novelraw Chapter 240 - 237: Registered the Marriage
Chapter 240 - 237: Registered the Marriage
Liu Guozhi felt a sour knot in his stomach. "Your Jianming is already so accomplished. If my second brother’s son, Jinbao, were half as promising as your Jianming, that would be something!"
He didn’t believe Lin Lan had earned the money to buy it herself. He thought Li Xiangyang was just smitten with her and had paid for it. Otherwise, what young man would want to marry a widow with baggage?
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang went to the street where the police station was and turned left toward the photo studio. When they reached the entrance, Lin Lan saw a family portrait in the display window, along with photos of children in little military uniforms. It occurred to her that she hadn’t taken Little Douzi to get his picture taken since they had arrived.
Li Xiangyang locked up his bicycle. Seeing Lin Lan looking at the family portrait in the window, he smiled and said to her, "Next time, let’s bring Little Douzi and my dad and take a family portrait."
Lin Lan nodded eagerly. "Okay. After the wedding banquet, we’ll bring them all."
The two entered the photo studio. A photographer with salt-and-pepper hair glanced at them and asked, "What kind of photos are you here to take?"
Li Xiangyang said, "We’d like to take wedding photos and also some headshots."
The old master nodded. "Color or black and white?"
"Color!" Li Xiangyang answered brightly.
"Alright!" The old master, smiling, led the two into the photography studio. He drew the curtain, had them sit down, and went to check behind the camera. He asked them to move a little closer, then told Li Xiangyang to relax and not be so serious.
After correcting their posture twice, the old master waited for a moment when they were not paying attention. CLICK. Then, he had Lin Lan sit by herself to take her headshot.
"The photos are taken. Do you want them rushed or regular? The rush order costs fifty percent more than the standard!" the old master said with a smile.
Li Xiangyang said quickly, "The rush order."
The old master nodded, wrote out a slip, and handed it to Li Xiangyang. "Come pick them up tomorrow morning!"
Li Xiangyang nodded, took the slip, and put it in his pocket. "Thank you for your trouble."
The two left the photo studio together, sweet smiles on their faces. Li Xiangyang quietly squeezed Lin Lan’s hand, and they exchanged a smile. He then rode his bike and took her back to Lexing.
Li Xiangyang checked the time, then looked at Lin Lan and said softly, "Brother Yong is gone, so I need to go check on the clothing factory."
Lin Lan nodded. She watched him ride away until he was out of sight before heading into the courtyard.
Qiaohui said, "Cousin, I’ve finished peeling the broad beans. I’m going to make lunch now."
"Okay. Go cut some spinach to stir-fry, and pick some pea shoots for an egg drop soup."
"Okay!" Qiaohui grabbed a basket and a sickle and headed toward the vegetable patch.
Lin Lan had just washed her hands and was about to strain the bean paste when Yang Meihua’s voice came from outside. "Qiaohui, is your cousin here?"
"I’m here," Lin Lan called out, walking to the kitchen doorway. She smiled at Yang Meihua. "It’s cold outside. Come sit in the kitchen."
Yang Meihua nodded and followed Lin Lan into the kitchen to sit down. She looked at her with a wide grin. "I heard from Xiang Hua that you and Xiangyang went to the brigade to get your certificate. When are you holding the banquet?"
"The eighth day of the fourth lunar month next year," Lin Lan said, shooting her a playful glare. "Is that the only reason you came?"
"Lin Lan," Yang Meihua began, hesitating for a moment. "I wanted to ask you... if I could buy some of your pastries wholesale to sell?"
Lin Lan thought for a moment after hearing this. "Sister Meihua, I’d be more than happy for you to sell my pastries wholesale. But with the black market gone, more and more people will be selling food at the vegetable market. A pastry stall isn’t a long-term solution. I think you’d be better off getting a small cart and selling fried potatoes outside the vehicle factory and the silk factory."
There used to be an alley next to her old shop where a woman sold fried potatoes all year round. She just had a coal stove, a pot of oil, a small square table, a few little stools, and a bundle of bamboo skewers. The costs were low, but she earned quite a bit of money.
She was willing to give Yang Meihua this idea partly because of Yang Meihua herself, and partly because her husband, He Xianghua, was a brigade cadre. In the countryside, a brigade cadre’s influence was significant when it came to things like building a house or getting other matters handled.
"How do you fry the potatoes?" Yang Meihua asked, looking at her. "And the things we make... will people in the city actually like them?"
"It’s all about the seasoning. As long as you’re not stingy with the spices, people are sure to like it."
Yang Meihua looked at her and smiled. "You’re the best cook. You have to teach me!"
Lin Lan got up and fetched the barbecue seasoning powder left over from last night. She handed it to her. "Here, smell this. Isn’t it fragrant?"
Yang Meihua took it and sniffed, nodding repeatedly. "It is! When Little Kai and Little Yun came home last night, they said the grilled meat at your place was delicious."
"Fry the potatoes in rapeseed oil, and once they’re done, scoop some of this barbecue powder over them. Sell them by the potato," Lin Lan explained, handing her the powder. "Take this home and try it out. Discuss it with your husband, and if you think it’s a good idea, I’ll teach you how to mix the seasoning powder."
Yang Meihua looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Lin Lan."
Lin Lan smiled. "Wait until you’ve decided to sell fried potatoes and are making a profit. Then you can come thank me."
Yang Meihua smiled and nodded. "Okay, we’ll save the thanks for later. I should get going now. Little Kai and Little Douzi will be home from school soon."
"Okay," Lin Lan said, walking her to the door. She then turned and went back to her work.
「The next day」
Just after eight o’clock, a beaming Li Xiangyang arrived at Lin Lan’s house carrying a bag of candy. He gave a handful to Qiaohui, then placed some on the table. "This is for Little Douzi."
Lin Lan looked at him with a smile. "You even bought candy? Whose idea was that?"
Li Xiangyang grinned. "Xiuyun’s idea. She even extorted a bag of candy from me for the advice. Let’s go, wifey. The photo studio should be open by now."
Lin Lan glanced at a snickering Qiaohui and secretly gave him a light pinch. "Shameless."
Li Xiangyang said with a completely straight face, "My old man always said you have to be thick-skinned to find a wife."
Lin Lan just stared at him...
When they got to the photo studio, their pictures from yesterday were ready. Li Xiangyang gazed at the photo of Lin Lan with her sweet smile. When he thought no one was looking, he quickly brought it to his lips for a kiss. "I’m going to frame this and hang it by the bed as soon as we get back."
...Lin Lan felt it was too embarrassing to watch. She turned and started walking toward the police station.
Li Xiangyang quickly put the wedding photos back in their sleeve, tucked them into his bag, and hurried after her.
When Lin Lan reached Yao Xiuyun’s office, she took out the certificate from the brigade and the photos and handed them to her with a smile. "Thanks!"
Yao Xiuyun took them, then held out her hands with a grin. "Where’s the wedding candy?"
Lin Lan laughed and jerked her head back. "The candy is right behind me."
Li Xiangyang followed her in, grabbed a handful of candy from his bag, and put it in her hands. "A double portion of wedding candy. Remember to give us a double-sized red envelope in return."
"Of course! Double portion," Yao Xiuyun laughed.
The couple left the police station and went to the Civil Affairs Bureau, where they found quite a few people waiting to get their marriage certificates.
When it was Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang’s turn, she was surprised to discover that in this day and age, getting a marriage certificate still involved the routine question of whether the union was voluntary.
They looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.