"My name is Zhang Degui."
"At that time, I was the most mischievous student in the school. Other than Teacher Tang, I wasn't afraid of anyone. Even the principal had to avoid me. In the school, only Teacher Tang treated me as a student and was willing to teach me patiently. In the eyes of the other teachers, there was no such thing as a poor student. Poor grades were already a capital offense. Coupled with being mischievous, it was incurable. Aiya, that was many years ago. " The middle-aged man did not mind the dirt. He sat on the dusty chair in front of him and happily told Lin Dong about his past. His bitter face inexplicably had a trace of vitality.
"Since we're on the same side, I'll call you Uncle Zhang!" Lin Dong's heart skipped a beat. He vaguely remembered that Zhang Degui was there when he sent his grandmother off. His grandmother had taught for decades and could be said to have students all over the world. However, there were only a few people when they sent her off. If Zhang Degui was there, it meant that he was a good person. Lin Dong felt that it was more convenient to have someone to do things when he came back to collect the herbs. This Zhang Degui in front of him had a good character and looked quite honest. Perhaps he could be of use.
"You flatter me, you flatter me." The middle-aged man, Zhang Degui, shook his hands.
"Uncle Zhang, I don't know if you have time. I want to ask you to do something for me." Lin Dong did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"Ah, just say it. If I can do it, I won't say no. Although Teacher Tang is no longer here, I, Zhang Degui, will never be able to repay her kindness in this lifetime." Zhang Degui's voice gradually became softer and he asked with a little embarrassment, "What do you want me to do? If it's physical work or transportation, it's definitely not a problem. I'm just afraid that it's something that needs to use my brain. I know my own capabilities and I really don't have that ability. It's not good if I delay your important matters. I can run errands! "
"It's not a big deal." Lin Dong took out five old people's heads from his wallet and handed it to the stunned Zhang Degui.
"This …" Zhang Degui was in urgent need of money. He wanted it but was also embarrassed.
"Uncle Zhang, you are my grandma's student. You are one of us. That's why I trust you." Lin Dong explained his intentions: "It's like this, I'm preparing to purchase a large amount of medicinal herbs from the mountains, as well as the camellia. You've seen it today, I'm buying them just like that, but I don't have much time to follow up. I'd like to ask Uncle Zhang for a favor."
"That's it?" Zhang Degui's eyes widened.
Wasn't this too easy?
He had thought that it would be something difficult, but who would have thought that it would really be something to run errands for? He had a motorcycle, and he was in the slack season, so doing this job was easier than eating beans.
Zhang Degui suddenly felt touched. Could it be that Xiao Lin, who was as kind-hearted as Teacher Tang, saw that his life wasn't going well and deliberately gave him money, but was afraid that he would refuse, so he deliberately used this as an excuse?
Lin Dong gently placed the money in front of Zhang Degui: "From today onwards, help me go to the surrounding areas, towns, and villages every day. Wherever there is medicine, help me purchase a large amount of medicinal herbs. If you have an acquaintance, you can also call them! This amount isn't too much. Just collect as much as you want. As for the salary, it's currently 100 RMB a day. I'll pay for the fuel and meals. In short, help me run errands as much as you can. After you finish collecting every day, you can send it here. You can also let them send it here. The rest of the time, you can arrange it yourself. I'll try not to affect your family's farming. Here's 500 RMB. I'll give it to you in advance as your expenses. "
Zhang Degui was happy and embarrassed: "No, no, how can I do this? How can I collect money without doing any work? If I do this, how can I face Teacher Tang! Besides, you don't need that much money to run errands. Just give me 20 to 30 RMB a day! "
Lin Dong looked at Zhang Degui with a serious expression.
His eyes were as sharp as a blade.
Zhang Degui was so scared that he didn't even dare to breathe. He quickly shut his mouth and didn't dare to speak again.
At this time, he realized that the young man in front of him had already decided on something. There was no room for doubt or objection.
"Uncle Zhang, I have more important things to do. I can't be distracted." Lin Dong suddenly smiled. His serious expression melted in an instant. He reached out and patted Zhang Degui's shoulder. "If you're a good student of my grandmother's, and you still have that sentiment in your heart, then help me with this. The money is secondary to me. What I want is the medicine. I want someone I can trust to collect the medicine for me. Do you understand? Uncle Zhang, I called you Uncle Zhang today because I trust you. So, I hope you can do me this favor! "
Lin Dong's smile was brighter than the sun.
