Chapter 139: Chapter 136: Not Even as Comfortable as She is Now

Lin Yuezhen watched them with a grin, then quickly handed a dry towel to Li Xiangyang to wipe his face. While he was distracted, she shot another glare at Lin Lan before going inside to boil some ginger tea.

Just then, Yang Liying rushed back. She paused when she saw Li Xiangyang. “Xiangyang, you’re here! This storm is incredible. It almost blew me away.”

“I know, right? Luckily, I ran into Xiangyang, and he helped me ride the bike back.” Lin Lan helped her put her things down. “I’ll get you some of my clothes to change into. Drink some ginger tea to warm up.”

Little Douzi looked at himself, then at Li Xiangyang. “Uncle Xiangyang’s clothes are wet too. What if he catches a cold because he has nothing to change into?”

“Uncle is going to Great-grandma’s house to change into Youngest Uncle’s clothes.” Li Xiangyang ruffled his hair and walked out into the misty rain.

Lin Lan watched his retreating back, her mouth opened, but she said nothing.

Yang Liying saw this and sighed inwardly. She gave Lin Lan a gentle tug. “Look at you, you’re soaked to the bone. Hurry up and get changed.”

’Coming to pick up Lin Lan in a downpour like this… he’s clearly fallen for her. But what good is it if he’s the only one who feels that way? Would his family agree to him marrying a widow with a child? I should find a chance to ask. If they don’t agree, it’s better for them to see less of each other.’

Lin Lan glanced at her. “Okay. I’ll go get the clothes for you.”

Yang Liying smiled and shook her head. “No need. Just get a bowl and scoop out some of the tofu and tofu pudding. Dehai will be here any minute.”

“Then just leave your things here. We’ll help you wash them later.”

Yang Liying nodded and took the large bowl from Lin Yuezhen. She scooped out half of the tofu pudding and picked out two blocks of tofu for her, just as Zhao Dehai arrived carrying his shoulder pole.

The two of them took the tofu pudding and tofu, accepted the umbrella Lin Lan offered, and strode out the door.

Lin Lan dried herself off and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Lin Yuezhen finished making the brown sugar ginger tea, and they each drank a bowl. Little Douzi took out his textbook and sat at the small table to start his homework.

Lin Yuezhen glanced at Lin Lan, hesitated for a moment, then pulled her over and gestured, ’Little Lan, your sister thinks Xiangyang is a great guy. Don’t be so cold to him.’

She could tell that Li Xiangyang was sincere with Little Lan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t always be thinking of her, even keeping track of when her family would run out of coal. It would be a real shame to miss out on such a good man.

Lin Lan shook her head. “Sis, aren’t we doing just fine like this? Please don’t bring this up again.”

’Even if Li Xiangyang is willing, would his family agree? If I put myself in their shoes, I wouldn’t agree either. Since it’s impossible, I shouldn’t harbor any fantasies.’

Lin Lan, in both her past life and this one, had always been a realist. She had to be. How could she survive otherwise?

Lin Yuezhen gave her a pained look. She lifted the pot lid, saw there was leftover cold rice, and poured the tofu pudding into the pot. She added some water, fed a few rapeseed stalks into the stove, and let the tofu pudding simmer on low heat.

Lin Lan sat in a daze for a while. ’Life is easier when you live without a care in the world,’ she thought. ’People who feel too much just think too much. It’s exhausting.’

Listlessly, she took the property deed out from her vest and put it away safely. Then she took out the unsold pastries and placed them on the cutting board.

Seeing the tofu pudding was ready, she went to the backyard and squatted under the eaves to pick some cilantro and green onion leaves. The rain fell on her hands, and she felt a chill run through her. Her nose started to itch, and she let out a series of sneezes.

Seeing this, Lin Yuezhen quickly pulled up a few green onions and cleaned them. She took the white parts, washed a piece of ginger, and boiled them together. After adding two spoonfuls of brown sugar, she made Lin Lan drink another bowl.

Lin Lan let out a burp. “My stomach is full of ginger tea. I don’t think I can eat any dinner.”

Lin Yuezhen gestured to her, ’Once your hair is dry, go take a nap.’

Lin Lan looked at the sky. It didn’t seem like it would clear up anytime soon. She nodded and sat in front of the stove opening to dry her hair.

****

Li Xiangyang arrived at the old woman’s house. Seeing him soaked to the skin, she quickly got some of Yang Dingbang’s clothes for him to change into.

When he came out after changing, she watched him with a smile. “Sit for a bit. I’m making ginger tea.”

Li Xiangyang leaned back lazily in the bamboo chair. Watching the old woman at the stove, he asked, “Grandma, were Lin Lan and Little Douzi’s father very much in love?”

The old woman didn’t answer, just glanced at him. “Did Lin Lan turn you down?”

Li Xiangyang blushed. “I haven’t said anything to her. But when I brought her back this afternoon, she figured it out.”

The old woman ladled out the ginger tea, brought it to the table, and sat down before speaking slowly. “Her marriage to my youngest son was purely a case of being young and naive. He tricked her into it.

“They had a couple of peaceful days right after they married, but after Little Douzi was born, my youngest son started mixing with those good-for-nothings and gambling again.

“When he came home after losing money, Lin Lan would say something, and he would hit and curse her. That girl is tough, though. No matter how bad the beatings got, she never once went back to her own family for help.

“Later, I suppose her heart grew cold and she fell into despair. She spent her days with Little Douzi in a daze, like a lost soul.

“My youngest son drowned at the end of February, and life got a little better for her and the boy. Then in April, while she was home with a cold, Liu Jinbao brought some men to cause trouble. She went crazy and slashed him with a knife.

“Only after that did she pull herself together and start figuring out how to make a living. That’s what I think is good about this girl. Once she sets her mind on something, she’ll endure any hardship without a single complaint.”

’She recalled how, just a few days ago, she had doubted Lin Lan and distanced herself from mother and son because of something Dandan had said. She felt terribly guilty about it.’

Li Xiangyang clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly. Pain and fury churned in his chest. ’So that’s what she went through. No wonder she’s afraid to start over.’

’That damned son of a bitch. He tricked a woman into marrying him and didn’t cherish her, even raising his hand against them.’

’A grown man who doesn’t protect his own wife and child, letting others bully them… he doesn’t even deserve to be called human.’

The old woman looked at him and sighed. “Xiangyang, Grandma knows you’re a good boy. You should listen to your old man. I heard him say the other day that there’s a rather pretty girl, a junior high graduate, too.”

Li Xiangyang shook his head and said in a low voice, “If I were interested in someone like that, I would have found one long ago.”

The old woman hesitated before voicing her concern. “Xiangyang, Grandma thinks that even if Lin Lan agrees, it might not work out between you two.”

Li Xiangyang looked up in surprise. “This isn’t the old society anymore. Why would you say that?”

The old woman looked at him and said, “Old society or new society, it doesn’t matter. Only widowers or young men who can’t find a wife would be willing to marry a widow with a child.

“A man like you… do you think your old man will agree to you marrying Lin Lan? You’d better think about how to convince him. If he doesn’t agree, Lin Lan’s life won’t be good even if she marries you. Chances are, her life won’t even be as peaceful as it is now.”

Li Xiangyang was taken aback. “Even if my old man doesn’t agree, the marriage is between Lin Lan and me. As long as I treat her well, that should be enough!”

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