As expected, Fu Mingyu arrived the next day.
He really did come in a car, and he took quite a few things out of the trunk.
Yun Jiao and her brothers bounced over to him.
The boys’ eyes were practically glued to the car.
"Can I touch it?"
Yun Xiaowu’s eyes were shining.
Fu Mingyu nodded. "You can."
Then they put their hands on it, their expressions and movements like they were stroking some priceless treasure.
Even so, it made everyone else around them burn with envy.
"These are for you."
The canned goods Yun Jiao had been dreaming of—not only were there several kinds of fruit preserves, but there were also canned meats.
A full twenty jars!
A light instantly burst forth in her eyes. She was ecstatic.
You could practically see the joy radiating off Yun Jiao, right down to the happy bounce in her hair.
Seeing this, the corners of Fu Mingyu’s mouth tilted up slightly.
"This is milk powder. You can drink it, and so can your grandparents. You have to mix it with water."
Two tins of milk powder.
"This is liquor. Someone gave it to my grandpa, but he can’t drink it all."
Two bottles of Maotai!
"These cigarettes are for your father. They were also a gift to my grandpa, but he hardly smokes."
Two cartons of Yunyan cigarettes.
This stuff cost 1.1 yuan a pack, and a carton had ten packs, making one carton worth 11 yuan.
"This is for your first and second brothers. I got it from my grandpa."
A model tank made from bullets.
"This is for your third brother. I took it from my grandpa’s study. He has a lot of fountain pens."
"This is for your fourth brother."
A set of carving tools.
The rest, for Yun Xiaowu and the younger ones, were toy models of pistols and cars.
"And this is for you."
Some clothes that would fit Yun Jiao, a pair of small leather shoes, and a fishing rod.
The gifts for Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei were the hardest to choose because he couldn’t scrounge them from his grandpa’s stash. Some health supplements would have been okay, but his grandpa needed those too.
In the end, he used his own money to buy each of them a jar of Ya Shuang cream.
It was very popular among ladies at the time.
With this trip, he had basically used up all the pocket money his grandpa had given him, but he didn’t regret it.
’There will be more pocket money in the future.’
In just one short day, Fu Mingyu had quietly figured out the hobbies of all of the Yun family’s older brothers.
Of course, the gifts for Yun Xiaowu and the younger ones were all the same, as their hobbies weren’t as obvious yet.
But for the four older brothers, the gifts he chose were exactly what they would have wanted.
And then there was Yun Jiao.
Fu Mingyu knew she liked going out to sea with her dad and uncle. The fishing rod he gave her wasn’t just some bamboo pole; Fu Mingyu had his grandpa help him get a real one.
Yun Jiao was speechless. "...Just how much stuff did you scrounge from your grandpa?"
’Every single thing, he said he got from his grandpa.’
’Your grandpa must be at his wits’ end with a grandson like you.’
Fu Mingyu’s expression didn’t change. "Not much. It was all stuff he doesn’t use."
His grandfather had suffered some hardships in his early years, and after he returned, the higher-ups had given him a lot of compensation.
For a man of his status, the gifts from visitors, relatives, and friends were naturally of high quality.
Of course, he would never accept money. These things were just normal gifts exchanged between friends and family; he himself would bring similar presents when visiting old friends.
However, due to the hardships of his youth, the doctor had explicitly told Mr. Fu that he couldn’t drink much or smoke.
This was how Fu Mingyu managed to scrounge them.
In truth, Mr. Fu did have a small fondness for drinking, and he felt a pang of regret when he saw his grandson take two bottles of Maotai.
But it wasn’t just Fu Mingyu; even his aide supported taking the liquor away.
Otherwise, he would always sneak a couple of sips, and no one could stop him.
The aide wouldn’t have dared to take them, but Fu Mingyu was his grandson. And though Mr. Fu was stern, you could tell from the little details that he truly doted on the boy.
