Xia Xingguo laughed. "Listen to what you're saying. If I can't trust you, who can I trust? If it weren't for you acting as the middleman this time, how could our steel factory have bought such a large batch of solid supplies? I might even have to trouble you again in the future!"
As he spoke, Xia Xingguo opened his briefcase and took out five bundles of Great Unity banknotes. Each bundle contained one thousand yuan. He placed them neatly on the counter.
"This is the payment for the goods—five thousand yuan in total. Count it."
When Su Yun saw such a large amount of money, her eyes widened. She quickly put the money into the drawer and waved her hand at Xia Xingguo.
"No need to count it, Uncle Xia. Do you think I don't trust your character? How about this—I'll write you a receipt so we'll have proof, just in case there are any misunderstandings in the future."
Without waiting for Xia Xingguo to respond, Su Yun took out the recycling station's receipt book and began writing.
After she finished, Xia Xingguo looked at it and nodded.
"Good, good. With this, it will be easier for me to report back at the factory."
He placed the receipt in his briefcase.
"Alright then, Su Yun, I'll head back now. Tonight I'll ask your father to bring you a little something. Don't think Uncle Xia is being stingy."
Xia Xingguo came quickly and left just as quickly.
After he left, Su Yun suppressed her excitement and immediately transferred the five thousand yuan into her system balance. She watched with her own eyes as the balance changed from 6,057.6 to 11,057.6.
Then she could no longer hold herself back. She began jumping around wildly, dancing on the spot. If she hadn't been so light, the cement floor might have cracked beneath her!
---
When she returned home that evening, every household in the courtyard was busy cooking dinner. Only the house of Widow He was filled with the sounds of scolding and beating.
Chen Xiue had just finished steaming the buns when Su Wenshan returned home carrying a piece of meat, a package of pastries, and two bottles of liquor, his face full of joy.
When Chen Xiue saw this, she frowned and said sternly, "Su Wenshan, did you pick up money today? Even if you have money, you can't spend it like this!"
Su Baoguo's small eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly ran to shut the front gate.
After Su Yun arranged the bowls and chopsticks, she remembered what Xia Xingguo had said earlier and asked,
"Dad, were these things sent by Uncle Xia?"
Su Wenshan placed the items on the table and replied with a smile, "Yes, they were sent by your Uncle Xia!"
"When I got off work just now, he insisted on giving them to me. He said it was to thank you for helping him so much this time. I originally refused to accept them, but he stuffed them into my hands and left. I figured that if I returned them, he'd probably get upset, so I just brought them home."
As soon as Chen Xiue heard that the gifts were from Xia Xingguo, her displeasure disappeared. She excitedly picked up the piece of meat and weighed it in her hand.
"Good heavens! Old Xia is really generous. This piece of meat must weigh at least three jin!"
"And this bag of egg cakes—these are a popular item at the supply and marketing cooperative. They're not easy to buy! This bag must weigh about two jin, right?"
When she saw the liquor, her tone became much calmer.
"These two bottles are obviously for you."
"Old Xia is really thoughtful."
Su Wenshan chuckled. "This is all thanks to Xiao Yun."
Su Baoguo laughed so hard his eyes nearly disappeared. "Second Sister is amazing!"
Chen Xiue rolled her eyes at him. "Since you know your second sister is amazing, you should learn more from her. She's only been working a few days and already knows such capable people. She even brought back so much food for the family—enough for us to eat for a whole month!"
Su Yun didn't dare take credit for that and quickly said modestly,
"Mom, it's just luck. It's not my own ability. It's all thanks to the favor left behind by Aunt Xu."
At the mention of Aunt Xu, Chen Xiue suddenly remembered something.
She walked over to the heated brick bed, opened the cabinet beside it, and took out a handkerchief. From inside, she pulled out some money and handed it to Su Yun.
"Xiao Yun, this is three months of salary your father and I advanced, plus our family's savings. It adds up to three hundred yuan. Take it and repay the money for buying the job. That person treated you so well—we can't owe them this money."
Su Yun accepted the money quickly without refusing.
"Alright, Mom. I'll take it. From now on, I'll hand all my salary over to you."
After all, she would soon find many ways to earn money for the family. Taking the money now would only reassure her parents.
Sure enough, when Chen Xiue and Su Wenshan saw Su Yun accept the money, they both looked very relieved.
Chen Xiue hung the piece of meat from a beam, gave Su Yun and Su Baoguo each a piece of egg cake, and finally allowed Su Wenshan to drink one small cup of liquor.
The family ate steamed buns and rice porridge with cold cucumber salad and boiled pork dipped in sauce, eating until their mouths were greasy and their stomachs were full.
The weather was gradually getting warmer, and Chen Xiue was afraid the meat would spoil if it was kept too long, so she was willing to cook more of it today.
Not long after dinner, just as expected, the children from the courtyard came in groups to the Su family's house again. Leading them was Gao Tianci, the youngest son of Aunt Gao from the front courtyard. Someone must have seen Su Wenshan bringing home the goods earlier.
Seeing this, Chen Xiue wasn't stingy. She turned around, took two pieces of egg cake from the cabinet, and asked Su Yun to distribute them among the children.
As usual, Su Yun showed favoritism. She gave larger portions to Gao Tianci and to the Wang family children from the back courtyard—Jinsuo, Yinsuo, and Tongsuo—while the other children received slightly smaller pieces.
One of the children, while eating the egg cake, curiously asked Su Baoguo,
"Little Five, was the meat your family cooked tonight tasty?"
Su Baoguo licked the corner of his mouth as if savoring the memory and shook his head.
"Not really. My mom was reluctant to use oil, so the meat was just boiled in plain water. It didn't have much flavor. The roasted chicken and braised meat from the He family taste much better."
Gao Tianci nodded. "Of course! Roasted chicken and braised meat smell so good. Just from the smell, you can tell they must be delicious!"
As soon as roasted chicken and braised meat were mentioned, all the children were reminded of the two fragrant nights a few days ago. Their mouths immediately began watering.
Seeing that the children's attention had been successfully diverted, Su Yun couldn't help but admire Su Baoguo.
Well done, little brother. That trick of shifting the trouble onto someone else worked perfectly!
After finishing the egg cake, Su Baoguo grabbed his marbles and went outside to play with the other children.
Su Yun had just finished feeding the chickens when she suddenly heard someone shouting at the entrance of her house.
"Big sister, are you home?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Soon, Chen Xiue took off her apron and came out of the kitchen.
"Oh! Matchmaker Zhang? Why are you here so late at night?"
Matchmaker Zhang spoke cheerfully.
"Big sister, the reason I came tonight is naturally because of good news—very big good news!"
"It's not convenient to talk outside. Let's go inside."
As she spoke, Matchmaker Zhang entered the house with Chen Xiue.
At that moment, Su Wenshan was sitting on the heated brick bed smoking. When he saw Matchmaker Zhang come in, he nodded in greeting.
Matchmaker Zhang smiled at Su Wenshan and Chen Xiue.
"Brother Su, big sister, let me congratulate you first. The Jiang family came to see me today. They said their eldest son still has his eyes set on your Su Yun and wants to finalize the marriage with her."
"You tell me—such a good marriage is hard to find even with a lantern. The Jiang family's eldest son and your Su Yun are simply a match made in heaven!"
When they heard this, Su Wenshan and Chen Xiue both looked displeased.
Outside the door, Su Yun came over holding the ladle she used to feed the chickens. At that moment, she saw He Hua sneaking around at her doorway, pressing her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Even though Su Yun was already standing right behind her, He Hua hadn't noticed at all.