Li Zhengguo returned home to find Li Jianguo and Huang Sulan there to return money. The payment for the melon seedlings plus the borrowed sum amounted to four thousand.
Li Zhengguo took two thousand yuan from his wife. "Tiantian, I'll go ask Lin Guangde to prepare materials for Doctor Hu."
"Is that enough?"
"I don't know, let's prepare what we can first, and buy more if needed."
Huang Sulan nudged her husband.
Li Jianguo quickly chimed in, "I'll contribute some too. The clinic belongs to the team."
Li Zhengguo waved him off. "No need. Doctor Hu won't accept funding from others. Plant soybeans on your hillsides to replenish the soil, and I'll ask my elder brother to bring you fruit saplings next year."
"Mhm, we'll listen to you."
They had originally come to buy vegetable seedlings. Since Zhengguo told him to plant soybeans, he would plant soybeans.
His new land needed to be replenished.
The couple expressed their heartfelt thanks before leaving with the IOU.
...
Li Zhengguo found Lin Guangde and returned to call his mother. "Mother, please pack some of our preserved vegetables for Weikang, and take two catties of salt. That fool doesn't know if he's out of salt or just doesn't want to cook. He almost fainted from not having salt for days."
"Oh, alright, I'll go now."
Mother Li scolded the two brothers harshly, particularly criticizing Weiwei for not being attentive. He was already nine years old and should be learning to cook. Didn't his elder brother work hard to support him?
Weiwei also became scared, nodding with red eyes, "Third Uncle's wife, I'll learn."
...
Materials for Doctor Yang's new house arrived. Captain Ou gathered dozens of people to help.
A well-dressed couple, holding a fair-skinned three-year-old boy, followed by a man carrying two mesh bags, stopped there and inquired among the people helping build the house for Li Jianguo's address.
Li Jianguo, who was moving bricks, looked up upon hearing them. "Brother Chen? Sister-in-law? What brings you here?"
Brother Chen smiled. "It's been three years, and I haven't properly thanked you for saving my life. I feel terrible about it, so I brought our child and came to see you in person."
Li Jianguo put down the brick he was holding and brushed the dust off himself. "Come on, I'll take you home."
The sister-in-law immediately recoiled with disdain. "Brother Jianguo, my husband said he would help you find a job in the provincial capital, but you insisted on coming back. What for? To deal with dirt every day like this?"
Her words caused the faces of those helping with the construction to change dramatically.
Initially, seeing the couple dressed so finely and coming to find Li Jianguo, they were envious.
They envied Li Jianguo and his wife for their trip to the provincial capital, not only getting their daughter's finger treated but also meeting benefactors.
It was just that the benefactors' attitude...
Li Jianguo seemed accustomed to the woman's tone. "Hehe, sister-in-law, you jest. I'm just an old farmer. Apart from having some strength and knowing how to farm, I don't know anything else. And I feel at peace back here."
"You're just stubborn. Alright, alright, let's go quickly, it's too dusty here."
As the group left, the builders immediately started discussing.
"What are you doing? Dawdling? Get back to work!"
Foreman Ou, hearing the chaotic noise from afar, roared.
"Captain, someone's here to see Li Jianguo, from the provincial capital."
"Yes, yes, wearing white... clothes..."
"If you can't speak properly, don't jump in. It's called Dacron."
"Right, right, it's white Dacron, looks so cool. And he's wearing patent leather shoes with two soles. So stylish!"
Captain Ou waved his hand. "Get back to work. It's not like you can't afford it. Why envy others?"
"We can afford it, but who wears that stuff? It's not practical for work. Besides, the money still needs to be used for the foundation."
"Right, speaking of the foundation, I'm telling you all, it's only until the end of September. Don't miss out."
Captain Ou's words immediately shifted the builders' topic.
...
At the end of the village, upon entering Li Jianguo's home, the woman finally sighed in relief. "The countryside is so dirty."
