Chapter 25: Mooching

 

Hearing that resounding, full-bodied voice—a voice branded deep into her soul—Lin Lan instantly recognized the newcomer's identity.

It was Lin Mei!

Who was Lin Mei?

Lin Mei was her sanjie, her older twin sister.

According to Lin Lan's estimation, they had to be fraternal twins, because her sanjie looked rather ordinary and wasn't nearly as pretty as she was!

However, her sanjie was even more fierce and capable of stirring up trouble than she was. The only difference was that Lin Mei wreaked havoc on others, while the original owner had wreaked havoc on herself.

In the original owner's memories, her sanjie was a nemesis she had bickered with since childhood. She was competitive, eager to outshine everyone, and seemed specifically dedicated to making her life difficult.

After Lin Lan pieced all the information together, she realized that her sanjie was actually incredibly capable.

For example, in this era, while the original owner was only scheming about how to wring money out of her popo, her sanjie had long been secretly engaging in speculative trading. She had amassed quite a bit of private savings, traveling not only to the countryside but also into the city, and eventually roaming far and wide across the country.

She was a dyed-in-the-wool strong businesswoman.

Of course, no one is perfect. Her flaw was that she was excessively indulgent toward her man, to the point where he constantly lived off her and dragged her down, a tireless burden.

During the many years of competitive struggle between the original owner and her sanjie, her best weapons were her own man and her looks!

Every time they returned to their niangjia, if the goods the original owner brought back overshadowed her sanjie's, she would act incredibly smug. She would wear an expression that clearly said: I'm prettier than you, my man is more capable than yours, so naturally it should be this way.

If she lost and failed to outdo her, she would let out a cold scoff: I'm prettier than you, and my man is more capable than yours. What do these meager things even count for?

Back in the day, whenever the original owner acquired anything of value, she would send it straight back to her niangjia. Mosquito nets, fabric, money, quilts—anything decent that could help her keep up appearances, she would haul back to her biological niang. She did it purely to compete with her sanjie over who gave their niang more, and who gained more face. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so severely lacking in cotton now.

Therefore, it truly was a tangled, unresolvable mess of an account.

Being shouted at by her sanjie like this, a spark of inspiration flashed through Lin Lan's mind, and she suddenly had an idea.

She immediately placed the fabric back onto the cart and said to Liu-dajie, "Don't be afraid, she's one of us."

Yet she watched as Liu-dajie already walked out to meet Lin Mei, grabbing Lin Mei's hand in sheer excitement. "Dameizi, it's incredible! Both bolts of fabric are sold, and it was her! That dameizi bought them!"

Lin Lan: ... So you guys are in cahoots.

Oh my goodness, how did she suddenly feel that this old lady and Lin Mei really seemed like sisters, making quite the pair!

Lin Mei also let out a cold scoff. "What, struck it rich? Rolling in money now? Shanzui Village isn't big enough for you to show off in, so you had to come strutting around the grand market. Are you itching for the whole world to know you got your hands on one hundred yuan?"

"What's wrong, are you jealous?" Lin Lan smiled radiantly. "Sanjie, I've split from the family. Aren't you going to come over and 'warm my kang'?"

"Warming the kang" was the local custom for celebrating a housewarming, where guests would bring gifts and cash to congratulate the hosts.

Lin Mei curled her lip in disdain. "Warm what kang? Aren't you busy buying things to haul back to our niangjia to show off? How much of that one hundred did you spend? Are you planning to send the rest back to the laotaitai to claim credit?"

"Sanjie, rest assured, I won't cheat. You don't have that much money anyway, so it would be an unfair victory for me," Lin Lan said with a cheeky grin.

Lin Mei spat out a "Pah!" and tried to scare her. "Cut the grinning. With you buying things left and right with such fanfare, I bet the laotaitai will bring her sons and daughters-in-law to hunt you down tonight."

Lin Lan's heart gave a jolt. Oh crap, she hadn't even gone back to mooch off them yet, why would they be coming to her door?

"Sanjie, you don't know this, but our place is in absolute tatters. There's no place to stand, no place to sit, and a whole pile of people are crammed onto a kang the size of a hand."

Lin Mei shot her a glance. "If you have money, go build a big brick-and-tile house then. Aren't you great at showing off?"

"Do brick-and-tile houses just blow in on the wind? You still need bricks and timber, and for that, you need ration slips. Are you going to give them to me?" Lin Lan tried her best to mimic the original owner's tone.

"You don't have money for bricks and tiles, but you have money for all this stuff? You aren't getting married or anything, so why are you buying so much fabric to show off?"

"I'm using it for bedsheets, and I'll nail the leftovers to the walls as wainscoting."

Lin Mei rolled her eyes dramatically, utterly convinced that her simei was planning to lug these things back to their niangjia to show off.

In a few days, it would be the laotaitai's birthday. Naturally, all the married daughters had to return to celebrate, and bringing gifts was mandatory.

Given the current living standards, they usually just brought a couple of steamed buns and some vegetables. The absolute best-case scenario was bringing a strip of meat or a pair of shoes; beyond that, there was basically nothing else.

But looking at it now, it seemed her simei was aiming to win massive face.

In order to appease her and prevent the niangjia relatives from showing up at her door, Lin Lan loudly declared, "Sanjie ah, since it's on your way home, tell niang that I'll definitely be there for her birthday in a few days. I'm guaranteed to give her an unforgettable birthday celebration."

Lin Mei, firmly believing she was going to spend heavily just to pathetically show off her new wealth, felt her expression change with anger and let out a cold snort.

Seeing her sanjie's expression, Lin Lan immediately said, "Sanjie, lend me ten yuan."

Lin Mei was so frightened that she instantly took two steps back, staring at her defensively as if she had just seen a ghost.

Had this simei lost her mind? In the past, she would rather starve to death than open her mouth to borrow a single fen from her. How come today, after just parading around buying things with a hundred yuan, she was suddenly asking to borrow ten?

There was definitely something wrong with her brain.

