Chapter 46 Giving Gifts
After eating the wontons, it was still Sun Boming who paid the bill. He was used to eating out with his third brother, so he didn't pay.
Uncle Sun was thick-skinned and acted as if nothing had happened. He looked around with a smile. Hehe, it was only natural for big brother to pay the bill for our meal. After all, he was the big brother.
Passing by a steamed bun shop, Sun Shan used his teeth as gold and was honest and trustworthy. He bought 11 meat buns, which cost him 20 cents. He even bargained with the shop owner to get a 2 cent discount.
He gave one to Uncle Sun and De Ge'er each, but Sun Boming said he was not hungry and did not eat.
Sun Shan wanted to try something new, so he and De Ge'er ate happily.
Uncle Sun asked in confusion: "Shanzi, why did you buy 11?"
There are four maidens in my eldest brother's family, my eldest brother and his wife, my mother, Shanzi, and my father and son, a total of only 4 people. Shouldn't we buy 10 buns?
And Shanzi is so young, yet he has dozens of coins? I just saw him open his purse, and there were quite a few coins.
Sun Shan said as a matter of course: "Everyone in the family gets one, but grandma has two. Grandma works the hardest, so she should have the extra one."
As soon as these words came out, not only Sun Bomin felt ashamed, but even Uncle Sun, who was not a good son, felt embarrassed. He blushed and said, "Shanzi is still filial. No wonder grandma loves you the most."
I took a look at my eldest brother and felt that he was lucky to have such a filial son. It was something he had worked so hard to get, and it was indeed a good thing.
The four of them walked around again and passed by a pork stall. Sun Bomin still remembered Su's instructions and cut a half-fat and half-lean pork.
Uncle Sun licked his face and said, "Brother, cut me one too. You know, there are three kids in my family who are going to school. I am so miserable. I only dare to eat meat during the Chinese New Year. I can't afford to buy meat at other times. All the money in the family is saved for the kids' education."
He spoke in a pitiful voice, with De Ge'er staring at the meat eagerly.
Sun Bomin sighed and cut a strip for Uncle Sun. Never mind, the eldest brother is like a father, so it's normal for him to take care of him.
Uncle Sun took the meat and jumped for joy. He and Dege'er were indeed father and son, and they were jumping and skipping as they walked. It was unbearable to watch.
Passing by a small shop selling hair ornaments and combs, Sun Shan asked Sun Boming for money to buy some small items to please the woman at home.
Of course they wouldn't say that. Instead, they would beat around the bush and say that their sisters' hairbands were broken or their mother and grandmother's combs were not working properly.
Sun Boming had no objection. It was normal to buy new ones when they were broken, and they were not expensive. A few hair ties and two combs only cost 15 cents, which was cheaper than eating wontons.
Uncle Sun bought a wooden hairpin secretly and paid for it himself.
Seeing that it was almost time, Sun Bomin said, "Let's go back. It's not safe to go back too late."
We mainly walk on mountain roads. Although there are no robbers or the like, there are wild beasts. There are all kinds of things in the mountains, and you never know what will jump out.
As for tigers, wolves and the like, I heard from the older generation that they existed in the past, but Sun Bomin had never seen one.
When we walked out of the city gate and passed by Sun Xiaogu's village, no one planned to go in. If we came to the door for no reason, people would think you were up to something.
In the afternoon, the four of them finally returned to Sunjia Village. Uncle Sun complained, "De Ge'er is too heavy. It's uncomfortable for me to carry him."
On the way back, De Ge'er said he was sleepy after walking for a while. Uncle Sun had no choice but to put De Ge'er in the basket just like Sun Boming carried Sun Shan on his back.
When he returned home, he hurriedly put De Ge'er on the bed and went to Zheng to complain.
Sun Shan woke up the moment Sun Bomin stepped into the old house of the Sun family. He was very tired from walking, so he naturally asked Sun Bomin to carry him. He fell asleep while carrying him.
The women in the house were all there. When they saw Sun Bomin and his son coming back, Huang asked anxiously, "Why are you so late? Is everything going well?"
Sun Shan climbed down from Sun Bomin's basket and said crisply, "Grandma, it went smoothly. I bought everything the teacher asked me to buy."
Su also said with concern: "Just buy it back."
Sun Bomin took things out of the basket.
The most precious thing was naturally Sun Shan’s school supplies. He handed them to his wife and said, “Keep them. These are what Shanzi will use for school.”
Su nodded, quickly put it in the bedroom, and came out again to ask, "Have you bought the pork?"
It was the first time that Shanzi left home and didn't eat lunch at home, so Su was very worried.
I thought about getting up early tomorrow, preparing food, and asking him to bring it to school.
Fortunately, there were people at school who helped heat up the food, so we didn’t have to eat cold food. If there was no one to heat it up, we would have to ask our family to deliver it to us.
Shanzi was originally short and thin, and had a frail body, so he could not lack food.
Sun Bomin had already taken the meat to the kitchen and said with a smile, "Buy it. Eat half of it tonight and cook the rest for Shanzi tomorrow."
Sun Shan quickly took out the meat buns from the basket and said to take credit, "Grandma, these are the meat buns I bought with my own money. My sisters each get one, and you get two. You work the hardest at home, so you should eat more."
When Huang heard this, she cried out in joy and hugged Sun Shan tightly, feeling so moved.
The four sisters next to them were also moved. They didn't expect that Shanzi still thought about them after going to the county town.
Su knew that Sun Shan had pocket money and was willing to spend it to buy things for his family. He is indeed my good son and is more filial than any other boy in Sunjia Village.
Sun Shan took out four colorful hairbands from the basket, the kind that country girls liked.
There are also two ordinary combs, but they are finely made and look okay.
She smiled and said, "Big sister, second sister, third sister, fourth sister, these hairbands were bought for you by daddy."
Then he said to Su and Huang, "Grandma, mother, these two combs were bought by father, one for each of you. Father said that all the household affairs depend on your hard work. Thank you for your hard work."
Divide the things among the women in the family.
Huang and Su were stunned, looking at the honest Sun Bomin in confusion. When did their son/head of the family become so thoughtful? He even thought of giving a gift, which was unlike his usual self.
When Sun Bomin heard Sun Shan's words, his head looked like a boiled shrimp. Fortunately, his skin was dark, so outsiders could not see his red face unless they looked closely.
He stammered, "It was Shanzi who said he wanted to buy it."
Shanzi, why do you say that I gave it to you? It was obviously you who wanted to buy it. And you still say these things. It makes me feel embarrassed.
Sun Shan really wanted to open up Sun Boming's stupid head. He said, "I've earned fame for you, but you still don't want it."
She said innocently, "It was obviously given by my father. My father paid for it. Don't be embarrassed, father."
With that said, Huang and Su believed that it was Sun Bomin who bought it. The son/head of the family was thin-skinned, and the more he denied it, the more he did it.
Lixia and the others took the hairbands without thinking too much about it. After all, Daddy would sometimes bring back some gifts. They smiled and said, "Dad, thank you."
But the hairbands my father bought this time are quite good, with various colors, not as monotonous as before.
Dinner was simple, one bun per person with half of the meat cut and fried.
Su had already prepared the schoolbag.
It is not the book box that Ning Caichen used to take the imperial examination in Leslie Cheung's version of "A Chinese Ghost Story".
Su asked Sun Boming to make a small box out of bamboo with three layers. He put books on the top, paper in the middle, and pens and ink on the bottom layer.
It was not heavy to lift, so Sun Shan felt no pressure at all.