Reborn in 1982, the prodigal son returns

Just as dawn was breaking, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Lin Jiang stood at the door, holding Pingzi's hand in one hand and Anzi's hand in the other. The two children were still sleepy-eyed; Pingzi rubbed his eyes, and Anzi had drool on his lips.

"Big brother? So early?"

Lin Nuo was stunned for a moment when he saw this scene.

Lin Jiang squatted down and gently patted the two children on the back:

"Go play with your second uncle, Dad's going to Grandma's house."

Pingzi obediently ran over and hugged Lin Nuo's leg, while Anzi stood beside her, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Brother, why did you go too? Did something happen?"

Lin Nuo had a bad feeling; her sister-in-law had been going to her parents' home more and more frequently lately.

Lin Jiang stood up, rubbed his hands together, and said in a muffled voice:

"Second brother, your sister-in-law's father... is paralyzed today. I have to go back with her. Leave the child with you."

Lin Nuo put down the musket, his brows furrowing:

"Paralyzed? What happened?"

"He was fine a few days ago, but suddenly he couldn't move half of his body yesterday."

As Lin Jiang spoke, his eyes also reddened.

Lin Nuo's heart skipped a beat. In his previous life, his sister-in-law's father had only been around for a few years. He didn't remember it very clearly, but it was roughly around this time.

Back then, my family was poor, and we had to borrow money from all sides to pay for the funeral. Now that I have money, I can afford to treat it.

Lin Weiguo came out of the main room, his cotton-padded coat draped over his shoulders and buttoning it up. Hearing Lin Jiang's words, his face darkened.

"Why didn't you say so sooner? As in-laws, you should at least go and visit."

Lin Jiang quickly waved his hand, his voice even lower:

"Dad, it's not convenient over there... It's not good if too many people go. Her mother said not to make a fuss yet, let's wait until things are stable before saying anything."

Lin Weiguo frowned, then shook his head:

"No. We can't be impolite. You wait here, I'll go change my clothes."

Zhao Xiuying poked her head out of the kitchen, her apron still covered in flour. She glanced at Lin Jiang and spoke:

"Alright, alright, here's what we'll do: Dad, you go and see him, as a token of our family's goodwill. I'll stay home and watch the house; Wanqing's here too, so we can keep each other company."

She glanced at Lin Nuo again:

"Nuozi, aren't you supposed to be selling medicinal herbs today? We made an appointment, don't be late."

Lin Nuo nodded, took out five yuan from his pocket, walked over and stuffed it into Lin Jiang's hand.

Lin Jiang looked down at the few bills, and as if burned, he pulled his hand back.

"Second brother, no need..."

"Take it. It's not for you."

Lin Nuo squeezed the money into his palm, then pressed his fingers back into his hand.

"Buy some things for my sister-in-law's father. Eggs, brown sugar, canned goods, whatever you think is best."

Lin Weiguo also came out of the house, having changed into a clean gray cotton-padded jacket with a neat collar. He glanced at Lin Nuo and added:

"Take it. It's a token of your brother's affection."

Lin Jiang clutched the five yuan note, his knuckles turning white. He opened his mouth, as if something was stuck in his throat, and finally only managed to mumble:

"……Why."

Lin Nuo turned around, took out the turtle weighing over eight ounces from the storeroom, tied it with a straw rope, and handed it over:

"Bring this along too. Turtle soup is good for the body and especially beneficial for the elderly."

Lin Jiang took it, didn't say thank you again, lowered his head, and carefully placed the turtle into the basket. Pingzi ran over and tugged at his trouser leg:

"Dad, when are you coming back?"

Lin Jiang squatted down and patted Pingzi's head:

"Come back tomorrow. Listen to your second uncle."

Then he looked up at Anzi:

"Anzi, keep an eye on your younger brother."

Anzi nodded like a little adult and took Pingzi's hand.

Lin Jiang stood up, slung the basket over his shoulder, and walked away. He paused at the courtyard gate, didn't turn back, but tightened the basket rope on his shoulder before stepping out.

