Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 494: Truly Willing to Spend

Sweets aren’t allowed, alcohol isn’t allowed; it’s always awkward to ask for help without bringing anything. How about—

"Take the malted milk powder."

In unison.

Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched a little; that wouldn’t work because Mr. Zhang wouldn’t accept malted milk powder. "Take a jar of pickled plums."

Both adults and children can eat them. They’re high in vitamin C, contain organic acids and enzymes, and they’re good for the stomach. Not only do they aid digestion, but they also alleviate stomach discomfort.

Most importantly, the pickled plums didn’t cost much, just a bit of labor and time.

Mr. Zhang wouldn’t refuse.

This reason made sense to the mother and son.

So, the discussion ended there.

After breakfast, Wen Shi tidied up the dishes, and Wen’s mother continued to process the abalone. She needed to finish this and dry it for making dried abalone before heading to the mountains in the afternoon.

Yi Chichi went back inside, grabbed a bag of medicinal powder, and handed it to Wen’s mother before leaving the house with Wen Shi.

When they arrived at the He Family’s yard, the couple split up: one headed to work, and the other went inside with the plums.

The grandparent and grandchild were having breakfast.

Three-year-old He An was feeding herself porridge with a spoon. When she saw Yi Chichi come in, her eyes lit up.

"Auntie!"

"Hey!"

She called sweetly, and Yi Chichi responded warmly. Seeing the girl trying to get off the chair, she quickly stopped her, "Finish your meal first, then Auntie will play with you."

"Okay!"

The little girl obediently agreed and continued eating her meal.

Mr. Zhang gestured for her to sit. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I ate before coming."

She placed down the jar, and Mr. Zhang, who was about to scold someone, held back. Having known Mr. Zhang very well, Yi Chichi quickly added, "Pickled plums, made by my mom."

Mr. Zhang swallowed his words and instead said—

"Open it up, let me try one."

The breakfast was a bit bland for his taste. Even if it’s not spicy, he preferred it a little salty.

However, the taste buds and kidneys of the little child hadn’t fully developed yet, so she couldn’t eat strong-flavored foods.

For the child’s sake, the family ate lightly seasoned food.

Now, with something rare to whet his appetite, he must give it a try.

"Here you go!"

Yi Chichi opened the jar, skillfully scooped out a plum with a spoon, and handed it over. Mr. Zhang took a sniff, the soaring sourness rushed into his brain, instantly making his mouth water.

"Very flavorful!"

He praised it and eagerly popped a plum into his mouth.

Immediately, the rich juice filled his mouth, causing him to shiver with stimulation, his face crinkling.

He An swallowed her saliva at the sight and loudly said, "Auntie, I want some!"

"Have some water first, see if it’s too sour."

Yi Chichi scooped a little bit of the pickled plum syrup for her, really just a tiny bit, to give her a taste.

Mr. Zhang didn’t stop her and watched happily as his great-granddaughter sipped like a little kitten, her brows furrowing like caterpillars.

"Is it really sour?"

"It’s...it’s okay."

There wasn’t a lack of sugar in the pickled plums, so the acidity of the syrup was manageable, and He An accepted it well, wanting another taste.

However, Yi Chichi wouldn’t let her drink more, "Finish your meal first."

Whether Mr. Zhang would give her more afterward was a matter between the grandparent and grandchild. It had nothing to do with her.

He An, unaware of human complexity, thought she’d be able to drink the syrup after finishing her meal, so she said nothing more and quickly ate the rest of her breakfast.

Then, she opened her mouth wide, clearly indicating that she’d done eating and was ready for her syrup.

Yi Chichi pointed to Mr. Zhang, "Ask your great-grandpa!"

Great-grandpa smiled as he closed the jar’s lid and, to He An’s disbelief, placed the jar on the cabinet, "You just ate, there’s no room for syrup in your stomach. Have some when your stomach’s empty."

He An, "..."

Feeling wronged, He An pouted, her eyes turning red.

Mr. Zhang remained calm, "Drinking too much will give you a stomachache. Do you want to drink syrup and then have bitter herbal tea?"

"No."

Compared to the sweetness of syrup and the bitterness and unpleasantness of herbal tea, syrup didn’t seem that important.

The child was young, but not foolish.

She knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

And so, He An was pacified just like that.

She then brought over a wooden jigsaw puzzle made by He Yunsong and invited Yi Chichi to play with her.

Mr. Zhang tidied up the dishes, and once he was finished, he sat on a chair watching the two of them put the puzzle together, smiling contently.

"Since you’ve come, what’s the purpose?"

"I’m here to request some herbs from you."

"What herbs?"

Yi Chichi mentioned the name of the medicine, and Mr. Zhang paused before realizing why she needed the herbs. "For a submarine deployment, they usually issue something like this."

"That’s true, but Wen Shi says my blend works better."

Mr. Zhang’s mouth twitched a little, "You’re certainly spoiling him."

Yi Chichi handed a puzzle piece to He An, watching her compare it with the big picture, and chuckled, "He’s the only man I’ve got; I don’t plan on marrying again. If I don’t pamper him a bit, what if he runs off?"

Mr. Zhang laughed heartily, thinking how this straightforward personality, willing to speak freely in front of elders, was so similar to his granddaughter.

No wonder these two got along so well.

And could have fun together.

"Alright, list the herbs you need, and I’ll prepare them for you."

Before he finished speaking, he remembered something, "When do you need it by?"

If needed soon, there might be issues.

"No rush, we have to wait for the regiment’s people to return."

That indeed wasn’t urgent; they had plenty of time.

Five minutes later, Mr. Zhang carefully read the prescription she had written and remarked thoughtfully, "You’re really willing to spend money on this."

This prescription required herbs from specific places and of certain ages, no wonder Wen Shi wanted her blend.

"You couldn’t have found anyone better than me; others wouldn’t be able to gather these herbs so quickly for you."

This was true, and Yi Chichi knew it well.

"That’s why I came to you."

Mr. Zhang clicked his tongue, stood up, and asked He An, "Sweetpea, are you coming out with Great-grandpa or staying here?"

He An, wrestling with the puzzle, looked up upon hearing him.

"Where to?"

"To the hospital."

"I’ll stay home with Auntie."

Hospitals were off the list; they smelled bad, and there were needles. She was scared.

Although her mom worked at the hospital and her great-grandpa was a retired doctor, being part of a medical family didn’t make her fond of hospitals.

Additionally, she had an aversion to going to hospitals.

Seeing her fearful expression, Mr. Zhang didn’t insist but instead said to Yi Chichi, "I’ll leave her to you. I’ll go and prepare your herbs now."

"Alright."

Having helped take care of He An before, Yi Chichi wasn’t fazed at all.

Seeing this, Mr. Zhang rode off on his bicycle, departing with such briskness, with no lingering attachment or hesitation.

A perfect demonstration of what it means to move like the wind, even at his age.

"Great-grandpa’s gone."

He An felt a bit reluctant, holding Yi Chichi’s hand and asking, "Auntie, when will Great-grandpa be back?"

"He’ll be back as soon as he’s done with his task."

She held the little girl’s hand and led her inside, "Finish the puzzle, and Auntie will take you out to play, how about that?"

"Okay."

Then the duo worked together to finish the puzzle and went out.