At the break of dawn, Ye Changsheng hurried over, accompanied by the Wang family mother and daughter.
Upon seeing Xiaojiu, Mrs. Wang rushed forward excitedly, grabbed Xiaojiu’s arm, and asked anxiously, "Xiaojiu, where is Wenzheng? Where is he? Has he come back?"
There is nothing more worrying for a mother than a child away from home.
Moreover, it was her own inaction that forced her son to go out and earn a living at such a young age.
Such Mrs. Wang made Xiaojiu wonder if leaving Ye Wenzheng in the capital city was a mistake.
"Sister Wang, please don’t panic. May I explain things slowly?" Xiaojiu reassured her.
Ye Yun also came forward to pull Mrs. Wang back, "Mother, please don’t get so worked up. You’re making it hard for Aunt Xiaojiu to speak."
"All right, I won’t rush. I won’t rush." Mrs. Wang managed to calm down and let go of Xiaojiu, but the hopeful look in her eyes remained fixed on Xiaojiu.
She knew her son well. If Wenzheng’s child had come back, he would have surely come to reunite with her first thing, even in the middle of the night, but he hadn’t, which caused Mrs. Wang to worry even more.
Having never ventured far from home, with her farthest trip being to her parents’ house in town, she always felt uneasy about her son and Xiaojiu traveling together for business.
Once Mrs. Wang let go, Xiaojiu began, "Wenzheng is still in the capital city, doing business, and didn’t come back with me. However, you don’t need to worry, Sister Wang; he’s fine and has prepared many gifts to bring back for you."
As she spoke, Xiaojiu took out the items that Ye Wenzheng had prepared, two large bundles, and handed them over to Mrs. Wang and Ye Yun.
Learning that Ye Wenzheng was unharmed, Mrs. Wang’s anxious heart finally settled a bit, yet she still didn’t quite understand, "Xiaojiu, since you have returned, what business is Wenzheng still doing in the capital city?"
Mrs. Wang knew that her family had no money and couldn’t offer much help to her son. Wenzheng was running errands with Xiaojiu, so there were many things she was unclear about.
"We’ve opened a shop in the capital city, but it has not yet stabilized, so he needs to stay there for a while to watch over it. Once the shop is steady, he will be able to return," Xiaojiu explained.
"That’s good, that’s good." As long as he was safe, that was enough for Mrs. Wang.
Although she couldn’t help but miss him, she understood the current situation of their family. If her son didn’t go out to earn money, she and her children would have nothing but hunger waiting for them.
Saying this, Xiaojiu then took out a small wooden box and handed it to Mrs. Wang, "This is what Wenzheng earned during this time. Please take it, Sister Wang."
"Ah, thank you, really. Xiaojiu, you’ve been such a help," Mrs. Wang said with a smile as she received the wooden box.
"It’s no trouble at all."
After seeing off Mrs. Wang and her daughter and asking them to wait outside, Xiaojiu sat down on the bench next to the table and asked Ye Changsheng, "How is the farm doing recently?"
Ye Changsheng handed over the wooden box he was holding, "This is the profit from the farm, as well as the account books I’ve kept, detailing incomes and expenses.
The watermelon ripened early and has almost been completely dealt with, and the grapes have been made into wine using the recipe left by Aunt Xiaojiu. The other fruit trees on the mountain are also bearing fruit, some of which are ripe and have started to be sold.
The 50 mu of chili peppers have recently started to turn red, and we have just begun harvesting them. The wheat will be ready in another half a month at most. Does Aunt Xiaojiu have any plans for what to do next?"