Zhang Degui saw it.
He suddenly felt that the whole world suddenly brightened up.
His heart was burning. His voice was a little hoarse as he directly squeezed it out from his throat: "Okay, I'll help you. If you trust me, I'll do it for you even if I have to run until I break my legs!"
Zhang Degui said that he didn't want the 500 yuan. But when Lin Dong insisted, he quickly took it.
Zhang Degui didn't say anything more. He carefully packed the medicine list that Lin Dong wrote for him and hurriedly went out. He planned to immediately ride home, mobilize the power of the whole family, contact all the acquaintances, inquire about the situation of the herbs in the surrounding mountains, and finish the task that Lin Dong entrusted to him. There was a surge of heat in his heart. He didn't want to waste even a moment. He didn't know whether it was because the car was driving too fast that the dust entered his eyes or because the wind was a little strong today. Zhang Degui always felt that his eyes were astringent and hot …
The empty house was full of dust. Except for the big and small bags that were moved in, everything in the house seemed to be sealed in a time film from a few years ago.
Lin Dong sighed.
Home.
Only when there were people in the house could it be called home!
Lin Dong didn't want to tidy up the house. He always felt that keeping things in the original state was more like a childhood feeling … He tried not to move anything in the house that could not be moved, especially the things in his grandmother's room. He wanted to let them continue to be sealed, becoming an eternal memory.
His grandmother liked to drink tea, especially when she stayed up late. There was always a pot of strong tea on the table that was piled with all kinds of test papers.
However, his grandmother wasn't very particular about tea. She liked the tea given by the students.
She was also used to the loose tea bought in town.
When Lin Dong was young, he didn't like tea.
Because it was too bitter.
At that time, he liked sweet things. Drinks had to be sweet, and so did Tangyuan and tofu pudding. Whenever there was a festival, he would boil sweet water, which was the most exciting.
"Time really flies!" Lin Dong felt that he had grown up in the blink of an eye. The voice and smile of the past were still in front of him. The happy laughter seemed to still echo in his ears. And the figure of his grandmother, who was busy inside and outside the house, had quietly disappeared. He reached out his hand. No matter how much he longed for it, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch that wisp of childhood that had unknowingly slipped away.
Lin Dong washed the tea set that his grandmother used to use. He used to make tea for his grandmother. His grandmother's joy and praise were the strongest motivation for him to do this. When Lin Dong was young, he always hoped that he could grow up faster and become an adult. In the future, he would earn a lot of money and come back to be filial to his grandmother.
But he had never noticed that his grandmother had aged.
In his heart.
His grandmother would never grow old.
Until one day, when she collapsed and couldn't get up again, he panicked and realized that he hadn't been by her side all these years …
The water boiled. Lin Dong didn't use the immortal tea that he brought back from the cultivation world. Instead, he did what his grandmother used to do. He grabbed the local tea and put it into the teapot. When he closed the lid, Lin Dong paused and added a pinch. His grandmother preferred stronger tea because she often stayed up late, but she didn't rest until midnight. Sitting in front of his grandmother's desk, he waited quietly. It wasn't until the fragrance of the tea filled the whole room that his mind returned from the sea of memories. To be honest, the fragrance of this tea was nothing compared to the immortal tea in the cultivation world. It was even compared to the spiritual tea in Youyou's cottage.
However, the warm memories of his childhood made Lin Dong's heart feel especially warm.
Gently.
He poured a cup of tea.
The color of the tea was very dark. When he picked it up and carefully tasted it, the taste was also very strong and bitter.
For some reason, in this situation, Lin Dong suddenly thought of the phrase "Tea is the strongest in one's hometown". A kind of understanding spontaneously arose in his heart. Maybe this was the reason why his grandmother liked to drink tea! Back then, his grandmother gave up everything in the big city and returned to her hometown. She stayed in the poor mountainous area to teach for decades. At that time, many people didn't understand why. Lin Dong also didn't understand why.
Now, he kind of understood his grandmother's wish.
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