Seeing Li Zhuzi approach, Su Changjiu felt delighted.
He wasn't unwilling to go to the capital, but his family's conditions were already average, and a trip to the capital would incur significant expenses.
Moreover, if he went to the capital, the household chores would be neglected.
Since splitting from his son, only the elderly couple remained at home. He couldn't possibly leave all the farm work to his wife.
Su Changjiu guessed that Li Zhuzi would definitely be going.
Perhaps he could ask the villagers to have their thank-you and congratulatory gifts for the Su family delivered by Li Zhuzi?
"Zhuzi, you're here?"
"Uncle, I came to ask if you're going to the capital."
Li Zhuzi smiled and took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, extracted one, and offered it to Su Changjiu. He then distributed cigarettes to the elders and youngsters in the village, and the pack was gone.
"Zhuzi, you're living quite well, even smoking Daqianmen." Someone took a cigarette, sniffed it, and teased him with a smile.
"Just getting by." Li Zhuzi's smile was faint.
However, there was a hint of pride in that smile.
He, Li Zhuzi, was no longer the scruffy-haired fellow from years ago.
Now, Li Zhuzi was considered a capable person with some reputation in the vicinity.
After becoming friends with the Su family, Li Zhuzi's life improved year by year.
He now owned his own businesses, and his wife and children lived comfortably in the county town.
He could never have imagined this in the past.
"When will you take us to the county town to broaden our horizons?"
"What's there to see? The county town just has more people than our village. But even with more people, they don't talk to each other. If it weren't for making a living, I really wouldn't want to live in the county town."
The county town had its advantages, but also its disadvantages.
Li Zhuzi's words were not false, but to others, they sounded a bit different.
Su Changjiu lit the cigarette Li Zhuzi had given him. It was indeed more fragrant than the pipe tobacco he was used to, but he felt something was missing. Sudancn.com
It seemed he was truly destined to smoke pipe tobacco!
After they chatted for a while, Su Changjiu brought the conversation back.
"Zhuzi, when are you leaving?"
"I plan to leave the day after tomorrow, transferring to the provincial capital from the county town. I'll be departing with my second brother and sister-in-law. If you're going, we'll head to the county town early tomorrow morning."
"We were just discussing this. It's not easy for other people in the village to make a trip. Why don't we have the village head go on behalf of the villagers to express our sentiments?" said a Su family elder, smoking the cigarette Li Zhuzi had given him.
Now, even if Su Changjiu wanted to refuse, he couldn't.
"I need to discuss this with my wife at home. With so much work here, I'm worried if I'm not around."
"Alright, I'll head back then, Uncle. I'll come to your house tonight, and you can give me your decision."
Li Zhuzi didn't say much more. After greeting everyone present, he turned and left.
The villagers understood that Li Zhuzi was a busy man and didn't mind him not staying to chat.
After Li Zhuzi left, the villagers started chattering again.
Some said they should prepare some mountain goods for Li Zhuzi to take to the Su family.
Others said that the Su family lived in the capital, a big city, so they wouldn't lack mountain goods.
Some also said, "If only we could earn money like Li Zhuzi."
Su Changjiu went home and discussed the matter with his wife.
"You should go. You're the village head; you should express our regards."
"But our family's circumstances..."
Su Changjiu sighed. After his daughter-in-law caused trouble and lost money, their last bit of savings was depleted.
Now, the elderly couple only had a little over a hundred yuan, and a trip to the capital would likely exhaust it.
"Money can be earned again, but we can't let the Su family feel disheartened."
The village head's wife was a sensible woman.
Although the Su family's help wasn't limited to their family, their husband was the village head.
Being the village head meant that while they gained advantages in some aspects, they were destined to suffer losses in others.
No one could always gain without losing.
"Alright, then I'll tell Zhuzi tonight that I'll go with him. It's just the farm work..."
"It's not the busy farming season now. I can handle the farm work," the village head's wife said generously. "We can't just take benefits from others without showing our gratitude."
As the couple was speaking, they heard the gate open. They thought it was someone from the village, but to their surprise, it was their daughter.
"Cao, why are you here?" the village head's wife asked in surprise.
Su Xiaocao was assigned to teach at a school in the provincial capital after graduation and rarely returned home except during long holidays.
Of course, a significant reason she didn't return was her troublesome sister-in-law at home.
If her sister-in-law had been more considerate, Su Xiaocao wouldn't have returned home only twice a year.
The village head's wife had repeatedly urged her daughter to find a partner quickly; once married, she wouldn't be as lonely as she was now.
"Mom, I'm going to the capital for training and won't be back until September."
"What? You're going to the capital?" The village head's wife only heard the words "the capital."
The village head smiled, "What a coincidence! I was just telling your mother that I'll be going to the capital with your Zhuzi brother tomorrow."
"Dad, why are you thinking of going to the capital?" Su Xiaocao asked in surprise.
Given her father's personality, he wouldn't go to the capital without a reason.
"Shou Wen has become a father. I'm going on behalf of the villagers to visit them. After the Su family left the village, they still remember us."
"That's wonderful news!" Su Xiaocao said happily. "I was planning to visit Shou Wen and his family once I got to the capital."
"You're not much younger than Shou Wen. Shou Wen is already a father, so why don't you even have a boyfriend?" the village head's wife couldn't help but complain.
Her own son was married, but her daughter, despite having a job, was still unmarried, which was not ideal for a woman.
Su Xiaocao knew that if she just agreed with her mother for a sentence or two, her ears would be ringing for the rest of the day.
"Dad, Mom, is there anything you want me to prepare? We can't go all that way empty-handed, can we?"
As expected, her daughter instantly diverted the village head's wife's attention, making her forget her lecture.
"I'd forgotten if you hadn't reminded me. We have a lot of mountain goods at home; I need to pack them. Although they're not valuable, they represent our good intentions!"
After saying this, the village head's wife hurried off to find things.
Su Xiaocao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Changjiu looked at his daughter and couldn't help but smile.
"Your mother is right; at your age, you should find a suitable person to marry."
If her brother and sister-in-law were reliable, it would be one thing, but with the family in this state, Su Changjiu didn't want his daughter to suffer.