Old Lao Kuang was no fool; he knew the other party didn’t want to take advantage, probably fearing that he might ask for a favor in the future, using this little act of kindness as leverage. After all, their son had become a Scholar now. He saw through the key point at once and didn’t insist any longer, but he only accepted one copper coin, "You gave too much, I was going to town empty-handed anyway, because Xinxin and the porcelain shop had ordered more than a dozen jars, which I was going to fetch, and the carriage fee was already paid. Now, everyone’s clamoring for her Divine Sauce, and it’s selling like hotcakes. It’s no big deal to give someone a ride along the way, but since the Scholar’s dad is being so courteous, I won’t refuse."
"You don’t take advantage of me, and I can’t be bothered to take advantage of you," he thought.
His tone inadvertently carried a hint of pride he wasn’t even aware of.
Lao Kuang used to keep a very low profile, not exactly low profile, but more out of a sense of inferiority, for he was a widower. Everyone thought he was unlucky, so he seldom spoke to others and kept to himself, spending his days with his mule for company, chatting with the mule whenever he felt bored.
But ever since Ruxin took the initiative to seek him out for help with chores, Ruxin told him to walk his own path and let others talk. She didn’t despise him; instead, she took care of him, providing him with both food and drink, made him new cotton clothes, trusted him with many tasks, and assured him that his misfortunes were not his fault. He had to first respect himself, she said, and that he would not only not bring bad luck to her, but also make her life better. Sure enough, look now, she had bought several hundred acres of mountain land, built workshops, and even said she would let him help manage the mountains in the future.
So, these days, his spine straightened without him realizing. You think I bring bad luck, but look, Xinxin doesn’t think so, and her life is much better than yours.
Gradually, the villagers’ opinion of him changed a lot, and now many people came to make small talk with him from time to time. They even asked if he could inquire whether Ruxin needed more hands because nowadays, everyone greeted him with a smile from a distance.
In the past, only the bereaved hired his mule cart to transport coffins. Now, many came to hire it for weddings and to move dowries. However, the old man now took pride in his work, feeling almost coquettish. Want to use my cart now? Then wait your turn, let’s see if Xinxin needs it first, and if I’m even in the mood...
As Ruxin used to say, we don’t owe anyone, and we won’t be short of money in the future. Want us to work for you? Then show the proper attitude.
If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have taken Tong Lingling, but Lao Kuang was an honest man. He felt that as fellow villagers, there was no need to go overboard, so whenever he went to town, as long as there were spare seats, he would give villagers a lift for free.
Now Guan Danian obviously wanted to keep a distance, so he took a copper coin just to placate him, not really caring about the small amount of money.
Guan Danian, looking at the four copper coins left in his hand and reflecting on Lao Kuang’s words, momentarily felt disheartened. But he said nothing more and just trudged back home, hands behind his back, feeling gloomy.
Tong Lingling was unaware of Guan Danian’s disgruntlement. Instead, she was quite intrigued by Yang Ruxin’s Divine Sauce. While sitting in the cart, she began to ask all sorts of questions, trying every means to learn more about the Divine Sauce.
But Lao Kuang didn’t think well of Tong Lingling, so he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. Finally, when he got tired of being grilled, he said, "If you want to know what the Divine Sauce is, just go try it at Quanshun Building. They’re the exclusive distributor..."