Rebirth in the 60s: A Path to Counterattack-Chapter 115. Return gift

Knowing how important chickens are to a farming family, when Lianshan wanted to kill a chicken for them, Jiang Limin sincerely tried to stop him. But when he was taken to their chicken coop and saw: my goodness, there were at least twenty or thirty wild and domestic chickens!

The newly acquainted brother Lianshan kept boasting, saying that all the chickens in his family are raised on bugs, making the meat tender and tasty; their mushrooms are picked from the mountains, the proper fourth treasure of the Northeast. The flavor of the small chicken stewed with these mushrooms is incredibly delicious and nutritious.

Jiang Limin, who never considered himself a foodie, was drooling and enthusiastically went with brother Lianshan to catch and kill chickens.

As for the original plan of delivering gifts and leaving without causing the Lian family to incur any expense?

Jiang Limin said: What’s that? He doesn’t know it!

Rarely meeting someone so genuine and agreeable, he had already changed his plan in minutes. Gifts need to be given, jobs need to be arranged, and he wants to make friends with Lianshan too.

They had hauled over a Jeep full of rice, flour, fabric, cotton, soybean oil, frozen goods, each in four portions. They intended to give half to Lianshan, who contributed the most to saving people, and one portion each to the families of Lian Yue and Lian Hai.

With the Jiang family’s three generations taking turns expressing their sincerity in gifting, each item was chosen from the highly sought-after grains and fabrics of the time. There was the helplessness of acquiring these things being irreversible once bought, and burdensome to return or take back. In the end, it was Shuzhen who decided to accept these much-needed yet hard-to-buy items, which also meant accepting the heartfelt sincerity of the three generations.

Of course, it’s impolite to receive without reciprocating. Since Grandpa Jiang, Brother Jiang, and Sister Jiang kindly brought New Year’s goods, it’s only right for the younger sister and brother-in-law to prepare some return gifts, right?

Jiang Shengnan agreed with a single word, and soon witnessed the sister’s capability and sincerity.

Top-grade hazelnuts, Brother Jiang likes them?

Husband, go to the cellar and grab a big bag for them!

Pine nuts are great, good for brain health and rich in nutrients. They’re a good choice as dried fruits, stir-fried dishes, or as New Year’s gifts when visiting relatives. Give them two big bags, prepare enough for their own use and for gifts.

Sister Jiang loves black fungus, take ten or twenty pounds of it. It has a high yield, and one pound lasts a long time.

Also, I’ve dried eggplants, beans, squashes, cowpeas, and other vegetables, take a bit of each for them to try. And give them a jar of salted duck eggs.

This grand generosity left the Jiang family’s three generations speechless. They’d heard that Northeast people are sincere and hospitable, and now they saw it to be true.

Unable to refuse, they were only grateful that the Jeep had limited space, and they had to leave the back seat for the old man’s rest. If not, Jiang Shengnan was really worried that after all this moving around, Shuzhen and her family might have nothing to eat themselves.

Due to limited time, the three generations didn’t stay long, only asking Lianshan and his wife to convey their thanks to the families of Lian Yue and Lian Hai.

They also mentioned that if any of their three families wanted to live in the city, they could arrange for jobs, food resources, etc.

Of course, if they couldn’t bear to leave their hometown and didn’t want to go to the city, after the current accountant steps down, any of the brothers who wish to take over wouldn’t be hard to arrange either.

To this, Shuzhen and her family of course expressed their gratitude but honestly said it wasn’t necessary.

Raising chickens and cultivating fungus is booming, they have plenty to eat and drink, living comfortably, why would they want to complicate life by moving to the city where even buying a green onion is a struggle?

Although they thought this way, they certainly couldn’t say it directly.

Words need to be artful.

The same meaning, expressed differently, can determine whether a relationship moves closer or becomes estranged. Do you believe that?

For example, when refusing, Shuzhen said it as not wanting to trouble her sister and brother-in-law. If one of the brothers wanted to succeed the accountant, let them handle it themselves; no need for the sister and brother-in-law to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut—a waste of talent.

Of course, Shuzhen and her husband truly felt that in the current situation, rural life was better than urban life. Jiang family’s three generations thought the young couple was doing favors without seeking return, had good character; straightforward and honest, thinking for them, afraid of causing trouble, a truly good heart.

Accustomed to the ugly behavior among relatives of reporting each other’s misdeeds, striving for fame and venting in unethical ways.

This couple was like a breath of fresh air, making people naturally happy.

Thus a wonderful misunderstanding was born, and the goodwill of the Jiang family’s three generations towards Shuzhen and her husband surged upwards.

Originally, they thought they would repay the kindness by material satisfaction or arranging a stable job. But after meeting Lianshan and his wife, they scrapped that plan entirely.

Jiang Limin felt Lianshan suited his temperament, and Jiang Shengnan also liked Shuzhen’s straightforward and protective nature immensely. With reliable character, aligned temperaments, and such great kindness bestowed, surely there was the intention to become family-like in the future!

After writing down their contact address, Jiang Shengnan made sure to repeatedly remind Shuzhen to not forget to write to her or anything.

Shuzhen naturally nodded with a smile, promised again and again.

After finally sending them off, they quickly asked Lianshan to call Lian Hai and Lian Yue over. While dividing the goods, they also explained the situation to them.

Though it was out of full good intentions that they refused the opportunity to work in the factory and become city dwellers for them, Shuzhen was still quite apprehensive as she spoke.

After all, at that time, eating supply grains in the countryside was indeed a status symbol of being a cut above the rest.

Before she’d finished speaking, Qiu Fang and Lian Yue were already singing her praises.

"Saozi, you truly are my dear Saozi, really thoughtful! Yes, it was right to refuse! Otherwise, with one of them becoming a worker, this family would most likely fall apart. If both went, it’s one thing whether sharing a ride back with Jianshe would be as good as believed, but what about our sons?

Besides, city folk are just glamorous on the surface. When it comes down to it, those 20-something dollars a month in salary, haha, don’t even compare to having twenty plus egg-laying hens and growing a few more shiitake mushrooms at home!" Lian Yue excitedly grabbed Shuzhen’s arm, full of admiration for her thorough consideration.

On the side, Qiu Fang, who has been infatuated with Shuzhen ever since she proactively lent money to save Little Lian Jie, nodded repeatedly: "Sister is right, Saozi, you are smart and thoughtful. I’m dumb and not good with words, but whatever you say, I’ll follow. After all, being the Saozi, you would never lead us astray!"

Faced with two sincere and smiling faces, Shuzhen was dumbfounded: what, she had prepared a stomach full of persuasive words, but her little sister-in-law and sister-in-law had already figured it out themselves?

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