Chapter 152: Chapter 148: Planning

When Wang Zemin opened the courtyard gate, he was startled for a moment to see her. “Lirong, what’s brought you here so early? Is something wrong?”

Yang Lirong gave a dry laugh. “Brother-in-law, I came to watch my sister make the tofu pudding. I’ve completely forgotten how to mix the gypsum water.”

“Oh! Come on in. Your sister is just about to start the tofu pudding,” Wang Zemin said with a smile, letting her into the courtyard and closing the gate behind them.

Up on the porch, Wang Zhilin, who was turning the millstone, curled his lip at Wang Zhixue. “Look at Auntie, big brother. She thinks our family is just like hers—full of people who don’t keep their word.”

Wang Zhixue remained silent. He didn’t like his aunt’s family either. They were a bit better off than his family, and not only did his two male cousins and one female cousin never greet them, but they also joined in with outsiders to make fun of them.

Yang Lirong helped out at Yang Liqun’s home, curdling the soy milk and pressing the tofu. When she saw that her sister had made a total of eight slabs of tofu and two large vats of tofu pudding, she figured she had to be earning more than five yuan a day. The thought that this business would soon be hers made her grow increasingly excited.

After the tofu and tofu pudding were finished, everyone ate breakfast together. Then, the two brothers, Wang Zhixue and Wang Zhilin, left in a hurry.

Yang Lirong thought about how her older sister’s family now had three people earning money, and she felt a pang of jealousy mixed with regret. ’I shouldn’t have offended Lin Lan,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, my family would have been making money long ago too.’

Wang Zemin escorted Yang Liqun to the mouth of the tunnel and then returned home to get on with his work.

After the two sisters sold all the tofu and tofu pudding, Yang Liqun, true to her word, took her to a stonemason’s to order a custom stone mill. The stonemason told her to come back for it in three days.

As they left the stonemason’s, Yang Lirong said gratefully, “Thank you, Sis.”

Yang Liqun smiled. “We don’t have any other sisters. When Mom and Dad were still around, they always taught us to be good to each other. That way, outsiders won’t dare to bully us.”

Hearing this reminded Yang Lirong of the past, and she felt a little ashamed. “I understand. I won’t be like I was before.”

Yang Liqun added a few words of advice. “Today’s Saturday, so business is a bit better than usual. As long as you do a good job, make your tofu slabs a little bigger, and give people who buy tofu pudding an extra scoop, everyone will want to buy from you.”

Yang Lirong agreed enthusiastically, then went home in high spirits to tell Yu Hui to go buy soybeans.

****

After shipping out the goods for the morning market, Lin Lan had just finished a letter to Old Chen when Yao Xiuyun showed up, asking her to come see how the workers were renovating the house.

Lin Lan mailed the letter on the way, and the two of them headed to Yucai Road together.

Xu Dong had hired a dozen or so craftsmen. They demolished all the small kitchens that had been built in the courtyard and tore down all the haphazard partition walls inside the house. They then used the salvaged bricks to repair and reinforce the surrounding walls of the front and back yards.

The living room, which had been chopped up into small cubicles, was now wide and bright. There was a separate kitchen and bathroom, and with the partitions upstairs removed, those rooms also became spacious and well-lit.

Once the attic was cleaned out, the natural wood floorboards were exposed. A few of the workers had polished them until they gleamed.

Yao Xiuyun nodded in satisfaction. “They’re working pretty fast. See? They’ve tidied up everything so neatly. We’ll be able to move in as soon as the renovations are finished.”

Lin Lan nodded. “Yeah. It’s hard to find work right now. A day of backbreaking labor for the production team only gets you ten or twenty cents, but the pay is higher for outside jobs. For the same amount of effort, everyone would rather work out here.”

She thought about her house on Limin Street. ’Once they’re done here, I’ll hire them to renovate that one too.’

“It’s true. A lot of my mom’s relatives in the countryside are having a tough time. The foreman on this job is my cousin. He’s a great carpenter and a reliable worker.” As she spoke, Yao Xiuyun nudged Lin Lan. “And look at Xiangyang. Ever since he saw you arrive, he can’t stop smiling.”

Lin Lan looked back and saw Li Xiangyang and Xu Dong walking over. The sight of his smile made her feel a little sheepish. She had been hiding in her shell for the past few days, doing her best to avoid him.

Seeing her sheepish expression, Li Xiangyang knew she was trying to avoid the issue again.

Xu Dong said to Yao Xiuyun, “Xiangyang and I have discussed it. We’re going to keep the original layout of the house and just renovate the attic. We’ll give the floorboards two fresh coats of tung oil.”

“We’re thinking of turning the attic into a study, where the kids can read and do their homework while enjoying the view. We’ll replace the railing on the small terrace outside the attic, and we can build a planter box up there for grapes and flowers. It’ll be a great place to cool off in the summer.”

“Sounds wonderful!” Yao Xiuyun agreed with a smile. She looked at Lin Lan. “Sister Lin, what are your plans for your house?”

Lin Lan nodded. “I think that’s a great idea for the attic. The original layout of the house is nice too, so let’s just renovate it as is. For the yard, I want to plant vegetables in the back, keep the roses that are growing along the walls, and plant some more flowers and fruit trees.”

Yao Xiuyun clapped her hands in approval. “Yes! Let’s find some pear, cherry, orange, and peach trees to plant.”

Lin Lan added with a smile, “And a persimmon tree, so we have fruit to eat in the winter. Next time my older brother visits, I’ll have him look for some for us in the mountains.”

Li Xiangyang and Xu Dong also agreed with planting flowers and fruit trees in the front yards. They added that if each family planted two different kinds, they could all trade and enjoy a variety of fruit.

Once they had a plan, Xu Dong and Li Xiangyang went to relay their requirements to the craftsmen working inside.

The foreman readily agreed. He also mentioned that some of the wood salvaged from the demolitions was high quality and could be used to replace the rooftop railing. With the leftover planks, he added, they could even build a chicken coop in the backyard to raise a few chickens.

With everything arranged, the group started cycling back.

Yao Xiuyun checked the time and said to Lin Lan, “You and Xiangyang can head back first. We’re going to stop by the school and pick up our kids.”

Back then, there were no two-day weekends; school was still in session for a half-day on Saturdays.

Lin Lan nodded. “Alright, we’ll head off then.”

Li Xiangyang cycled up beside Lin Lan. He gave a light cough, cleared his throat, and asked, “Lin Lan, have you thought it over?”

Lin Lan gave him a sheepish glance. After a long pause, she stammered, “I… I haven’t decided yet!”

Seeing her sheepish look, Li Xiangyang felt a subtle warmth spread through his chest. He said gently, “That’s alright. Take your time.”

“Mm,” Lin Lan murmured, nodding. She looked up at him. “Xiangyang, are you sure you’ve thought this through? Has Uncle Li really agreed to let you marry me?”

Li Xiangyang nodded without the slightest hesitation. “I thought it all through a long time ago. My dad hasn’t fully agreed yet, but don’t worry. I’m confident I can persuade him.”

Lin Lan fell silent and simply focused on pedaling.

When they reached the entrance to the alley by the vehicle factory, Li Xiangyang looked at her. “You head back first. I need to make a trip to the pig farm. This afternoon, I have to deliver fattened pigs to the slaughterhouse for the cooperative.”

Lin Lan nodded. “Alright. Be careful on the road.”

Li Xiangyang nodded. He watched her cycle into the distance before turning his own bike around.

Lin Lan had just gotten home and parked her bike when an old woman arrived. Grinning, she said, “I heard from Ding Bang that you all bought houses together. He said the courtyard is quite large.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep