Chapter 112 : It’s too early to draw conclusions

The thoughts of the people in the courtyard about marriage varied widely.

Jiang Yu didn’t care what they thought and set out again with He Tingyue, bringing gifts with her.

They visited several places, starting with Xie Fei fei’s home, where they delivered chestnuts and persimmons.

Huang Ying was surprised and felt a bit embarrassed.

“How can I accept this?”

Jiang Yu insisted, “These are just country things, not valuable. Let Fei fei try something fresh.”

Huang Ying sighed, “Fei fei is lucky to have you as a friend.”

It wasn’t just the gifts, it was Jiang Yu’s thoughtfulness that truly touched her heart.

“Aunt Huang, I have to go somewhere else, so I’ll leave now. I’ll visit again next time.”

Before she left, Huang Ying stuffed her with some cured meat and sausage.

“A friend sent a whole box last time, Fei fei is tired of it. Take it back for the kids.”

Jiang Yu accepted it with a warm feeling inside.

This was meat, how could anyone get tired of it?

Feeling grateful for Huang Ying’s kindness, she didn’t refuse and followed He Tingyue to Daxin Alley to find Liu Zi.

He was easy to locate in this area.

“I brought you chestnuts and persimmons to try,” Jiang Yu said.

Liu Zi was not only surprised but also deeply touched.

He was an orphan, taken in by a foster father who passed away when Liu Zi was around ten, leaving him completely alone.

With no one to support him, he had to find ways to survive, doing things that others would look down on.

He was active in the black market but rarely sold things there, as he sold out before they even made it to that level.

Jiang Yu was the first person to think of him, and he felt tears welling up.

“Big sister…”

Jiang Yu felt goosebumps. “But I’m younger than you by a year. Is it appropriate to call me sister?”

Liu Zi paused, surprised. “Really? How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“I’m twenty-one, you really are younger than me! No worries, then I’ll call you sister.”

Jiang Yu didn’t mind what he called her.

“Are you going to accept these chestnuts and persimmons?”

Liu Zi looked down, “Are there a lot?”

“Lots! Will you take them?”

“Of course! Winter is coming; everyone is short on supplies, especially fruits and vegetables. Once the temperature drops, chestnuts can be kept outside for a while.”

So he accepted anything edible.

“Alright, I’ll come tomorrow morning to pick chestnuts and persimmons. You can come in the afternoon to collect them?”

After a moment’s thought, Liu Zi added, “Chestnuts and persimmons are heavy. Can you carry them? Or should I bring someone to help? It’s all paid by weight anyway.”

Since they were discussing this, it was time to talk prices.

“Apples in the market go for ten cents a pound, I’ll charge you eight cents for the persimmons and five cents for the chestnuts. You can help pick them, and how we get them down the mountain is our business.”

Compared to cotton, it wasn’t much profit, but Jiang Yu understood he was offering her a fair price.

“Okay, I’ll take you on a shortcut up the mountain tomorrow to avoid the villagers.”

After arranging with Liu Zi, the couple went to have dinner at Yao Xiangling’s house.

Seeing they brought something, Yao Xiangling teased, “You could have come empty-handed!”

“Auntie, these are just country-picked items, not valuable.” Jiang Yu left her five or six big persimmons and quite a few chestnuts.

The chicken wasn’t killed yet; otherwise, she would have stewed it and brought a bowl over.

Yao Xiangling waved her hand, “Take half back, it’s too much to eat, and it’s hard to digest.”

“Then you can take it to the neighborhood committee, giving it to someone else is good too, saves me from carrying it back.”

With that, Yao Xiangling stopped insisting. She called them over for dinner but hadn’t cooked; instead, she ordered food from a state-run restaurant.

At her age, she couldn’t eat much, but she enjoyed sitting together with the younger generation.

After dinner, while it was still light out, she urged them to go home.

“It’s not safe to ride bikes at night, you should head back early.”

“Auntie, we’ll go back now.”

Yao Xiangling nodded, “Alright, go on.”

As they reached downstairs, Jiang Yu looked up and saw Yao Xiangling’s figure.

He Tingyue said, “How about staying here for the night?”

Jiang Yu shook her head. “I’ll come back to keep Auntie company when I have some free time.”

Back home, He Zhengdong and He Lilan were staring hungrily at the chicken.

“Big Brother!”

“Sister-in-law!”

“Have you eaten?” Jiang Yu asked.

He Lilan replied, “We have, my sister went to the canteen to get food.”

But after eating He Tingyue’s cooking for the past couple of days, the food from the factory canteen felt like pig slop in comparison.

They were full but somewhat dissatisfied.

“Did you see the persimmons on the table?”

Jiang Yu glanced up and noticed the persimmons hadn’t been touched.

“My sister went to a classmate’s house, and we didn’t know if we could eat the persimmons, so we didn’t.”

Actually, He Zhengdong wanted to eat them, but He Lilan stopped him, saying they should ask Jiang Yu first.

Jiang Yu pulled her into the room and waved for He Zhengdong to come over.

“You two come in.”

The siblings stood before her, looking nervous and awkward, thinking they were about to be scolded.

“Whether it’s these persimmons or those chestnuts, they’re all from our home. They’re not precious, if you want to eat them, just eat. You don’t need to ask anyone.”

The siblings stared at her in shock.

Even before Jiang Yu came, they couldn’t feel completely relaxed in front of He Tingyue.

The time spent in their hometown left a significant shadow over them.

He Lilan moved her lips and murmured, “If I eat the persimmons without sister-in-law’s permission, won’t I be scolded?”

Jiang Yu shook her head, “No, why would you think you’d be scolded?”

He Lilan explained, “These are the things sister-in-law brought back.”

“But I’m also a member of this family, we’re all family.”

“Family?”

Jiang Yu nodded. “Yes, we can eat and use things from home, and of course, you can too. Just one thing: you need to be moderate and not overindulge, and…”

“I know, we need to wash our hands before eating!” He Lilan quickly interjected, casting a sly glance at He Zhengdong to poke fun at him.

He Zhengdong’s face turned red with anger. “I wash my hands before eating too!”

“Hmph, you don’t wash as often as I do.”

Jiang Yu ignored their bickering and handed each of them a persimmon.

“Go wash your hands in the courtyard before eating.”

The siblings were already eager, rushing outside with their persimmons to sit at the door and munch, making the adults and kids in the courtyard crave some too.

He Lilan murmured, “Brother, I think sister-in-law is really nice. She treats me like family. I didn’t know being family felt this way. So, grandpa and grandma really don’t consider us family, right?”

He Zhengdong replied sullenly, “It’s too early to draw conclusions.”

He Lilan was dissatisfied. “Why do you say that? Sister-in-law is clearly very nice.”

“But she made new clothes for her own brother but not for us. Does that mean she considers us family? I think you’re just easily fooled.” He Zhengdong had his own logic and reasoning.

Just as He Lilan was about to argue, they heard Xu Lihua’s voice from above “Zhengdong, are you serious? She made clothes for her own brother but not for you? I told you, your sister-in-law isn’t a good person! She really treats you badly!”

He Zhengdong pursed his lips and said nothing, pulling He Lilan back into the house.