Chapter 46: Chapter 44: Don’t Be Too Picky, or You’ll Be Dazzled

Li Xiangyang set down the carrier basket. “You know how it is. Since the old man retired, I’ve been watching over the pig farm and the slaughterhouse all by myself. The farm has fewer restrictions this year, but I still have to sell the meat like a thief. I have to sleep with one eye open.”

“I know. Ding Bang says better days are coming.” The old lady looked at him affectionately. “When you’re not so busy, and Ding Bang is home, we’ll get Dongzi to come over. I’ll make a few dishes, and you boys can catch up.”

Li Xiangyang readily agreed. “Sounds good. We’ll get Dongzi and all come see Ding Bang for a get-together.”

He, Xu Dong, and Yang Dingbang had been together since they were toddlers. The three were sworn brothers.

Yang Dingbang was the eldest, Xu Dong the second, and he was the third. One of them was the captain of the joint defense team, the other a senior detective. And he was just a pig butcher and meat seller.

What moved him was that no matter what, the two of them always treated him and his old man just like they always had.

The old lady poured an enamel mug of tea, placed it on the table, and beamed at him. “I haven’t seen Dongzi in years! How many kids does he have now? Is he still with the joint defense team?”

Li Xiangyang picked up the enamel mug and took a sip, discovering it was sweetened with honey. “He’s still with the team. A son and a daughter. The older one is five, the younger one’s three this year. His wife works at the local police station. She’s a real sharp and capable woman.”

“Ai!” The old lady sighed. “That just leaves you and Ding Bang unsettled. You should find a woman, you know. Don’t be too picky; someone decent is good enough. The fear is that you’ll search high and low only to pick a bad one.”

“I plan to wait another two years. If I still haven’t found someone by then, you can use your sharp eyes to pick one for me,” Li Xiangyang said with a cheeky grin.

The old lady chuckled and nodded. “Alright. When the time comes, I’ll put on my reading glasses and pick a good one for you.”

Li Xiangyang brought Lin Lan’s carrier basket over to the old lady. “Grandma, everything’s sold out. You can just have Lin Lan send the next batch over tomorrow.”

The old lady dragged the basket to the side. “Xiangyang, thank you for the trouble. Lin Lan is a single woman with a child. If she doesn’t make some food to sell for a bit of cash, how can she possibly raise her son on just those work points? Back in those days, when I was alone, if her in-laws hadn’t helped, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have even been able to raise Ding Bang.”

Li Xiangyang patted the old lady’s hand. “Grandma, selling her things is no trouble at all. Don’t you worry. I’ll be watching over this area for the next two months. When she sends her goods over, I’ll help her sell them while I’m at it.”

The old lady looked at him gratefully. “Thank you! Sit for a while, stay and have a simple meal with me!”

Li Xiangyang picked up his carrier basket. “I’ll pass this time. The old man is still at home waiting for me for dinner.”

The old lady didn’t press him. “Alright, I won’t keep you. You boys make your plans, and just come on over when you’re ready.”

“Okay! Don’t bother seeing me out, I’m a fast walker.” With that, Li Xiangyang left the old lady’s house and walked off at a brisk pace.

The old lady carried the basket to Lin Lan’s house. Little Douzi told her that his mother was out in their private plot, pulling weeds.

She put the basket in the kitchen and went to the private plot outside the surrounding wall. She saw that the rapeseed plants in the field were lush and green, and had already bolted and started to bud.

“Lin Lan, I put the basket in the kitchen. I’m heading back now.”

“Grandaunt,” Lin Lan called out, turning her head with a handful of weeds. “I’ve already made dinner; it’s in the pot. Please, stay and eat with us.”

“No, I can’t! If I don’t eat the rice at my place soon, it’ll start growing weevils.” The old lady turned to leave.

Lin Lan knew she was afraid of eating her rations and being a burden, so she hurried out of the rapeseed field and grabbed her arm. She smiled, “Grandaunt, how about this? You eat dinner here, and Little Douzi can eat lunch at your place. That should work, right?”

The old lady looked at her chidingly. “Aren’t you afraid this old woman will eat up all your rations?”

’She knew Lin Lan was asking her to stay for dinner because she was worried she’d be lonely by herself. In truth, she was used to the quiet and wasn’t afraid of being home alone.’

Lin Lan grinned at her. “I am, I’m scared to death.”

Little Douzi stopped playing with his ants and ran over, pulling the old lady toward the courtyard.

“Great-Granny, Mama made delicious egg drop soup! Let’s eat together.”

“Alright, Great-Granny will eat at your house.” The old lady grinned so wide her eyes crinkled shut, and she let Little Douzi lead her back.

The three of them returned to the kitchen. Lin Lan washed her hands. In a bamboo colander were some pea shoots, on a plate were slices of celtuce, and a red radish had been julienned—all prepared in advance.

She had massaged the radish slivers with salt water to remove their bite, rinsed them with cooled boiled water, and squeezed them dry. She then added a spoonful of chili crisp, a spoonful of red chili oil, a pinch of cilantro and chopped scallions, a splash of soy sauce and vinegar, and a little sugar and ground Sichuan peppercorn. After mixing everything evenly, she arranged it on a plate.

The red and white of the radish slivers, mixed with the vibrant green of the cilantro and scallions, was enough to make one’s mouth water.

She brought the pea shoots in egg drop soup and the stir-fried celtuce to the table.

The old lady tried a bite of the radish salad and nodded with a smile. “This tastes wonderful. It would be perfect with some congee.”

Lin Lan said, “My brother brought over some sweet potatoes. I’ll make sweet potato congee for dinner tomorrow.”

Little Douzi picked up a piece of celtuce. “Mama, I like celtuce, but I don’t like radishes.”

Lin Lan placed some egg in his bowl. “We can make a cold salad with celtuce too. Mama will make some celtuce sliver salad for you tomorrow.”

Little Douzi nodded. “Okay! Great-Granny’s stir-fried bean sprouts are yummy too.”

The old lady laughed. “Great-Granny prefers lighter flavors. It’s just right for one old person and one little one to eat together.”

After dinner, Lin Lan saw the worry still lingering on the old lady’s face and tried to comfort her. “Grandaunt, please don’t worry. Ding Bang will handle the matter with Dandan.”

The old lady thought for a moment. “I think I’ll go see Ding Bang tomorrow. You can bring Little Douzi over after I get back.”

“Alright. It would be good for you to go ask, so you can have some peace of mind. I’ll take you there tomorrow morning.”

The old lady waved her hand dismissively. “No need to take me. The Public Security Bureau isn’t far past the local police station. I can get there by myself.”

Lin Lan had no choice but to nod. “Very well. When you get there, please talk things out calmly. Don’t get worked up.”

The old lady’s brow furrowed. “I won’t get worked up. I’m already filled to the brim with anger.”

’Times have changed. Before, a woman who fooled around couldn’t even lift her head in public. Now, she has the nerve to shamelessly come and fight for the child. If she pushes me too far, I’ll go to Yun City and tell everyone what she’s done.’

After washing the pots and bowls, Lin Lan and Little Douzi walked the old lady to the other side of the ditch. When they returned, she closed the courtyard gate, began to feed the pigs, and cleaned the pigsty.

The two little pigs were well-behaved, knowing to relieve themselves at the edge of the manure trough. She just needed to use a dung rake to push the waste into the manure pit and rinse the area with water, and the pigsty would be spotless.

Little Douzi helped feed Dahuang and even volunteered to go to the bamboo grove to call the chickens home.

“Here, chick-chick-chick! Come home!”

From the pigsty, Lin Lan heard his high-pitched, childish voice calling the chickens into the courtyard. She carried the pig feed bucket outside and saw him grabbing handfuls of rice bran and paper mulberry leaves from a burlap sack, mixing them together, and pouring them into the chicken trough.

Watching Little Douzi so seriously doing these chores, Lin Lan’s heart ached. Tears fell uncontrollably, and she quickly turned her head to wipe them away.

She turned back, a smile on her face. “Little Douzi, did you learn how to feed the chickens from your grandma?”

’Ever since she’d arrived, she felt he was deeply insecure, terrified that she would abandon him. Except for when she went to the fields for work, he had to follow her everywhere. He wouldn’t go out to play, no matter who called for him.’

’Such a little child had already learned to read people’s expressions. He was not only a smooth talker but also exceptionally sharp, doing his best to please her, his mother, terrified that she might leave him behind.’

The more Lin Lan thought about it, the more her heart ached. Her nose tingled, and fresh tears welled up. She quickly turned away again to wipe them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep