Lin Xiaohe grabbed a few red plastic bags and packed some of each type of bamboo shoot, plus half of the dried mushrooms.
“Sis, are these for Aunt Fang’s family?”
“Yeah. When we first started going over there, we didn’t know anything—they helped us out.
Later on, they always helped with whatever problems we had and supported our business too. We can’t just keep taking without giving back.
We don’t have much to offer, just these—and since they like them, we should bring more.”
“Hehe, I’ll help you pack!”
Liu Yuexiu lay in bed listening to her daughters, smiling with both pride and a pang of heartache.
They were still so young, yet already carrying the weight of the whole family.
“Don’t think too much—life goes on. The most important thing is for us to get healthy and strong.”
Lin Cai comforted her, already planning what he’d do once he recovered.
His daughter could bring back so many good things from decades later—all in high demand. They’d never have to worry about food again.
He’d take some to the black market to trade for cash and build a house first.
While he was still bedridden, living in the ancestral hall, people would only pity them.
They’d think: poor thing, what bad luck—you’ve got to feel sorry for them, barely scraping by.
But once his arms and legs were better, if they still stayed in the ancestral hall, people would start to grumble.
They’d say they were taking advantage of the brigade.
Then he’d talk to his second sister and spread the word that they’d borrowed from her. People would believe it—he and his sister had a good relationship, and her family was well-off.
After that, he’d send his eldest daughter to school. That couldn’t wait any longer.
She needed to learn to read and get an education—just like his second sister, who went to the city and became a government employee.
That was the truly good life!
Unlike them, who relied on the whims of the sky—if the heavens didn’t cooperate, where would food come from? Not just food, but even wild greens would be fought over.
After packing everything, the sisters headed over.
It was the quietest time of day at the market—barely a soul in sight.
Yuan’s grain and oil shop had the rolling shutter half-pulled down to block the sun.
Yuan Zhiqiang sat behind the counter scrolling on his phone, while his wife napped on a lounge chair beside him.
The perks of owning your own shop—flexible hours.
Business was decent, no worries about making ends meet. He owned a few nearby storefronts too, collecting rent on top—life was pretty comfortable.
Humming a tune while scrolling Douyin, he heard a knock on the shutter.
“Coming, coming—what are you buying?”
“Uncle Yuan, it’s us!”
“Oh, you two! Come in, come in!” He reached for the shutter remote and raised it all the way.
“Uncle, we got some honey today—last time you said you wanted more, so we brought some over.”
She set the basket on the counter—it was a bit high, so she had to stand on tiptoe.
“That’s great! I’ve been waiting for you to bring it. How much do you have?”
If there wasn’t enough, he’d have to split it carefully—some for the sister-in-law next door, some for his parents, some for his wife’s parents…
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like no amount would be enough.
Oh no—he wanted to hoard it all for himself and not share a drop.
“We’ve got four bamboo tubes—about a jin each, at least, maybe a bit more. We’ll count them all as one jin.”
“Alright—but that’s not much! Do you have more at home? If you do, bring it all over—money’s not a problem.”
They only had one kid, so the financial burden was light.
The money for the house, the car, and schooling were all set aside.
Now was their time to enjoy life—eat well, drink well, have fun.
If they found something good they liked, of course they’d buy more.
“Uncle, you want that much? Honey’s good for you, but it doesn’t keep forever. There’ll be fresh stuff next year.”
Yuan Zhiqiang’s heart sank!
“What?! So after this batch is gone, we have to wait until next year?!”
Disaster! He’d been planning to share with relatives, but now he wanted to keep it all to himself.
No matter how much there was, he didn’t want to share!
With three people in the family each having a cup in the morning, they’d go through a lot.
“Yeah—next time we can only get honey when the flowers bloom again.”
In winter, there were fewer flowers and less honey. Plus, bees needed to keep some for winter survival—if they all died off, there’d be no honey next year.
“Fine. If you have more at home—even if it’s not a lot—just bring it all. I’ll stock up and drink it slowly. My relatives and friends are all waiting for some too.”
“Uncle, you really want that much? We have four more tubes at home—are you sure?”
Lin Xiaohe was shocked—was he planning to drink honey like it was water?
Yuan Zhiqiang mentally divided it up: keep plenty for his own family, one jar for each set of parents, one for his sister-in-law next door, and the rest for themselves.
Perfect—plenty to go around.
“Yeah, I’ll take it all. Last time a beekeeper came to the market with a cart, selling for 150 a bottle—about a jin.
Your honey’s even better—I’ll give you 200 a bottle. How’s that?”
Only someone who’d tasted it knew how good it was.
It wasn’t something ordinary honey could compare to. The price was worth it!
Lin Xiaohe was stunned speechless for a moment. “That much!”
“That’s nothing—anything labeled ‘all-natural’ these days is expensive. Your honey’s worth that price—don’t undersell it.”
The other stuff claimed to be from mountain-raised bees, pure and pollution-free, but in terms of flavor, it was nowhere near this girl’s honey.
“Alright, I’ll take your word for it—I don’t really know much. You and Auntie have helped us so much lately. This is a thank-you gift—you can’t refuse. You never turned down things you gave me—it’s only fair!”
“Oh, you sure know your manners—’reciprocity,’ huh? Alright, I’ll take it.”
Yuan Zhiqiang smiled and accepted it. When he opened it, there were about five or six jin of dried bamboo shoots.
“That’s generous—dried bamboo shoots go for tens of yuan a jin too!”
“Here, Xiaohe, take this money—don’t lose it.”
Chen Fang had been listening the whole time. As soon as her husband settled the price, she went to the cash register to count the money. Good thing they ran a shop—there was always cash on hand.
Otherwise, it’d be tricky—not many people carried that much cash these days.
“Hehe, don’t worry, Auntie—I won’t lose it.”
She showed off the inner pocket of her jacket, which had two small buttons stitched over it.
Money tucked in there was safe and sound.
“Nice—well thought out.” Chen Fang smiled and praised her.
“Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law…” Yuan Fei came down the stairs rubbing his eyes.
Looking closer, he noticed two other people in the shop—and they looked familiar.
Like he’d seen them somewhere before.
“Ah, perfect timing! Third Brother, let me introduce you—these are the sisters I told you about, Xiaohe and Xiaogu.
Your schedule’s completely different from normal people’s—you’ve never run into them before.”
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