Zhao Xiuying brought out a bowl of porridge from the kitchen and handed it to Lin Nuo:

"Eat quickly, and then we'll leave. Don't keep the foreman waiting."

Lin Nuo finished drinking in a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and carried the basket of herbs on his back. The herbs were covered with an old cloth, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out as he moved around.

Su Wanqing hadn't gotten up yet, but Pingzi and Anzi were already squatting at the gate of the courtyard waiting.

Uh, I stayed up too late last night, so Wanqing probably won't wake up until noon.

We can't let these two little ones disturb Wanqing's rest.

He still dotes on his wife too much.

Lin Nuo had a sudden thought: he could take them to find the old leader.

So I said I'd take them out to play.

"Second Uncle, where are we going to play?" Pingzi asked, looking up at him.

"Go to Song Village to visit an old man."

"What grandfather?"

Anzi blinked curiously.

Lin Nuo thought for a moment and said:

"A very capable grandfather. He was a hunter."

Hirako's eyes lit up immediately:

"Will he give you candy?"

Lin Nuo couldn't help but laugh, and reached out to lift Pingzi up and put him on her shoulder:

You'll see when you get there.

The three of them boarded a donkey cart heading towards Song Village. Pingzi sat on Lin Nuo's lap, with Anzi leaning against him. The donkey cart swayed and rattled, its wheels making a soft, rustling sound as they rolled over the snow-covered dirt road.

Anzi leaned on Lin Nuo's arm and whispered:

"Second Uncle, Grandpa is sick. Is he going to die?"

She was a little scared.

Lin Nuo paused for a moment, then patted her head:

"No, Grandpa will be fine after taking the medicine."

Anzi hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions.

Anzi is so well-behaved.

The gate to Zhang's house was open. The old man was squatting in the yard drying medicinal herbs. Several baskets of herbs were spread out in the sunlight, each root and stem emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

He was holding a pair of bamboo tongs and turning the herbs over one by one.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Lin Nuo carrying medicinal herbs on her shoulder, holding two children's hands in one hand, her face expressionless.

Uncle Zhang.

Lin Nuo went inside and placed the basket of medicinal herbs against the wall.

Pingzi had slid off Lin Nuo's shoulder and was standing in the yard, looking around with her head tilted back. Anzi was hiding behind Lin Nuo, peeking out half her head, her eyes sparkling.

The old foreman glanced at the two children, then at Lin Nuo, his lips twitched slightly, but he didn't speak, and lowered his head to continue rummaging through the medicinal herbs.

Pingzi, being bold, squatted down next to the old foreman, tilting his head to look at the grass roots in the winnowing basket:

"Grandpa, what is this?"

The old foreman paused for a moment.

He hadn't heard anyone call him "Grandpa" for many years. He didn't answer, but turned a stalk of Bupleurum root over and over again.

Pingzi didn't give up and reached out to touch it. Anzi quickly ran over and grabbed him:

"Don't move, Grandpa is working."

The old man raised his head, glanced at Anzi, and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment. Anzi felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, lowered her head, and twisted her small hands around the hem of her clothes, but her words were sweet:

"Hello, Grandpa."

The old leader didn't respond, but the curve of his lips widened slightly.

He put down the bamboo clips, stood up, turned and went into the house. After a while, he brought out an iron box, opened the lid, and inside was a stack of money and some odds and ends. He took out two ten-yuan bills, handed one to Pingzi and the other to Anzi.

"Here's a New Year's red envelope. Take it."

Hirako took the money, held it up to the sunlight, and squinted his eyes into slits:

"Grandpa, how much does this cost?"

Anzi was more sensible than him; he accepted it with both hands and bowed.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

The old foreman waved his hand, closed the money box, and put it back inside.

Lin Nuo crouched down and whispered in the two children's ears:

"Go play in the yard, but don't run too far."

The two children ran to the corner and squatted down, sticking twigs into the snowdrift.

Lin Nuo moved the basket of medicinal herbs over and lifted the old cloth. The old foreman squatted down, grabbed a handful of Fangfeng herbs, smelled them, and then broke one open to examine the cross-section.

