Chapter 90: Chapter 87: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

“Yes!” Lin Lan said with a smile. “Mom’s fermented tofu is just as good as the kind from the supply co-op. If we grind up some mushrooms into a powder and mix it into the seasoning to enhance the flavor, we could sell it for a good price.”

She thought about the various chili sauces, meat sauces, and shiitake mushroom sauces that would appear in the future, feeling that the culinary skills of so many housewives were being wasted.

Lin Guoliang nodded. “Okay. We planted a lot of soybeans in the mountains this year. When we harvest them, we’ll turn them all into fermented tofu.”

Lin Lan brought out the bag of high-quality flour. “Big Brother, take this flour back with you. Have Mom make some steamed buns for Little Jun and the others.”

Lin Guoliang glared at her. “You’re wasting money again! That meat yesterday, that alcohol—it all costs money. You need to be more frugal. That way, you’ll actually have something in your pocket when you need it.”

“I’m usually very frugal!” Lin Lan looked at him with a wide grin. “Big Brother, we work hard to earn money so we can eat well and dress well. If we’re still eating chaff and wild vegetables like before, what’s the point of earning money?”

Lin Guoliang was stunned by her words. After a moment, he said, “You and your excuses!”

Lin Lan gave a silly laugh. “Hehe!”

“Sis, if anyone gives you trouble, send word to us,” Lin Guoqiang said, stopping at the door to remind her.

Lin Lan’s heart warmed as she nodded. “I know.”

“Douzi, Uncle is leaving now.” Lin Guoliang ruffled Little Douzi’s hair, then looked at Lin Yuezhen. “Yuezhen, you just focus on settling in here.”

The two of them nodded repeatedly, watching the brothers leave with the high-quality flour and a bag of pea cakes.

Little Douzi waved nonstop, only following the two women back into the courtyard after his uncles had disappeared into the distance.

Yang Liying arrived, her brow furrowed.

Seeing her expression, Lin Lan figured she was probably upset about Zhao Dehai helping to beat up Liu Jinbao. Just as she was about to speak, Yang Liying launched into a tirade.

“I went over to Eldest Sister’s house today to suggest she grind soybeans and sell tofu. And you’ll never guess what Wang Zemin said about us!”

Hearing this, Lin Lan felt petty for her earlier assumption and blushed slightly. “What did Eldest Brother-in-law say?”

Yang Liying said furiously, “He said we were undermining the development of a moderately prosperous society! He called us profiteers, real-life Zhou Bapis, and said he’d only refrain from reporting us because we’re family. No good deed goes unpunished! I’m never getting involved in their family’s business again.”

Lin Lan scoffed. “That stubborn old mule. As if he’s the only one with high principles. Why doesn’t he look at how his whole family is starving and poor because of him? His son is all grown up and can’t even find a wife.”

Yang Liying nodded emphatically. “Exactly! He gets on my nerves every time I see him. I have no idea what Eldest Sister ever saw in him.”

Seeing her puffing her cheeks in anger, Lin Lan laughed. “Don’t be mad. Next year, when more people are running small businesses, you can go and see what he has to say then.”

Yang Liying nodded. “I’ll march right up and ask him then!” She thought Wang Zemin must have a screw loose—turning down a chance to make five or six yuan a day, preferring to live a life where he couldn’t even afford to buy matches.

Lin Lan said apologetically, “Third Sister, about last night…”

“I know!” Yang Liying cut her off in a low voice. “So what if we gave that son of a bitch a good beating to let off some steam? If our family had anyone to stand up for you, someone would have been at his door that very day.”

“Thank you, Third Sister.” Lin Lan’s heart felt warm as she looked at her.

“Hah! You’re making me feel awkward! Anyway, I’m not going to talk about it. I’m heading back now.” As she spoke, Yang Liying headed for the courtyard gate.

Lin Lan smiled as she watched her leave.

Lin Yuezhen watched them, thinking how wonderful the relationship between the two sisters-in-law was.

Lin Lan was thinking about tidying up the east wing to use as a guest room. She said to Lin Yuezhen, “Sister, would you prefer to share a room with us, or would you like to have the main room to yourself?”

