"Well? Is it sold out?"
"No loss, right?"
As soon as they stepped in, they surrounded Grandpa Liu and spoke all at the same time.
Grandpa Liu laughed loudly: "Sold out! No loss!"
The people around also rippled with smiles at the news, genuinely happy for the Liu family.
"Liu Dalin, open a jar of fruit wine and give all these old blokes and ladies a taste!"
"Okay!"
This evening, wine and laughter abounded in the Liu courtyard.
Grandma Liu took her two daughters-in-law in the kitchen to cook, sometimes looking up to watch the lively scene outside, and sometimes looking down to see what her little granddaughter was up to at her feet, her eyes overflowing with satisfaction.
After sending off the last of their visitors, it was already dinner time, and the sky had already darkened.
"Wife, give me some silver later. I'll go to Li's house to return his ox cart and pay back what we owed for the jars along the way. It's been a long time. I guess he's worried about our business so he hasn't urged us to pay," Grandpa Liu said.
"Alright, just settle the money for the jars we ordered altogether. Their family hasn't got it easy either. A while ago, Ping's marriage was withdrawn," Grandma Liu sighed, "It's all because of poverty."
Grandpa Liu also sighed secretly.
Speaking of poverty, every family in Xinghua Village was poor. In the past, they could barely make a living. It was only in these two years that their rice fields have been bountiful. After paying taxes, they still had a lot of grain left, so everyone's life was a little better.
Two years ago, they wouldn't have dared to get sick because they couldn't afford the medicine. If they really were unlucky and got sick, they could only endure it. If they survived, they were lucky. But if not, it was God's will.
He took the silver and his precious granddaughter with him, and drove the ox cart leisurely to Li Da's family.
Whenever he went out in his spare time and his precious granddaughter was at home, Grandpa Liu was bound to take her with him.
Even if it was just a stroll around the house, listening to his granddaughter's delicate laughter would make his heart happy.
This time, they went just after dinner, so all of Li Da's family was there.
The couple, Li Da and Yang; their eldest son, Li Ping; and their second son, Li An.
"Li Da, I brought your ox cart over, along with the money we owed you for the wine jars." At the door Grandpa Liu yelled.
"Come in, quickly. I just came back this evening, so it was too late to go to your house. I heard the villagers saying that your wine was sold out, so I'm also relieved." Li Da welcomed him in and helped bring the ox cart into the yard.
"I told you that my family's wine will definitely sell out. The wine jars we ordered at the beginning were too few. Hahaha." Cradling his granddaughter in his arms, the creases on Grandpa Liu's face stretched as he walked: "The rest of the wine at home has also been bought. With the 2000 jars that we ordered before, it's still insufficient, so you should burn another 1500."
"No problem! I'll make you as many jars as you want as long as there's business to be done, and I don't need to worry about you."
"But this is a bit urgent. See how fast you can burn it out for me. People will come to fetch the wine in four days."
By this time, the two had entered the courtyard. Yang, who carried a couple of stools in the yard for them to sit down and chat, was appalled at the news, "They'll come to get the wine in four days' time? Ow, that's a bit of a rush…"
There were only a few people in their family. Even if they speed up the process, it would take at least five or six days.
"Uncle, Aunt, it was my recklessness. I didn't think deeply at that time and just told them to come over in four days." This had escaped Liu Yusheng's mind until they returned home. She was so annoyed that she wanted to hammer her head. "You do whatever you can first. We'll talk about it when they come and just let them be lenient for a few days."
"Father, mother, now that the rice has been harvested, there's nothing to do at the moment. We just have to work a little harder these next days and we should be able to produce them." Li Ping added, "Since Nannan gave her word, we can't let her break it. Doing a good business is all about credibility."
Li Da nodded, "Okay, let's hurry. We must burn out the jars in four days!"
"Great Uncle, Aunt, Uncle Ping…" Liu Yusheng really felt guilty. Opening her mouth in a momentary carelessness caused others to suffer for her.
"Aww, this little girl. Don't be sad, your face is all scrunched up. It's good to have a business. I and your Uncle are making money too. Besides, it's just a matter of hurrying. It's fine for our family to work hard. We can't let outsiders say we're untrustworthy, can we?" When Yang saw Liu Yusheng's downcast little face, she couldn't restrain herself from pinching her cheeks with a smile.
Looking at the few people in front of her, Liu Yusheng pursed her small lips and slowly smiled, nodding heavily: "Yeah! Thank you Granduncle and Uncle Ping and Uncle An!"
"This kid, hahaha!"
Grandpa Liu also lifted his hand to scrape his baby granddaughter's little nose, and couldn't help but say, "My Nannan, sigh, she's such a child daring to do great mischief!"
After which, he took out the purse from his bosom and handed it to Li Da, "Here, there's 13 Taels here."
"How did it become 12 Taels? That's too much, Brother Liu. The jars were worth two Wen… "Li Da quickly pushed it back.
"Listen to me," Grandpa Liu squeezed Li Da's hand: "I discussed with my family to buy your family's jar at the market price, three Wen a piece. We all work hard to earn money. I can't make money and still gouge that hard-earned money out of your hand. This Old Man can't do it!"
"But…"
"If we hadn't sold this wine, you'd made up your mind not to press me for payment, right? You thought I didn't know you advanced money to help me make thousands of jars? Since we've said we're family, let's not fuss over this matter. I wouldn't really pay you if I lost money."
The courtyard fell silent for a while.
Li Da clutched the purse tightly, and finally gritted his teeth: "Fine, I won't argue with you. I won't vie for estrangement so I'll take this silver."
"That's more like it. Otherwise, I'd be too embarrassed to come to your house to borrow your ox cart in the future." These derisive words earned a chuckle. "Add to that the down payment, 3000, it totals to 13 Taels and 500 Wen. It's now fully paid. It's getting late, we gotta get back."
"Eh, go back first. I'll send the first 2000 tomorrow. The rest will be delivered within four days!"
"Okay, that's it!"
Carrying his baby granddaughter, Grandpa Liu walked slowly on their way home, watching the bright moon and stars rising from the sky, listening to the barking dogs and human voices from the small courtyard next door, and felt very happy.
Liu Yusheng nestled in her grandfather's arms, tasting this quiet and warmth, embracing her grandpa's neck with her small hands: "Grandpa, you are very kind. Our family is good, and the people in our village are also very good."
"That's right, our Xinghua Village is known for its amiable solidarity within 10 miles and eight villages. Unlike those other villages where quarrels erupt at the slightest hint of trouble, things hardly ever happen in our village," Grandpa Liu replied cheerfully.
"Why? Can everyone in the village be so selfless?" This has been a long-standing confusion for Liu Yusheng.
Different lives, different temperaments, different characters.
She couldn't figure out what could make this village so welcoming and beautiful in every way.