Chapter 217: Chapter 213: I’m Here

The trio hadn’t even reached the East Market when the rain started to fall.

In the Eucalyptus Forest, the vendors and commune members selling vegetables scrambled to pack their goods into their baskets and boxes, then hurried for home.

“Damn this weather!” Yang Liying cursed. “It was perfectly fine when we set up, and now it’s raining again?” She quickly pulled out an oilcloth to cover her tofu and bean curd, keeping the rain out of the buckets.

Lin Lan had a pushcart, so she wasn’t worried about the rain ruining her pastries. She just had to put the delicate bamboo baskets of pastries away in the cart’s compartment.

Little Douzi put down his toy and stood on his tiptoes to help pack the spiced fava beans from the display into a basket. “Mama, I’ll help you.”

“Stay under the awning so you don’t get wet,” Lin Lan said, pulling him beneath it.

Teacher Zheng was sick, so the children had the day off. Otherwise, getting soaked on the way home from school in this cold would have been a real problem.

Hou Bing laughed. “Still, Lin Lan’s pushcart is the best. You don’t have to panic when it rains.”

“It really is!” Zhou Xiaohong said, placing her back-basket on Lin Lan’s cart. “If I thought I’d be doing this for much longer, I’d have someone make a cart like this for me too.”

Li Wu chimed in with a grin, “Exactly! Why didn’t Xiangyang think of making one sooner?”

Hou Gui, shouldering his own back-basket, walked over to Li Wu and shot him a sidelong glance. “You kid. Back then, even if Xiangyang had given you one for free, you wouldn’t have dared to bring it out.”

Zhou Xiaohong nodded. “That’s right. Have you forgotten when we were always getting chased around like chicken thieves?”

Street vending used to be like guerilla warfare. A pushcart was such a huge target; who would have dared use one to set up shop?

The group joked around as they worked, their hands never slowing. They frantically packed up their stalls. Some pulled out urea sacks, folding a corner to wear over their heads like a rain hood. Others draped an oilcloth over their heads and back-baskets and took off at a run.

Li Xiangyang walked up to Lin Lan’s stall, carrying a back-basket. “Little Douzi, time to go.”

Little Douzi held out a folded urea sack. “Uncle Xiangyang, here’s a pointy hat for you.”

Li Xiangyang chuckled, taking it and putting it on his head. He grinned and asked, “How do I look?”

“You look great!” Little Douzi beamed, putting another sack on his own head. “Look, Uncle Xiangyang, I have one too!”

Li Xiangyang lifted him toward the pushcart. “Sit tight. Uncle will take you home.”

Little Douzi wrapped his arms around Li Xiangyang’s neck, wiggling his bottom. “The cart is too wobbly! I like riding on the crossbar.”

“You little rascal. The crossbar it is, then.” Li Xiangyang laughed, lifting him onto the bicycle’s crossbar. He then called over to Lin Lan, who was helping Yang Liying pack up, “We’re heading out!”

Lin Lan looked back. “Okay, be careful, you two!” The group then headed back, braving the icy wind and rain.

The rain grew heavier. Li Xiangyang stopped his bike, peering back through the mist. He saw Lin Lan and Yang Liying were still far behind and decided he had to rush home before coming back to get them.

To speed things up, Li Xiangyang took out a rope and secured Little Douzi to his back. “Little Douzi, hold on tight to my neck. Don’t fall off.”

“Okay!” Little Douzi hugged Li Xiangyang’s neck and rested his head on his back, feeling wonderfully content. He leaned his head forward and gave Li Xiangyang’s cheek a loud SMACK of a kiss.

Li Xiangyang froze for a second, then chuckled. “You little rascal!”

He pedaled home quickly, set Little Douzi down on the covered steps, then turned his bike around and plunged back into the wind and rain.

Halfway there, he saw that Zhao Dehai, holding an umbrella, had already reached the two women, and the three of them were rushing back.

Yang Liying and her husband went straight home. Lin Lan returned to her house and ladled a large basin of hot water from an earthenware pot. She washed Little Douzi’s face, swapped his wet cloth shoes for dry ones, and had him lie down on the bed.

She came back out and said to Li Xiangyang, “Your hair is soaked. Go wash it, quickly. I’ll make some ginger tea to warm you up.”

Li Xiangyang nodded with a smile, carrying the basin of water out to the covered steps by the back door. A moment later, he was asking Lin Lan for shampoo, and a moment after that, for a towel.

Lin Lan saw the suds still on the back of his neck and suspected he’d missed the spot on purpose. She gave his back a playful, scolding pat. “Bend over a little. I’ll pour some water and rinse those suds off for you.”

“Okay,” Li Xiangyang grunted, bending over so Lin Lan could help him rinse his hair.

“There, all clean!” Lin Lan said, draping a dry towel over his head.

Li Xiangyang briskly towel-dried his hair, then looked at her with a wide grin. “Little Lan,” he said softly, “help me wipe my back.” He then turned and bent over.

“You’re being silly!” Lin Lan shot him a mock-reproachful glare. She rinsed out the towel, lifted the back of his jacket, and, blushing furiously, gave his back a few quick wipes. “There!”

Li Xiangyang straightened up and watched her, a wide, knowing smile on his face. He didn’t say a word.

As Lin Lan put the towel in the basin and straightened up, Li Xiangyang leaned in, trapping her against the wall. He stared deeply into her eyes. “Little Lan, I missed you.”

“You silly fool,” Lin Lan’s voice softened involuntarily. “I’m right here, aren’t I?”

Li Xiangyang just looked at her, saying nothing, his dark eyes shimmering with an undisguised desire.

Lin Lan’s gaze fell on his chiseled face, his full, red lips, his gently bobbing Adam’s apple… She swallowed hard. “Xiang… Xiangyang, let me go. Little Douzi might come out.”

Li Xiangyang didn’t speak, only moved closer until the tip of his strong nose brushed against hers. He whispered in her ear, “I want you. I want us to get married soon.”

His low voice held an indescribable allure, like a foxtail frond tickling her ear, and Lin Lan’s heart began to pound. “The eighth of the fourth month next year… it’s coming up fast…”

But before she could finish, Li Xiangyang’s hand suddenly cradled the back of her head. With a gentle pull, he captured her lips with his…

Lin Lan watched him, his eyes half-closed as he kissed her softly. His right hand caressed her by the ear, his touch tender and devoted. In that instant, she felt like she was his most precious treasure, cradled in the palm of his hand.

“Anyone home?” a voice suddenly called from the kitchen. “Lin Lan? Xiangyang? Little Douzi?” It was Brother Yong and the others; they were back.

The two of them separated in a flash, like a pair of startled rabbits.

“We’re here!” Li Xiangyang answered, taking a deep breath and clearing his throat. His voice was still a little deep and husky. “We thought you were coming back tomorrow.” With that, he stepped into the kitchen.

Lin Lan felt like her face was on fire. She quickly squatted, grabbed the wet towel, and pressed it to her cheeks. The cool cloth was a relief, and only then did the burning heat begin to subside.

Lin Yuezhen walked over and gave her sleeve a little tug, a knowing smile on her face. Lin Lan lowered the towel, her own smile awkward. “Sis, you’re back!”

Lin Yuezhen nodded, pointing to Qiaohui, who was standing by the back door.

Qiaohui blushed and called out nervously, “Cousin!” ’My cousin is so pretty,’ she thought. ’She doesn’t look like a country girl at all.’

“Hello!” Lin Lan answered warmly. She looked at the girl—Qiaohui, she presumed. She was small and slender, with delicate, doll-like features: a palm-sized face, a small nose, small eyes, and a small mouth. All together, she was quite pretty in a pleasant way. Lin Lan smiled. “You must be Qiaohui, right?”

“Yes!” Qiaohui replied. Seeing Lin Lan’s smile, she finally felt at ease.

Only then did Lin Lan notice that both of their hair and jackets were soaked through. “Yuezhen,” she said hurriedly, “take Qiaohui to get washed up and change into some dry clothes. I’ll get started on dinner.”

Lin Yuezhen nodded with a smile, taking the basin from Lin Lan. She then led Qiaohui off to ladle water and get cleaned up.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep