Chapter 76: Chapter 73: Reserved for You

Lin Lan watched Wu Shufen, who was usually so reasonable, transform into a fiercely protective mother whenever it concerned her daughter. A warmth spread through her heart.

She smiled and took her mother’s arm. “Mom, don’t worry. If I come back after being away for years only to make the whole family unhappy, outsiders will start calling me a troublemaker.”

’From the original owner’s memories, I can tell Zhao Xiaohui is full of petty schemes.’ Lin Lan figured it was because she was terrified of poverty.

“Every family has its own problems. It’s none of their damn business!”

After her outburst, Wu Shufen lowered her voice to tell her about the shares in the pig farm. “I know exactly what Zhao Xiaohui is thinking. She’s afraid we’ll give you a share of the pig farm later. Well, I have no problem telling her that share is being saved just for you.”

Touched, Lin Lan held her hand and gently persuaded her, “Please, don’t do that. Second Sister-in-law might be a bit petty, but she’s actually pretty good compared to the daughters-in-law in other families. So many people are envious of how harmonious our family is!”

“If you fight with my brother and sister-in-law over this, you’ll be giving the people who want to laugh at our family’s expense exactly what they want. The money would feel like a hot potato in my hands, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly at night.”

’I’ve occupied Lin Lan’s body and am already more than content to enjoy the love of her parents and brothers. I can make a good living on my own; I can’t let the family’s peace be shattered over these shares.’

Wu Shufen thought for a moment after hearing this, then shook her head. “No. Your father and your three brothers have all said it. A woman on her own like you needs to have some money and assets for security. They all agreed to save that share for you.”

“I don’t want it. I can earn my own money!” Lin Lan whispered a number in her ear. “I earned that in the ten-odd days since you left.”

“Over three hundred! You’re not just saying that to comfort your mother, are you?” Wu Shufen clapped a hand over her mouth, nearly crying out in shock.

’Excluding the profits from selling the farm’s pigs, the combined work points of several able-bodied laborers for an entire year, even with the money from selling night soil, wouldn’t amount to this much. Can you really make that kind of money from a small business?’

“I’m not lying!” Lin Lan said with a smile. “I got a wholesale order, but I couldn’t fill it all by myself. Otherwise, I could have earned even more.”

’I’ve even thought about producing goods exclusively for them to sell wholesale, but the economic policies haven’t been fully relaxed yet. Besides the shortage of raw materials, I don’t dare to do it too openly!’

Wu Shufen’s heart clenched with worry again. She looked at her daughter with concern. “You must be exhausted, making all that by yourself! And… will they crack down on you for this later?”

The family had started a pig farm, and now Little Lan was running a small business. ’When I have a free moment and think about what happened in the past, I get so scared.’

Her husband insisted that starting a pig farm was government-approved and that there would be no trouble, but she still felt uneasy.

Lin Lan smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Uncle Douzi has sources; there absolutely won’t be a crackdown. If I get tired, I’ll just take a couple of days off. Besides, you know my work. It’s nowhere near as exhausting as the manual labor Eldest Brother and the others do in the fields!”

Wu Shufen thought about it and realized it was true. Compared to the men who toiled in the fields—facing the dirt, backs to the sky, getting so sunburned they shed layers of skin—Little Lan’s work was much easier.

The mother and daughter chatted as they left the courtyard. After a few minutes’ walk, Lin Lan saw a large compound about a hundred meters from the small hill behind them, covering at least two mu of land.

The surrounding wall was three meters high, built with a stone base and a brick top. Shards of broken pottery were embedded along the top, and ramie plants grew in abundance all around the outside.

Ramie root is a medicinal herb, and studies had shown that livestock that ate ramie leaves not only had better quality meat but also suffered fewer diseases and had a higher survival rate.

Wu Shufen said proudly, “This plot of land is in a poor location, so nobody in the production team wanted it. Everyone else built their houses further out. But your dad saw it had a water source and was close to Mantou Mountain, which would make it easy to gather pig feed, so he went to the brigade’s party secretary and got the land approved.”

