Chapter 158: Chapter 154: Mentioned Again

Under the orange tree in the backyard stood a girl with an oval face, tanned skin, and a thick braid. Seeing Yu Xiufang approach, she grinned, held up an orange, and handed it to her. “Mom, this orange is definitely delicious.”

“This side gets more sun, so the oranges are sweeter.” Yu Xiufang said with a smile as she took it, looking her daughter up and down. “The young man the Lin family recommended is here. You should go back, wash up, and change into that new outfit you just had made. I’ll pick some oranges for when your aunt and the others come over to entertain our guest.”

Zhang Yuru, a little nervous, picked up the bamboo basket at her feet and said, blushing, “I just changed into this outfit today. If he likes what he sees, great. If not, it doesn’t matter.”

Yu Xiufang glanced over and saw she was wearing grass-green khaki trousers, a blue athletic top that had been washed until it was faded, and a pinkish-red Dacron shirt collar flipped out over it. She looked quite charming.

With a warm smile, she stepped forward, took the basket from her, and said softly, “Don’t be stubborn. Go change. I heard from your aunt that the young man is also wearing a new outfit and looks very sharp.”

Zhang Yuru nodded shyly. “Okay!”

Seeing Zhang Xiuqing leave, Zhao Xiaohui smiled and pulled Lin Lan aside. “Little Lan, about what I mentioned last time, my cousin… when your second brother and I have a moment, how about we take you to meet him?”

Lin Lan hadn’t expected her to be so persistent. She said politely, “Second Sister-in-law, thank you for the kind offer. If I do look for someone, I’ll probably look for someone in my business circle.”

Zhao Xiaohui looked at her in disbelief. “Last time you said you weren’t looking. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already found someone suitable?”

Lin Lan was slightly annoyed. “Second Sister-in-law, what I mean is, *if* I were to look, I would look within my business circles. Don’t worry, if I settle on someone, I’ll have Mom and Dad go take a look.”

Zhao Xiaohui finally understood and grabbed her arm to persuade her. “Little Lan, my cousin is really a great guy. Those people on the outside…”

“Little Hui!” Wu Shufen called out to stop her. “Go to the pigsty and catch a duck. Then dig up a couple of konjac corms. We’re having braised duck for lunch.”

“Oh!” Zhao Xiaohui left reluctantly.

Lin Lan smiled and linked her arm with Wu Shufen’s. “Mom, can you talk to Second Sister-in-law? Tell her to stop trying to find me a match.”

“Your dad had someone ask around about the person she mentioned. He’s actually a pretty good guy—tall and well-built, good-looking too. It’s just because he has six fingers that he’s had trouble finding a match.” Wu Shufen hesitated for a moment, then looked at her. “If you don’t mind the six fingers, you should at least meet him!”

Lin Lan glanced at Lin Changyou, who was talking with Yang Liying and the others, and said in a low voice, “You should still have Second Sister-in-law turn them down. I have something to tell you later.”

Wu Shufen nodded. “Alright. Go with your sisters-in-law to the backyard to pick some oranges. I’ll have your eldest brother go pull in the nets at the river and get a few fish.”

“Okay!” Lin Lan pointed to the wicker basket. “Put away the things in the basket. Give one strip of meat each to Eldest Brother and Second Brother, and give the candy to Little Jun and the others.”

Wu Shufen nodded in agreement and carried the wicker basket to the kitchen.

Lin Lan grabbed a basket and a pair of scissors and said to Yang Liying, “Eldest Sister, Third Sister, let Zhixue talk with my dad. Let’s go to the backyard and pick some oranges.”

Yang Liying and her sister smiled, agreed, and went with Lin Lan to the backyard, where they saw several orange trees laden with vibrantly orange oranges.

In those days, fruit trees had fewer pests, and there was no need for sweeteners or potassium fertilizer. Every spring, they would just loosen the soil around the trees and bury some well-rotted farm manure, and they could harvest a lot of fruit.

Yang Liqun pulled down a branch heavy with oranges, and Lin Lan used the scissors to snip off the ones with the brightest-colored peels. “Third Sister, my mom said these are a new variety of navel orange. They taste great.”

Yang Liying took one and looked at it, noticing a navel-like bump on the fruit’s top, with the ’navel’ enclosed within the peel. She laughed. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen an orange like this.”

She swallowed. “Just smelling it is making my mouth water. We should plant a few fruit trees in our backyard too, then Little Li and the others will have fruit to eat.”

“My mouth is watering too,” Lin Lan said with a smile, picking one up to show Yang Liqun. “Eldest Sister, pick this kind to cut. The ones with smooth, fine, and glossy peels are sweet, and the skin is thin too.”

Yang Liqun glanced at it and nodded. “Okay, I’ll pick the kind you described.”

Lin Lan suddenly remembered she hadn’t told them about buying the house near No. 1 Middle School. She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Third Sister, Eldest Sister, I forgot to tell you—I bought a small building on the street near No. 1 Middle School. I’m planning to have my brother find some fruit trees for me. If you want some too, I’ll have him get a few extra.”

Yang Liqun and her sister asked in surprise, “When did this happen? That’s such a bold move!”

Lin Lan smiled. “Well… Ding Bang and Xiuyun bought houses too, and I want to get Little Douzi into No. 1 Primary School in the future.”

Yang Liying said, “No. 1 Primary is a great school, of course, but all the kids there are from the city. If Little Douzi goes to school there, won’t the other kids bully him?”

Yang Liqun chuckled. “I remember that area used to be where all the rich people lived. It was all little Western-style houses with yards full of flowers. My husband and I used to deliver tofu there.”

Yang Liying and her sister felt that it didn’t matter where a child studied. They thought that buying a house just for a kid’s education was something only city people would do. But since Lin Lan had already bought it, there wasn’t much they could say. Besides, they also wanted Little Douzi to have a bright future.

Lin Lan remembered what Yao Xiuyun had said and laughed. “Xiuyun said the same thing. She even joked that country bumpkins like us would never have been qualified to live there in the past!”

Yang Liqun nodded. “That’s true. Life is a bit hard now, but at least no one dares to just seize the property we’ve worked for.”

The three sisters-in-law chatted and laughed, and before long, the basket was full. Back at the house, they took out a small knife and cut the oranges into wedges. They picked up a slice, and with just one bite, sweet, plump pulp and refreshing juice filled their mouths.

Lin Lan nodded repeatedly. “This tastes amazing. We should definitely plant this kind of navel orange.”

Yang Liying and her sister also nodded again and again. “Mhm! This really does taste great, much better than the oranges from Mantou Mountain.”

Lin Changyou smiled and gently tapped his extinguished pipe against the leg of his stool. “We’ve planted a few dozen at the foot of the mountain. They’re about a meter tall now, just right for transplanting. I’ll send some over for you next spring.”

Lin Lan swallowed the orange pulp in her mouth and looked at him with a grin. “Dad, I also want pear, persimmon, and cherry trees. And get a few Sichuan peppercorn and green Sichuan peppercorn plants for the edge of my private plot. We’ll see who dares to mess with my rapeseed plants next year.”

Lin Changyou’s face crinkled into a smile as he looked at her dotingly. “Alright. After the New Year, I’ll have your brother help you find them.”

Watching them, Yang Liqun and Yang Liying laughed. “Uncle really dotes on Lin Lan. He grants her every request.”

Lin Changyou chuckled. “She’s my only girl. I don’t even know when I might spoil her rotten. It’s a good thing I have you all to help look after her. Otherwise, I’d really be worried!”

Yang Liqun said sincerely, “Uncle, we haven’t looked after Lin Lan that much. She’s the one who’s made something of herself.”

She paused, looking at Lin Lan and her father with gratitude. “In fact, it’s Lin Lan and you who are taking care of us now. Otherwise, my sister and I would have lost our tofu stand long ago.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep