"The old man doesn't have much to give, but here are some vegetables I grew. Take them and have a taste."
"Uncle Li, you shouldn't have," Su Mu said, shaking his head. "It's not right for the younger generation to accept gifts from elders."
To be honest, Su Mu had saved Uncle Li simply because he was part of the village, and Uncle Li had been kind to him when he was young. If he had saved him just for a reward, what kind of person would that make him?
"Xiao Mu, I've already brought the vegetables, and there's too much for me to eat alone. They'd spoil if left at home. So you must accept them. If you refuse, there's nothing more I can say."
"Well..."
"Xiao Mu, since this is a token of your Uncle Li's gratitude, you should accept it. If you don't, he might insist on bringing them to your house himself, and that wouldn't be good considering his age and the long distance," Li Siming advised, noticing that Uncle Li wouldn't leave until Su Mu accepted.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Mu nodded. "Alright, Uncle Li, I'll accept these vegetables."
Seeing Su Mu agree, Uncle Li smiled. "Good, good. Xiao Mu, come by my house when you have time and chat with me."
"I will, Uncle Li. I'll visit when I have time."
"Alright then, I won't disturb you any longer. Take care."
"Goodbye, Uncle Li. Take care on your way home."
Su Mu watched Uncle Li leave.
"Chief Li, there's so much here. I can't eat it all. How about we share it?" Su Mu suggested, looking at the bag full of vegetables, including eggplants, pumpkins, bitter gourds, and tomatoes.
"Xiao Mu, this is your Uncle Li's heartfelt gift. We shouldn't split it up. He might be unhappy if he found out. Take them home. If you can't eat them all, you can always use some of the pumpkins to feed the pigs."
"Alright, the pigs at home will be in luck," Su Mu chuckled. "By the way, Chief Li, now that my reservoir is filled, I plan to stock it with fingerlings."
"Fish? That sounds good. Fish can improve the water quality and eat the aquatic weeds. I know a supplier who can provide fingerlings. If you need a lot, they can deliver. But it's best to buy when the weather is cooler to avoid loss during transport due to the heat."
"Alright, please give me the contact information. I'll call and place an order when I get back."
"Sure," Li Siming said, giving Su Mu the contact information of the fingerling supplier.
After spending some more time at Li Siming's place, Su Mu left with the bag of vegetables. Shortly after, he returned home. Although the rain had just stopped, the sun was already out.
Su Mu took out the vegetables and placed them aside before picking up his phone to call the supplier.
"Hello, do you have fingerlings?"
"Yes, we do. May I know your name and where you are from?"
"My name is Su Mu from ** Village. Chief Li Siming gave me your number."
"Ah, you're from the same village as Chief Li. What types of fingerlings do you need, and when do you need them?"
"I need twenty silver carp, fifty grass carp, fifty common carp, ten snakeheads, and some mandarin fish, black carp..." Su Mu listed several types, totaling about a thousand fish.
The supplier smiled, sensing a big order. "Alright, Mr. Su. We have most of the fingerlings you mentioned. I can send those first and get the rest later. Is that okay?"
"That's fine. When can you deliver?"
"It's late today. How about tomorrow morning? We can avoid the heat, which is better for the fish."
"Sounds good. I'll send you the address. If you can't find my place, call me, and I'll come to meet you."
"Alright, Mr. Su. We'll call before we set off."
"Thank you."
After hanging up, Su Mu looked at his dog, Shoushan, and smiled, patting its head. "Little guy, once the fish in the reservoir grow, you'll have plenty to eat."
The next morning, at around seven, Su Mu received a call from the fingerling supplier.
"Hello, this is Su Mu."
"Mr. Su, we're preparing to leave now. We'll call you when we're close."
"Okay, thank you."
By eight o'clock, after feeding his chickens, piglets, and dogs, Su Mu received another call from the supplier.
"Mr. Su, we're in your village now."
"Great, I'll come meet you."
Su Mu drove to the village and soon saw the supplier chatting with Chief Li outside the village house. The supplier looked pleasantly surprised to see how young Su Mu was.