Given her simei's past track record, it never crossed her mind that Lin Lan was intentionally asking for money just to scare her away.

Then it dawned on her that her simei had just gotten a hundred yuan. If she was already asking to borrow money, could she have squandered it all away showing off? "You wasteful old woman, a hundred yuan is enough to last a lifetime, and you spent it all in one go?"

Lin Lan shrugged. "Since you managed to track me down, didn't you hear people saying I bought out the entire market? And there's still so much I haven't bought yet. I couldn't get any cotton, and I couldn't buy any non-staple foods either..."

"Stop, stop right there, just drop it." Lin Mei didn't explicitly say she didn't have ten yuan, but merely retorted, "If you've spent all of your hundred yuan, what good is my ten going to do? It's been spent long ago."

Lin Lan stopped messing around with her. "Sanjie, do you want to come sit at my house for a bit?"

Even though they had fought since they were young, she was still her biological sister, so Lin Lan genuinely wanted to get a little closer to her.

Besides, other than throwing sarcastic remarks and constantly competing and bickering with her, Lin Mei had never actually taken advantage of her.

Oh, wait, it was the original owner who bickered and competed with Lin Mei.

Lin Mei clicked her tongue. "Spare me. I have things to do at home."

She turned her head to ask Liu-dajie how much she had sold to Lin Lan for, and Liu-dajie gestured the amount.

Lin Mei glared at Lin Lan. "Quite the big spender now, aren't you." Then she turned to Liu-dajie and said, "She's one of our own. Give her a discount."

She then had Liu-dajie refund one yuan to Lin Lan.

Liu-dajie looked deeply pained. She had finally encountered a generous buyer! However, she always listened to Lin Mei, as Lin Mei was their ringleader.

Lin Lan, however, said, "No need to refund me. Just keep an eye out for cotton for me. I didn't manage to buy any, and the padded clothes and quilts at home are all falling apart."

"Alright, I'll give you word on the day of niang's birthday." As she spoke, she glared at Lin Lan again, projecting a distinct 'you better behave yourself' attitude.

If you want me to get you cotton, and you still plan on trying to overshadow your sister's face, then you can forget about the cotton!

Lin Lan understood instantly. "Sanjie, look, we just split from the family and truly have absolutely nothing at home. Even our grain is stretched tight, so I might really have to rethink the birthday gift for niang."

"Yet you were just bragging about giving her a grand celebration. Just poor and showing off," Lin Mei sneered.

"I'll give niang a surprise," Lin Lan smiled. "Sanjie, please keep an eye out for me. If there's cotton, I'll take it all. I'll pay the market price and won't take advantage of you."

Saying that, she indicated she still needed to check out the butchery and wouldn't stay to chat.

Lin Mei's eyes glared as sharply as tiny daggers. Feeling like she might be seen through, Lin Lan decided it was best to just part ways after this brief encounter. There would be plenty of time in the future.

Lin Mei, however, seemed unwilling to let her off the hook so easily. Determined to tag along and see what she was up to, she hoisted one bolt of fabric onto her shoulder and told Lin Lan to carry the other.

"Sanjie, it's so heavy. Let's just have them deliver it."

"Just a minute ago you were ready to fly with two bolts on your shoulder. How come you suddenly can't manage one?"

Resigned to her fate, Lin Lan hoisted the fabric and walked toward the supply and marketing cooperative with Lin Mei. "Sanjie, don't you think carrying black-market fabric right into the supply cooperative is basically throwing ourselves into the net?"

"I know better than you. This is handwoven cloth I made myself to give to my meimei. Who's going to care?"

"Oh my, sanjie, then you should refund all my money to me."

"Get lost." Lin Mei rolled her eyes at her.

Upon arriving at the supply cooperative, they gathered all of her purchased goods together and sat in the cool shade of the trees outside, waiting for Han Qingsong to arrive.

Lin Mei eyed the scattering of household goods covering the ground, incessantly curling her lip and rolling her eyes. The moment she got a little money, she just had to show off. Was this any way to spend it?

"Sanjie, sit down and rest a bit."

"I'm not tired."

"Watching you pace back and forth with your mouth twisted all the way to your ears makes me tired for you."

Lin Mei gave a hard eye roll and sat down to the side, pointing at the items. "What the heck is this? A fire poker?"

"A flute, sanjie, a flute!"

Lin Mei let out a harsh sneer. "Can you eat it? Or burn it for firewood?"

"It's spiritual nourishment." Lin Lan snatched the flute away, terrified her sanjie might just toss it.

Dropping the subject of the broken flute, Lin Mei pointed at the massive pile. "Do you really need to buy so many bowls? Are you preparing sets for your gonggong, popo, xiaoshuzi, and xiaogu?"

"There are seven people in our family. One bowl per person, and we still need..."

"Need my foot!" Lin Mei mocked. "You really have a screw loose. Do you all need a separate bowl just to drink water?"

"What about drinking porridge?"

"For porridge, you and Xiaowang can share one, Erwang and Sanwang can share one..."

"Let's just drop it." Lin Lan felt this was a clash of living habits and had no desire to argue.

It was just like how some people felt it was perfectly fine for an entire family to share a single basin for washing their faces, feet, behinds, and even kneading dough and washing vegetables, viewing anyone who used separate basins for faces and feet as being pretentiously squeamish.

Her sanjie was even more extreme, haggling over bowls. "A single bowl is only five fen. Why should two people have to share one? Besides, these are coarse porcelain. If they break..."

"You really are a big spender. Who would dare break a perfectly good bowl? Go back and drill it into those kids: whoever breaks a bowl gets a severe beating and no dinner!"

Lin Lan: !!! So it turns out you are a tyrant, sanjie!

When words fall on deaf ears, it's best to stop talking. She was no longer the competitive, bickering simei of the past, but her sanjie was still the argumentative contrarian sanjie. Unable to afford offending her, she tactically retreated.

Seeing Lin Lan fall silent, Lin Mei also felt it was getting boring. She couldn't shake the feeling that her simei was different now. In the past, she would go off like a lit firecracker the moment they met, rattling off non-stop before Lin Mei even had a chance to speak. Now, while she herself babbled on, her sister had turned completely mute.

