Chapter 75: Chapter 72: Have Him Teach Her a Lesson

Lin Lan watched as Little Dou Ding scrambled up the slope on his stubby legs. She deliberately slowed her pace. “Oh my! My son is so capable, even faster than Mommy. I wonder who this amazing and adorable little guy belongs to?”

“He’s Lin Lan’s Little Douzi!” Little Douzi bellowed. As if he’d gotten a sudden burst of energy, he scrambled up the steep slope. Standing there like a conqueror, he waved to Lin Lan. “Mommy, come on, come on!”

Lin Lan made a scary face, showing her teeth and claws as she shouted, “The big bad wolf is coming!”

“Whoa! The big bad wolf is coming!” Little Douzi jumped up, turned, and ran.

Lin Lan quickened her pace to the top of the slope, then bent down and scooped up Little Douzi. “Caught a Little Douzi.”

“HAHAHA…” Little Dou Ding hugged Lin Lan and burst out laughing.

Once she was up the hill, Lin Lan took Little Douzi’s hand and they walked along the main road.

Unlike in the Lexing Team, the houses here were scattered, numbering only two or three hundred households.

The houses along the main road all had earthen walls and straw-thatched roofs, with a vegetable patch in front enclosed by a fence.

People in their courtyards secretly sized up Lin Lan and her son. Some of the older ones recognized Lin Lan and immediately began whispering to their families about how she had eloped to the East Market all those years ago.

A little over ten minutes later, the mother and son stood before a stone wall. The courtyard gate was wide open, and voices could be heard from inside.

Little Douzi looked at Lin Lan. “Mommy, are we at Grandma’s house?”

“We’re here,” Lin Lan replied softly. She took a deep breath and led him into the courtyard…

Everything in the courtyard came into view: the vegetable garden, the jasmine and gardenia flowers, a clothesline stretched across the yard, Lin Changyou sitting in a lounge chair smoking a dry pipe, and Wu Shufen squatting in front of a wooden basin, cleaning a fish.

“Grandma!” Little Douzi broke free from Lin Lan and ran over.

Wu Shufen whipped her head around. Seeing the mother and son, a happy smile spread across her face. She quickly rinsed her hands in the basin and wiped them on her apron. “Oh my! Grandma’s precious grandson is back!”

Lin Changyou stared at Lin Lan, stunned for a moment, then said with feigned anger, “You silly girl, why are you just standing at the entrance? Get in here!”

“Hurry and come in. Don’t pay any attention to your father!” Wu Shufen said, then turned to glare at her husband. “You miss her and talk about her all day when she’s not here, but the moment she’s back, you pull a long face.”

Lin Changyou’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

Seeing the redness in Lin Changyou’s eyes, Lin Lan felt her heart ache. She looked at him and called out, “Dad! I’m home.”

“Mm,” Lin Changyou grunted. He stepped forward and took the carrying rack from her shoulder, saying with concern, “It’s such a long way. Why carry something so heavy?”

’She’s grown up. She seems much more capable now, not like before when she’d sulk at the slightest criticism.’

“It’s not heavy. I bought you some Quanxing Daqu liquor and fried some fava beans to go with your drink.” Lin Lan happily took Little Douzi’s hand. “Douzi, hurry and call him Grandpa.”

Little Douzi wasn’t shy at all. He went up, took Lin Changyou’s hand, and said sweetly, “Grandpa, I’m Little Douzi.”

“Good boy!” Lin Changyou reached out a large, rough hand to pat his head, looking at him lovingly. “Grandpa will get you some peanuts.”

Little Douzi nodded and went into the main hall with Lin Changyou.

Wu Shufen looked at the things in the carrying rack, feeling both distressed and happy. She looked at her with mock reproach. “It’s not easy for you to earn money. Why did you buy so many things?”

“It didn’t cost that much.” Lin Lan smiled, lifted a basket from the carrying rack, and removed the lid. “You and Dad should try the bean rolls I made.”

Wu Shufen looked at the bean rolls in the basket, then glanced up at her in surprise. “Little Lan, when did you learn to make such beautiful bean rolls?”

Lin Lan fibbed, “I read about how to make snacks in a book a while ago. I tried making them when I first arrived at the Yang family’s place.”

Zhang Xiuqing and a woman in her late twenties with an oval face and a medium build walked up to the courtyard gate.

“Little Lan?” The two of them looked at Lin Lan standing on the stone steps and called out uncertainly.

Lin Lan turned to look at them and recognized them at once. “First Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, you’re back!”

Zhang Xiuqing came forward joyfully and took Lin Lan’s hand. “Little Lan, you’re finally back. I’ve missed you.”

’She meant it. Her sister-in-law might have been a bit lazy and gluttonous, but she kept to herself and wasn’t like other sisters-in-law who egged on their parents-in-law to make life difficult for the wives.’

Zhao Xiaohui also stepped forward, forcing a smile. “Little Lan, you’re back!”

’She didn’t like Lin Lan. She’d been impossibly spoiled when she lived at home and always clashed with her. Only a few months after becoming a widow, the old couple had already given her so much money and so many things. And after doing something so shameful, she still had the nerve to come back home. The little inheritance the old folks had would probably end up in her hands now. Her husband was the second son, so her parents-in-law didn’t value them as much as the eldest son’s family. They didn’t bring honor to the family like the third son, who was a soldier, and they weren’t doted on like the youngest child.’

Lin Lan took out the brown sugar, fruit candies, and meat she had brought for the two families and gave them to the women. “First Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, take this candy back for my nieces and nephews to eat.”

Zhang Xiuqing looked at the items and said with a laugh, “Just coming home is enough. You didn’t have to buy so many things. It’s too extravagant.”

Seeing the gifts, Zhao Xiaohui’s eyes filled with a smile as she looked at Lin Lan. “That’s right! We’re all family, why spend so much money?”

Wu Shufen smiled. “She only comes back once every few years. Her nieces and nephews don’t even recognize her anymore. It’s only right that she buys them some candy.”

Zhao Xiaohui nodded with a wide grin. “Lin Gang and Lin Qing definitely wouldn’t recognize their aunt.”

With their mother-in-law’s approval, the two sisters-in-law happily accepted the gifts from Lin Lan. Zhao Xiaohui picked up her share, ready to head back.

Zhang Xiuqing put her things on the small table on the steps and said to Wu Shufen with a smile, “Mom, you chat with Little Lan. I’ll go make dinner.”

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaohui had no choice but to put the things in her hand on the table as well. “I’ll go help too.”

Wu Shufen looked at Zhang Xiuqing, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve already cleaned the fish. I was waiting for you to cook the yellow catfish!”

’Everyone says I’m biased and favor my eldest daughter-in-law, but with her character and the way she handles things, how could I not?’

“Alright!” Zhang Xiuqing walked over to the wooden basin. Seeing two foot-long river catfish inside, she turned to Lin Lan. “Little Lan, you’re in for a treat. There are two river catfish here!”

“Hee hee!” Lin Lan laughed. “I timed my visit perfectly.”

Wu Shufen happily took her daughter’s hand. “Let your sister-in-law handle that. Mom will take you to see the pigsty out back.”

“Okay!” Lin Lan went to the backyard with Wu Shufen and saw that several orange trees were also planted there. The trees were covered in white, soybean-sized buds, and the blooming blossoms were a dewy white, as fragrant as gardenias.

Seeing her staring at the orange blossoms, Wu Shufen said with a smile, “Our tangerine tree died, so your first sister-in-law got a few orange trees from her family’s home. Oranges are sweeter than tangerines, and they don’t cause ’internal heat.’ The only thing is, they don’t ripen until the weather gets cold.”

Lin Lan nodded. “First Sister-in-law is as capable as ever.”

Wu Shufen opened the back gate. “Your first sister-in-law is a quick worker, and her personality gets along well with mine. Your second sister-in-law is petty. It’s a good thing your second brother can keep her in line. If she dares to give you a sour look, I’ll tell your second brother to deal with her.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep