Chapter 49: The Most Simple Wish

Besides all this, every time the seeds matured into crops and were harvested, Tang Xin would receive rewards from the system. The array of items was abundant and varied; for example, the chestnut tree she planted previously had now borne fruit. Though there was only one chestnut tree, Tang Xin’s careful cultivation made it flourish, and now it was laden with plump chestnuts.

Chestnuts on the tree were encased in prickly shells, but the magical thing was that, upon pressing the one-click harvest button, the chestnuts came out already stripped of their spiny husks. This was a great convenience for Tang Xin. Chestnuts were a treasure—they could be eaten raw or cooked as a dish, and they were excellent for filling one’s stomach.

Because she worked industriously in the farm, Tang Xin had earned many vouchers for the processing workshop. She could send her crops there to be made into finished products. Chestnuts, for instance, could be turned into chestnut cakes, perfect for personal enjoyment or as gifts. Soybeans could become tofu, dried bean curd, or various sauces. As for eggs, though she had been discreetly placing them in the henhouse for several days, her warehouse still held a plentiful supply.

Her storeroom was now filled with a rich variety of goods and a well-stocked reserve. Each time Tang Xin looked at her stores, her heart surged with accomplishment and happiness. In this era, being able to eat well and drink well was the simplest and greatest wish of ordinary people.

Within her means, Tang Xin prepared gifts tailored for each member of the Li family. For Li’s father, she had two bottles of Maotai liquor, a special supply from a state-owned enterprise that she had discovered by chance in her warehouse. Of course, after taking them out, she claimed they were prepared by her own father. Everyone in the Harvest Brigade knew Tang Xin’s family was well-off, so this explanation sufficed. As for her father being in a cold war with her and no longer sending money, tickets, or goods, unless Meng Jia foolishly went out of her way to explain, who else would know?

Li’s father was overjoyed with his gift, holding the bottles as if they were priceless treasures. He wiped them carefully with his sleeve, intending to put them away for safekeeping—such good liquor, he could hardly bear to drink it. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned back.

“Can I give one bottle to Old Gu, the third?” Li’s father asked, cautious and nervous before his daughter-in-law.

Tang Xin smiled and replied cheerfully, “Father, once it’s yours, you decide what to do with it.”

He had meant to be modest, but now Li’s father couldn’t even feign refusal. He really had no other hobby but enjoying a small drink during the off-season—usually homemade rice wine or the sorghum liquor his elder son brought home. This Maotai, such a fine thing, not only had he never tasted it, he was seeing it for the first time. The elegant bottle and the few characters his second son could recognize confirmed its value.

For Fang, Tang Xin prepared a scarf of pure color, made entirely from real wool. In fact, she had prepared three scarves—red, yellow, and blue. The blue one was presented to the elderly lady, and the other two were destined for obvious recipients, though Tang Xin, patient as an angler, did not plan to give them all out at once.

Fang, returning from the kitchen to fetch vegetables, heard her sweet-talking second son say, “Mother, sister-in-law prepared a blue scarf for you—it’s so pretty.” Then the rascal exclaimed, “It’s wool too! Mother, you’ll be the most elegant elderly lady in the brigade when you wear it.”

This flattery brought a smile to Fang’s face, though she pretended to scold, “What nonsense, I’m just a country old woman.” She chided Tang Xin for spending money recklessly, but the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.

Li’s father watched, feeling a pang of regret. He knew his wife well. Before marrying him, Fang was a young lady, living a life of comfort. He had worked as a laborer for her family and was shown kindness by the young lady. Later, when times changed and her family fell on hard luck, he was determined to marry her. Li Zhirong sighed—he hadn’t amounted to much in life, and he went mining back then just to earn enough to buy his wife a red scarf. Sadly, things went awry, and his wife suffered hardship ever since. Now, his daughter-in-law’s thoughtfulness fulfilled his old wish, though it was a pity his wife was now too old for a red scarf.

With only a few people in the room, Tang Xin naturally noticed their expressions and sighed inwardly.

Her father-in-law was indeed a taciturn man, while Li Kai was quick-tongued—no wonder he succeeded in business later. Tang Xin explained to her in-laws that these were belated gifts for returning home, apologizing for the delay. Fang patted her hand in comfort; no one expected the policy changes, and so many young men and women from big cities came to the countryside to endure hardship—such was their fate.

The sentimental mood quickly dissipated as Li Kai remained calm, but Li Xiyue couldn’t help but ask, “What about me? What’s my gift?” Seeing her parents pleased with their gifts, she was hopeful. Even if her gift wasn’t as grand, she was Tang Xin’s most important sister-in-law—surely it wouldn’t be bad.

Tang Xin didn’t disappoint her. She presented a red dress—the latest style in the city. In the whole production brigade, no, in the entire county, there wouldn’t be a second dress as beautiful.

“Well, Xiyue, do you like it?”

“This is for me?” Li Xiyue was thrilled—it was a dress, and such pure, lovely color was rare. Wearing this, she would make all the girls in the brigade envious!

Li Xiyue hugged the dress tightly, her face lit with a sweet smile, thanking Tang Xin with genuine delight. This time, her “sister-in-law” was spoken with true admiration and sincerity.

Normally, Li Kai might have made a disparaging remark, but he was too busy staring at Tang Xin, wondering what his gift might be.

Tang Xin understood well the art of balancing criticism and reward; she knew not to scold her siblings-in-law relentlessly.