, went to the granary, and took out some oranges.
This thing was usually hidden in a large jar. Except for Huang who occasionally took out a few for Sun Shan to eat, no one else dared to steal it.
He picked up a small basket and said with a smile, "Sister, brother-in-law, Brother Yu, have some oranges."
He Shuyu took the tangerine from his uncle, thanked him, peeled it, ate a slice, squinted his eyes and said, "Uncle, it's so sweet."
Uncle He took one, peeled it, and handed it to his wife first.
Take another one from the basket and continue peeling.
After taking a bite, he nodded and said, "I like this flavor the best, mother, our oranges are still the best. You can't find another one in Guangnan."
Huang took the oranges handed over by her eldest daughter, but did not eat them. Instead, she peeled them one by one and fed them to Yu Ge'er. She asked, "Big brother, save all the oranges in the jar and let Chunlan take them back to eat."
He turned to Uncle He and said, "This year is a bad year for citrus fruits. The harvest is poor and there is nothing to sell."
Uncle He knew this a long time ago and said with a smile, "It's the same when growing oranges, lychees, and longans. One year you'll have a good harvest, and another year you'll have a poor harvest."
Aunt Sun was still holding Sun Shan. The little guy was 5 years old, but still very thin. Perhaps he was born prematurely, and was shorter than his peers. She said to Huang, "Mother, I'll take the tangerines back to my parents-in-law. The old lady likes this flavor the most."
Not only my family members like to eat it, but other members of the He family also like it. It is sweet and refreshing, with a unique taste, so I have to save some for the clan members.
Su had just finished feeding the livestock at home and walked in. She found a place to sit and looked around. Only her eldest sister, brother-in-law, and second son Yu were there. She asked curiously, "Where are eldest sister, Jing'er, Sheng'er, and Han'er? Aren't they here?"
Aunt Sun took a bite of the tangerine and said with a smile, "Jin'er is reading at home and will take the examination for a scholar next year. As for Sheng'er and Han'er, they have accompanied the old lady back to her parents' home. They are here to represent the old lady's eldest brother on his birthday." The old lady here refers to Uncle He's grandmother and Yu'er's great-grandmother.
After hearing this, Sun Bomin smiled and said, "The old lady's eldest brother should be very old, right?"
Uncle He took over the conversation and replied: "She is 81 years old. The old lady can bring her great-grandson to share in the happiness."
After hearing this, Sun Shan nodded. There is a custom here that taking the younger generation to celebrate the birthday of the elders can bring health to the younger generation.
Therefore, many families like to take their children to kowtow to their older elders.
Sun Shan was captured by Sun Bomin and taken to the old man and the old woman's birthday banquet, and was taken to kowtow.
Because he was weak and looked like he could not survive, the Sun couple used all scientific and superstitious methods.
So far, the results seem good. Sun Shan has lived past the age of 3 and is recorded in the family tree, so he can be said to have survived.