Chapter 47

"Hardware store, annoying!"

Qiaoqiao got into the car, huffing.

Song Tan smiled and rubbed his head: "Be good, Sister thinks they're bad too, let's try to come here as little as possible in the future."

Qiaoqiao touched the QR code on his chest, feeling aggrieved, and accused: "He didn't give money."

"It's okay, look, our vegetables are so delicious, she'll definitely want more after eating them once—next time Qiaoqiao sells vegetables, work harder and speed up, we won't sell to her!"

This wasn't just coaxing a child; Song Tan truly felt that for someone like the eldest cousin-in-law, even if she specifically saved vegetables for her, she would probably broadcast it to the whole world—

"Twenty yuan a jin! If it weren't for taking care of relatives, I wouldn't be willing to spend this money!"

What's more, seeing how the eldest uncle and the others acted today, they didn't believe these vegetables were twenty a jin at all. If they came to buy vegetables later and made a fool of themselves in front of everyone...

Huh, why does thinking about it feel a little satisfying?

Song Tan internally condemned herself for having an unstable Dao heart, but Qiaoqiao was already beaming: "Right! Don't sell! Don't let her eat!"

Then his bright black eyes looked at her: "Going home?"

Song Tan came back to her senses: "We have to deliver vegetables to the eldest uncle, and we have to deliver vegetables to the eldest aunt too, right? We have to be fair."

Qiaoqiao's brow furrowed even more: "Eldest aunt, a little bit bad."

He turned his head to look at the small basket of vegetables in the back seat, then turned back, conflicted: "Have to give to eldest aunt, eldest aunt is better than the hardware store."

In the eighties, Song Tan's eldest aunt married a city worker as a village girl. What the other party valued, besides her beauty, was her virtue and ability to manage a household.

She was truly virtuous, and she was truly good at managing a household.

Just by the fact that the couple, one selling breakfast and the other working, could afford to buy a large flat in the city center for their only son, one could tell how capable she was!

However, despite this, the old couple still lived in the old unit staff quarters.

The little pickup truck was parked precisely in a small space in the staff quarters, avoiding the possibility of being ticketed by traffic police. As soon as Song Tan got out of the car with Qiaoqiao, she heard someone ask hesitantly from the side: "You... are Song Hongmei's relatives, right?"

Song Tan was stunned, then saw the aunts who had asked—they had likely also just returned from buying vegetables, and were similarly carrying plastic bags, in which green onions, garlic, and green vegetables were vaguely visible.

She nodded: "Yes, my aunt's name is Song Song Hongmei. We grew some vegetables in our hometown, and I brought my younger brother to deliver some to her to eat fresh."

Hearing this, the several aunts opposite smiled: "I remembered you when you came during the New Year—I wondered whose children they were, how come both the sister and brother are so good-looking? I only found out later when I asked that they were Song Hongmei's relatives!"

Mainly because there are no secrets in the staff quarters; everyone knew Song Hongmei had a pretty, foolish nephew.

And although Qiaoqiao looked like an adult, his eyes were different—most importantly, he had a pink Peppa Pig sticker on his face!

Looking again at the vegetables in the basket: "Oh my, what kind of vegetables are these? So fresh... Song Hongmei is truly blessed to have such a pretty nephew and niece. Young lady, are you seeing anyone?"

Song Tan:...

After two or three rounds of polite talk, she finally got rid of this group of overly enthusiastic aunts. As Song Tan walked to the unit entrance, she could still hear the aunts whispering:

"Song Hongmei's nephew and niece are truly good-looking."

"They probably know how to live a simple life too; look at her, she brought a whole basket of vegetables just to visit her aunt..."

"Look at what you're saying? Eating and dressing won't make you poor, but failing to plan will keep you poor for a lifetime. Song Hongmei is just a bit stingy, but she's a good person, no wonder they're a couple..."

Song Tan walked up the stairs and couldn't help but laugh.

It seems her aunt's reputation for being stingy was known to everyone!

Eldest Aunt Song Song Hongmei had indeed just returned from the vegetable market.

She had a pancake cart near the staff quarters and had been selling pancakes for twenty years; it wasn't famous far and wide, but one could say everyone was used to eating them.

Every time the cart closed at ten o'clock, she would tidy up and go to the vegetable market at eleven to buy vegetables; her time management was truly precise and on point!

Most importantly, the vegetable market was basically closing at eleven o'clock, and the remaining vegetables were either sold off cheaply or weren't very fresh. The eldest aunt could sweep through the army during this time period, killing her way in and out seven times, striving to cut the price to the lowest!

If she couldn't cut it down, she wouldn't buy it.

Not coming every day to pick up rotten vegetable leaves was already the eldest aunt's final luxury and dignity.

It was now eleven-thirty; some families might have already started cooking, but the eldest aunt's family definitely wouldn't have.

Song Tan knocked on the door.

The eldest uncle was still two years away from retirement, and their son was also at work. When the eldest aunt opened the door, she was truly surprised:

"Tantan? Why are you here? Aren't you working? Oh my, don't take time off, it's a huge loss to have your wages deducted!"

She turned her head and greeted Qiaoqiao: "My big nephew has grown even more handsome. Come, come inside, Aunt will get you some cookies."

The eldest aunt really did get cookies—two bags of Want-Want Snow Crackers, one for each of the siblings.

Song Tan didn't know whether to laugh or cry; this was truly the eldest aunt's greatest sincerity!

Qiaoqiao had already skillfully started tearing open the bag, saying as he did so: "Eldest aunt, brought you vegetables."

The eldest aunt took a look and discovered there were actually five bundles of Chinese milk vetch in the small basket. She didn't dislike it at all; instead, she was overjoyed:

"Oh my! These vegetables are so fresh. I have vegetables for lunch now, I won't stir-fry them yet! One meal tonight, two meals tomorrow noon and night, and I can eat them for two more meals the day after—that's three days of vegetable money saved, I'll just make an extra meat dish!"

The eldest aunt was overjoyed and made arrangements immediately.

After arranging it, she remembered: "Tantan, are you two staying for lunch? If you are, I'll stir-fry these greens."

Song Tan quickly gave her aunt some peace of mind: "No, Aunt, my mom is still waiting at home. I just wanted to ask if you know where to buy ducklings? I'm planning to raise some ducks in my hometown."

Song Song Hongmei thought for a moment: "I actually do, wait here, it's not far, I'll take you!"

"But Aunt, aren't you still cooking..."

"It's fine, it's really not far, I'll take you! You young people don't bargain when you buy things, I'll go negotiate the price for you! I'll be home to cook as soon as we're done buying..."

As she spoke, she changed her shoes, grabbed her keys in a whirlwind, and prepared to go out.

Song Tan:...

This was truly lightning speed; Qiaoqiao hadn't even finished one snow cracker yet.

However, the eldest aunt hadn't lied; it really wasn't far.

After leaving the staff quarters, they turned into an alley, passed through an iron gate that looked locked but wasn't, drilled into a small alley, and finally arrived at a dilapidated, low-lying old courtyard.

The eldest aunt knocked on the door of one of the houses:

"Old Zhang, do you still have ducklings?"

"I don't sell wholesale at the school gate! These aren't pet ducks!" the man inside shouted.

The eldest aunt was already impatient: "When have I ever brought people to buy pet ducks? Hurry up, I brought relatives to buy, you settle the price for me, don't waste my time with random quotes. I have to go home to cook after buying..."

The man inside opened the door, his face full of grievance: "Sister, sometimes I wish you wouldn't buy."