"Let’s slaughter the capon and cure so chicken and pressed duck. When Xiangyang cos, he can take it back to his dad." Wu Shufen said, then suddenly rembered sothing. "Xiangyang ntioned his dad likes the tea from our mountains. We should pick a lot more when spring arrives, roast it properly, and send it to him."
Lin Changyou nodded. "You handle the cured ats. As for the tea, I’ll take our eldest and the others up the mountain to pick it next year."
"Take the ham and hang it up. I’m going to divide this pork for Guoliang and Guodong!" Wu Shufen said. She walked a few steps, then turned back to her husband. "And old man, there’s more good news. Yuezhen has found soone..."
Lin Changyou’s face lit up. He rubbed his hands together, saying, "Good, good, good! Now Yuezhen’s parents can finally rest in peace."
Lin Guodong and Zhao Xiaohui walked to the doorway of the main room and looked at the couple. "Dad, Mom, who’s resting in peace?"
"Your sister Yuezhen has found soone..." Wu Shufen said with a smile.
Zhao Xiaohui stared at her in surprise. "What! Yuezhen found a man too? And he’s a veteran!" She pursed her lips. "This is just perfect. If Lin Guohui and his wife find out, they’ll be kicking themselves."
Lin Changyou saw Zhao Xiaohui’s expression, eager to watch Lin Guohui’s family make a fool of themselves, and said gravely, "Little Hui, don’t go spreading this around. Let Yuezhen tell him herself when she gets back." ’That couple is nothing but a pair of leeches,’ he thought. ’If they find out, they’ll definitely go to the city to bother her.’
Her intentions exposed, Zhao Xiaohui nodded sheepishly. "Oh."
Wu Shufen handed the pork and sugar to Lin Guodong and his wife. "Little Lan bought this and had bring it back for you. You two know what Lin Guohui and his wife are like. Little Lan is always thinking of you, bringing back nice things whenever she can. You need to think about her, too, and not stir up any trouble for her."
"We know!" Lin Guodong said, shooting Zhao Xiaohui a glare. "Keep your mouth shut!"
Zhao Xiaohui took the brown sugar and glanced at the slab of pork—it had to be at least four or five pounds, a beautiful, fatty cut of belly. Recalling the fine cloth they’d received a few days prior, she had no desire to get on the wrong side of the old couple or Lin Lan, so she nodded again and again in agreent.
Wu Shufen handed Zhao Xiaohui a wicker basket. "Put these in here to carry ho. No need for the neighbors to see."
"Right!" Zhao Xiaohui replied, then happily left with the basket.
Lin Changyou and his son, Lin Guodong, grabbed their hoes and pickaxes, hoisted the manure buckets onto their shoulders, and headed for the pigsty out back.
Wu Shufen took the rest of the pork and sugar to Lin Guoliang’s house. She saw Zhang Xiuqing in the vegetable garden spreading fertilizer and called out with a smile, "Xiuqing! Zhixue went to your older brother’s place to pick them up for a trip to Lexing. Are you going?"
"My sister-in-law hasn’t co to get yet!" Zhang Xiuqing said. Seeing the basket in Wu Shufen’s hand, she quickly ca out of the garden to take it from her. When she saw the contents, she chided affectionately, "Mom, we haven’t even finished the sugar she brought last ti! And all this pork... why don’t you ever stop Little Lan?"
Wu Shufen chuckled. "Your father just said the sa thing to . Little Lan wants us to raise more chickens and ducks next year, so make sure you save the eggs for the hens to brood in the spring."
"You got it!" Zhang Xiuqing set the basket down safely and brought a chair over for Wu Shufen. "I’ll head over to my brother’s place in a bit to ask when they’re leaving for Lexing. I can also help them take the pumpkins I’ve been setting aside for Little Lan."
Wu Shufen updated Zhang Xiuqing on how Lin Lan and Lin Yuezhen were doing in Lexing, then added, "I’m thinking of sending Guoliang to his aunt’s house to bring Qiaohui to Lexing. She could help Little Lan out."
Zhang Xiuqing nodded. "Now that Yuezhen is married, she’ll have her own household to look after and won’t have as much ti to help at Little Lan’s place. It’s a good idea for Qiaohui to go. I’ll have Guoliang head over to his aunt’s first thing tomorrow morning."
"It’s probably already snowing over at your aunt’s," Wu Shufen added. "Remind him to dress warmly."
After putting away the pork and sugar, Zhao Xiaohui ca back outside. She saw Wu Shufen and Zhang Xiuqing next door at Lin Guoliang’s house, laughing and talking on the steps. She pursed her lips and walked over. "Sister-in-law, Zhixue went to Zhongxin to get Yuru. Aren’t you going to your parents’ place?"
Zhang Xiuqing smiled. "I’ll head over to take a look in a little while."
Zhao Xiaohui turned to Wu Shufen with a sycophantic smile. "Mom, since Yuezhen found soone in Lexing, maybe you could ask Little Lan to keep an eye out for a match for my niece, Aihui."
Wu Shufen frowned. "I thought you said last year that Aihui was seeing soone. Did it not work out?"
Zhao Xiaohui looked vexed. "They were supposed to get engaged on New Year’s Day, but my sister-in-law insisted his family buy Aihui a watch and a sewing machine. The guy’s family said they could try to manage the sewing machine, but they’d have to borrow money for a watch and didn’t want to."
"Yesterday, the man’s parents sent the matchmaker over. They said they could buy the watch, but Aihui would have to help pay off the loan after she married into their family. My sister-in-law refused, so I think the whole thing is about to fall through."
Wu Shufen glanced at her. "Nowadays, a family in the countryside that can afford a sewing machine is considered a good catch. You should talk so sense into your sister-in-law. As long as the man is a good person, it’s a good match."
’When Guodong was marrying Little Hui, that sister-in-law of hers was always stirring things up, demanding this and that. What man could have a peaceful life after marrying a woman with a mother-in-law like that?’
’There’s an old saying: a good man doesn’t live on his inheritance, and a good woman doesn’t live off her dowry. It doesn’t matter how much your parents give you; if you can’t make it on your own, you’ll still end up poor.’
Zhao Xiaohui could tell from her mother-in-law’s expression that she wouldn’t agree to help find a match for Aihui. Swallowing her discontent, she simply nodded.
Seeing her reaction, Wu Shufen couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. She pushed herself up with her hands on her knees. "I’m leaving. I’m going to check on the pigsty."
Zhang Xiuqing smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll head over to my parents’ place then." As she spoke, she handed the now-empty basket back to Wu Shufen.
An idea sparked in Zhao Xiaohui’s eyes. "I’ll go have a word with my sister-in-law, too."
Wu Shufen took the basket and walked away without a backward glance.
At the foot of the hill, the father and son, Lin Changyou and Lin Guodong, dug two large compost pits. They hauled over basketloads of wood ash from the house, moldy straw from the bottom of the woodshed, and rapeseed husks, dumping it all in to make fertilizer.
They layered soil, then straw mixed with wood ash, and then poured in several buckets of liquid manure. They repeated this until the pits were full, then covered them with a final layer of earth and straw. After composting for a few months, the mixture would be ready in the spring to fertilize the ginger, taro, ramie, and paper mulberry they planned to plant.
Lin Guodong wiped the sweat from his brow. "Dad," he said to Lin Changyou, "I saw a few young cherry and persimmon trees on the back hill. What do you think about digging them up in the spring and sending them to Little Lan?"
"You do as you see fit," Lin Changyou replied, spreading the last of the straw on top and dusting off his hands. "There. After a long morning’s work, we’ve finally filled this pit."
When Wu Shufen got to the pigsty and found the gate closed, she walked over to the foot of the hill. She saw her husband and son covering the compost pit with dirt. She approached Lin Changyou and said, "It’s Yuru’s first visit to the Wang family. As the matchmaker, you ought to go with them, don’t you think?"
Lin Changyou thought for a mont, then nodded. "A trip sounds good. I can stop by and see Little Lan while I’m out."
Lin Guodong laughed. "Dad, you should go see Little Lan’s new house. You’ll love it. When I make good money soday, I’ll build a house just like it for you and Mom."
Lin Changyou smiled and gave his son a light pat. "You just work hard. We’ll be waiting for you to build us that new house."
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