Liu Guozhi felt a sour knot in his stomach. "Your Jianming is already so accomplished. If my second brother’s son, Jinbao, were half as promising as your Jianming, that would be sothing!"
He didn’t believe Lin Lan had earned the money to buy it herself. He thought Li Xiangyang was just smitten with her and had paid for it. Otherwise, what young man would want to marry a widow with baggage?
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang went to the street where the police station was and turned left toward the photo studio. When they reached the entrance, Lin Lan saw a family portrait in the display window, along with photos of children in little military uniforms. It occurred to her that she hadn’t taken Little Douzi to get his picture taken since they had arrived.
Li Xiangyang locked up his bicycle. Seeing Lin Lan looking at the family portrait in the window, he smiled and said to her, "Next ti, let’s bring Little Douzi and my dad and take a family portrait."
Lin Lan nodded eagerly. "Okay. After the wedding banquet, we’ll bring them all."
The two entered the photo studio. A photographer with salt-and-pepper hair glanced at them and asked, "What kind of photos are you here to take?"
Li Xiangyang said, "We’d like to take wedding photos and also so headshots."
The old master nodded. "Color or black and white?"
"Color!" Li Xiangyang answered brightly.
"Alright!" The old master, smiling, led the two into the photography studio. He drew the curtain, had them sit down, and went to check behind the cara. He asked them to move a little closer, then told Li Xiangyang to relax and not be so serious.
After correcting their posture twice, the old master waited for a mont when they were not paying attention. CLICK. Then, he had Lin Lan sit by herself to take her headshot.
"The photos are taken. Do you want them rushed or regular? The rush order costs fifty percent more than the standard!" the old master said with a smile.
Li Xiangyang said quickly, "The rush order."
The old master nodded, wrote out a slip, and handed it to Li Xiangyang. "Co pick them up tomorrow morning!"
Li Xiangyang nodded, took the slip, and put it in his pocket. "Thank you for your trouble."
The two left the photo studio together, sweet smiles on their faces. Li Xiangyang quietly squeezed Lin Lan’s hand, and they exchanged a smile. He then rode his bike and took her back to Lexing.
Li Xiangyang checked the ti, then looked at Lin Lan and said softly, "Brother Yong is gone, so I need to go check on the clothing factory."
Lin Lan nodded. She watched him ride away until he was out of sight before heading into the courtyard.
Qiaohui said, "Cousin, I’ve finished peeling the broad beans. I’m going to make lunch now."
"Okay. Go cut so spinach to stir-fry, and pick so pea shoots for an egg drop soup."
"Okay!" Qiaohui grabbed a basket and a sickle and headed toward the vegetable patch.
Lin Lan had just washed her hands and was about to strain the bean paste when Yang ihua’s voice ca from outside. "Qiaohui, is your cousin here?"
"I’m here," Lin Lan called out, walking to the kitchen doorway. She smiled at Yang ihua. "It’s cold outside. Co sit in the kitchen."
Yang ihua nodded and followed Lin Lan into the kitchen to sit down. She looked at her with a wide grin. "I heard from Xiang Hua that you and Xiangyang went to the brigade to get your certificate. When are you holding the banquet?"
"The eighth day of the fourth lunar month next year," Lin Lan said, shooting her a playful glare. "Is that the only reason you ca?"
"Lin Lan," Yang ihua began, hesitating for a mont. "I wanted to ask you... if I could buy so of your pastries wholesale to sell?"
Lin Lan thought for a mont after hearing this. "Sister ihua, I’d be more than happy for you to sell my pastries wholesale. But with the black market gone, more and more people will be selling food at the vegetable market. A pastry stall isn’t a long-term solution. I think you’d be better off getting a small cart and selling fried potatoes outside the vehicle factory and the silk factory."
There used to be an alley next to her old shop where a woman sold fried potatoes all year round. She just had a coal stove, a pot of oil, a small square table, a few little stools, and a bundle of bamboo skewers. The costs were low, but she earned quite a bit of money.
She was willing to give Yang ihua this idea partly because of Yang ihua herself, and partly because her husband, He Xianghua, was a brigade cadre. In the countryside, a brigade cadre’s influence was significant when it ca to things like building a house or getting other matters handled.
"How do you fry the potatoes?" Yang ihua asked, looking at her. "And the things we make... will people in the city actually like them?"
"It’s all about the seasoning. As long as you’re not stingy with the spices, people are sure to like it."
Yang ihua looked at her and smiled. "You’re the best cook. You have to teach !"
Lin Lan got up and fetched the barbecue seasoning powder left over from last night. She handed it to her. "Here, sll this. Isn’t it fragrant?"
Yang ihua took it and sniffed, nodding repeatedly. "It is! When Little Kai and Little Yun ca ho last night, they said the grilled at at your place was delicious."
"Fry the potatoes in rapeseed oil, and once they’re done, scoop so of this barbecue powder over them. Sell them by the potato," Lin Lan explained, handing her the powder. "Take this ho and try it out. Discuss it with your husband, and if you think it’s a good idea, I’ll teach you how to mix the seasoning powder."
Yang ihua looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Lin Lan."
Lin Lan smiled. "Wait until you’ve decided to sell fried potatoes and are making a profit. Then you can co thank ."
Yang ihua smiled and nodded. "Okay, we’ll save the thanks for later. I should get going now. Little Kai and Little Douzi will be ho from school soon."
"Okay," Lin Lan said, walking her to the door. She then turned and went back to her work.
「The next day」
Just after eight o’clock, a beaming Li Xiangyang arrived at Lin Lan’s house carrying a bag of candy. He gave a handful to Qiaohui, then placed so on the table. "This is for Little Douzi."
Lin Lan looked at him with a smile. "You even bought candy? Whose idea was that?"
Li Xiangyang grinned. "Xiuyun’s idea. She even extorted a bag of candy from for the advice. Let’s go, wifey. The photo studio should be open by now."
Lin Lan glanced at a snickering Qiaohui and secretly gave him a light pinch. "Shaless."
Li Xiangyang said with a completely straight face, "My old man always said you have to be thick-skinned to find a wife."
Lin Lan just stared at him...
When they got to the photo studio, their pictures from yesterday were ready. Li Xiangyang gazed at the photo of Lin Lan with her sweet smile. When he thought no one was looking, he quickly brought it to his lips for a kiss. "I’m going to fra this and hang it by the bed as soon as we get back."
...Lin Lan felt it was too embarrassing to watch. She turned and started walking toward the police station.
Li Xiangyang quickly put the wedding photos back in their sleeve, tucked them into his bag, and hurried after her.
When Lin Lan reached Yao Xiuyun’s office, she took out the certificate from the brigade and the photos and handed them to her with a smile. "Thanks!"
Yao Xiuyun took them, then held out her hands with a grin. "Where’s the wedding candy?"
Lin Lan laughed and jerked her head back. "The candy is right behind ."
Li Xiangyang followed her in, grabbed a handful of candy from his bag, and put it in her hands. "A double portion of wedding candy. Rember to give us a double-sized red envelope in return."
"Of course! Double portion," Yao Xiuyun laughed.
The couple left the police station and went to the Civil Affairs Bureau, where they found quite a few people waiting to get their marriage certificates.
When it was Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang’s turn, she was surprised to discover that in this day and age, getting a marriage certificate still involved the routine question of whether the union was voluntary.
They looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
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