"Alright, talk to your Third Uncle properly. If he agrees to lend it, be careful when you drive. If you scratch or dent it, we can't afford to pay for it."
"You still don't trust my driving? Oh right, Dad, is there anything you want to buy? I can pick it up for you."
"Then bring back some cigarettes and liquor for me. We'll be having a banquet the day after tomorrow. I'll give you the money later. As for the vegetables, it's too hot today, we'll buy them tomorrow afternoon, otherwise they'll spoil."
"Got it. Tell me what brand of cigarettes and how much liquor to buy, and I'll get it all in one go when I bring it back." Liu Yifeng could have afforded to buy things without his father's money, but he feared it would arouse suspicion if he didn't accept.
Liu Chunsheng thought for a moment: "We can't afford anything too expensive. Just Li Qun cigarettes. Most people in the village still smoke Shuangxi at five yuan a pack. Li Qun is considered decent. For liquor, buy twenty cases of beer. We have our own aged homemade wine, which is no worse than those mixed with alcohol and water sold outside, so we won't buy any white spirits."
Liu Yifeng nodded in acknowledgment.
Tongtong wasn't interested in the adults' conversation. He was busy gnawing on a big chicken leg, thoroughly enjoying it.
Seeing how much Tongtong loved chicken legs, Liu Chunsheng decided that when he had free time, he would buy more chicks so his grandson could have big chicken legs every day.
At this moment, he finally felt that life had purpose.
After dinner, Liu Chunsheng gave all the money from selling the pig to Liu Yifeng, who accepted it without hesitation.
Just as he was about to go borrow the car from his Third Uncle, his father asked him to bring back a few pairs of gloves for working. In a while, it would be time to harvest peanuts, and gloves would make the work easier.
Liu Yifeng agreed, then took Tongtong's hand and headed to his Third Uncle's house.
His Third Uncle's family was considered middle-class in the village. They had built a two-story house last year and bought a minivan for tens of thousands this year. Although it wasn't as impressive as a car, it was still a source of envy for many villagers.
When Liu Chasheng learned of Liu Yifeng's intentions, he immediately put on a troubled expression: "Yifeng, it's not that Third Uncle doesn't want to lend it to you, but you know yourself, this car is not even that old. I'm reluctant to drive it myself. You're going to the county town, which is over forty kilometers away. If anything happens, I, as the owner, would be responsible." His unspoken meaning was, "I don't want to lend it."
Liu Yifeng had anticipated this and said with a smile, "Third Uncle, I know how hard it was for you to buy this car. When I come back, I'll fill up the gas tank for you. We're family, won't Third Uncle help his nephew with this?"
Liu Chasheng, who had initially refused to lend it, his eyes lit up upon hearing about the full tank of gas: "Since you put it that way, Third Uncle can't refuse. Alright, take it and drive. Drive slowly on the road!" With that, he took out the car keys.
Liu Yifeng happily took the keys, thanked his Third Uncle, and got into the car with Tongtong. He then started the engine and headed for the county town.
Liu Chasheng, still worried, followed behind the car, constantly telling Liu Yifeng not to damage it. He only stopped talking after the car had driven far away.
Just then, Liu Chasheng's wife walked over and glared at him, "Are you out of your mind? How could you lend him the car?"
"Why not? Yifeng said he'd fill up the tank for me when he gets back. Our car is almost out of gas anyway," Liu Chasheng replied.
"He says he'll fill it up and you believe him? What if he pretends to forget when he comes back? As an elder, are you really going to ask him for it? Even if he does fill it up, if the car gets scratched or dented while driving, how much will it cost to repair? This kid is broke, wouldn't you end up paying for it yourself?"
Hearing his nagging wife's analysis, Liu Chasheng instantly regretted it and slapped his thigh, "Why didn't I think of that? But the car has already been lent out. We can't ask him to bring it back now, can we?"
"Just let it go this time. If the kid is sensible and actually fills up your tank, we can lend it to him again next time. Otherwise, don't lend it to him for anything from now on," Li Rongfang said.
Unaware of his uncle and aunt's calculations, Liu Yifeng was already driving his car out of the village. Their village was relatively underdeveloped. The cement road was only built in recent years; before that, it was full of potholes and very difficult to travel on, especially when it rained.
Upon arriving in the county town, Liu Yifeng took Tongtong to a department store. Since Tongtong's paintings and calligraphy were going to be sold, they needed to buy good tools and paints. Tongtong personally selected the brushes, paints, and other necessary items, as Liu Yifeng didn't know anything about them. The staff member was astonished because the child was picking out the high-end items in their store, which were also quite expensive. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. This child truly had a discerning eye. The staff member immediately praised him, "You're so good, little one. You know how to pick things out at such a young age." She then couldn't resist reaching out to pat Tongtong's head, but he dodged it. The staff member felt a bit awkward, not expecting this child, who looked so cute, to be so shy. Tongtong didn't like strangers touching him, and his evasion was an instinctive reaction, not a sign of rejection.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng, to ease the awkwardness, explained that the child was shy. The staff member didn't say anything and proceeded to the checkout counter with the items Tongtong had chosen. Tongtong had bought quite a lot, including seven or eight different kinds of brushes and various paints. The total came to over eight thousand yuan, which was a good deal compared to what Tongtong had earned. Fortunately, Liu Yifeng had taken Tongtong to a bank counter beforehand and withdrawn ten thousand yuan. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had enough to pay. Tongtong had asked his mother to take him to the bank to open the account. Cloud Flower didn't know how much money was in Tongtong's passbook and didn't ask for details.
After paying, Liu Yifeng carefully placed the items in the trunk. Next, they needed to buy cigarettes, liquor, and various seeds. Liu Yifeng first bought the cigarettes and liquor, which cost nearly four thousand yuan, almost the price of three pigs, making it seem like the pigs were raised for nothing. However, he didn't feel any pain when he thought about how his son could earn him even more money.
"Tongtong, are you hot? Daddy will buy you an ice pop." It was July, the hottest month. Even though the sun had already started to set, the heat was still unbearable. He, an adult, was sweating profusely, let alone Tongtong. Liu Yifeng then took Tongtong to a small shop and let Tongtong choose an ice pop flavor, while he bought a bottle of iced water. He drank two-thirds of it in one go, and his spirits instantly lifted. Afterward, they drove to where seeds were sold.