Huang Sulan, who was hosting them, didn't mind. She wiped the bench with her sleeve and said, "Sister-in-law, please have a seat."
The woman sat down with reserve.
Brother Chen, holding the little boy, also sat down.
The man who followed handed the mesh bags to Li Jianguo.
Inside the bags were canned biscuits and milk candies. Li Jianguo rubbed his hands together. "This, how can we accept this?"
The woman waved her hand. "Take it, then. We brought it from home. If you don't eat it, it'll expire."
"Then, I'll accept it."
"Accept it."
Li Jianguo accepted the gifts and brought out the dining table. "Brother Chen, Sister-in-law, stay for a meal? I'll ask my wife to buy some ingredients."
"Buy ingredients? In this poor and remote place, where can you buy food?"
"To the east, next door. He sells vegetables from his greenhouse. He also has dried wild game. I'll go buy some to let Brother Chen and Sister-in-law have a taste."
"Wild game?" The woman glanced at her husband and nodded. "Alright then, we'll try your mountain wild game."
When Huang Sulan went to buy wild game and vegetables, Tian Jing was surprised. "Don't you also have a greenhouse?"
"The vegetables we grow don't taste as good as yours. We have esteemed guests visiting, after all."
Huang Sulan said with a hint of pride. "They're from the provincial capital. They've come all this way, so of course, we must entertain them with the best."
From the provincial capital? Tian Jing understood.
"Grandpa Chen is in the greenhouse. You can pick them directly. I'll go get the wild game for you."
"Oh dear, don't climb up and down. I'll get it." Mother Li quickly set aside her four grandchildren and went into the kitchen.
Huang Sulan looked at Tian Jing's belly. "Are you pregnant again?"
"Yes, four months along."
"Congratulations, congratulations! This time, you'll surely get your wish."
"Thank you. I'm also hoping it's a girl."
Huang Sulan carried a dried pheasant and a dried rabbit, then went to the greenhouse to pick various vegetables.
As Grandpa Chen collected the money, he casually asked, "Do you have guests?"
Huang Sulan casually replied, "Yes, from the provincial capital. By the way, they're also surnamed Chen. Isn't it said that all people surnamed Chen are one family?"
A glint flashed in Grandpa Chen's eyes. "That's just idle chatter. If all people of the same surname were one family, wouldn't that be chaos?"
Huang Sulan casually added, "But that person's ancestral home is in the provincial capital?"
Grandpa Chen waved her away. "Hurry back and entertain your guests."
After Huang Sulan left, Grandpa Chen locked the greenhouse.
Tian Jing was surprised. "Grandpa Chen? Who's watching the greenhouse?"
"I've locked it. Tian Jing, I have something to tell you."
Seeing Grandpa Chen's serious expression, Tian Jing agreed. "Let's talk inside."
"No, let's go deep into the mountains."
Deep mountains? A major event? "Okay, I'll tell my mother."
On the back mountain, Grandpa Chen made another request. "Take me to Old Eagle's Beak?"
As the saying goes, old age brings wisdom, and Grandpa Chen embodied it.
Seeing Tian Jing hesitate, Grandpa Chen smiled. "Xiao Fu wanted a puppy, so I said a few things to coax him."
Tian Jing was annoyed. Little children were the best at extracting secrets.
Standing on the peak of Old Eagle's Beak Mountain, Grandpa Chen was so moved that tears welled up. "To be able to stand here, I have no regrets even if I die."
"Grandpa Chen, you're in good health."
"That's what I say, but life is unpredictable. Let's find a place to talk."
Tian Jing took him to Green Pine Rock.
After surveying the hot spring valley from a height and then seeing the three caves and the items inside, Grandpa Chen nodded repeatedly. "Good, good, good. This is indeed a good place. I can finally rest easy."
Tian Jing brought out a stool. "Please sit."
After seating Grandpa Chen, she quickly descended the mountain and picked a few ripe apples from the hot spring valley.