"Alright, you wait here by yourself. I'll head back and look into that cotton for you." Lin Mei left the moment the words left her mouth, but after taking two steps, she turned back. "With you buying all this stuff, won't your popo just send someone to haul it all over to her house?"

Lin Lan paused for a second before laughing. "Thank you for the reminder, sanjie. It's fine, she won't dare. She already gave me the money, so what's the point of confiscating a few of my bowls? Besides, she's terrified I'll throw a massive tantrum."

Lin Mei turned and left, kicking up a tiny whirlwind in her wake.

Lin Lan: ...

Before noon, she saw Han Qingsong approaching, pulling a flatbed cart. Dressed in his military uniform, his tall stature and steady strides made him incredibly conspicuous among the drab, gray-clad commune members, drawing many heads to turn and stare.

"Over here!" Lin Lan stood up and waved at him.

Han Qingsong had actually spotted her at first glance.

The area in front of the supply cooperative was a modest square flanked by several large locust and parasol trees on either side. Lin Lan was sitting on a rock beneath a tree with a literal mountain of goods piled in front of her. It would have been difficult not to see her.

He quickly pulled the flatbed cart and strode over with large steps.

Lin Lan stood up to help load the goods.

Han Qingsong: "Put it down, I'll do it."

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her to wipe her sweat and fan herself, while he took charge of packing everything up. His movements were swift and agile, and he had everything neatly loaded in no time.

Upon seeing the flute, he also paused for a second, but without saying a word, he silently loaded it onto the cart.

Once the cart was loaded, he took the handles and cast a glance at Lin Lan.

Assuming he was asking her to help push the cart, Lin Lan immediately hurried to the back to assist.

Han Qingsong: "... Get on."

"Haha, I'm not tired, we can just walk."

Han Qingsong didn't budge.

Lin Lan: "... Then, I'll get on."

Han Qingsong nodded.

Lin Lan gleefully climbed aboard. Anyone who played the hero and chose to walk that far just to tire themselves out was a fool.

Even though she wasn't wearing high heels, these tattered straw sandals... she absolutely had to make a few pairs of cloth shoes when she got home.

It was just that she didn't have the patience to stitch shoe soles. She would have to see if she could just buy a couple of pre-made soles. Money makes the world go round; what couldn't she buy? It was settled.

Feeling joyous, she cheerfully hummed a little tune. In her moment of triumph, she didn't care whether it was a song played on the village loudspeakers of this era; whatever came to mind, she sang it.

In the front, Han Qingsong made no sound, just pulling the cart in silence.

"In a couple of days, it's the children's laoniang's birthday, so I'll need to head back for a visit," Lin Lan remembered, proceeding to recount her encounter with Lin Mei to Han Qingsong.

Han Qingsong gave an "En" of acknowledgment. "Shall I accompany you?"

"No need, don't miss work for it. I'll just take Xiaowang with me." In this era, apart from winter when there was no field work and people could visit relatives, they generally didn't travel at all; they had to earn work points.

The other children were also earning work points, so they couldn't miss work either. Furthermore, they didn't want to go anyway, because the original owner had adored her brothers' nephews and treated them better than her own children, causing them to harbor jealousy.

Han Qingsong didn't press the matter further.

Lin Lan then narrated her entire shopping process, particularly the incident at the supply cooperative. Terrified that Han Qingsong might find her shrewish behavior humiliating, she sneakily observed him. Upon seeing his expressionless face, she relaxed.

She was giving him a preemptive vaccination, saving him from hearing idle gossip from others and forming a negative opinion of her later.

After all, several villagers had gone to the market together.

She then brought up the purchase of the two bolts of fabric. "The handwoven stuff was cheap, so I bought it all. It's a bit much... but it was seriously so cheap!"

She was also afraid Han Qingsong would think she was squandering money and take issue with it.

But Han Qingsong simply said, "That's good."

So this meant he didn't object?

However, hoping for him to utter a few more words seemed impossible. It looked like she could forget about experiencing that resonant thrill of bragging about buying highly sought-after goods for a bargain price with him.

Han Qingsong took large, steady strides, requiring no stops along the way, so they arrived home very quickly.

The moment they entered the village, they bumped into the folks returning from finishing their work. They saw Han Qingsong actually pulling a flatbed cart, and sitting squarely on the cart was his wife.

Everyone let out good-natured laughter, with the younger men winking and making faces. "Look at Qingsong, he really knows how to dote on his wife."

"Exactly! Look at them, five children and they still act like newlyweds."

"Learn a thing or two from him."

Lin Lan, on the other hand, felt embarrassed. Fearing that Han Qingsong was too shy to say anything, the moment they reached the house—before the cart even fully stopped—she hastily hopped off. "In the future, I'd better just walk."

"It's fine," Han Qingsong said, setting the cart down.

Hearing the commotion, Erwang, Maisui, and Xiaowang happily bolted out of the house. "Niang is back! Niang is back!"

Lin Lan had already packed the small trinkets into her cloth bag. She fished out some hard candies and handed one to each of them.

She hadn't bought the candies; they were what Han Qingsong had brought back, and she had kept them safely stored.

The moment she stepped through the wattle fence gate, she saw the yard completely filled with vats and basins of all sizes. She instantly realized just how aggressively she had shopped.

She asked in a hushed tone, "Did mama come by?"

Xiaowang replied, "Our mama got sick."

"Sick?"

"Liver pain." Xiaowang clutched his chest, mimicking the laotaitai's dramatics as he spasmed, "Liver... hurts!"

Lin Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth.

Erwang and Maisui took turns chiming in, narrating the event with sheer exhilaration.

It turned out the coarse pottery boss saw his goods were sold out and didn't bother waiting, packing up early to deliver Lin Lan's purchases straight to her house.

At first, the villagers assumed he had come to the village to sell pottery and wanted to buy some. When he announced that it had all been purchased by Lin Lan's household, the commune members were absolutely dumbfounded.

It was so much!

Hearing the news, Han-laotaitai ran over in immense excitement, trying to pick and choose from Lin Lan's purchases to take back to her own house.

Naturally, the pottery boss refused. Lin Lan had repeatedly instructed him that everything must be placed strictly in her own yard; if he messed up, she would hold him accountable.

Refused by the pottery boss, Han-laotaitai went searching for Han Qingsong.

Han Qingsong returned upon hearing the news. Although he couldn't discern the different functions between the large and small vats, nor understand the use of buying so many earthen basins and jars, his instincts told him that if Lin Lan had gone out so enthusiastically and bought them all with such excitement, they were definitely useful.

If he dared to give them away, he feared he would be sleeping on the stinky boys' kang for the rest of his life.

Therefore, he didn't budge, stating only that since Lin Lan bought them, they had to wait for her return to be dealt with.

How could Han-laotaitai possibly stomach that!

Right then and there, she clutched her chest, claiming her liver ached from pure anger. She cried that her vat was cracked, her basin was broken, and her soup jar was ruined—her son bought new ones, so what was wrong with her swapping them out?

And he actually refused to part with them!

They had just separated the household and he was already acting like this—could she still rely on him for elderly care?

She hurled a barrage of curses, and Han Qingsong just let her yell.

It was Sanwang who couldn't hold back. He yelled at Han-laotaitai, "Mama, you have so much money, why don't you buy a good vat yourself? Why must you wait until my niang buys them to come demanding one? Are you just trying to get that one hundred yuan back?"

Unable to maintain any face after that, the laotaitai chased after Sanwang to beat him.

Sanwang zipped away, diving into the river like a slippery loach, completely disappearing from sight.

Xiaowang immediately bawled, "Mama threw gege into the river!"

The laotaitai was so enraged that her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs all ached. Clutching her chest, she stormed home to sulk.

After listening to the three little ones' tale, Lin Lan struggled fiercely to hold back her laughter. Finally, under the pretext of organizing the vats, she leaned into one and let out a few muffled giggles. The buzzing echoes inside the vat made the children think it was a fun game, and they all ran over to hum into the vats too.

Lin Lan took an inventory and said to Han Qingsong, "Since the laotaitai wanted a vat, why don't we give her this one?"

She pointed at a corrugated earthen vat. She needed all the glazed ones; they were essential for keeping the stored grain and flour from getting damp.

Han Qingsong replied, "No need."

Lin Lan couldn't tell if he was speaking out of anger or something else. However, she was genuinely surprised that Han Qingsong hadn't given one away when the laotaitai came demanding it. She had intentionally bought an extra one just in case the laotaitai threw a tantrum, leaving Han Qingsong caught in the middle, so she could just hand one over.

Since he said there was no need, she dropped it. She certainly had no intention of catering to bad habits anyway.

In the evening, when everyone returned from work, Lin Lan directed Erwang and Maisui to cook, while commanding Han Qingsong, Dawang, and Sanwang to arrange the household items.

The large vats for grain needed to be placed indoors. For the water vats, one would go inside and a smaller one outside. The pickled vegetable jars would be split, one inside and one outside—with lids on, they didn't have to fear the rain.

With everything arranged like this, the house was packed to the brim, leaving only a narrow pathway to walk through.

When Han Qingsong was moving the vats inside, the mouth of the large vat was wide while the door was narrow, almost preventing it from entering. Fortunately, he was exceptionally strong, and the wooden doorframe possessed some elasticity, allowing him to forcibly squeeze it in.

However, taking it out in the future would likely be a hassle, possibly requiring them to dismantle the doorframe entirely.

Lin Lan figured she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Pots, bowls, ladles, basins, and various cooking utensils were all arranged neatly. The already cramped house felt even narrower, yet it also pulsed with the warm, lived-in aura of a real home.

Han Qingsong remarked, "We'll make do for now. In a while, we'll build a small room on the side."

Lin Lan enthusiastically agreed!

Over the next few days, taking advantage of the hot weather, Lin Lan squeezed out time to tear open all the family's quilts and padded clothes for a thorough wash.

Fortunately, Erwang and Maisui pitched in to help, allowing her—someone who wasn't skilled at needlework—to complete the task smoothly.

It was just that she encountered a bit of trouble while washing the clothes.

In this era, there was no laundry detergent, only blocks of soap, which also had to be purchased with ration tickets.

Lin Lan hadn't managed to buy any this time. The single bar they had at home was the one Han Qingsong had brought back.

Nowadays, commune members were reluctant to use soap for washing clothes, and very few households in the village actually bought it. They mostly used lye, and some were even reluctant to use that, opting instead to soak the clothes in plant ash and pound them on rocks with wooden mallets. That was usually enough to wash out most of the dirt.

Lin Lan, however, was terrified of pounding the fabric to shreds. Those clothes had been worn for years and were incredibly thin; applying too much force was simply unfeasible. If she pounded them repeatedly, they would definitely tear even faster.

Enduring the heartache, she decided to use that bar of soap first, figuring she would find a way to buy a few more later.

It was fine not to use it for daily laundry, but these quilts had been used for a whole year. Not washing them properly was absolutely out of the question.

People had very few clothes in this era. Those in better conditions had both unlined garments and padded winter clothes. Those in poorer conditions simply stuffed cotton into their unlined clothes when it got cold to make winter jackets, and when it got hot, they removed the cotton to wear them as unlined garments again.

Because of this, the inside of the padded jackets were bare, without any light autumn or spring clothing worn underneath to act as a barrier against dirt. Coupled with the fact that people didn't bathe in the winter, it was truly... the same went for the quilts, lacking any sheets or covers, making it impossible for them to stay clean.

Thinking it over, she realized she still didn't have enough cotton fabric. She needed to make quilt covers and bedsheets; that way, she wouldn't have to tear the quilts open to wash them every single year.

Furthermore, she needed to make more clothes for the children so they could wear layers under their padded winter coats.

She also had to figure out a way for the children to bathe in the winter; going four or five months without a bath was unacceptable.

Once everything was washed, sun-dried, and folded away, she just had to wait for the cotton to arrive to begin sewing.

In the blink of an eye, the eve of her mooching expedition—Old Lin-laotaitai's birthday—had arrived.

Lin Lan made the necessary household arrangements once again, and the next day, she took Xiaowang with her to Linjiatun.

Han Qingsong watched her sling a tattered cloth bag over her shoulder. Inside was a piece of flatbread made from mixed flours, a few hard candies, and absolutely nothing else. A moment later, she looped a newly bought wicker basket over her arm. He wondered if she planned to give the basket to the laotaitai as a birthday gift, thinking it seemed rather inappropriate.

Lin Lan tossed a few cucumbers and tomatoes in as well.

Once everything was packed, Lin Lan said to Han Qingsong, "If I'm not back by noon, Maisui and Erwang can just heat up the food. You guys make do for lunch."

Han Qingsong nodded. "Alright, you go on ahead."

He figured she was probably carrying money, thinking giving the laotaitai cash would be a good gesture too.

Linjiatun wasn't very far from Shanzui Village, less than ten li away, which amounted to just over half an hour of walking.

However, bringing a child along slowed them down considerably.

At first, Lin Lan held his hand as they walked, telling him stories along the way. After ten minutes, his pace began to drag.

Lin Lan found a spot beneath a tree and had Xiaowang sit on the basket. She took out a washed cucumber, snapped it in half, and handed him the most tender top portion. "Xiaowang, eat the cucumber."

Xiaowang hesitated for a moment. "Niang, aren't we giving this to laoniang?"

Lin Lan laughed. "No, we brought this for the road."

"What about Xiaoxin-gege?"

"Not for him either, only for niang's Xiaowang." Lin Lan gently stroked the top of his head. Xiaowang lacked a sense of security and always liked to repeatedly confirm things with her.

She knew he needed her resolute answers to reassure him that she loved him.

Sure enough, Xiaowang wore a sweet smile and began crispily munching on the cucumber.

Lin Lan also ate a piece.

After resting for a few minutes, Lin Lan carried him on her back and continued on their way. They walked a bit, rested a bit, and eventually, Xiaowang requested to walk on his own.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Linjiatun, the tomatoes, cucumbers, and flatbread were entirely consumed.

"Xiaowang ah, if we don't eat lunch, will you be hungry?"

Xiaowang patted his belly. "Niang, I wouldn't be hungry even if I didn't eat for a whole day."

"Good son." Lin Lan rubbed the soft crown of his head and led him toward her niangjia.

Linjiatun wasn't particularly large. It was somewhat smaller than Shanzui Village, consisting of less than two hundred households.

Linjiatun was situated by a river, boasting abundant water and plenty of stones. Industrious families would gather stones to build walls and lay foundations, topping them off with yellow mud walls. Although they also had wheat-straw roofs, the village looked much neater and more uniform than Shanzui Village.

While Shanzui Village was said to be nestled against the mountains, they weren't the lush mountains of the Northeast or Jiangnan, but barren, stunted hills where nothing grew, rendering them useless for farming or logging.

Lin-laotou's family lived in the southern part of the village, right along the river, so they arrived very quickly.

Lin Lan had one dage, three older sisters, and one xiaodi; they were quite a large family.

The old Lin household's gate did not face south but rather east, opening directly onto the main road.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and the loud, booming voices of women conversing drifted from within.

Lin Lan was just about to lead Xiaowang inside when someone dashed out from behind a haystack, grabbing her arm and dragging her down another alleyway.

"Hey..." Lin Lan was just about to shout.

The person hissed in a low voice, "Stop howling, it's me."

"Sanjie, why are you acting so suspiciously like a thief?"

"I was waiting for you, wasn't I." Lin Mei pulled her into a different alleyway, ducking behind a haystack to talk.

She glanced at Xiaowang. "This is... Xiaowang?"

Lin Lan patted Xiaowang's head. "Call her sanyi."

The original owner had always loathed Xiaowang and had never taken him outside, so everyone knew his name but had never met him in person.

Xiaowang called out obediently.

Lin Mei patted her pockets frantically. "Aiya, you didn't tell me you were bringing a child, I didn't bring any candy."

Lin Lan knew this was just her personality. If she hadn't prepared or didn't have something, she still couldn't admit it for fear of losing face.

She laughed, "We're family, there's no need to prepare anything." She fished out a piece of candy and shoved it into Lin Mei's hand. "Here, for you."

Lin Mei: ...

She turned around and shoved the candy into Xiaowang's hands. "Eat up."

Xiaowang smiled and thanked her, then tucked it into his pocket.

Lin Mei: ... Oh Mother, have I seen a ghost? Wasn't he supposed to be a little idiot? How is he so polite? So refined, just like a cadre's child.

Lin Lan glanced at Lin Mei's basket. "What did you bring to celebrate the birthday?"

Lin Mei, however, insisted on seeing Lin Lan's first.

Lin Lan showed her.

Lin Mei's eyes widened. "Laosi, have you lost your mind? You're not bringing a single thing for niang's birthday?"

Lin Lan shrugged. "I only have vats and bowls at home. I couldn't possibly carry a vat all the way here, could I?"

She didn't even have enough fabric for herself. "Oh, it's not like I came empty-handed. I brought this basket, didn't I? It's newly bought."

Lin Mei let out a loud "Hah!" before hastily covering her mouth. Poking Lin Lan with a finger, she whispered with a laugh, "You came here specifically to piss people off, didn't you? Die knows how to weave baskets, and there are vitex branches all over the riverbanks. As if we need you to gift one?"

Lin Lan pouted. "If die knows how to weave baskets, how come I didn't even have a single basket to use at my house?"

Lin Mei snorted, "That's entirely on you for being falsely generous and stinking of vanity, who else is to blame? Dajie and erjie's families both have baskets to use." She herself had a popo who knew how to weave, so she had no need for them.

Lin Lan tried to peek at what Lin Mei had brought, but Lin Mei clamped her hands over the cloth bundle covering her basket. "I didn't bring anything."

If Laosi didn't bring anything, why should she?

Lin Lan laughed. "What did you bring? How about you split half of it with me?"

Lin Mei gave her a massive eye roll and flipped open the cloth wrapper, revealing four steamed white-flour buns, a few eggplants, and a handful of long yardlong beans.

Lin Lan gasped in exaggerated shock, "Sanjie, you're truly so generous! Since you've already brought them all this way, take out the buns and let's eat one."

She had white flour at home now too, but she couldn't bear to eat it herself; it wasn't even enough for the children, so she hadn't brought any.

Lin Mei swatted her hand away. She took out the four white-flour buns, wrapped them up in the cloth, scurried to the side, and found an intact, untouched haystack to hide the buns in.

Lin Lan: ...

You can actually do that?

Once they were hidden, Lin Mei snorted. "Keep your mouth firmly shut if you still want that cotton. I'm already collecting it; I'll deliver it to you at the next market."

Right now, Lin Lan only had an empty basket, whereas she had a basket filled with vegetables. She still won more face than Laosi!

"Alright then, shall we go in together?"

Lin Mei also grabbed Xiaowang's hand. "Let's go!"

The moment the three of them stepped into the courtyard, the yard—which had been as rowdy and chaotic as a wet market—instantly fell as silent as a grave.

Everyone's eyes bored into them. They didn't recognize Xiaowang, and they acted as if they didn't recognize Lin Lan and Lin Mei either.

The fact that the two of them could walk in holding hands together was absolutely as unnatural as snow in summer and thunder in winter.

"Sangu, sigu, you're finally here!" Several children ran over, especially Xiaoxin from the second branch, who was the original owner's most doted-upon nephew.

The child charged over, aggressively shoving Xiaowang in an attempt to push him aside. "Who are you, move out of the way!"

Xiaowang was so frightened his little face instantly turned pale, clinging desperately to Lin Lan's thigh.

Lin Lan popped a piece of candy into Xiaowang's mouth and said to Xiaoxin, "You are a gege, don't frighten my Xiaowang."

"Candy, candy, I want to eat it!" Xiaoxin reached out, attempting to pry the candy right out of Xiaowang's mouth.

Smack. Lin Lan slapped Xiaoxin's hand away. "What do you think you're doing?"

Seeing his most doting sigu actually slap him, Xiaoxin instantly threw a fit, throwing himself onto the ground and rolling around in a tantrum.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lin-laotaitai rushed out of the house.

Lin-dajie and Lin-erjie also came over, while Xiaoxin's niang, the Lin family's second daughter-in-law Tang Hehua, sprinted towards them.

Tang Hehua scooped up her child. "His sigu, what's the meaning of this? Throwing your weight around the moment you step foot into your niangjia? I heard you split from the family. So, how many treasures did you haul back for niang?"

Lin Mei cut in, "Lao'er's wife, watch your mouth. The moment something doesn't go Xiaoxin's way, he rolls around on the floor. It's high time you disciplined him."

Lin-laotaitai looked down at Xiaowang. "Hurry inside. Are you thirsty? Have a drink of water."

As she spoke, her gaze immediately drifted toward her two daughters' baskets.

Her two daughters loved to fight and compete with each other, always finding ways to bring her something every time they visited.

As a result, when she looked this time, she was absolutely stunned.

What on earth was the point of bringing a few eggplants in the dead of summer?

The ones they grew at home were more than they could finish eating.

And her fourth daughter's... was empty?

Coming to her niangjia empty-handed?

She was here to freeload off them!

Seeing the laotaitai's expression turn sour, Lin Lan shoved the basket directly into her niang's arms. "Niang, we just split from the family and were only allocated a few catties of grain rations. We don't even know where our next meal is coming from, I'm starving to death. We also got a few yuan, so I went and bought two vats and a few household necessities. Oh, and I bought a basket for you along the way..."

Lin-laotaitai's hands went slack, and the basket fell to the ground, bouncing once before rolling away to the side.

Lin-dajie and Lin-erjie hastily stepped forward. "Laosan, Laosi, what kind of play are you two putting on? Don't anger niang."

They supported the laotaitai as they led her into the house.

Lin Lan cried out, wronged, "Niang, it can't be that if I bring things, I can go inside and drink water, but if I don't bring anything, I'm treated as less than human and not even allowed in the house, right? We walked all the way here and are dying of thirst. Besides, I brought a basket, so it's not like I'm empty-handed!"

Lin Mei was on the verge of dying from laughter. This wretched girl Laosi had completely lost her mind.

She shoved her own basket into Lin Lan's hands. "You separated from the family, didn't your popo allocate you a vegetable garden or a private plot? Couldn't you have brought niang some cucumbers or tomatoes? At the very least, you should have brought a couple of buns. With so many people here today, won't everyone need to eat?" As she spoke, she shot Lin Lan a triumphant look, silently threatening that if she dared reveal the secret of the hidden buns, she wouldn't get her cotton.

Lin Lan said, "Sanjie, how could I possibly compare to you all? You've long been the masters of your households and have built up quite a bit of savings. I just separated, so aside from two rundown shacks, all I have is a hundred yuan..."

What?

Lin-laotaitai instantly whipped her head around to stare at her, eyes practically shooting flames.

A hundred yuan?

Lin-laotaitai had never even seen a hundred yuan in her life; currently, she had less than twenty yuan to her name.

Lin Lan sighed heavily. "They said they'd give it to me when we split, but then they claimed they'd owe it to us. Up until now, they've only given me ten yuan. I just went to the market, and it wasn't even enough to buy a few odds and ends. So, I was wondering if niang might..."

"What are you wondering about? Asking me for money? I definitely don't have any!" Lin-laotaitai waved her hands frantically like a pellet drum.

Lin Mei observed her simei. She knew the truth about the hundred yuan; every woman in Shanzui Village had heard about Lin Lan's massive shopping spree at the market.

However, it seemed the news hadn't yet reached this village.

"If you won't lend me grain and won't lend me money, then giving me two catties of cotton would be fine too! Niang ah, I didn't get any quilts or fabric during the separation. Right now, Dawang doesn't have a padded jacket to wear, and Erwang and Sanwang's have all gotten too small for them. Tell me..."

"You... you useless, cowardly daughter! How did I give birth to such a spineless daughter like you? Aren't you great at causing a scene? Why aren't you causing a ruckus now? Why have you gone mute? Go take a rope and hang yourself right in front of their door, and if that doesn't work, go hang yourself at the production brigade's headquarters..."

Lin Lan: ... Well, now I finally know why the original owner loved seeking death to scare people so much.

Terrified by her outburst, Xiaowang burst into tears.

Lin-dajie and Lin-dasao Wang Lianying hurried over together. Wang Lianying slipped a piece of steamed bun into Xiaowang's hand. "Good boy, don't cry."

Wang Lianying said to Lin-laotaitai, "Niang, it's getting late. Let's start lunch early."

Lin-laotaitai was displeased. "All coming empty-handed just to eat my food, how could I afford to feed you all?" She could endure it as their biological niang, and their brothers didn't mind much, but surely the two daughters-in-law would have an issue with it, wouldn't they?

Lin-dajie laughed. "Niang, listen to what you're saying. Are your own biological daughters not even allowed to eat a meal at home? Are married-out daughters truly nothing but spilled water?"

Lin-erjie chimed in, stirring the pot. "Exactly! If it's like this, then we don't have the face to stay either. Let's leave with simei. Dasao, we're leaving!"

Wang Lianying hurriedly laughed, "That's enough from all of you, stop joking around so improperly. Let's quickly tidy up and eat."

Tang Hehua was still sulking on the side and viciously kicked the basket lying on the ground.

Seeing this, Lin-laotaitai snapped, "Why are you kicking a perfectly good basket? If you break it, aren't we the ones losing out? Hurry up and put it against the wall, it'll be perfect for holding grass."

Since it wasn't yet high noon, the men hadn't returned from work, meaning Tang Hehua couldn't tattle to her husband. She could only pull her children aside and mutter under her breath in quiet fury.

Lin-laotaitai saw her fourth daughter still standing there, looking around at who knows what, and instantly felt a surge of irritation. "What are you standing there for like a wooden post? Your biological niang isn't your popo, would I truly deny you a meal?"

Reading the room, Lin Lan felt that the laotaitai wasn't incredibly atrocious after all. She had actually thought that causing a scene like this would prompt the laotaitai to sever all ties with her.

She glanced around at the crowd. In truth, the Lin family was relatively normal. Dajie and erjie were much older than them and had married off early, while she and her sanjie had stayed home the longest.

Her die and niang were the standard patriarchal type; growing up, the fine grains were always reserved for the men, and the men didn't have to do chores when they came home. However, they weren't overly harsh to their daughters either; if they needed to be fed, they were fed until full.

Her dage had a good personality and was quite amiable to his younger sisters; he was essentially just kindhearted and a bit spineless. Her dasao had attended a few years of school and was quite reasonable. Although she would complain about her parents-in-law's patriarchal mindset and their occasional unreliability, they didn't heavily favor their daughters over their daughters-in-law, so they managed to get along rather harmoniously.

Her xiaodi, on the other hand, was much more pampered. He was the only one in the family who had gone to school, but he never studied hard. His middle school education didn't even amount to a pre-Cultural Revolution elementary school level. He was utterly useless at everything, failing even to figure out how to be a work point recorder, and was ultimately forced to return home to farm.

Her xiaodixi, Tang Hehua, was much more shrewish and greedy for petty advantages. She came from a well-off niangjia, which led her to view herself highly within the family.

Because Lin-erdi's personality was on the weaker side, he was constantly kept under her thumb.

Lin Lan had merely been testing the waters. If her niangjia could tolerate her, she would continue normal relations with them in the future. If they couldn't stand her, then she would simply say her goodbyes.

She flattened her mouth in a pout. "Laotaitai, you constantly tell me to either grab a rope or jump into a river, do you mean it or not? Don't you know I take things seriously easily?"

So you all genuinely didn't know I drank pesticide a few days ago? And you're still provoking me like this?

Lin-laotaitai spat in annoyance, "Today is my auspicious day, stop spewing such depressing nonsense. Who in this family doesn't see right through your little schemes? It's a bad habit you've had since childhood."

Lin Lan dropped the subject and lifted her foot to walk inside.

The Lin family's house was much smaller than Han-laotaitai's. Han-laotaitai's house was quite deep, easily fitting a southern kang and a northern kang, along with a wardrobe and two large vats. Lin-laotaitai's only had a southern kang, and with a wardrobe and a single vat placed in front of it, the room was basically completely full.

Therefore, the central room was also crammed with flour and water vats, packed just as tightly as Lin Lan's current little shack.

Even though it was noon, the wooden lattice windows were tiny, leaving the interior rather dim.

Lin Lan pulled out the hard candies she had brought, distributing one to each child.

It was fine to anger the adults, but it was still necessary to coax the children well.

Wang Lianying whispered quietly, "I heard the children's uncle returned. Is everything alright?"

The family had also caught wind of Lin Lan drinking pesticide, but they didn't know the exact details. Out of habit, they assumed that whenever the original owner pulled a death-seeking stunt to scare people, she usually succeeded in extorting something and would then drag it back to her niangjia to show off. After it had happened so many times, naturally, no one bothered to check on her, preferring to just wait for her to return to her niangjia and put on a solo performance.

Lin Lan smiled faintly. "He came back a few days ago, and we just separated the household. We were allocated half a catty of grain per person per day..."

"Aiya, half a catty definitely isn't enough to eat, those growing half-grown boys will eat their fathers into poverty," Wang Lianying calculated before saying, "You need to ask for a private plot and a vegetable garden, plant plenty of radishes and potatoes, they can be eaten as a main meal. We still have some dried sweet potatoes and sorghum rice at home. I'll discuss it with die and niang later, so don't you worry..."

"Dasao, having your words is enough to make me grateful. There's no need for grain, their die will figure something out." Lin Lan politely declined; no household was affluent when it came to grain.

"Look at what you're saying, we're all family. If you're having a hard time, could we really let our nephews starve?"

Lin-dajie, Lin-erjie, and the others chimed in one after another, bombarding Lin Lan with questions about the household separation—what goods she received, what she was lacking. They all claimed they didn't have time to go over to "warm her kang" due to field work, so they offered to pitch in with some items and send them back to the niangjia for Lin Lan to pick up.

They clearly felt that their simei had changed. It seemed that having her children's die back home had normalized her, which was a good thing.

Lin-laotaitai scoffed, shooting Lin Lan a glare. "Didn't you hear her say she bought vats and baskets? So many she couldn't even use them all and brought one for me. But she doesn't have any cotton at home, so those children will likely be shivering bare-naked all winter, unable to step outside. As her sisters, see if you can scrape together a couple of catties of 'cotton claws' for her."

'Cotton claws' referred to old cotton that had clumped and flattened over a long period of use, losing its warmth. With cotton in critical shortage right now, even this was considered a good commodity, and with a little fluffing, it could still be used.

Lin-dajie and erjie had been married for many years and both managed their respective households. No matter how tight things were, they could grit their teeth and scrape a little together.

Lin-dajie even offered the cotton ration tickets she had been saving for her eldest daughter's dowry for Lin Lan to use first, telling her she could repay them the following year. Lin Lan politely declined, stating that just a little old cotton would do.

Lin-erjie mentioned she had a tattered padded coat at home. She promised to take it apart, wash it, and bring the cotton over for Lin Lan to use as extra padding for her quilts.

Tang Hehua refused to join in on the generosity; even if she had any, she wouldn't bear to give it away.

Wang Lianying, however, managed to produce half a catty of brand new cotton. It had been distributed during the New Year, and she hadn't been able to bring herself to use it, claiming she was saving it to sew her husband a new winter jacket.

"Since sigu just separated her household, she's definitely short on it. Take this back to pad it out and sew a jacket for Xiaowang."

Seeing her daughter-in-law take a stand, Lin-laotaitai fumbled out three catties of old cotton and tossed it onto the kang. "This came from the quilts you gave me in the past. I took apart and washed two quilts, consolidated them into one, and this is what was left over."

Lin Lan had originally come purely to vent her frustrations, never expecting everyone's reactions to exceed her expectations so drastically, causing her eyes to well up with moisture.

Lin-laotaitai instructed her eldest daughter-in-law to find a scrap of cloth ribbon to tie the cotton up. "Just let her carry it back on her back. The basket stays; it looks much nicer than the ones your die weaves."

Lin Mei couldn't help but chime in, "I say, niang, how is it that Laosi comes back completely empty-handed, yet instead of chasing her out, you're packing things up for her? The sun must be rising from the west..."

She cupped her hand over her eyes like an awning, peering toward the west.

Lin-laotaitai grabbed the kang broom and gave her a sharp swat. "Stop acting like a fool and making your saozi laugh at you. Does our old Lin family rely on the meager things you bring back to survive?"

Lin Mei immediately proclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Aiya, she doesn't rely on them! Dajie, erjie, we won't need to bring anything in the future..."

"Alright now, die and the others should be returning soon, let's prepare to eat." Lin-dasao smoothed things over. "Sangu, sigu, stop your smart mouths. If you anger the laotaitai, neither of you will get any good fruits to eat."

As the dasao, she was roughly the same age as dajie and erjie, and they got along well. Although the two younger sisters had bickered since childhood, they still held respect for her, so she was rather easygoing with them.

When the men returned, they chatted for a while and offered a few words of advice. Once the meal was finished, the men had to head straight back to field work.

Lin Lan carried the cotton and two large steamed buns on her back for the journey home. Lin Mei traveled the same path for the first three li, helping her carry Xiaowang on her back for a while.

The cotton was given by the niangjia, and the large steamed buns were given by her sanjie—the other two, naturally, had been given to the laotaitai.

Before she left, the laotaitai couldn't resist scolding her one last time, "Stop acting so completely unreliable all day long. The children's die is back now, so settle down and live a good life." In truth, the laotaitai had said these exact words in the past, but the original owner had simply never taken them seriously.

Lin Lan nodded. "Got it. I'll come visit you all again in a while."

Upon reaching the crossroads, Lin Mei was still carrying Xiaowang, so Lin Lan told her to put him down.

Lin Mei stubbornly carried him for another li before finally setting Xiaowang down. "As if I care about walking with you. I just adore Xiaowang."

She fished out a wad of crumpled mao bills from her pocket. "Our niang secretly gave this to you, and I pitched in one yuan to add to it..."

Lin Lan was instantly stunned. "I don't need money, I have money."

She still had plenty, much more than they did.

"Stop spouting useless nonsense. You've never listened to me since we were young. Now that you've separated your household, live a good life. Whatever you need to procure, procure it all at once right now; if you wait a while, you won't be able to bear the expense." She shoved the cash into Lin Lan's hands, patted Xiaowang's head, turned around, and walked away.

Holding that money, Lin Lan suddenly felt a fierce sting in her nose and eyes. Her vision blurred, and wiping her eyes, she tucked the money away safely.

"Xiaowang, don't mind how fierce your laoniang and sanyi look, they are actually very good people."

Xiaowang nodded. "We will treat them well too."

Lin Lan wanted to carry Xiaowang on her back, but he refused, so she carried the cotton and the large steamed buns while leading him home by the hand.

Upon arriving home, she found the gate latched from the outside. No one was home; presumably, they had all gone to work in the fields.

She unlocked the door and went inside. Xiaowang grabbed his flute and went out to play with the ducklings, while Lin Lan began tidying up the cotton. Suddenly, she noticed a telegram lying flat on the table.

It was a message sent from the military unit to Han Qingsong: Return immediately.