Chapter 141: Chapter 138: How Can I Show My Face?

Old Li swung the feather duster with a whoosh. Li Xiangyang, dodging left and right, shouted, “Stop clinging to your old-fashioned ideas! If you agree, in a few days you’ll have another dutiful daughter-in-law. If you don’t, I’ll go straight to her house and pester her relentlessly until she takes me in as a live-in son-in-law!”

“And what about the free grandson you’d be getting, huh?!” Old Li roared, panting with his hands on his hips. “You little brat! If you dare marry into her family, I’ll break both your legs!”

“Dad, don’t be angry. Here, hit me a few times to let off some steam!” Li Xiangyang said sincerely, walking right up to him. “Dad, think about it. You were my age once. You know what it’s like to fall for someone and not be able to see anyone else.”

Seeing his son’s expression, Old Li knew the boy’s mind was made up. “I can’t be bothered with you. You’re just trying to anger me to death.” With that, he furiously threw down the feather duster and stormed toward his room.

Li Xiangyang picked up the feather duster and put it away. Then, he got a basin, filled it with hot water, and carried it into Old Li’s room. With a cheeky grin, he took off his father’s shoes, helped him sit up, and knelt to wash his feet.

“Pops, I’d never want to make you angry. I hope you live to be a hundred. Just think, she’s so good to Grandma Yang. And ever since you helped her out, she’s been having me bring you pastries every few days.”

Old Li rapped him on the head. “Cut the crap. Nothing good ever comes of you washing my feet for me!”

Li Xiangyang put on a wounded expression. “Dad, I’m your only son. Can you really bear to see me unhappy my whole life, growing old all alone?”

Old Li looked at him, his expression one of pure exasperation. “You stubborn ox! It’s not like you can’t afford a wife. Why’d you have to set your sights on a widow? A fine young man like you becoming a stepfather… You think that’s going to be easy?!”

Hearing his father’s tone soften a little, Li Xiangyang grinned. “Dad, Little Douzi is a sensible and obedient kid, just as well-behaved as I was.”

“I don’t want to hear it! Just let me think about it,” Old Li said, stripping down and climbing into bed. He turned to face the wall, ignoring his son completely.

Li Xiangyang picked up the basin, left the room, and closed the door. Then he went to wash up for the night.

Old Li stared at the closed door, his gaze drifting to a photograph on the cabinet. He sighed. ’Xiangyang’s mother, what should I do? Do I really just let him marry a widow?’

****

The rain had stopped for over an hour before a light drizzle started to fall again. Lin Lan and Lin Yuezhen didn’t wash up and head to bed until they had finished steaming the fava beans, mashing the red bean paste, and preparing the pea cakes.

After sleeping for a little while, Lin Lan still felt chilled to the bone, and her throat was searing with pain. She finally switched on the light. Lin Yuezhen looked over, her eyes heavy with sleep.

“I’m a little cold,” Lin Lan said, her voice hoarse. “I’m going to get another blanket.” She got out of bed, opened a chest, and pulled out another quilt, but even after covering herself with it, she was still cold.

Lin Yuezhen got up, reheated the scallion and ginger tea, and brought it to the bedside. She gently shook Lin Lan awake to make her drink it, then tucked the blankets in tightly around her. After that, she wrapped Little Douzi in some clothes and carried him over to her own bed.

The ginger tea warmed Lin Lan up a little, and she drifted back into a hazy sleep.

She dreamed of Liu Jianguo kneeling before her grave, admitting his mistakes. He said he had wronged her, begging for forgiveness and promising to make it up to her in the next life.

“You son of a bitch! In your next life?!”

She grabbed a wooden club and swung at him, but a gust of wind blew, and suddenly she was back in the present. Now it was Old Li chasing her with a big broom, calling her shameless for seducing his son.

