In the original owner's memory, apart from Han Qingsong, her pojia, her niangjia, and those nemeses she fought with all year round, there really was no one else, especially not such a proper man.
Seeing that she truly didn't remember him, Yang Han's smile carried a hint of teasing. "Aren't you Lanhuahua?"
Lanhuahua? Lin Lan's hair stood on end. What the hell was Lanhuahua!
Aiya, she remembered. The original owner's name, strictly speaking, should be Lin Lan (Orchid).
After all, for country folks, naming girls was basically based on flowers, plants, trees, and crops; they wouldn't use words like Lan (Mountain Mist).
But, Lanhuahua... was truly too mischievous.
Seeing her terrified expression, Yang Han laughed out loud. "Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."
Would a bad person say they were a bad person?
Lin Lan brooded over Lanhuahua.
Yang Han quickly said, "Lin Lan, I'm Panpan ah." If he didn't explain clearly, the other party would probably hit him.
"Panpan... ah, it's you, Yang Pangpang!" Lin Lan suddenly remembered, she remembered!
When the original owner was little, she had a playmate named Panpan, and everyone called him Pangpang (Chubby) because he was truly fair and chubby.
It was strange to say. In the 1950s, everyone's life was hard, not having enough to eat or wear, and everyone was skinny and dry. But Yang Panpan managed to feed himself to be fair and chubby.
Everyone was very curious and secretly guessed if he ate ten eggs every day!
Because at that time, a family was allowed to raise one chicken per two people. According to the rules, their family could raise two and a half chickens, but his grandmother stubbornly raised six without being taken away, saying she wanted them to lay eggs for her precious only grandson to eat.
This was a memory from when she was very young. By the time she was eight, the original owner had to follow along to do chores, and Yang Pangpang went to school. Boys and girls basically had no interaction, and playing together would lead to being mocked by other children as having "rotten toes."
For the youths of this time who simply believed that men and women hugging or kissing would lead to pregnancy, before the awakening of love, boys and girls indeed wouldn't play together.
And after the original owner grew up, she was busy fighting with her third older sister, so she truly had no mind to pay attention to other people and things. Yang Pangpang had long been thrown to the back of her mind.
Hearing Lin Lan's "Yang Pangpang," which sounded like she had avenged the "Lanhuahua" grudge and was very satisfying, he wasn't embarrassed and smiled. "Yes, it's me. Let's go, I'll treat you to white flour steamed buns."
Lin Lan was very happy. "It's not easy to run into a relative, I must have a good meal..." Realizing she was getting a bit carried away, she smiled embarrassedly. "Don't laugh at me, I'm really a bit hungry."
"I know, that's why I'm waiting to treat you to steamed buns." Yang Han called them to follow him to the cafeteria.
Not only was there a basket of white flour steamed buns, but there was actually a small basin of seaweed egg drop soup!
Lin Lan, a modern person who had eaten so many delicacies, felt her mood soar at this moment. Sure enough, hunger was the most delicious food.
She quickly took out money.
Yang Han said seriously, "We're from the same village, can't I afford to treat you to a few steamed buns and a bowl of soup? That's looking down on me too much."
Lin Lan then said to Xiaowang, "Xiaowang, thank jiujiu."
Xiaowang quickly glanced at him, his lips moved, and he called out "jiujiu" in his mouth.
Yang Han patted his head.
Xiaowang was so scared that he quickly dodged and clung tightly to Lin Lan.
Lin Lan patted him comfortingly, signaling him not to be nervous.
Yang Han smiled and teased him, "Let your belly loose and eat hard, jiujiu will provide enough."
Lin Lan smiled. "Excuse our manners, then we'll start eating."
Ah, she never expected that one day steamed buns and seaweed soup would also become a delicacy. Who would believe it if she told them!
Unfortunately, she couldn't communicate with her past life, otherwise she would definitely live-stream it for her fair-weather friends to see.
Lin Lan and Xiaowang ate with relish. She didn't forget to remind Xiaowang to close his mouth when eating, not to smack his lips, to take small sips when drinking soup, and not to slurp...
Yang Han watched in a daze.
At this time, Lin Lan looked up and asked him, "Yang Han, how did you recognize me?"
Yang Han pointed to his eyes. "I've had good eyesight since I was little, don't you remember? Actually, it's mainly because you haven't changed much, unlike me."
Lin Lan glanced at him. Was this "haven't changed much" a compliment, or did it mean she was still as shrewish and childish as before and hadn't grown up?
He truly had a drastic transformation, turning from a little fatty into a big handsome guy.
Smiling, she continued eating, quietly sizing up Yang Han.
Yang Han also observed her calmly.
This person was also strange. Although she was shrewish when she was little, she was still a normal little girl and quite upright. When people chased him and called him a white fatty, she even spoke up for justice.
How did she become known as a tigress and a shrew after getting married? Her daily routine was crying, making a fuss, and threatening suicide?
Probably because she was used to fighting with her third older sister since childhood? But back then she fought her third older sister, not harming herself. Why did she go to her pojia and not hit them, but specifically self-harm?
Maybe her pojia were all scumbags, forcing a perfectly good girl into a madwoman.
As for jumping into the river, hanging herself, and drinking pesticide, he had indirectly heard about it several times.
He originally thought she must be like other unhappy rural women now—sloppy, unkempt, with a puffy face, dull eyes, rough movements carrying a hint of madness, and definitely complaining and nagging like Sister Xianglin, making people want to stay far away at first sight.
He never expected to actually see her at the hospital entrance today. Although she was travel-worn and a bit haggard, she looked very normal, and could even be said to have an aura of elegance!
The word "elegance" couldn't possibly be attached to Lanhuahua, right? But the bizarre thing was, Yang Han felt that the Lin Lan in front of him was quiet and elegant, not the feeling a rural woman should have.
Anyway, her every movement didn't look like a shrew at all.
What shrew ate like this?
Yang Han pondered, it showed that rumors couldn't be trusted; hearing is false, seeing is believing.
After Lin Lan was full, the two caught up on old times and talked about Xiaowang's condition and the matter of prescribing glasses.
Yang Han said, "How about this, when the glasses arrive, I'll have the postman bring them to you, so you don't have to make another trip."
It was inconvenient to bring a child on a hot day.
"That's great, why didn't I think of that." Lin Lan secretly thought she was dizzy from hunger just now and actually didn't think of the postman.
She looked at the time, felt Xiaowang's belly which was already full, and bid farewell to Yang Han to go home.
Originally, she also wanted to go to the department store for a big shopping spree, but remembering she had no coupons on her and couldn't buy anything even with money, she had to regretfully drop the idea.
Yang Han asked in surprise, "You're not planning to walk back, are you?"
"We walked here." Lin Lan didn't mind. At this time, she could only rely on the "Number 11 bus" (walking) and wear out her shoe soles.
"Wait here, I'll go ask if there are any vehicles going to the communes below."
Saying that, Yang Han went out.
After a while, he came back. "There are none going to your commune, but there is one going to the neighboring commune. You can hitch a ride there and then walk a bit."
"That would be great, thank you so much. I didn't expect to run into an acquaintance at the hospital."
Having an acquaintance in the hospital was a great convenience, and this relationship had to be maintained well.
Lin Lan planned that the next time she came to the county town, she would find a way to bring Yang Han some eggs, vegetables, or something. Grain and eggs were the best gifts for ordinary people at this time.
Yang Han saw her off to the vehicle. When parting, he magically took out a handful of candy and stuffed it into Xiaowang's hands.
It was good enough that Xiaowang had shorts and a tank top to wear, so naturally he had no pockets and couldn't hold them. Lin Lan had to quickly take them.
"You see, eating your food and taking things, it's so embarrassing."
Yang Han smiled. "Aren't I jiujiu?" He didn't have any biological sisters, and when he was little, he truly treated her as his own sister.
Lin Lan held Xiaowang's hand and waved goodbye to him.
Having a vehicle to go back was much more convenient.
Riding the vehicle for two-thirds of the way only cost two dimes, making Lin Lan exclaim how cheap it was.
She got off the vehicle with Xiaowang. At this time, the setting sun was slanting, and the afterglow sprinkled on the river surface, shimmering with golden light.
Riding the vehicle had covered her in dust, so she took Xiaowang down to wash their faces.
When she stood up, she found Xiaowang with his little face tilted up and his eyes closed. Fine golden rays danced on his long eyelashes, and the evening breeze blew his fine hair. He looked like a child in an oil painting, quiet and peaceful with an angelic glow.
She couldn't bear to disturb him.
After a while, Xiaowang opened his eyes, looked toward the setting sun, and whispered, "Niang, listen!"
Lin Lan pricked up her ears to listen. Cicadas chirping, frogs croaking, insects humming in the grass, the wind rustling—it was indeed very pleasant to hear.
"Niang, did you hear it?"
"I'm listening."
"There's... a sound." Saying that, he closed his eyes and started humming, which was actually very pleasant to hear.
Lin Lan looked at him in surprise. This child was truly not simple, much more amazing than those children who only knew how to sing simple and straightforward propaganda tunes.
Apart from learning to blow the suona or beat the big drum, what did rural children know about melody?
...
After resting for a while and drinking some water, Lin Lan took Xiaowang home.
Right now, the fields were full of commune members weeding and catching insects. Some people were very surprised to see her with Xiaowang and looked at them as if watching a spectacle.
Lin Lan naturally didn't care. Anyway, she had the dark halo of a shrew protecting her, what was there to be afraid of!
"Niang!" A crisp call.
Lin Lan looked toward the sound and found a little girl running over from the edge of the field to the north. She looked about 8 or 9 years old, lively and pretty. It was Maisui.
Maisui ran over quickly. "Niang, did you go to the county town to look for me?"
Maisui was a precocious girl. At 9 years old this year, she already loved beauty very much, and her vanity was beginning to show.
This was the original owner's most beloved child. But in fact, Maisui was not as close to her niang as the original owner thought, nor was she willing to be a little cotton jacket. Instead, she preferred to be close to her wealthy mama and xiaogu.
She said lightly, "I took your younger brother to see a doctor."
Maisui sensitively noticed that her niang's tone was a bit cold. She glanced at the little radish clinging to her niang's thigh with a contemptuous look, but at least considering her biological niang was beside her, she didn't call him a little fool.
"I thought since I didn't come back last night, niang missed me and went to the county town to pick me up." Maisui's tone was a bit disappointed.
In the past, her niang always took care of her first, but now she actually ranked her behind her younger brother.
She felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart.
Lin Lan casually asked a couple of questions about the school and her xiaoshu and xiaogu, then asked what Dawang had been doing these two days.
She was afraid Dawang would meet some shady people in the county town and learn bad things.
Maisui, however, answered irrelevantly, constantly talking about the colorful world in the city, how well the city people dressed, how many good things the department store sold, floral skirts, pretty hair clips, small leather shoes, and so on.
Lin Lan was a bit impatient. "We'll talk about it when we get home."
Maisui saw Xiaowang tightly holding her niang's hand. This was impossible in the past; her niang hated Xiaowang very much and would absolutely never take Xiaowang out.
Now, why was he more favored than her? She felt uncomfortable in her heart, ran over, and held Lin Lan's other hand intimately. "Niang, I didn't come back for a night, I missed you so much."
Lin Lan gave an "mm." "You almost didn't get to see niang."
Your niang drank pesticide yesterday. Sorry, you really won't get to see your niang anymore.
When Maisui and her dage returned home, they had already heard their grandmother and ershen vividly describe how their niang drank pesticide and made a blind fuss, and she even joined in criticizing her a bit.
Her dage felt ashamed and angry, and ran to the brigade to weed without saying a word. She, on the other hand, specially ran to the southern edge of the field to wait for her niang. Others said her niang took Xiaowang to the county town to see a doctor, but she was certain her niang missed her and went to the county town to pick her up.
Who knew...
"Niang, did you get money from taking Xiaowang to see a doctor? Why don't you buy me a pair of leather shoes." Maisui spoke righteously, even a bit unhappily.
After all, in the past, whenever her niang had a little money, she would buy things for her first. She was used to it and felt everything was as it should be.
Lin Lan looked at her seriously and said, "Maisui, starting today, every wen of our family's money will first go to treating Xiaowang, and then to feeding you all and sending you to school. As for dressing up beautifully, we'll talk about it when we have a surplus."
What? Niang rejected her?
Maisui was a bit dumbfounded, looking at Lin Lan helplessly.
Niang had changed! Like a stepmother!
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