Little Douzi nodded happily. "Grandma and Mommy should eat too. Great-grandma said kids who don’t share their food won’t grow tall."
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Mhm! Mommy and Grandma will both eat, and Little Douzi will grow up tall very soon."
After the three generations finished their al, Wu Shufen took a shoe sole and went to stitch it under the eaves.
Lin Lan washed the pots and bowls, then opened the cupboard. Inside, she saw a bag of white sugar and so ground pepper.
’I don’t know where she got the industrial coupons.’ She had even bought an aluminum thermos decorated with large red peonies. On top of the cupboard were bars of soap and White Cat brand laundry paste.
After putting the bowls away, she went to her room. On a trunk, she saw a flashlight, toilet paper, and a pair of rubber shoes resting on a thick stack of kraft paper.
Seeing all these things, Lin Lan’s heart felt heavy. She walked to the doorway. "Ma! Why did you spend money on things for again?"
Wu Shufen turned to glance at her. "It wasn’t expensive. I used the industrial coupons your brother sent. You don’t even have a thermos, which is so inconvenient when you and Little Douzi need hot water. And with a flashlight, if you hear a noise at night, you won’t be scared to get up and check."
"Ma!" Touched, Lin Lan stepped forward and hugged her arm. "It’s so good to have a mom!"
Wu Shufen lovingly stroked her daughter’s braid. "You’re being silly. You’re a grown woman now, but you’re even sweeter-tongued than when you were a child."
Little Douzi ran over and hugged both of their legs, looking up at them and revealing his tiny, rice-like teeth. "Mommy, Grandma, I’m a kid with a mom too."
Lin Lan patted his smiling face. "Mhm! Our Little Douzi is a kid with a mom too. Go play in the yard for a bit, then go to sleep with Grandma."
Wu Shufen looked at her grandson, then at her daughter, whose smiling eyes had narrowed into slits.
’Little Lan has finally matured a bit. It would be great if she stayed this sensible.’
"Grandma, let’s go play in the yard!" Little Douzi said, pulling Wu Shufen outside.
Lin Lan went back inside and found the switchblade at the bottom of the trunk, slipping it into her pants pocket. Then, she found so old clothes, cut a small rectangular piece of fabric from them, and sewed it onto the inner layer of her waistband.
Pants from that era didn’t have zippers; the buttonhole was on the right side. She sewed the cloth patch onto the front, creating a pouch that fit perfectly in that spot.
After she finished sewing the money pouch, the whistle to start work blared from the high-pitched loudspeaker. Lin Lan said goodbye to Wu Shufen, slung the back basket over her shoulders, and headed out. She crossed Shiqiao and walked toward Niu Bei Mountain on the other side.
She hadn’t gone far when Sun Xiuhua ca out of Zhang Yazhen’s house. When she saw Lin Lan walking briskly along the field ridge, her gaze turned venomous, suddenly becoming sinister and cruel.
Zhang Yazhen saw the look in Sun Xiuhua’s eyes and felt a little scared. "Sister Sun, I have to go to work. Co visit again later, okay?"
Sun Xiuhua turned her head and grinned, a smile uglier than a grimace. "I’ll co looking for you then."
Zhang Yazhen hesitated for a mont before nodding and heading toward the field where they were transplanting rice seedlings. ’In four or five days, the seedlings will be planted,’ she thought. ’The vegetables in the fields will be ready to sell, too. I can sneak so over to the Eucalyptus Forest to sell them.’
In the afternoon, after cutting the cow fodder, Lin Lan carried buckets of manure to fertilize the patch she had just cut. Only then did she head ho with a basket full of paper mulberry leaves and mugwort. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw it was covered with paper mulberry leaves drying in the sun.
Wu Shufen ca out and saw her panting. "Look at you, running back all sweaty," she said, her heart aching. "We’ve already trimd the broad beans."
Lin Lan smiled and set down her back basket. "I was worried I was coming back a little late. You’ve already trimd them all for !"