“Later, he said that if we were going to build, we should build something substantial. That way, even if we couldn’t raise pigs in the future, it could serve as a homestead for your third and fifth brothers. So we took out all our savings, added the allowance your third brother sent home, and built the pig farm.”

Lin Lan nodded. “Dad made the right call. It’s not easy to find a plot this spacious from the production team.”

’This is a fantastic piece of land,’ Lin Lan thought. ’When the household responsibility system is implemented, I could even lease Mantou Mountain behind it. It would be perfect for planting fruit trees, growing ramie, raising pigs and chickens… a great place for agricultural side-businesses.’

Wu Shufen took out a key and opened the gate. Two large yellow dogs tied up in the courtyard started barking nonstop at Lin Lan. WOOF! WOOF! “Dog thieves killed and ate our old big dog,” Wu Shufen explained. “We only got these two last year.”

Lin Lan nodded, observing that the pigpens occupied half the land. The rest of the courtyard was planted with corn, potatoes, and taro, while various gourds and beans grew along the base of the walls.

The pigsties were swept clean. A dozen or so fat pigs had sleek, glossy coats and plump, round rumps. They looked perfectly fattened and ready for market.

The piglets, likely from the same litter as the ones at Lin Lan’s own house, were huddled together in a corner.

Wu Shufen pointed at the fat pigs, her face beaming. “They’re almost ready for slaughter. Half will go to the state, and the other half is already spoken for by the butchers. They pay a better price.”

Lin Lan was reminded of Li Xiangyang’s family pig farm. ’Their profits are much more impressive.’

“Maybe in the future, we can set up our own pork stall in town.”

“But no one in the family knows how to butcher a pig. You think it’s easy being a butcher?” Wu Shufen gestured upwards. “The people in charge… they take their cut.”

Lin Lan had seen this sort of thing countless times before. ’Give someone a sliver of power, and as long as they have some authority over you, you have to bow and grovel.’

After looking around, the mother-daughter duo left the pig farm. Just as they were about to head home, they saw Lin Guoliang and Lin Guoqiang returning, carrying buckets of night soil on shoulder poles.

“Little Lan…” Lin Guoliang stared at the pair standing by the pig farm gate, hardly believing his eyes. After a second look, he broke into a smile. “It really is you. You’re back.”

Lin Lan nodded, smiling. “Eldest Brother. Little Brother. I got back a little while ago.”

Lin Guoqiang stared at his sister, who seemed much more mature now. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He resented Lin Lan. ’Other boys’ sisters doted on their little brothers, but his was always stealing his things. Not only did she get him into trouble with their parents, but she also made him a laughingstock among his friends, who mocked him for having such a shameless, immoral sister.’

’He’d fought them over it, again and again, until they were too scared to say anything bad about her to his face.’

Wu Shufen walked over and playfully smacked his arm. “Your sister is talking to you. Why didn’t you answer?”

Lin Lan grinned at Lin Guoqiang. “It’s all right. I was in the wrong in the past. It’s only right for me to be the first to greet him.”

“Hmph! Save it!” Lin Guoqiang turned his head away from her. ’Does she think she can wipe the slate clean with a few nice words? It’s not that easy.’

Lin Lan continued to try and win him over. “Little Brother, I made some delicious bean cakes with white sugar and red bean paste. I remember how much you love sweet pastries.”

“I’m still ignoring you!” Lin Guoqiang rolled his eyes at her. “I’ll get to eat them whether I talk to you or not.”

Lin Guoliang had seen enough. He smacked his brother on the back. “You little brat! Little Lan is going out of her way to be nice to you. You’d better quit while you’re ahead!”

Under pressure from his older brother, Lin Guoqiang mumbled perfunctorily, “Sis.”

Lin Lan deliberately gave a loud, cheerful, “Yes!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep