Chapter 267 - 209: A Succession of Happy Events
"Little Tuanzi, come here. Brother San has a magic trick for you."
"Really? Third Brother, do it now!"
Little Tuanzi heard Zhao Wendong and scrambled up, her little short legs pattering over to him. She looked at him with a face full of anticipation. Even Zhao Shitou was drawn in, running over to watch from the side. Zhao Wendong mysteriously raised both hands.
"Watch closely. See? Nothing in my hands, right?"
He even showed her his empty hands twice. Little Tuanzi nodded earnestly, waiting for Zhao Wendong’s next move. Zhao Wendong raised his hands and waved them around theatrically. An orange, which had been hidden in his sleeve all along, appeared in his palm.
"Tada!"
"Wow, that’s amazing, so amazing! What’s this yellow-yellow ball, Third Brother?"
Seeing the orange that had suddenly appeared in Zhao Wendong’s hand, Little Tuanzi clapped happily, completely in awe of his magic. Zhao Shitou, however, stared at the orange and suddenly caught an unusual scent.
"Third Uncle, that’s something to eat, right?"
"Not bad, Shitou, you even figured that out. It is for eating. It’s called an orange."
"An orange... Is it good? What’s it taste like? Is it sweet?"
"Haha, you’ll know once you have one."
After speaking, Zhao Wendong stuffed the orange into Little Tuanzi’s hands. The Zhao family was also very surprised to see Zhao Wendong take out an orange. The fruit wasn’t cheap even in the summer, and most people in the village had probably never eaten one. What’s more, with the New Year just around the corner, rarity drove up the price. This thing was a true luxury!
"Son, give it to your wife to eat. Your sister is still little; what does she know?"
"Sister-in-law eat."
Although her face showed her reluctance, Little Tuanzi obediently handed the orange to Lin Zhiyin. Lin Zhiyin was completely charmed by the little girl’s expression. She scooped her up and nuzzled her pretty cheek against Little Tuanzi’s.
"I don’t want it. Little Tuanzi can have it. I’ve eaten them often before."
"Then give to Mommy and Daddy to eat."
Seeing Little Tuanzi passing the orange back and forth, Zhao Wendong smiled and shook his head. He took out all the oranges that Former Secretary Tao had stuffed into his pockets—a good dozen of them.
"Everyone, stop being so modest. There are plenty here, enough for everyone."
"Oh, my! Son, where did you get so many oranges?"
Chen Yanmei exclaimed. It wasn’t just her; even Lin Huaimin and Wang Lulu looked astonished. They wouldn’t have been surprised in the summer, but this was winter. These things could only be shipped in from the south.
"I went to Former Secretary Tao’s house today, and he gave them to me. Hurry up and eat. Come on, Little Tuanzi, Brother San will show you. You have to peel this thing to eat it. Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, you all have some too!"
The moment Zhao Wendong broke the orange peel, a fresh, sweet fragrance wafted out. Little Tuanzi took a sniff with her tiny nose, her eyes sparkling as she shouted.
"Ah, it smells so good, Third Brother!"
Shitou shuffled closer, his nose practically touching the orange. His eyes were the very picture of greed, and he was practically drooling.
The peel came off bit by bit, revealing crescent-shaped segments, tender yellow and translucent. Zhao Wendong broke off a piece and popped it into Little Tuanzi’s mouth. The little girl’s eyes immediately squinted in delight, her cheeks puffing out just like Little Xiaobai’s when it ate.
"So yummy! Third Brother, the owange is so sweet!"
Zhao Wendong gave a segment to Shitou, and the boy instantly let out a satisfied groan.
"Ah, that hits the spot!"
For some reason, Song Xiaoyu’s face instantly flushed red. She grabbed Zhao Shitou and gave his bottom a few firm smacks. Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. Zhao Wendong laughed so hard at Shitou that his stomach hurt. The laughter embarrassed Song Xiaoyu so much that she fled to the outer room. After laughing for a long time, he sat up and saw that the oranges were still sitting there, untouched.
"Why isn’t anyone eating?"
"This stuff is too precious. Let’s save it for your wedding. Aren’t some leaders coming? We can give it to them."
"Give it to them, my ass. I got these from them in the first place. This is for our family to eat."
Zhao Wendong passed around the orange in his hand, then peeled another and shared it with everyone. When he started to peel a third, they all stopped him.
"Save them for the New Year."
"Your grandpa and grandma haven’t had any yet."
"Right, and Third Master and Granny Liu, too."
"Alright, then."
"I’ll take some for them to try, then. This stuff dries out if you let it sit too long. It’d be a shame if they go bad."
Zhao Wendong stuffed a few oranges in his pocket and went out the door. It was a good chance to drop by Zhao Weiguo’s and Granny Liu’s places to share the good news about the job arrangements. Lin Zhiyin went with him. Back in the house, the elders saw the young couple sticking together like glue and all broke into happy smiles.
"By the way, did you get that wine Dongzi wanted started, like I said?"
Zhao Dashan had remembered something and asked his wife, Chen Yanmei. Although Zhao Wendong often offloaded many tasks onto Zhao Dashan as he lay on the kang—like feeding Xiaojin and the others, or helping him steep the ginseng wine.
"It’s done."
Chen Yanmei shot him a look. ’Every time, Zhao Dashan would curse Zhao Wendong for ordering a cripple around, but secretly, he was happy to do it. He was more dedicated to the task than anyone, and he thought they couldn’t tell.’
Zhao Wendong and Lin Zhiyin walked along the village path. Lin Zhiyin smiled as she looked at Zhao Wendong, her arms wrapped around his. Such a gesture was actually quite bold for the era. But when the villagers saw them, they didn’t find it strange at all. They just smiled and greeted them. Later, they would mostly just say to their families, "See? Dongzi’s girlfriend is different. She’s from the city."
In reality, everyone knew the reason. It wasn’t because Lin Zhiyin was from the city that she was accepted; it was because she was Zhao Wendong’s woman that no one said a word against her.