What Fu Mingyu called "not much" had already stunned the entire population of Bailong Village!
Whether it was the milk powder, the cigarettes, or the liquor, each of those things was more expensive than the last.
"Th-th-this... We can’t accept this, we really can’t! You should take it all back. How could you bring so many things?"
And all of it so expensive!
Fu Mingyu said, "They’re not expensive. They were all gifts to my grandpa from his friends. Because of his health, he can’t smoke or drink, so they’re just sitting around."
"But you could sell this stuff for money! This is worth dozens of yuan."
Fu Mingyu shut the trunk lid.
"Not for sale."
"The milk powder is for Jiaojiao to eat."
"Grandpa has used the fountain pen. He has plenty, so he won’t miss this one."
Anyway, in his words, all these things were just superfluous items that needed to be dealt with.
Fu Mingyu was only a small boy, but he was very stubborn.
In the end, he had the aide accompanying him deliver everything to the Yun family’s home.
The people of Bailong Village looked at the Yun family with eyes that couldn’t possibly be more envious.
’What kind of friend is that? He’s way too generous!’
’Why haven’t our kids made such a generous friend?!’
Yun Xiaowu ran over and clapped Fu Mingyu on the shoulder. "Fu Mingyu, you’re a true friend! You brought so much stuff! These toy cars and guns are so cool. Now all the kids in the village will be jealous of us brothers, hahahaha..."
Yun Xiaowu and the others held the toy cars and guns, their eyes filled with utter delight.
They were just kids, after all. What they loved most was playing; they had no interest in the expensive liquor and cigarettes.
They were also quite envious of the model tank made from bullets that their first and second brothers got, but they definitely couldn’t snatch it away.
Because you could see with your own eyes that their older brothers loved it too.
"And all these canned goods! Fu Mingyu, you and I are officially brothers!"
"Oh yeah, can I see what the inside of the car looks like? I’ve been dying to take a look."
"Sure. I’ll have the aide show you."
Yun Xiaowu and the other boys instantly jumped up and cheered.
With this one move, it was safe to say Fu Mingyu had won the goodwill of Yun Jiao’s entire family.
However, he hadn’t been very low-key. The Yun family’s home was now surrounded by villagers of all ages who had come to see the commotion.
In truth, Fu Mingyu couldn’t have been low-key even if he’d wanted to. He had to use a car to transport so many things.
And from the moment the car drove into the village, being low-key was no longer an option.
"Have you eaten breakfast?"
Even though Fu Mingyu had brought so many gifts, in Granny Yun’s eyes, he was still a poor little thing who had never met his own mother and whose own father didn’t dote on him.
Fu Mingyu shook his head.
He had been busy choosing gifts all morning and hadn’t had a chance to eat yet.
"Perfect timing, then. I made Jiaojiao’s favorite steamed sea urchin egg custard. You should try some too."
"Jiaojiao was planning to go out to sea with her dad today."
Fu Mingyu looked at Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao was holding a small bowl, happily eating the steamed sea urchin egg custard.
While eating, her eyes were still fixed on the spot where the canned goods were placed.
Her tastes were really simple and easy to understand.
The corners of Fu Mingyu’s mouth curled up, and he also ate a small bowl of the steamed sea urchin egg custard.
There wasn’t much of the custard; only he, Yun Jiao, and Yun Xiaojiu each had a small bowl.
"Can I go with you?"
Yun Jiao paused. "Go where?"
Fu Mingyu said, "Out to sea. I want to go and see it."
Yun Jiao asked her dad, "Dad, Fu Mingyu wants to come with us to sea."
Yun Linhai had been thinking of not going today. After all, Fu Mingyu’s arrival had disrupted their plan to go to sea, and it was getting a little late.
But when he met Fu Mingyu’s dark, deep eyes and his expressionless little face, he found himself nodding before his brain could even react.
Yun Linhai: ’...What just happened?’