"good."

He said this, then put down the windproof cloth, stood up, and went inside. After a while, he brought out another basket filled with dried medicinal herbs.

He squatted down and picked out the saposhnikovia roots one by one from Lin Nuo's basket, placing them on the ground. Then he picked out the medicinal herbs from his own basket one by one and put them back in.

Lin Nuo was stunned.

The old foreman's basket contained Bupleurum and Gentian. The Bupleurum roots were slender, yellowish-brown, and firm; the Gentian roots were intact, purplish-brown, and had a strong medicinal aroma. Both were of superior quality.

"Uncle Zhang, what's wrong...?"

"These two items are expensive in the South. How about I trade you these for them?"

The old foreman didn't look up, but his hands didn't stop moving.

Looking at the bupleurum and gentian in the basket, Lin Nuo understood everything. The old foreman wasn't trading with him; he was stuffing his own best finds into Lin Nuo's basket. Bupleurum and gentian didn't fetch a good price locally, but they could sell for double in the south.

Give him good goods to impress him.

"Uncle Zhang, this is too much, I can't accept it..."

Stop dawdling.

The old foreman interrupted him, his tone still indifferent.

Lin Nuo squatted in front of the basket, looking at the medicinal herbs, his nose tingled, and his eyes welled up with tears.

He wanted to say something, but his throat felt tight.

Pingzi ran over, clutching a tree branch in his hand, and held it up to the old foreman: "Grandpa, this is for you."

The old foreman looked down at the branch and paused for a moment. Then he reached out and took it.

Anzi stood to the side, covering her mouth and laughing.

"Uncle Zhang, let's go," Lin Nuo said.

The old foreman shook his head: "I have to go to the old forest today. I'll go again next time. Don't sell these herbs for less than 150 each."

Lin Nuo nodded. The old leader never broke his promise; he must have something to do today.

He patted Hirako Yasuko's head: "Hirako Yasuko, say goodbye to Grandpa."

Goodbye, Grandpa.

Goodbye, Grandpa.

"Um."

The old foreman unusually saw him to the door.

Let's consider the child's feelings.

After leaving Song Village, Lin Nuo carried a basket on her back and held the hand of a child in each hand, heading towards Chengjiatun.

When Lin Nuo arrived at Cheng Youtian's house, Cheng Youtian was squatting in the yard washing clothes. Seeing Lin Nuo enter, he quickly wiped his hands on his trousers, stood up, and grinned.

"Noko! You're here! Come in quickly!"

His gaze fell on Hirako and Anko, he paused for a moment, then smiled and patted Hirako's head:

"Is this your nephew? He looks just like you."

Lin Nuo nodded and put the basket on the ground. Cheng Youtian called out into the house:

"Old Wu, they're here!"

A lean, middle-aged man wearing glasses walked out of the house. He was in his forties, wearing a dark gray jacket with the collar buttoned up tightly, and his hair was slicked back and shiny.

He stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping over Lin Nuo before settling on the basket on the ground.

Cheng Youtian introduced:

"Nuozi, this is Old Wu, the boss I told you about. He comes all the way from the south to collect medicinal herbs."

Old Wu nodded, walked over, squatted down, and lifted the old cloth.

He moved slowly, but his eyes lit up when he saw Bupleurum and Gentian.

He first picked up a stalk of Bupleurum root, twirled it in his hand, and examined its color against the light. Then he picked up a stalk of Gentian root, smelled it, pinched the root with his fingernail, and tasted it.

"The quality is good. The preparation is also authentic."

"Weigh it."

Cheng Youtian took out a scale and weighed the medicinal herbs in the basket one by one.

"Bupleurum, 5 kilograms. Gentian, 2 kilograms."

Old Wu stood up and patted the dirt off his knees:

"Bupleurum root is 18 per kilogram, and gentian root is 28 per kilogram. In total, Bupleurum root is 90 per kilogram, and gentian root is 56 per kilogram, totaling 146 per kilogram."

Cheng Youtian was stunned for a moment.

