Eighties Sweetheart Wife-Chapter 24 - Picking Shepherd’s Purse_1

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Picking Shepherd’s Purse_1

Chapter 24 -24 Picking Shepherd’s Purse_1

Old Man Song accepted the flour and told her that when he got more fish and shrimp, he’d have it sent to her.

It all had to be kept a secret, though.

So, without wasting any more words, they completed the exchange, and Old Man Song hurriedly left with the children.

He had brought a small cloth bag in advance.

By then it was all packed inside, and he had given a dime to Song Yunuan, telling her to buy some candy later.

Song Yunuan, carrying the cloth bag, and Song Mingsheng originally wanted to jump into the fish basket to have Grandpa carry him on his back, but Song Yunuan said there was a fishy smell and it would become stinky.

Song Mingsheng pouted, and looking at his clean clothes, no longer insisted on squatting inside.

Old Man Song went to the grocery store, where he bought a pound of pork belly.

This didn’t require food coupons but was a dime more expensive than the items that did.

Walking from the county town to Erdao River Village took two hours.

Considering his delicate granddaughter, Old Man Song didn’t choose to walk home but instead went to the bus station.

When the ticket seller sister saw Song Yunuan, her eyes lit up, and she greeted her warmly, “Little Nuan, are you heading to Sunflower Commune?”

“Yes, Sister.”

“Come on up, the bus is leaving soon.”

Thus, the grandfather and grandchildren bought two tickets and boarded the bus.

Even the driver was beaming.

Their bus line had been praised by their superiors.

In that era, a letter of commendation was extremely valuable.

If one person was commended, it made the whole family feel honored.

Not to mention Song Yunuan’s letter of commendation, which was heartfelt and sincere, saying they endured daily bumps and braved wind and rain to serve the vast number of farmers, expressing the farmers’ heartfelt thanks.

That letter was pinned up on the company’s notice board.

So is it any wonder the ticket seller was so warm when she saw Song Yunuan?

Song Yunuan took a seat behind the ticket seller, and Old Man Song settled beside the driver, a seat not sold to the public that offered a good view and was less bumpy.

The old man, holding Asheng, chatted with the driver.

“This stretch of road isn’t easy to navigate, but you handle it so well, Master.

You’re clearly an experienced driver.

This bus service has really made things easier for us farmers—we’re all very grateful to you…”

Song Yunuan, meanwhile, talked with the ticket seller sister.

After introducing themselves, one called ‘Little Nuan,’ and the other sweetly called ‘Sister Niu.’

By the time they reached Sunflower Commune, they had become acquainted.

Before getting off, Sister Niu quietly asked Song Yunuan, “Does your village have shepherd’s purse?”

Song Yunuan nodded: “Yes, my mom picked a lot just yesterday morning.

Do you like it, Sister Niu?

If you like it, I’ll wait for you here at this intersection tomorrow around this time…”

Sister Niu quickly waved her hands: “No, no, Little Nuan, let me tell you something.

The county’s guesthouse recently took in some people from Beidu, and right now, it’s the gap between seasons, so there are no fresh vegetables in the canteen.

The buyer for the guesthouse canteen is my uncle, and he asked me to collect some shepherd’s purse from the commune.

If your village has some, this job is yours; my uncle says he’ll pay up to five cents per pound, no limit on quantity.

If the guesthouse canteen doesn’t use it all, it’ll be distributed as benefits to the staff.

But we only want shepherd’s purse, it needs to be high-quality and clean.

If you’re up for it, I won’t bother checking with the commune.”

Old Man Song’s ears were sharp.

After hearing this, he was reminded of the large patches of shepherd’s purse by the riverbank, his heart suddenly ablaze with excitement.

But he didn’t say a word.

On the other side, Song Yunuan agreed cheerfully, setting a time and place, and the grandfather and grandchildren got off the bus.

“Grandpa, did you hear that just now?”

“I did, and I even know where there’s the most.” Old Man Song was brimming with enthusiasm.

This time, the grandfather and grandchildren walked as if they were on air.

Little Asheng trotted over to Song Yunuan’s side, determinedly stuffing his little hand into hers.

Being led by his sister, he looked up at his big sister with admiration in his eyes, thinking how amazing she was!

He vowed to follow his sister for the rest of his life.

To enjoy all the best things in life!

After they arrived home, Song Liang and the others had just returned from working in the fields.

In the willow basket in the yard, there were plenty of shepherd’s purse.

Song Ting was mincing the filling.

They were going to have dumplings stuffed with shepherd’s purse for dinner.

Over there, Head of the Song Family glanced at the depressed Song Liang and then shared the job opportunity given by the ticket seller with the family.

Old Mrs.

Song was so happy she didn’t know what to say.

She also warned everyone not to talk about it with others yet and asked Song Ting to call the second son’s family over for a chat.

Song Ting put down the kitchen knife and was about to go when Song Yunuan suddenly grabbed her, shoved the sheet music and all into her bag with a smile, “Little aunt, the county cultural troupe is recruiting a soprano, and I’ve signed you up for the audition in three days.

I’ll go with you when the time comes.”

Everyone: …

They looked at Song Yunuan in disbelief.

Xia Guilan was even more excited: “Really?

For real?”

Tingting was the old woman’s late-life daughter, yet she wasn’t much pampered.

She was three years older than Song Yunuan and Song Mingbo.

By the time she was five, the responsibility of caring for the twins had fallen on her.

To be honest, Siqi and Abo were almost raised by Tingting.

But Siqi was ungrateful.

When she left, Tingting tried to hold her back, asking if they could keep in touch, but Siqi pushed her away and said a lot of hurtful things.

It was her fault for not raising Siqi right.

Now, hearing this good news, her excitement made her breathing rush.

But the next moment, she felt as if cold water had been poured on her.

“Mom, although it’s true, there are several hundred people signed up, Little aunt, you have to work hard these three days.

I believe in your ability.”

Song Ting’s heart skipped a beat.

It was over, with so many people, how could she, a village girl, possibly be chosen?

She felt as if she was wasting her niece’s sincerity.

Song Ting seemed to foresee her own downfall, and was about to cry.

[Speaking of Little Nuan getting poisoned and losing her voice, it might have something to do with her throat.

After the Song Family’s crisis, Little Nuan’s marriage was called off.

She took me to the county town, just in time the county guest house was hiring temporary workers to wash vegetables.

Little Nuan took me in to work, and at night we would sleep in the storeroom behind the cafeteria.

I couldn’t sleep, and Little Nuan would sing lullabies to me.]

Everyone in the room heard this.

But each pretended not to hear and hastily turned away.

Tears streamed down Old Mrs.

Song’s cheeks, and she quickly picked up the knife to chop scallions as a disguise.

Self-reproachful, Song Liang immediately came to his senses.

He quietly slapped himself.

You fool, what are you thinking about at a time like this?

Without Little Nuan, you wouldn’t even know how you died.

[Little Nuan’s singing of lullabies was melodious and moving.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Teacher Zhu Mann, a famous singer in our country, was listening not far away.]

Everyone felt their breath catch.

Zhu Mann, the one from the radio?

[Teacher Zhu Mann had the idea of taking a disciple but didn’t disturb us since it was late.

She planned to come find us the next day, but by dawn, Little Nuan and I were driven out.]

[By the time Teacher Zhu Mann found Little Nuan, we were in another county town, but by then, Little Nuan’s throat had been ruined.]

Song Yunuan was completely oblivious to everyone else’s expressions, mainly because the panicked Asheng insisted his sister hold him.

So, Song Yunuan took Asheng to fetch water.

The others heard the last part:

[Little aunt is sure to be chosen.

The head of the county cultural troupe is a kind-hearted man who treasures talent like life itself.

He wants open auditions according to his wishes.

He’s kind and fair, and besides, how could Little Nuan, someone whom Teacher Zhu Mann took notice of, possibly not get into the county cultural troupe?]

Song Yunuan stood in the doorway, encouraging, “Little aunt, they say it’s never too late to sharpen your weapons before going into battle.

You put in the effort, and I’m sure you can do it!”