Chen Lan placed the bag she had been holding on the ground. Seeing that the mother and daughter-in-law had finished their conversation, she immediately said, "Auntie, there's no need to specifically boil water for us. Our home is quite far from here. We'll discuss matters and leave shortly. Where do you need these grains placed? We can help you move them in."
The aunt repeatedly refused, saying, "No need, no need, my dear. Just place the grains there. I'll sort them out later. Come, you all go to the heated brick bed in the main hall with me to warm yourselves up. We three women can sit and chat for a while." With that, she prepared to lead Chen Lan and the others into the house.
Chen Lan reached out and gently pulled the aunt's arm, hastily refusing, "Auntie, we're not in a hurry to sit. People will be arriving soon. Let's quickly move the grains to the granary. Besides, if people see so much grain suddenly appearing at home, it might be difficult to explain if they ask."
Hearing Chen Lan's sensible words, the aunt felt they made sense. Moreover, it wasn't good for too many people to know about the grain exchange. So, she stopped persuading and immediately bent down to pick up the large bag Chen Lan had placed on the ground. Xu Mingxuan had already extended his hand and lifted the bag, saying to the aunt, "Auntie, let me. The items are a bit heavy. We two will carry them. You just need to lead the way for us brothers."
The aunt saw that time was indeed getting late and estimated that people would be arriving soon. She wasted no more time and immediately said, "Young man, thank you. We'll have to trouble you."
With that, she quickly led the way, bringing Xu Mingxuan and the others to a small side room. Chen Lan thought that this small side room must be the aunt's granary. Indeed, the aunt pushed open the side room door and turned back to say, "Young man, this is my family's granary. Please bear with the trouble and put the items inside!" Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang each carried a large bag of grain and went in.
Chen Lan and Xiang Xi stayed outside and did not follow. After a short while, Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang emerged from the side room granary with the aunt. At this moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside the courtyard.
Chen Lan and the aunt turned to look towards the courtyard gate. Immediately, Chen Lan saw Da Chun hurrying in with two elderly men, one tall and one short, following him into the courtyard. Looking at the appearance of the two elders, Chen Lan estimated them to be around sixty years old. Their dark, ruddy faces appeared very kind. Both had goatees, and each held a smoking pipe. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Chen Lan, the others, and the aunt standing in the yard.
The taller elder immediately asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, these must be our benefactors, right?"
The aunt smiled and replied, "Yes! Brother Dunzi."
At this moment, the slightly shorter elder spoke, "Sister-in-law, where are Old Second and his two? Haven't they returned from the mountain yet? Sigh! Who knows when this work will end. Sister-in-law, look at how you're handling this! On such a cold day, how can you let the benefactors wait in the courtyard? Why not invite them to sit by the warm brick bed inside? Come, benefactors, follow this uncle into the house to warm yourselves up."
Xu Mingxuan immediately interjected, "Uncle, please don't call us benefactors. We are just ordinary people. Please don't be too polite with us. We have come today to ask for your and the villagers' help with something!"
The shorter elder quickly interrupted, "What asking for help? Young man, you're being too formal. Come, it's cold outside. Whatever it is, let's all go inside and sit on the warm brick bed to chat."
With that, he led Xu Mingxuan and the others into the middle room. As they entered, a wave of warmth hit them. Looking up, they saw a large brick bed that occupied almost one side of the wall. The aunt nimbly swept the brick bed with a broom and then, along with the two elders, invited Chen Lan, Xu Mingxuan, and the others to sit on it.
Chen Lan and the others were not shy. They took off their cotton shoes and padded jackets and sat on the brick bed. Su Dan Novel Network.
At this moment, the aunt brought a woven basket of mountain goods and a tobacco pouch to the low table on the brick bed. She picked up a long smoking pipe and offered it to Chen Lan, saying, "My dear, have a smoke first, then we can chat slowly."
Chen Lan immediately waved her hand and said, "Auntie, I don't smoke."
Seeing the aunt look unconvinced, Xu Mingxuan smiled and said, "Auntie, we're not being polite; she really doesn't smoke, and neither do any of us. Auntie, Uncle, it's getting late, and we still have to rush back to make some preparations. Let's discuss the main business first."
The aunt and the two elders were also straightforward people and stopped urging the others to smoke. They just kept telling Chen Lan and the others to eat the wild chestnuts and wild walnuts they had gathered from the mountains. It seemed that due to the drought, the wild chestnuts and wild walnuts were smaller this year, but their taste had not changed at all; they were still as fragrant.
Seeing that the group didn't smoke, the two elders refrained from smoking themselves, fearing that Chen Lan and the others might not be used to the smell of smoke.
Then, Xu Mingxuan formally explained to the two elders the purpose of their visit to Honghua Ling Village and their intention to ask for someone to guide them!
Finally, he introduced himself, saying, "Uncle, Auntie, my surname is Xu, and my name is Xu Mingxuan."
He then pointed to Chen Lan, Xiang Xi, and Er Zhuang and explained, "This is my wife Chen Lan, my younger brother-in-law Chen Xiang Xi, and my brother-in-law Er Zhuang."
The shorter elder smiled and said, "My surname is Chang. My full name is just Fu. You can just call me Uncle Chang."
He then pointed to the taller elder and introduced, "You can call him Uncle Dunzi. Uncle Dunzi doesn't care about these formalities."
At this moment, Uncle Dunzi said, "Alright, Brother Fuzi, let's stop talking about these useless things! Let's get down to business quickly. The children are waiting, and they want to go back after we've finished discussing this."
With that, he asked with a serious expression, "Little Xu, it's not that we don't believe you, but as I said, whether it's exchanging grain or digging two wells for water, it all requires considerable expense. In this day and age, to be honest, even with the combined assets of our twenty-odd households in the village, we cannot afford such a cost. Now, with the drought, crops have failed everywhere. How precious is grain now? You are preparing to leave enough grain for the entire village for two years. Do you know this is no small sum?"
At this point, Uncle Chang, who had been silent, spoke up, "Yes! What Uncle Dunzi said is correct, young man. You should tell us the truth. Don't beat around the bush. Why are you helping our village with such a tremendous favor? Is it just for us to help guide the way, as simple as that? Many people our age here know how to get there. I don't believe the reason you've given."
Listening to the words of the two elders, Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh again, "Sigh! Why is delivering something so difficult? It's truly agonizing!"