It occurred to her that she would need to ask them to deliver letters in the future, so it couldn’t hurt to build a good relationship.
She turned around and took two sweet melons from behind the door. She handed one to the Branch Secretary and one to the postman. "In the afternoon, when goods were being delivered to the commune’s supply and marketing cooperative from the next village, I saw them and traded for a few. They’re just right for you to try and quench your thirst."
Both men felt it was too much and declined, "No need, no need. Keep them for yourself." Newest update provided by noᴠelfire.net
Yunyi placed them directly into their arms. Addressing the postman, she said, "It’s nothing precious. Besides, I also have to thank you for bringing my package; otherwise, I would have had to make a trip myself."
Yunyi spoke gracefully. Seeing the Branch Secretary accept his, the postman grinned and said, "Your package wasn’t big, so I just brought it along."
Yunyi smiled. "That’s because you’re kind-hearted. I washed the melons just now, so you can eat them right away."
Just then, Du Yuhua came running over, holding her son Maodan. "Chu Zhiqing, please take a look at my son!"
The postman and the Branch Secretary quickly made way at the door. Seeing Yunyi was about to be busy, they said their goodbyes and prepared to leave.
However, with a tacit understanding, neither of them ate the sweet melons. Instead, they both put them away. They exchanged smiles and a few pleasantries, and then parted ways.
The name Chuyunyi was thus etched in the memory of Postman Uncle Zhao from then on.
The Branch Secretary, chuckling, walked home with his hands behind his back, thinking of bringing the sweet melons Yunyi had given him home for his grandchildren.
In the clinic, Yunyi examined the wound on Maodan’s leg. "Where did you bump this?"
Maodan’s eyelashes were still wet with tears. He pointed at his leg. "It hurts. Sister pushed."
Distress was evident on Du Yuhua’s face. She quickly asked, "Which sister pushed you?"
Maodan looked up at his mom. "I’m not allowed to tell. Sister Xiaohua told Maodan not to say."
Hearing this, Du Yuhua’s expression darkened. "Sister Xiaohua pushed you and told you not to tell Mommy, is that right?"
Maodan covered his mouth but still nodded.
Yunyi didn’t need to think hard to guess most of the situation. "He’s very young; it’s best to keep him where you can see him. You also need to explain some things to children appropriately so they don’t get hurt and then feel too scared to speak up."
Du Yuhua nodded. "You’re right. To think she’s so scheming at such a young age. I really underestimated her."
Yunyi gently cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it. "Maodan, you can’t keep getting hurt . It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already had the honor of being injured twice."
Thinking of the previous time, Du Yuhua lowered her head and asked, "A few days ago, when your arm hurt, did you fall by yourself, or did Xiaohua pull you?"
Yunyi watched with amusement. After hearing the question and thinking for a moment, Maodan tilted his little head. "Sister Xiaohua pulled me. She didn’t let me sit on the stool."
No need to ask further to picture that scene.
Du Yuhua exhaled, reproaching herself. "It’s all Mommy’s fault. I’ve made my Maodan suffer."
Just as Yunyi finished tidying up her tools, Du Yuhua said, "Chu Zhiqing, put this on the household’s public account this time."
Yunyi asked for the name and found their family’s page in the ledger. Seeing the previous entries, she immediately understood why Du Yuhua wanted to charge it to the public account this time. She made the new entry and said, "Here, please sign."
After Du Yuhua signed, she picked up Maodan. "Son, say thank you to Auntie Chu."
Yunyi didn’t object. As Maodan said his thanks in a sweet, child-like voice, she pulled a fruit candy from her pocket. "You didn’t cry at all when I treated your wound just now. This is a reward for Maodan."
Du Yuhua started to protest, but her son had already reached out and taken the candy. "Chu Zhiqing, this..."
Yunyi interrupted her. "It’s fine. Maodan is so adorable; a piece of candy is just a little something to sweeten his day."
Du Yuhua felt a bit embarrassed, but since her son had already accepted it, she didn’t say much more. She looked down, however, and her attention was captured by Yunyi’s shoes.
An idea formed in her mind. "Chu Zhiqing, what’s your shoe size?"
Yunyi looked down at her shoes. "Size 37, why?"
Du Yuhua switched her son to her other arm. "I’ll weave you a pair of Ula grass shoes later. They’ll be perfect to wear over your other shoes in winter; they’re very warm."
Yunyi had heard before that the three treasures of the Northeast were ginseng, sable, and Ula grass. This Mrs. Du really wasn’t one to take undue advantage of others; Yunyi liked that kind of straightforwardness. "Alright, then I’ll look forward to them!"
Saying this, she took another five or six candies from her pocket. "Maodan, take these. Auntie will be waiting for your mom’s Ula grass shoes."
She decided that when the shoes were ready, she’d give some more things to Maodan as a thank you.
She and Du Yuhua were surprisingly similar in this respect: neither liked to take advantage of others. If it had been anything else, perhaps she would have politely declined, but she genuinely wanted a pair of Ula grass shoes, so she accepted with pleasure.