Lin Nuo didn't speak. He reached into the basket, picked up a gentian root, looked at Old Wu, and smiled slightly.

"Boss Wu, you know your stuff. This batch of gentian was carefully processed by my uncle. The roots are intact, and the medicinal flavor is strong. If you take it south, it will at least double in price. Twenty-eight is not appropriate."

Old Wu frowned slightly, then smiled and said:

"Mr. Lin, I also have to take risks by accepting these."

He didn't believe this guy knew the situation in the South.

Lin Nuo took a step forward, very close to him, and lowered his voice so low that only the two of them could hear. He said in Cantonese:

"Mr. Wu, I worked in the South for several years. I know the market."

Old Wu's fingers twitched suddenly, and the ash from his cigarette fell to the ground. He looked up and re-examined Lin Nuo, his gaze becoming serious.

This Cantonese is more authentic than his.

A few seconds of silence. Old Wu stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe.

"Okay. Gentian root 35, Bupleurum root 22. This is the highest price I can offer; any higher and I won't make any profit."

Cheng Youtian stood to the side, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. He hadn't expected Lin Nuo to be able to drive the price down so much.

Lin Nuo did the math in his head: five kilograms of Bupleurum, 22 yuan per kilogram, 110 yuan. Two kilograms of Gentian, 35 yuan per kilogram, 70 yuan. A total of 180 yuan.

It was 34 yuan more than Lao Wu's first offer.

"Okay. Deal."

Old Wu counted out a wad of cash from his bag and handed it to Lin Nuo. He counted it twice, and as he handed it over, he flicked the banknotes with his finger, making a crisp sound.

Lin Nuo took the money, counted it again in front of Lao Wu, folded it neatly, stuffed it into the inner pocket of his cotton-padded jacket, and buttoned it up.

Old Wu squatted down and took out the medicinal herbs one by one from the basket, arranging them neatly into his snakeskin bag, as if afraid of damaging them. As he arranged them, he said:

"Young man, your medicinal herbs are of excellent quality, and you're no ordinary person either. From now on, I'll come to Chengjiatun every two weeks. If you have any goods, just deliver them directly. I'll take as many as you have."

Lin Nuo nodded:

"Okay. Mr. Wu, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Old Wu stood up, took a business card from his pocket, and handed it over. The business card read "Wu Demao, Purchasing Manager, Southern Medicinal Herbs Trading Company," followed by an address and phone number.

Lin Nuo took the business card, glanced at it, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

As they left Chengjiatun, the sun was already setting. Pingzi and Anzi each held a candied hawthorn skewer, bought for them by Cheng Youtian's wife. The hawthorns were bright red, coated with a transparent sugar coating, and glistened in the sunlight.

Pingzi licked his lips, leaving a red ring around them, while Anzi ate slowly, biting each piece one by one.

Lin Nuo walked ahead, her steps light and quick. Her basket was empty, but her arms felt heavy.

One hundred and eighty yuan. Adding to what I saved from selling wild boar and windbreaks, I now have over two hundred yuan on hand.

He was thinking to himself: once he's saved enough, he'll buy a TV or build a house.

Pingzi ran over and tugged at his sleeve: "Second Uncle, when is Grandpa coming again?"

Lin Nuo was taken aback: "Which grandfather?"

"That's the grandpa, the one who gave us money just now."

Lin Nuo couldn't help but laugh, and picked up Pingzi, placing him on his shoulder:

"Your second uncle will take you to see him again in a few days."

Pingzi was so happy that he swung his leg on Pingzi's shoulder, almost throwing the candied hawthorn away.

Anzi walked behind, still clutching the ten-yuan note in her hand, reluctant to spend it. She asked softly:

"Second Uncle, can I keep this money?"

"Yes. I'll save it to buy you notebooks."

Anzi nodded, carefully folded the money, stuffed it into the innermost layer of the small cloth bag, and patted it twice.

She has money now.

Seeing Anzi like this, Lin Nuo kindly reminded her:

"This money is best; don't let your mother know."

Pingzi asked, puzzled, "Why, Second Uncle?"

Lin Nuo smiled and said, "It's nothing."