Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Savvy Old Lady

Little Douzi grinned from ear to ear, his eyes crinkling. He took the snack and held it up to Lin Lan’s mouth. “Mommy, you eat.”

“What a good boy.” Lin Lan took a gentle bite. “It’s so soft and sweet. Delicious!”

Little Douzi took a tiny bite himself. “Mommy and Douzi share one, and we’ll save one for Great-Granny.”

“Such a good boy!” Lin Lan agreed with a smile. She watched for a moment and noticed the woman’s business was surprisingly good; she’d already made a few sales in a short time.

Lin Lan scanned her surroundings. ’This really is a good spot to sell things,’ she thought. ’It’s a crossroads, so even if the patrols with the red armbands show up, it’s easy to get away.’

The mother and son passed through the woods and walked down an alley, where they saw several rows of two-story dormitory buildings. Their walls were also covered in large, red-character slogans.

Beyond the alleyway were more rows of small courtyards, their walls similarly covered in slogans.

The workers held their heads high, looking down their noses at everyone. They seemed so full of themselves.

Lin Lan finished her survey, satisfied. Carrying Little Douzi on her back, she started for home. When they reached their courtyard gate, Little Douzi said, “Mommy, let’s give the cake to Great-Granny.”

“Okay!” The mother and son took the sponge cake to the Great-Aunt’s house.

When she opened the door, Little Douzi handed the sponge cake to the old woman. “Great-Granny, the cake is soft and yummy!”

The old woman looked at the sponge cake and happily patted Little Douzi’s head. “What a good boy. Great-Granny doesn’t care for it. Little Douzi should eat it so he can grow up big and tall.”

Lin Lan smiled. “Please, Great-Aunt, you eat it. He clutched it all the way home, chanting about how he was going to give it to you!”

The old woman took the cake and set it aside. A moment later, her pleased and gratified expression turned stern. “You need to fix that greedy streak of yours,” she said to Lin Lan. “And give the money you were compensated back to Zhang Yazhen and the others. Remember, a debt is a debt.”

Lin Lan put on a wronged expression. “Great-Aunt, I already paid them back.”

The old woman rolled her eyes at her. “Then what were you doing in the woods?”

Lin Lan knew she would need the Great-Aunt’s help watching Little Douzi if she were to go sell things. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “I got some fava beans. I was thinking of making some Orchid Beans to sell.”

“Orchid Beans!” The old woman sounded skeptical. “You know how to make those?”

Lin Lan nodded with a wide smile. “I do. I’ve already got them soaking. They’ll be ready to fry tomorrow afternoon.” She gave the old woman a flattering look. “My Orchid Beans are actually pretty tasty. You can try them and tell me if you think they’ll sell.”

’So she’s finally figured out how to make money and support her family. Looks like she’s really come to her senses.’

The old woman looked at her, a hint of relief in her eyes, and lowered her voice. “That snack uses a lot of oil, and the seasonings aren’t cheap. Make a small batch to start. Don’t sell it by weight.

Go buy some kraft paper, and I’ll help you paste together a few dozen paper bags. Pack three liang in each, and sell them for two jiao a bag. See if they sell well before you make more.”

Lin Lan’s eyes lit up when she heard the plan. She gave the old woman a thumbs-up. “That’s a great idea! Great-Aunt, can I give you the money to buy the kraft paper for me?”

“Always ordering an old woman like me around.” The Great-Aunt shot her a playful, scolding glance. “Give it here. Now go on home and cook dinner.”

“Yes!” Lin Lan gave her all the money left in her pocket. “I’ll bring my grain and oil ration book over in the morning. Could you also help me buy a pound of white sugar and two pounds of coarse paper? And do you know where I can find pepper powder?”

The old woman nodded. “I’ll get them for you tomorrow.”

Lin Lan looked at her gratefully. “Thank you, Great-Aunt.”

The old woman was pleased, but her words were gruff. “I’m helping Little Douzi, not you. Save your empty thanks. The best way to thank me is to get your life in order.”

Lin Lan looked at her and promised solemnly, “I will.” ’She’s a classic case of having a sharp tongue but a soft heart,’ she thought. ’Having an elder like her around is a true blessing for me and Little Douzi.’

Lin Lan had only taken a few steps when she remembered something and turned back. “Great-Aunt, do you have any ramie seeds left?”

The old woman paused, her hand on the door. “I do. Are you thinking of planting them for pig feed?”

Lin Lan nodded. “Mhm! I want to save up and buy a couple of piglets to raise.”

“I’ll get them for you!” The old woman went back inside and returned with a small packet of ramie seeds. “Scatter some along the base of the enclosure wall and on both sides of the wing-rooms. Pigs absolutely love them.”

Lin Lan nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

The old woman waved her off and went back inside.

As the mother and son left the Great-Aunt’s house and reached the ditch, they saw Zhang Yazhen peering out from her doorway.

When Zhang Yazhen saw them, she shot Lin Lan a look, stuck her nose in the air, and with a flick of her hips, turned and stomped back into her courtyard, slamming the gate shut with a BANG.

’This woman is unbelievable,’ Lin Lan thought. ’The original owner of this body owed you money, yes, but I’ve paid you back in full. Every time she sees me, she pulls a long face. What is her problem?’

She took Little Douzi’s hand, walked straight across the tractor path to her gate, and saw a basket of sprouted potatoes sitting there. Remembering that Yang Liying had said at noon that she would bring over some seed potatoes, Lin Lan carried the basket inside. She busied herself with cutting off the sprouts and planting them before she started to cook dinner.

She boiled the de-sprouted potatoes until they were soft, then used the flat of her cleaver to mash them into a puree. She cooked this into a thin potato porridge and stir-fried a plate of greens to go with it.

Little Douzi was extremely happy with the potato porridge. “Mommy, I love shredded potatoes and potato mush!”

Lin Lan smiled, wiping a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth. “There are lots of delicious ways to cook potatoes. Mommy planted a bunch, so I’ll make them all for you from now on.”

Little Douzi nodded emphatically. “Mommy, Douzi will eat and grow big and tall, and then I’ll earn money to buy you cake!”

Lin Lan gave him a kiss. “You little sweet-talker! Go run around the courtyard for a bit and let your food settle.”

“Okay!” Little Douzi toddled out into the courtyard on his short little legs.

Lin Lan washed the pots and bowls, collected the dry laundry from outside, and then went to the west wing-room to find a urea sack. She cut it open, took it to the ditch to scrub clean, shook it out, and hung it over a bamboo pole to dry.

She grabbed a hoe and started tilling the soil. By the time she had prepared the strip of earth along the wall by the east wing-room, the sky had grown dark. She quickly mixed half the ramie seeds with wood ash, sowed them in the ground, and gave them a watering. Then she closed the courtyard gate, grabbed the dry urea sack, and led Little Douzi back to the kitchen.

After they both washed up, Lin Lan told Little Douzi a story while she sewed the dried urea sack into a drawstring pouch. Only then did she lie down to sleep.

The next day, Lin Lan ran into Old Chen, who was out collecting cow dung with a basket. He seemed to be in much better spirits.

In the afternoon, she finished cutting the fodder grass early and delivered it to the drying field. Just as she got home, the Great-Aunt arrived, carrying a bundle and leading Little Douzi by the hand.

She had a large bundle of brownish coarse paper, a pound of white sugar, a packet of pepper powder, several thick stacks of paper bags, and a slotted spoon woven from bamboo strips.

The old woman had also exchanged the leftover money for small change.

Lin Lan looked at her in surprise. “Great-Aunt, how did you spend so little?”

The old woman laughed. “The sugar was six jiao and five fen a pound with the ration book, the coarse paper was one jiao and two fen for the lot, and the kraft paper is two fen a sheet. I bought the pepper powder from an old friend who runs a food stall—she threw in the skimmer as a gift. With the cost of the kraft paper, the total came out to exactly one yuan and five jiao.”

Lin Lan took the change, saying sheepishly, “Thank you for buying all this for me, but now you owe a favor on my account. Once I’ve earned some money, I’ll have to treat your friend to a nice meal.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep