Chapter 44: Chapter 42: The Uncanny Woman

“Ignoring her is the right thing to do. The more you pay attention to people like her, the more smug they get. Just ignore her and let her stew!”

“Yes!” Lin Lan said with a cheeky grin. “Great-aunt, I’m heading out. Little Douzi is sleeping in his room.”

“I know, you thick-skinned girl!” The old woman chuckled as she closed the backyard gate. She returned to her kitchen and sighed, “Yang Laoyao, you really were a jinx. The moment you left, Lin Lan became so much better.”

As Lin Lan neared the Eucalyptus Forest, she took off her hat and quickened her pace. From a distance, she could see Li Xiangyang already waiting by the edge of the vegetable patch.

She walked up with a smile. “Master Li, sorry to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Li Xiangyang smiled and took the bag. ’Why does she keep calling me Master Li?’

Lin Lan set down the carrying basket and pointed to the contents of the smaller wicker one. “This is Yundou Cake. I heard it was once a snack for the imperial court. It’s especially good for the elderly. It’s just a bit troublesome to make. I plan to sell them for fifteen to twenty cents each. You can decide what’s best.” As she spoke, she took out another bag. “This is small change.”

Li Xiangyang looked at her polite smile, his mood turning a bit sullen as he took the bag of change. He glanced at the wicker basket Lin Lan had uncovered. Inside, the Yundou Cake, with its alternating red and white colors, looked quite appealing. It didn’t seem like the work of a first-timer.

“You can head back now, no need to come back later. After I’m done selling, I’ll return the carrying basket and wicker basket to the old granny’s house.”

He then took out the bag that had been confiscated from her. “The tall, skinny guy is a friend of mine. I got your things back for you.”

“Ah!” Lin Lan never dreamed she’d get her confiscated things back. She felt like she’d just found money on the street and said with a laugh, “Thank you!”

Seeing her look like she’d just found a lost treasure, Li Xiangyang laughed too. “Ding Bang put in a good word. You don’t have to be so formal!”

Lin Lan looked at him gratefully. “Master Li, thank you so much! I’ll give you a cut of the profits! I can’t stay here long, so I’ll head back now.”

When Li Xiangyang heard her offer him a cut, he felt a bit dejected. He picked up the carrying basket and walked away.

Lin Lan watched him turn and leave, feeling a bit confused as she started walking back herself.

She was always in such a hurry before. Only today did she notice that the rice seedlings in the paddies were turning green again, and the beans planted on the ridges had already sprouted.

Seeing the bean sprouts, Lin Lan thought about harvesting a lot of beans when they were ripe to take home. That way, once the markets opened up, she wouldn’t have to worry about not even being able to buy beans to make tofu.

She turned her head and saw Sun Xiuhua dragging Zhang Yazhen toward her.

The two women, who had been heading to the Eucalyptus Forest to catch Lin Lan, also saw her striding toward them.

Zhang Yazhen’s face instantly turned the color of pig’s liver. “Quick, let’s go back! The little widow is coming.” She yanked Sun Xiuhua hard and spun around, hurrying away.

Sun Xiuhua glanced back at the approaching Lin Lan, and the tops of her thighs trembled. The dark bruises on her legs still hadn’t faded, making her want to go back and fight again, to settle the score. But then she remembered Lin Lan’s viciousness and feared losing once more.

Lin Lan watched the two women ahead of her, who looked like they were being chased by a ghost, and snorted coldly. ’You damn hag. Sooner or later, I’ll let you know what it feels like to be thrown in a burlap sack.’

Sun Xiuhua, dragged along so fast her heels barely touched the ground, panted, “Little Zhang, we didn’t see the little widow leave just now! Does her house have a back door in the yard?”

Zhang Yazhen was filled with regret. “I forgot her backyard has a small gate. From the looks of it, she already knows I’m the one who reported her.”

Her biggest regret was that she wouldn’t be able to sell eggs in the Eucalyptus Forest anymore. Each egg sold there earned her two cents more than turning it in to the cooperative. The thought of it made her heart ache.

Sun Xiuhua gritted her teeth. “What’s there to be afraid of? We’ll watch her every day. As long as she dares to go sell, we’ll catch her and settle all our scores, new and old.”

Zhang Yazhen said, “I live right next door to her, and she saw me with you today. I’m not going to watch her with you tomorrow.”

She felt like Lin Lan was a completely different person. Someone who used to be too lazy to even pick up a fallen broom was suddenly hardworking. The change was faster than a flick of a switch.

’And the way she smiled that day… just thinking about it now makes my hair stand on end. It’s too eerie. Sun Xiuhua hates her guts, so why should I get involved?’

Sun Xiuhua shot her a dissatisfied glare. “What do you mean, backing out halfway?”

Zhang Yazhen told her what she was thinking. “Sister Sun, don’t you think it’s eerie? If it weren’t for the crackdown on superstition these days, I’d want to find a mystic to take a look.”

“Now that you mention it, I think it’s a bit eerie too.” Sun Xiuhua thought for a moment. “I know a mystic. I can go quietly invite her over to take a look.”

Zhang Yazhen leaned in and lowered her voice. “Getting caught for feudal superstition is serious trouble.”

Sun Xiuhua looked at her. “If you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, and the mystic doesn’t say anything, who’s going to know?”

Zhang Yazhen hesitated for a moment. “Let’s talk about it when we get back!”

The two walked back in silence, heads down. When they reached the gate of the Xiong family, Sun Xiuhua stopped Zhang Yazhen. “Have you made up your mind?”

Zhang Yazhen thought for a moment. “Sister Sun, let’s just forget about calling the mystic. If you get caught, not even the brigade leader will be able to protect you! It might even get him in trouble!”

After hearing this, Sun Xiuhua thought it over. “You have a point. If his uncle finds out, I’ll be in big trouble.”

Zhang Yazhen glanced at Lin Lan, who was following behind them. “We’re right next door. We’ll catch her sooner or later.”

Sun Xiuhua nodded. “Right! I’ll go to the Eucalyptus Forest every afternoon. I refuse to believe I can’t catch her!”

Lin Lan followed the two women at an unhurried pace. She combined the original Lin Lan’s memories with what had happened since she arrived, but she couldn’t find any instance where she had wronged Zhang Yazhen.

She just couldn’t understand why Zhang Yazhen was latched onto her like a rabid dog, refusing to let go.

When Sun Xiuhua got home, she went over to Liu Guozhi’s house and told him about running into Lin Lan on the road.

Liu Guozhi shot her a sidelong glance. He thought his second brother’s wife was truly hopeless—not just brainless, but unable to understand simple instructions.

’I told her to go take a look quietly and come back immediately whether she saw anything or not. But she dragged that gossip Zhang Yazhen along with her. What’s the difference between two gossips together and banging on gongs and drums? What the hell was there to see then!’

That afternoon, he had made a special trip into town to ask a cadre he was on good terms with. From what the man said, it seemed the political winds were truly about to change.

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. “You didn’t even catch her. You have to catch a thief with the stolen goods, understand?”

“I understand!” Seeing Liu Guozhi’s foul expression, Sun Xiuhua shuffled out awkwardly, having already made up her mind to go try and catch Lin Lan again tomorrow.

Liu Fang looked at Liu Guozhi. “Dad, what trouble did that lazy woman Lin Lan get into now?”

Liu Guozhi shot her a glare. “…, I had your second aunt go take a look, and look at the mess she made! You remember this: don’t you ever be like your second aunt and the others, stirring up trouble for the family with their gossiping.”

“Dad, how could you believe Second Aunt’s words?” Liu Fang pouted, her face full of disdain. “A woman like Lin Lan? She’s so lazy she wouldn’t even eat a snake sunbathing in her path. The idea that she’d make things to sell? You’d have an easier time fooling a ghost!”

Liu Guozhi’s eyes widened. “Little Fang, you’re the brigade’s barefoot doctor, and a young lady besides. Who did you learn to be so sharp-tongued and mean from?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep