The three people were in a confined space, speaking casually.
Su Sangong, a young man, diligently ran errands, fetching water for them.
Although they had eaten buns and some fruit, the train was inherently dry, and they needed to replenish their fluids.
Su Xiaotian prepared malted milk for Shen Zizhen.
The malted milk they had brought with them was finished. Earlier at the station, someone had unexpectedly pressed a can of malted milk into their hands.
Since there was no way to return it, Su Xiaotian directly took it out to help Shen Zizhen recuperate.
“Such a good thing, why was it just pressed upon us? I don’t even know who it was, I can’t even return the favor.”
Shen Zizhen muttered. He was a person who never liked to take advantage of others, but this time, he had benefited greatly.
“Uncle, since it was given to you, you should accept it.”
“I can’t rest easy!”
“Once you’re well, research and develop more new varieties of seeds, and ensure that all the people of Hua Country are well-fed. That would be the best reward.”
Su Xiaotian comforted Shen Zizhen with a smile.
Shen Zizhen had indeed lived to the age of seventy-eight in his previous life, which was considered advanced age. However, in the last decade or so of his life, Shen Zizhen’s health had deteriorated significantly, making it impossible for him to continue his research.
This was reported on a television program after Shen Zizhen’s death. Because Shen Zizhen was deceased, she had listened more attentively.
In this life, she wondered if Shen Zizhen could live a few more years and conduct research for a few more years.
It should be possible, right?
According to that television program in her previous life, Teacher Shen’s health had been ruined because he lacked food and warmth and had no access to medical treatment when he was in the countryside.
At that time, the television program also mentioned that this agricultural scientist, who had enabled the nation to have enough to eat, had himself struggled to get a full meal.
This life seemed to be different from the very beginning. Perhaps Teacher Shen’s health would be much better than in his previous life.
But this was just Su Xiaotian’s thought.
After all, after returning to the city, Teacher Shen had been working himself to death for the past few years, which had accelerated his aging process even more than in previous years.
She would have to talk to Aunt Taohua later and tell her to take good care of Teacher Shen, ensuring he rested when he needed to.
Su Xiaotian naturally did not voice these thoughts, only contemplating in her mind how to change Shen Zizhen’s fate.
The three of them drank water and chatted idly.
They talked about the enthusiasm of the unknown passengers at the train station and then about the warmth of the people in the village.
Unconsciously, they began to discuss the rice they had brought back to Beijing this time.
According to Su Xiaotian’s wishes, everyone should have a share. Not only the families of Shen Zizhen and Aunt Taohua, but also the Chi, Du, and Tan families should receive some to try.
“I suspect Grandma Yu won’t want any. She’ll probably wait for Grandma to cook it and then eat it directly. And she’ll say that her cooking ruins good ingredients.”
Su Sangong humorously imitated Yu Ruiyuan with his playful actions.
The other two burst into laughter at his antics.
Shen Zizhen said, “Indeed, Aunt Yu’s cooking skills are not very good.”
Then, he gave a wry smile, “Xiaotian, this is all for you. It’s hard for you to be willing to share it with everyone.”
He had been here before, and the people here were unwilling to sell their own rice.
Despite his best efforts, he hadn’t managed to get much, only bringing back a few pounds for Taohua and the children to taste.
This time, Xiaotian came along and, simply for helping the local people create a first-aid booklet, was able to bring back hundreds of pounds.
It was truly enviable!
This child, Xiaotian, always managed to bring unexpected surprises.
No wonder Grandma Su always said that Xiaotian was a child favored by the Dragon King. Although this was a superstitious saying, sometimes these things were hard to explain.
“Uncle Shen, you make me feel embarrassed. Speaking of which, it’s not just because I contributed first-aid knowledge, but more importantly, they saw our goodwill.”
Su Xiaotian firmly believed that without the events of that rainy night, they might have brought back some rice, but not this much.
In reality, they had blended in with these people. It was because they had made these people feel respected that they received such a reward.
“I’m worried if the families who gave us rice can hold on until the new rice is harvested.”
Even if they had money, they might not be willing to spend it on buying rice.
They would probably have to make do with plain rice instead of porridge.
“The living conditions of the people here are not good, yet they are willing to give us their own rice. I will remember this kindness,” Su Xiaotian said, deeply moved.
“We can’t just take advantage of them for nothing,” Shen Zizhen also said. “We must give them something in return.”
Hearing that Shen Zizhen’s thoughts coincided with hers, Su Xiaotian smiled even more brightly.
“I’ve thought about this. When we get to Beijing, I’ll send some of the preserved meat produced by the factory to them. Don’t worry, they definitely won’t be at a disadvantage.”
She had tried to give them money, but it was refused.
She had even considered giving the money to An Ronghua and having him forward it after she left.
But An Ronghua had sternly refused.
An Ronghua had said that this was the goodwill of everyone. If he secretly accepted the money and couldn’t give it back later, he would be gossiped about, accused of being crazy for money.
Su Xiaotian was helpless. The only solution she could think of was to send some of the preserved meat produced by her own family to these simple people.
It was meant as a reciprocal exchange of equivalent value.
Through this period, she had realized that meat was relatively scarce here, and most families were reluctant to eat meat.
Shen Zizhen laughed heartily, “As expected, only the wealthy can say such things.”
This child, Xiaotian, was not short of money, which was why she could speak so generously. An ordinary person probably couldn’t do this.
“I’ll leave this matter to you. As your uncle, I won’t be polite with you.”
Su Sangong, imitating Shen Zizhen, said, “As your third brother, I won’t be polite with you either!”
After a period of laughter and joking, Su Xiaotian and the others went to wash up.
As the sky gradually darkened, the three of them rested in their respective berths.
Su Xiaotian, as usual, read until midnight before resting.
After reading, Su Xiaotian always fell asleep very quickly.
She soon fell into a deep sleep.
She had expected a quiet night, but an accident occurred in the early hours of the morning.