CHAPTER 291: 291. RETURN GIFT, HESITATION

As soon as Wu Liguo and his party stepped into the village, the news spread like wildfire through the surrounding ten miles of villages.

The once labor reform officer of yesteryear had now become a renowned leader.

With his status elevated and power increased, naturally, many people sought to cozy up, curry favor, and sneakily establish connections.

But the old man clearly stated he was here simply to indulge in the joyful company of his grandchildren, lamenting that his daughter was indispensable, and his son-in-law unfilial.

They left the old man all alone in cold, desolate Beijing for several years, never thinking of bringing the child to visit him or anything.

If the mountain won’t come to me, I have to go to the mountain myself, or so he said.

His idle chitchat was like throwing punches and taking jabs!

Poor Liu Shouren, fearing being innocently implicated, had no choice but to grit his teeth and fully take on the responsibility of dealing with the seasoned veterans, so as not to let them disturb the old man’s precious bonding time with the children.

No help for it, the beloved daughter was all noble and incorruptible; after being tempted by her grandpa with all sorts of tricks for two days, she was still in the stage of looking but not cuddling.

She was fluent in calling daddy, mommy, brother, uncle, and auntie, but stubbornly wouldn’t sweetly call out grandpa.

Refusing to move to Beijing, Liu Shouren, who only wanted to remain the village officer in the Liu family village, became a luxurious target of his irritation.

The reason was his steadfast pastoralism led to a geographical divide between the grandfather and granddaughter. Otherwise, if they’d been together all along, frequently interacting, would such a tragicomedy of the obedient granddaughter not recognizing her grandpa occur?!

Shot speechless, Liu Shouren could only rally the entire family to transform into lubricating oil, working in unison to foster a bond between the baby girl and her grandpa.

Just hoping that one day when the grandfather and granddaughter are in harmony, the old man might be a bit more pleasant to him as well.

Not daring to expect deep camaraderie between father-in-law and son-in-law, at least they can maintain appearances, can’t they?

At all costs, let’s not make his wife caught in the middle like a sandwich!

Her own father clearly satisfied with her husband yet never uttering a word of praise, was always showcasing little fits and pointing out flaws, to which Wu Yinghong resigned herself.

Whenever she attempted to mediate, her father invariably wore a grievance face, grumbling eloquently.

Turning around to accuse her of being a typical girl who, after marrying, turned her elbows outward, her heart biased all the way to the horizon.

Wu Yinghong held her forehead, also convinced of her father’s whimsical ways akin to a willful child.

Grateful that all involved were family, and the two security personnel were indeed the old man’s absolute confidants.

Otherwise, if this capricious side leaked out, that general’s imposing and serious image would be absolutely ruined beyond recognition.

She only took the early and late slots to visit her brother twice, chatting and bonding with Uncle Wu, who, despite his high official position, remained as close and benevolent in front of them as an ordinary elder.

Sent the only two little idlers, Lian Xi and Xinqing, over as little lubricants to help mend the bond between her big niece and Uncle Wu.

The rest of the time, Shuzhen and her husband were busy preparing return gifts for Wei Lai and the others, arranging a small New Year’s meal to host everyone.

Possibly moved by the care they’ve shown over the years, the gifts prepared by Wei Lai, Wu Hao, Dong Shu, and Feng Anhuai were thoughtful, abundant, and invaluable.

The presents covered food, clothing, and necessities, comprehensively addressing everyone’s preferences and needs in the family with things like couple watches for the couple, scholar’s four jewels for Lian En, and business management books for Chenchen, among others.

Each person received at least one box; the gifts were heavy, but the sentiment even heavier.

Lianshan held his head and lamented, "Wife, how are we supposed to return this favor? In the past, we could at least offer some game to bolster our status. Now, with wild animals protected, surely we can’t just give them hazelnuts, pine nuts, mushrooms, or monkey heads back?"

It’s not that he looked down on these specialties, but in returning gifts, one should at least offer something of similar worth, right?

No matter how good the friendship, when someone sends you something worth at least a small fortune, you can’t exactly return with something that might weigh a ton but is of no real comparable value!

They are too lavish with gestures of goodwill; why spend so much?

Unable to think of what to return, Lianshan grumbled with mild discontent.

Understanding Lianshan’s worry, Shuzhen laughed, "That’s it, it’s only been a couple of years since returning, and work and life were not so stable. When they wanted to show appreciation, they were willing but not able. Now that life is on track and they’ve gradually regained what was lost of their family businesses due to prior penalties, naturally they have both the time and possibility to prepare things for us!

They received substantial help from Brother and us back then, and now that they’re able, the once promised return is finally happening!

Just watch–this is only the beginning!"

"Goodness, I’m already stressed over how to return the gifts, and there’s more?" Lianshan sighed, "Wife, do you think we should call them, thanking them for their kind intentions, earnestly explaining that back then, we did things within our capabilities simply because we could? From now on, instead of seeking repayment...

If they truly regard us as friends and family, let’s not be extravagant anymore.

Otherwise, it feels like after an ample reward, they’d want to cut ties with us farmer friends!"

"Oh, come on now, it’s just about returning gifts, isn’t it?"

"You’ve gotten to the point of using threats, yet didn’t notice how much everyone cared in choosing their gifts.

Well, I know my husband is all about giving without expecting returns.

I’ll follow, being the one who doesn’t take undue advantage of others.

We’ll return something even more valuable, and more thoughtful.

Let everyone’s feelings deepen through the gifts exchanged, rather than letting material things affect our relationships, okay?" Shuzhen laughed, full of confidence, dragging her husband, nodding repeatedly that this should be how it’s done as they rode towards the city.

"Wife, even such a small county-level city like ours, can have stuff more valuable and thoughtful than the Great Capital City?" Lianshan scratched his head, full of skepticism.

"Ingenious means shall become evident, you just watch!" Shuzhen said mysteriously, pulling Lianshan straight to the city’s supply and marketing market, where they picked a few fine glass jars. Then, leaving the market, they headed to the largest herbal store and bought a good number of ginseng seeds.

"Wife, this..." Realizing her plan, Lianshan was a bit worried, the Northeast’s number one treasure and such, offering it as gifts was certainly prestigious.

But with ginseng becoming increasingly scarce and prices only going higher over the years.

Is it really okay for the wife to take out so much all at once?