Wu Shufen nodded. "Your grand-aunt-in-law helped ."
The old lady laughed. "My eyes are getting blurry, so I’m slow. Your mother is the quick one."
"Grand-aunt, since your eyes have beco farsighted, you should buy a pair of reading glasses. It would make things much more convenient."
The old lady laughed. "I have a pair at ho. I only wear them when I’m doing needlework."
Lin Lan looked around. "Where did Little Douzi go?"
"Little Kai from ihua’s family took him out to play."
"Oh!" Lin Lan nodded and started to heat the wok to fry the orchid beans. After they were fried, she packed them into individual bags.
This ti, she made about ten more bags of orchid beans than the last. After packing them and grabbing her small change, Lin Lan prepared to leave.
Carrying the bags, Lin Lan carefully looked left and right again. Seeing no one, she hurried toward the Eucalyptus Forest.
When she reached the Eucalyptus Forest, she saw that Zhou Xiaohong had already arrived. The handso man who sold at was still squatting under the sa tree.
Zhou Xiaohong smiled and waved at her. Lin Lan walked over, and Zhou Xiaohong whispered, "Did you prepare a lot of beans? I heard the silk factory paid out bonuses today."
Lin Lan whispered back, "A few more bags than yesterday. I’m just starting out, so I don’t dare make too many."
Zhou Xiaohong nodded. "It’s always right to be careful."
As they were talking, soone ca up to buy white flour from Zhou Xiaohong. She took out a bag from her satchel. The person paid and left, looking like a regular custor.
More and more people started to arrive. Zhou Xiaohong did business while vigilantly keeping an eye on her surroundings.
Lin Lan was also carefully watching her surroundings. Just then, the well-dressed man from yesterday showed up. "Give two bags of orchid beans!"
Lin Lan happily took out the orchid beans and placed them in his vegetable basket. While making change, she asked with a grin, "I hope you were satisfied with the taste!"
The well-dressed man glanced at her. "It was alright." ’For two jiao a bag, the orchid beans tasted pretty good,’ he thought.
Lin Lan handed him the change. "Thank you!"
The well-dressed man nodded and walked away.
Perhaps because of the bonuses, there were quite a few custors. Lin Lan’s forty-plus bags of orchid beans sold out quickly. Seeing that Zhou Xiaohong was still milling about, she knew she had more to sell and decided to leave first.
When Lin Lan got ho, the old lady had already left. Seeing her return, Wu Shufen’s worried heart was finally put at ease.
"You sold out so quickly!"
Lin Lan nodded with a smile. "Mhm! There were a lot of custors today. Is Little Douzi back?"
Wu Shufen laughed. "He ca back right after you left, covered head to toe in mud like a little monkey."
Hearing Lin Lan’s voice, Little Douzi ran in from the backyard, looking at her with a big smile. "Mommy, I’m back."
Lin Lan saw he had bathed and changed into clean clothes. She smiled and patted his cheek. "Did you have fun, my sweet boy?"
Little Douzi nodded, then shook his head. "No, it wasn’t fun!" He looked up at Lin Lan. "Mommy, they said I’m the son of a drunkard and a gambling addict."
Lin Lan’s heart sank. She took a deep breath, picked him up, and kissed him with a smile. "They’re bad kids, and Daddy is a bad kid too. Our Little Douzi is Mommy’s precious baby. When you grow up, you’ll go to a military academy and beco a great policeman who catches bad guys."
Little Douzi wrapped his arms around her neck and said sullenly, "They also said Mommy is a lazy wife. Mommy has changed. You’re not a lazy wife anymore. I’ll throw rocks at them."
Heartbroken, Lin Lan nodded. "Mhm! Mommy has changed. I’m not a lazy wife."
With her eyes red-rimd, Wu Shufen watched the mother and son hugging. She turned her head to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Ti to eat. Grandma stead so egg custard for my good grandson."
User Comments
0 comments from readers