Lin Yuezhen shook her head and gestured, “I’ll stay in the same room with you.”

Lin Lan nodded. “Okay! I’ll set up a bed for you at the head of our bed.”

She led Lin Yuezhen to the pigsty building, climbed up a post, and retrieved a small plank bed from the storage space in the rafters. After wiping it clean, she placed it at the head of her own bed and laid out a mattress and bedding. Now the three of them would keep each other company in one room.

Once the bed was ready, the three of them ate leftover cold dishes from last night with some reheated steamed buns. Then they closed the courtyard gate and took an hour-long nap before getting up to wash zongzi leaves and cook peas.

A short while later, Yang Liying and her husband arrived with two new wooden buckets to grind soybeans. She was able to sell two buckets of tofu pudding and three blocks of tofu a day, and she also had a standing order for tofu and tofu pudding from a cafeteria.

The two families finished preparing their respective goods for the stall and set off for the Eucalyptus Forest.

Lin Lan remembered that the Dragon Boat Festival was only six days away. She told her customers that she was going to make and sell red bean and salted pork zongzi, sweet red bean paste zongzi, and chestnut and salted pork zongzi. She asked them whether they preferred savory or sweet flavors.

Most preferred savory, while a few liked sweet. Some said they liked the red bean and salted pork zongzi, others said they preferred the chestnut and salted pork kind, telling her to make them so they could come and buy some.

After doing her survey, Lin Lan had a good idea of what to do. She went to Li Wu to buy glutinous rice, then went to Li Xiangyang to buy more pork belly and a block of lard, preparing to cure the pork for the zongzi.

When Yang Liying saw her coming over with dozens of catties of glutinous rice, she asked in surprise, “Lin Lan, what are you doing with so much glutinous rice? If you just want to eat some zongzi, I still have four or five catties at home. I could give you half, and it would be more than enough!”

Lin Lan smiled. “Third Sister, the Dragon Boat Festival is in a few days. I was thinking of making zongzi to sell.”

Realization dawned on Yang Liying. “You’ve always got the best ideas. But will our zongzi taste as good as the ones from the supply co-op?”

Lin Lan just smiled. “You can taste them for yourself when they’re ready.”

Yang Liying nodded, thinking she should bring all the glutinous rice from her own house over for Lin Lan so she could make more to sell.

When the two sisters-in-law got home, Lin Yuezhen heard Lin Lan say she was going to make zongzi and gestured that she knew how to wrap the triangular ones.

Lin Lan smiled. “That’s exactly the kind I plan on making to sell.”

With Lin Yuezhen at home, life was much easier for Lin Lan. She would come home to a ready-made meal.

After washing all the stall equipment, she called Little Douzi back in from playing outside. The three of them ate dinner, then started toasting salt to cure the pork and shell the chestnuts.

Lin Lan held the pork belly over the fire to sear the skin until it was golden brown and charred, then scraped it clean with a knife. She cut the meat into thin strips. After toasting salt and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, she rubbed the mixture into the pork belly, working it in to marinate overnight.

She washed the chestnuts and had Lin Yuezhen cut a slit in each one. Then she poured them into boiling salted water, cooked them over high heat for a few minutes, and took them out. While they were still hot, they peeled off the shells and skins.

After peeling a few, Lin Yuezhen discovered that boiling the chestnuts this way made them especially easy to peel. The inner skin came off easily too, leaving the chestnuts whole and intact.

Little Douzi sat to one side, telling the two of them about the picture books he’d been reading.

He and Little Kai and some other children had traded the few picture books they’d bought. Whenever Lin Lan had a spare moment, she would read to him, and when he played with Little Kai, they would help him learn to read too.

The two adults listened with smiles on their faces as he told his story. When Little Douzi got to a part he didn’t understand, he would hand the picture book to Lin Lan to teach him. The cozy scene had a feeling of peaceful, quiet times.

These cozy moments passed by especially quickly. In no time, the two of them had finished peeling the large basin of chestnuts. Now it was time to prepare the pea cakes for the next morning.

Lin Lan poured some hot water for Little Douzi to wash up, then carried him to the bed and tucked him in.

Little Douzi tugged on her arm, wheedling, “Mama, I want a story.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep