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墨書 Inktalez
Time flew by quickly at the old home, and soon they would be returning to the capital.
"Mother, you don’t need to bring us so much; keep it for yourselves," Ye Fangfei said, watching as Old Lady Tang continued to stuff cured meat into the canvas bag. She hurriedly stopped her.
"This is specially saved for you; the third one loves it. Just stir-fry it with some chili when you get back, and it’ll be incredibly fragrant," Old Lady Tang replied.
"And this pine nut walnut mix is freshly roasted from yesterday. Take some back for your in-laws to try as well."
Old Lady Tang wasn’t ungrateful; she understood that Ye Fangfei’s mother had provided the fabric she was taking home. She couldn’t just accept gifts without giving something in return. Although what she offered in return might not be as valuable as the fabric, it was still a gesture of goodwill, wasn’t it?
It was clear that Old Lady Tang had a deep affection for her son, Tang Zhicheng. She packed small bags of every kind of dried fruit they had at home—pine nuts, peanuts, walnuts—and also included various mushrooms and black fungus. Knowing that Ye Fangfei loved sweet potato chips, she packed a large bag of those too.
There were also cured meats, sausages, and a freshly slaughtered old hen. Old Lady Tang even filled a box with chicken and duck eggs. To prevent them from breaking, she used sawdust as padding, and the box was filled to the brim with over a hundred eggs by estimation.
She also included cornmeal and both yellow and green beans from their own supply. Whatever Old Lady Tang could think of, she made sure to pack it for them.
Her kind-heartedness was evident; she had originally only intended to fulfill her duties as a mother-in-law, yet Ye Fangfei felt deeply moved by her generosity.
After moving everything onto the ox cart, Ye Fangfei and Tang Zhicheng stood at the door in their coats to bid farewell to everyone.
"Mother, elder brother and sister-in-law, second brother and sister-in-law, you all go inside; we’ll be leaving now," Tang Zhicheng said.
Ye Fangfei approached Old Lady Tang and pulled out twenty yuan from her bag, placing it into the old lady's hand. "Mother, take this money; keep it for yourself and my father to buy some good food."
Old Lady Tang hadn’t expected Ye Fangfei to give her money at such a moment. She thought Ye Fangfei might have been upset with her and would no longer be close to her in the future.
With that thought in mind, Old Lady Tang’s heart eased significantly.
For the past couple of days, she had been worried that her most successful son and daughter-in-law were drifting away from her. But now, as Ye Fangfei took out the twenty yuan, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
However, she had no intention of accepting the money. She had enough to eat and drink at home, and with her youngest son sending her gifts every month, she lacked for nothing.
"What do you need to give me money for? I have everything I need at home. You all send me gifts every month. I'm doing just fine; you don’t need to worry about me," Old Lady Tang said loudly.
Her sudden outburst made Ye Fangfei glance over, only to see the neighbor's old woman craning her neck to look in their direction. Ye Fangfei couldn't help but smile; it seemed the old lady had quite a bit of vanity.
Still, Ye Fangfei was willing to indulge her, so she spoke up loudly as well: "Mother, you should take it. Zhi Cheng and I live far away and can’t be there to fulfill our filial duties. It weighs heavily on my heart. If you refuse this money, how can we feel at ease out here? Please accept it; you and Father have worked hard your whole lives and deserve to enjoy some comfort now."
Old Lady Tang understood that Ye Fangfei was saying this because she had noticed the nosy neighbor. Regardless of the reason, hearing those words brought her joy. She decided not to refuse any longer, clutching the twenty yuan tightly in her hand. She affectionately grasped Ye Fangfei's hand and said, "Then I will accept it. You don’t need to worry about me and your father; just take care of yourselves out there.
You love dried sweet potatoes, right? This year I’ll dry some extra for you, and I’ll send them over when they’re ready."
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