Chapter 109 : Gift Giving

He Tingyue timely interjected, “Dad, Xiao Yu isn’t unfilial, she just cares about her brother and is thinking of you all as well.”

After saying this, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Jiang Yonghua focused in surprise, it was actually a pack of Daqianmen!

That pack must have cost thirty cents!

“Xiao Yu specifically asked me to bring this, and I also brought a box of Yashuang for Mom.”

Wang Meili perked up her ears, and upon hearing that there was something for her, she hurried out.

“Oh my, such a large jar! It can’t be cheap, right?”

He Tingyue spoke gently, “As long as Mom likes it.”

“Of course, I love it!”

She couldn’t wait to open it, just smelling it made her reluctant to use it.

If it weren’t mealtime, she would definitely apply some Yashuang and go show it off.

With this jar of cream, all her dissatisfaction with Jiang Yu vanished without a trace.

Everyone had received a gift, except for Old Lady Ye and Jiang Hao.

Jiang Yonghua felt both happy and melancholic, it seemed Jiang Yu and Jiang Hao were completely estranged.

But at least he had another son, and he glanced at Jiang Ye.

Although he hadn’t grown up beside him, their blood relation couldn’t be severed.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yonghua unexpectedly picked up food for Jiang Ye at the dinner table.

“I might not be capable, but if your sister is willing to support your education, you should study well. If you get a chance to work in the city, don’t forget to help your brother out.”

Jiang Ye pursed his lips and said nothing.

Old Lady Ye, however, huffed, “If city jobs were that easy to find, it should’ve been Jiang Hao first! In time, you’ll see I wasn’t wrong, he’s a disaster, bringing misfortune to our family!”

Jiang Yu slammed her chopsticks down. “It seems last time when the Women’s Federation came to educate you, Grandma didn’t absorb a word. I’ll contact them to send someone back.”

Old Lady Ye didn’t dare to say anything further.

After dinner, Jiang Yu didn’t leave Nanghe Village immediately.

It was rare for her to visit the countryside, and she didn’t want to return empty-handed.

Many things that were hard to buy in the city could be exchanged for a small amount of money in the countryside.

“I want to buy two hens to raise in our yard. Feeding them some rice bran and vegetable scraps will let them lay eggs.”

The south yard was a bit empty, so raising two chickens wouldn’t be a problem, and they wouldn’t cause much odor.

Jiang Ye immediately said, “Sis, no need to buy, come with me to the mountain.”

Jiang Yu exchanged glances with He Tingyue. “There are chickens up there? You haven’t started raising them, have you?”

“You’ll know when you come with me.”

Jiang Ye often went to the mountain, both to gather firewood and pig feed, and because he was hungry, his family couldn’t fill their stomachs, so he had to find food in the mountains.

He learned to catch prey when he was just over ten years old and often caught wild chickens and rabbits.

If he brought a wild chicken home, it wouldn’t be for him, he could only roast it himself in the mountains.

Walking up along the pond and taking a turn into a hidden path, Jiang Ye had built a chicken coop there, where he raised the wild chickens he couldn’t finish eating.

“Later, I caught a few domesticated chicks and put them here, they’ve all grown up. I even hatched a few clutches of chicks that I sold.”

Jiang Yu counted carefully, there were surprisingly nine birds, both wild and domesticated!

“There are also about thirty eggs here, you can take them back.”

That’s just how Jiang Ye was, he remembered those who were kind to him, wanting to give back wholeheartedly.

“Besides us, no one else knows about this, right?”

Jiang Ye shook his head. “No.”

No one had ever treated him as well as Jiang Yu did, so he had no chance to mention it.

Jiang Yu felt a bit melancholy. “You can’t do this, anyone who treats you a little better, and you spill all your secrets.”

“Sis and brother-in-law aren’t outsiders,” Jiang Ye dismissed.

He Tingyue said, “Let’s take two hens and thirty eggs, we’ll leave a few for you and pay you at market price.”

“No need…”

“Jiang Ye, even brothers should settle accounts clearly. If you don’t take the money, we won’t dare to ask you for anything again in the future.” He Tingyue interrupted firmly.

Since he said that, Jiang Ye didn’t feel right to refuse any longer.

The market price for eggs was seven cents each, so for thirty, he charged two yuan.

In the countryside, hens went for one yuan thirty cents per jin, while roosters were thirty cents cheaper, they were even pricier in the city.

Jiang Ye’s hens were well taken care of, totaling over six jin.

Calculating at six jin, it would be seven yuan and eighty cents, but he stubbornly only accepted six yuan.

“Sis, if you stuff me with more money, then I won’t want the cotton coat anymore, just take it back with you.”

Jiang Yu shot him a helpless glare. “Alright, since we’re not outsiders, I won’t quibble over these small matters. Have you caught any wild rabbits?”

Jiang Ye nodded. “Rabbits don’t lay eggs, so I mostly just roast them for eating.”

Jiang Yu replied, “Rabbits can’t lay eggs, but they reproduce very well, especially prolific!”

If rabbits did reproduce, raising the baby rabbits would mean more meat.

Jiang Ye scratched his buzz cut. “I’ll catch some rabbits next time, then I’ll raise them.”

Jiang Yu teased, “But you won’t have time for that, you’ll be in school soon. You should think about what to do with these chickens first.”

If Jiang Ye left, no one would be there to feed them, which really was a problem.

Jiang Yu bit her lip. “Then should I sell them all?”

She felt a bit reluctant, out of the nine chickens, five were hens that could lay eggs.

“Do you have anyone trustworthy in the village? Maybe you could find someone to help feed the chickens and pay them with some eggs each month,” He Tingyue suggested.

Selling them all felt like a waste to him.

Jiang Ye shook his head, he wasn’t very familiar with the villagers.

But Jiang Yu had someone in mind.

“What about Granny Blind’s granddaughter, He Xing? Doesn’t she often go to the mountains?”

Granny Blind and her granddaughter relied on each other, being one of the struggling families in the village.

Her daughter-in-law left after having a daughter, and her son died in a coal mine accident.

Life was tough, and they depended on others’ support.

Jiang Yu didn’t just mention it out of pity, He Xing was only twelve years old, a half-grown child, and no one would gossip about her running up the mountain.

Her frequent trips meant she was familiar with the area, ensuring safety while keeping an eye on things.

Most importantly, she had interacted with He Xing before, so her character was reliable.

Seeing Jiang Ye’s troubled expression, Jiang Yu decided, “Alright, after we go down the mountain, I’ll personally go find her.”

“Great!” Jiang Ye agreed eagerly.

Jiang Yu wasn’t in a hurry to go back after all, she had lived in Nanghe Village for many years and often ventured up the mountains.

“I remember there are some chestnut trees over there, they should be ripe by now.”

Jiang Ye looked surprised. “Sis, there are chestnut trees over there? I’ve never known that!”

Jiang Yu smiled proudly. “There’s a lot you don’t know! We also have persimmon trees in Nanghe Village, which you probably don’t know about either!”

She had been thinking about it, if she didn’t pick them soon, they would be out of season.

Jiang Yu held He Tingyue’s hand and walked down a path that only she knew.

This little path twisted and turned, with branches, making it impressive that Jiang Yu had remembered it.

When they arrived, they saw tall chestnut trees.

“I haven’t come to see these in a while, it looks like it’s a good harvest year!”

With no one to harvest them, the trees were laden with chestnuts, looking very tempting.

Chestnuts are delicious, but they’re tricky to open due to their prickly shells.