Diamonds

On their way home, Qibao and her mother ran into several women coming to work. They all recognized Qibao: "Qibao, you're back? What was it like in the big city? Was it fun?"

"How did Wenwu do on his exams? Did he pass?"

"'Wenwu is so well educated, he'll definitely be able to pass the exam this time!"

Qibao and Mrs. Lin smiled and answered each question.

As they reached the wine shop, they saw Qibao's grandfather trying to open the front door with his key.

"Grandpa!" Qibao called out.

Old Man Lin heard her voice and turned his head. The key was still stuck in the lock, but he paid it no mind. He hurried over to Qibao, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"Oh, my sweet girl's finally back!"

Qibao ran to embrace her grandfather's arm: "I missed you so much, Grandpa!"

Old Man Lin Qibao's head: "I missed you, too. I was worried you might not have enough to eat or if you had enough clothes to stay warm."

Qibao said: "Grandpa, don't worry about me. I'm not going alone. Where's my grandma?"

"Your grandma hasn't arrived yet." Grandpa Lin explained. "She's been talking about you lately. I'll take you to see her now." He began to lead Qibao away.

Mrs. Lin said helplessly: "Father, have you forgotten me?"

Old Man Lin turned back with a smile: "You're big enough now. Do you need me to carry you?"

Mrs. Lin couldn't help but laugh.

The women coming to work laughed from behind.

"One of the young women called out: "Uncle Lin, no matter how rushed you are, you still need to open the door!"

Old Man Lin slapped his forehead: "Aiyo, almost forgot. You two go ahead and start working. I'll be there in a moment."

He hurriedly opened the tavern's main gate, put away the key, and led the two towards the small courtyard next door.

As soon as Qibao entered the yard, she saw Grandma Sun hanging clothes with her back to the door.

"Grandma, I'm back!" Qibao called out.

Grandma Sun turned around and saw Qibao smiling at her. She dropped the wooden basin in her hands and rushed over, pulling Qibao into a tight hug.

"Qibao, you've given Grandma such a scare! I've missed you so much! I'm just glad you're back!"

"Grandmother, we came back yesterday, it was already late, so we didn't come over to tell you, so we came to find Grandmother as soon as we got up in the morning." Qibao exclaimed.

"Good, good. Have you two had breakfast yet? I made congee in my pot, along with some pickles I cured myself. They taste pretty good!" Grandma Sun said warmly.

"We've already eaten, Mother." Mrs. Lin said with a smile.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I brought you some gifts from Qingyun City." Qibao said.

Grandma Sun replied: "Boa'er, it's enough for you to return safely. I don't need any gifts."

Old Man Lin chuckled: "Ya know what? Our little Qibao's quite the little rich girl now! She even showed me some hidden savings she has, did you know that?"

Qibao grinned: "I did buy those gifts with my own money!"

With that, she opened the package. Inside were two sets of clothes and two wooden boxes.

"Grandpa, Grandma, these are the outfits I picked out for you. They're stylish and the fabric feels great." Qibao said. She held up the clothes against Grandma Sun's body: "Grandma, you'll look fantastic in these. It's just like what wealthy old ladies wear!"

Grandma Sun's face lit up at the compliment: "Well, I don't want to be an 'wealthy old ladies,' but these clothes really do look nice. I'm glad you picked them for me, Boa'er!"

Qibao beamed: "Of course they look good! This one's for Grandpa. I know it'll really suit you."

Old Man Lin took the clothes with a smile, tried them on himself and said: "Bao'er has good taste. Look at how impressive these clothes are. I will keep them well and wear them to show off wherever I go in the future."

Qibao giggled with delight.

"These boxes are for Grandma:" Qibao pointed at the two wooden boxes: "And that one is for Grandpa. Go ahead, open them and see if you like them."

Grandma Sun opened her box to find a pair of jade bracelets with "Health and Happiness" carved on them. She smiled: "It's really beautiful. Grandma likes it very much. Does your grandmother have one too?"

"Grandma, don't worry." Qibao replied: "My grandma has one too."

Old Man Lin opened his box to see a jade hairpin, matching the color of Mrs. Sun's bracelet perfectly. Overcome with joy, he immediately took out the wooden pin holding his hair and replaced it with the jade hairpin Qibao had given him.

"Old lady, do you think I look good wearing it? Doesn't it make me look more like a master?" Old man Lin said proudly.

Grandma Sun, caught between laughter and tears: "You're getting a bit old for such silly boasting!"

"Nonsense!" Old Man Lin insisted: "This is from our dear Boa'er. Shouldn't I be allowed to feel proud when my granddaughter shows me such respect?"

Smiling, Grandma Sun conceded: "All right, all right! It does look good. You certainly look more like a gentleman now, is that enough?"

Instantly, the yard filled with their joyful laughter.

Mrs. Lin chimed in: "Father, once you changed your hairpin, you look completely different. You look more like a manager!"

Grandma Sun said: "Old man, take it down quickly. I'll keep it for you. You can't carry such a valuable thing when you work in a winery. If it gets knocked or broken, I'll be heartbroken!"

"Yes, yes, yes! The old woman is right! You must keep it well. If there is a big event in the future where I need to participate, I can still wear it to show off my style." As Old Man Lin said this, he took off the jade hairpin on his head and replaced it with the wooden hairpin.

"If Grandpa likes it, I'll bring an even better jade hairpin tomorrow." Qibao offered.

"I don't need that." Old Man Lin hurried to say: "I like this one just fine. I wouldn't dare wear a better one."

Qibao thought that there were a lot of jades in her space, so she would carve one herself and give it to her grandfather when she had time. The jades in her space were different from those sold outside, and they had richer spiritual energy. Wearing them for a long time would also be good for the body.

Qibao nodded: "Okay. Granny and Grandpa, come have dinner with us tonight."

"Of course! We'll be there for dinner."

Mrs. Lin and Qibao returned home to find they had unexpected visitors.

"Qibao, you're back?"

Qibao also smiled: "Sister Xinyi, why are you here?"

Wu Xinyi said: "I saw Brother Xu on the street this morning, so I guessed you were back, so I told my father and came to find you."

Mrs. Wang said: "Xinyi, what do you want to eat for lunch? I'll ask the kitchen to make it."

Wu Xinyi was not polite and said: "Grandma Xu, I want to eat sweet and sour pork ribs and spicy and sour shredded potatoes."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "Okay, I'll let Mrs. Jin and the others prepare, and you two sisters can chat for a while."

Seeing Mrs. Wang leave, Wu Xinyi pulled Qibao to sit down and asked mysteriously: "Qibao, guess what good stuff I brought this time?"

Qibao said: "I don't know, what is it?"

Wu Xinyi took out a spherical object from her arms.

Qibao took it in her hand, and was surprised, and asked: "Is this a diamond?"

Wu Xinyi asked in confusion: "Qibao, what is a diamond? I only know that it is shiny and transparent, and very beautiful, so I bought it."

Qibao asked: "Sister Xinyi, where did you buy this?"

Xu Xinyi said: "I bought it at a street stall. An old man was selling it to me. He said he picked it up from the mountains."