Chapter 653: True and False Daughters 46
Lin Guowen wanted to keep all the gifts, but the guard insisted that he take them away, "Mr. Lin, if you don’t want them, donate them to someone in need. Our old chief won’t accept gifts from strangers for nothing."
Lin Guowen awkwardly took the gifts and left.
...
After Yuan Chun finished making a batch of pills, she put them in a bottle, stored more than half in her space, and gave the rest to Grandpa Cao, "These are for asthma. During the windy seasons of spring and autumn when there’s a lot of pollen, take one a day to prevent asthma attacks."
Grandpa Cao didn’t have asthma, but several of his old buddies, or their spouses, did, and they would have attacks during the windy pollen-heavy seasons.
Grandpa Cao happily took a dozen or so small bottles and said, "These meds, we can’t give them to those old guys for free. Grandpa will have them send you return gifts."
"Grandpa, it’s just a few pills, consider it my respect as a junior to them."
"No way. My granddaughter-in-law worked hard for a few days to make these pills. We can’t just give them to those old guys for nothing."
In the afternoon, Grandpa Cao went out with a bag of pills.
He returned with an even larger bag of gifts.
There were jade pendants, pens, a tank made from bullet shells... all sorts of things. Grandpa Cao gleefully showed each gift to his granddaughter-in-law, explaining which elder gave what.
Yuan Chun, holding the tank, said with a smile and a tear, "Grandpa, this is for Da Bao to play with, isn’t it?"
Grandpa Cao burst into laughter, "This belonged to the eldest grandson of your Grandpa Li’s family. Da Bao has visited the Li Family twice and loved the Li boy’s tank, but the Li boy wouldn’t part with it. Da Bao even fussed, wanting me to make him one too."
"Grandpa’s bullet shells were all given away, didn’t keep any. This time, I traded your pills for the Li boy’s tank, hahaha. Da Bao, hurry and call Da Bao to come and see the gift grandpa got for him."
So now it became Grandpa Cao’s gift?
Yuan Chun said amusedly, "Da Bao and Xiao Bao are in the backyard watching Madam Zhang plant vegetables; he’s also helping her pull weeds and catch bugs."
"He’s not pulling weeds, he’s pulling out vegetables, messing up for Zhang Qiang’s wife."
Madam Zhang is the wife of the guard Zhang Qiang and also the Cao Family’s housekeeper. Zhang Qiang has followed Grandpa Cao for fifteen years. He should have retired by his age, but Grandpa Cao likes him and doesn’t want to replace him.
The previous housekeeper, who took care of Grandpa Cao, was quite old and had retired back to her hometown. Grandpa Cao did Zhang Qiang a favor by letting Zhang Qiang’s wife work in the house.
Grandpa Cao felt sorry for Zhang Qiang and his wife being separated for many years.
Madam Zhang is a countryside woman, not only skilled in housework, cleaning the entire Cao Family home neatly but also cultivated a vegetable garden in the backyard, growing and eating her own produce.
A few days ago, Madam Zhang bought ten little chicks from the market, which delighted Da Bao and Xiao Bao. They stayed in the backyard every day feeding the chicks, helping Madam Zhang pull weeds, and catching bugs to feed the chicks.
Even the great-grandfather wasn’t their favorite anymore.
Grandpa Cao was feeling a little left out.
He held the tank and went to the backyard, "Da Bao, Da Bao, come and see what great-grandfather brought you as a gift."
"Great-grandfather, what is it?" Da Bao heard the voice and dropped a handful of seedlings, wobbling over, "A car, it’s a big car."
"This is a tank."
"It’s a car."
Da Bao insisted.
Xiao Bao also ran over eagerly, looking at the big car in his brother’s hands, asked great-grandfather, "Great-grandfather, where’s my gift?"
Grandpa Cao was a little embarrassed.