The villagers were gathered at her door, throwing rotten eggs and vegetable scraps at her and Little Douzi. Enraged, she charged at them and began to fight…

Lin Yuezhen heard Lin Lan tossing and turning, muttering in her sleep. She was panting heavily, as if carrying a burden of hundreds of pounds. Lin Yuezhen scrambled out of bed and saw that Lin Lan’s face was bright red. She touched her forehead. ’She’s burning up.’

She quickly found the fever medicine Lin Lan kept on hand for Little Douzi and shook her awake.

Shaken awake, Lin Lan felt a heavy weight on her chest and an indescribable discomfort all over her body. Huddled under the blankets, she looked at Lin Yuezhen. “Has the rain stopped?”

Lin Yuezhen shook her head. Her heart ached seeing how weak Lin Lan was. She helped her sit up, brought the medicine to her lips, and then gave her a cup of warm water to wash it down.

She sat by the bed until Lin Lan drifted back into a drowsy sleep, then picked up the watch from the cabinet. It was almost five o’clock.

Lin Yuezhen quickly got dressed and opened the back door. A cold, damp wind swept in, carrying the sound of raindrops pattering on the vegetable leaves.

She closed the door, then peeled and chopped a pumpkin. After taking the fava beans out of the steamer, she put the pumpkin in and started the fire to steam it.

She went back inside and felt Lin Lan’s forehead. It wasn’t as hot anymore. Relieved, she went back out and started mashing the bean paste. By the time the paste was done, the pumpkin had finished steaming. She then began to trim the broad beans.

When Lin Lan woke up, she felt much better. A glance at the watch told her it was already six. Sitting up, she found her pajamas soaked with sweat. She got out of bed, changed into a clean set of undergarments and a warm shirt, and glanced at Little Douzi sleeping soundly in his little bed before leaving the room.

Lin Yuezhen was by the stove, frying butterfly crisp beans. She saw Lin Lan come out and looked at her with concern. “Feeling any better?”

Lin Lan smiled. “Much better. I broke a sweat.” The words came out raspy, and she realized her throat was still sore.

“You go sit down and rest,” Lin Yuezhen said. “I’ll handle this.”

Lin Lan shook her head. After pouring some hot water from the kettle to wash up, she started mashing the pumpkin and mixing in the flour, glutinous rice flour, and other ingredients.

While kneading the dough, she discovered her arms were as weak as wet noodles. She gritted her teeth and managed to finish preparing the dough in the basin, but by the end, she could barely lift her arms.

She sat and rubbed her aching wrists. While waiting for the dough to rise, she began to make the kidney bean rolls.

Her hands were so weak that she ruined one of the rolls. After a short rest, she finished the batch and started on the pumpkin cakes. By the time she had the oven heated and the baking trays inside, it was already seven.

Just then, the brothers Wang Zhixue and Wang Zhilin arrived. Seeing that the day’s stock wasn’t ready, they washed their hands and helped pack the butterfly crisp beans.

“Auntie Lin,” Wang Zhixue said with a smile, “it’s raining, so my mom’s not setting up her stall today. I bet Auntie Zhou isn’t either, right?”

Lin Lan nodded, her voice hoarse. “Right. Take all of it with you. If you don’t sell out, just let me know when you get back, and I’ll make a smaller batch this afternoon.”

“We usually sell out completely,” Wang Zhixue replied. “We’ve got more today, so we’ll just stay out a bit longer. I’m sure we can sell it all.”

Wang Zhilin looked at her with concern. “Auntie Lin, have you caught a cold?”

“You have! Your voice is completely hoarse!” Wang Zhixue chimed in, pausing his work. “Should I run to the clinic and get some medicine for you?”

The brothers’ concern warmed Lin Lan’s heart. She smiled and shook her head. “Your auntie already gave me some cold medicine. I’m feeling much better. Don’t worry about it, you’re already running late today.”

Wang Zhixue smiled and shook his head. “It’s no problem. People will be heading to the market late because of the rain anyway.”

“You two go on and set up the stall. I’ll go to the clinic to get some medicine in a little while.”

As she said this, Lin Lan packed the pumpkin cakes into a bamboo basket and shooed the brothers out the door to get their stall set up.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep