novelraw Chapter 323 - 320: The Sweet Wine of Happiness
Chapter 323 - 320: The Sweet Wine of Happiness
"Who are you?" Lin Lan looked at her, suddenly unable to remember who she was.
The woman looked at her with playful reproach. "It’s true what they say, important people have short memories. I’m your deskmate, Gou Haiyan!"
Gou Haiyan looked at Lin Lan, dressed in a black woolen coat and short boots with a beige wool scarf around her neck. She thought that Lin Lan had truly changed, becoming as confident and stylish as someone from a big city.
’Could what Lin Li and the others said be true? Did Lin Lan really land a rich man? Did she really buy a television and a sewing machine for her family?’
Gou Haiyan snuck a glance at the tall man standing beside Lin Lan, pushing a bicycle. She thought his gaze was a little cold.
Lin Lan patted her head and gave a polite laugh. "Sorry about that. My mind just went blank for a second."
’She remembered now. This was Gou Haiyan, one of the friends who had gone to East Market with her former self, where they met Yang Guangming. If she recalled correctly, Gou Haiyan was the only one who had warned her that Yang Guangming didn’t seem like a decent guy.’
’Her former self had promised she wouldn’t see Yang Guangming anymore, but as soon as he whispered a few sweet nothings, she would get so swept up she couldn’t think straight.’
Gou Haiyan laughed heartily. "Don’t worry about it. It’s been years. If people hadn’t been saying you were coming back, I wouldn’t have recognized you either."
She paused for a moment, looking at Lin Lan. "Lin Li is back too. How about we come over this afternoon to catch up?"
Lin Lan could only nod. "Okay. I’m going to my mom’s place first. We can meet up this afternoon."
Gou Haiyan waved and turned to walk into her courtyard.
As Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang pushed their bicycles up to the wall of the Lin family courtyard, the three Lin brothers came out to greet them.
Lin Guozhu politely took the bicycle from Li Xiangyang. "Xiangyang, let me get that for you."
"Thanks, Third Brother." Li Xiangyang smiled, letting go of the handlebars. He pulled out some cigarettes and lit them for his brothers-in-law as they all headed into the courtyard.
Lin Changyou and Wu Shufen happily welcomed him into the main hall and had him take a seat.
Lin Guodong took the handlebars of Lin Lan’s bicycle. "What held you up? Douzi and Qiaohui have been here for a while."
Lin Lan smiled. "I was passing the Gou family’s place when Gou Haiyan called out to me, so we chatted for a bit."
Hearing this, Lin Guodong lowered his voice. "Gou Haiyan was in your class, right? After you went to Lexing, her family pulled some strings to get her a job teaching language arts at the Dashiqiao Commune’s central elementary school."
"Her husband is also a teacher there. For years, every time Aunt Gou saw Mom, she’d ask about you, just so she could flaunt how dutiful her Haiyan is."
"Before the New Year, when we brought home the TV and sewing machine Xiangyang bought for Mom and Dad, Aunt Gou was green with envy. She and Aunt Lin went around spreading all sorts of gossip about our family."
"There will be plenty more to make Aunt Gou jealous of in the future!" Lin Lan said with a laugh, thinking of Aunt Lin. "That woman really hasn’t changed a bit, from youth to old age. It’s like her brain was squeezed in a door; she only ever does things that hurt others without benefiting herself."
Lin Guodong nodded in agreement.
Wu Shufen came out of the main hall and took Lin Lan by the arm. "It’s cold out here in the yard. Hurry inside and warm up by the fire."
Lin Guodong looked at his mother and feigned complaint. "Mom, you’re playing favorites. How come you don’t ask me to come in and warm up?"
Wu Shufen gave him a chiding look. "Go help your sister-in-law clean the fish."
The three brothers had cast their nets in the river that morning and caught several long-snouted catfish, snakeheads... and a good number of yellow catfish.
Lin Guodong nodded and walked over to the water vat in the corner.
Lin Lan went to the kitchen to greet Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui. She saw Qiaohui was in there, helping to tend the fire for the stove.
"Little Lan, that outfit is gorgeous!" Zhao Xiaohui exclaimed dramatically. Wiping her hands on her apron, she stepped forward and lifted the hem of Lin Lan’s woolen coat. "Next year, I’m definitely going to your shop to pick out a couple of nice coats like this."
Lin Lan smiled. "I figured you wouldn’t make it to East Market, so I set aside two woolen coats and sweaters for you—one for our eldest sister-in-law, and one for you."
’It’s a good thing I brought the clothes home and put them away ahead of time,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a single one left.’
"Really? Thank you, Little Lan! Thank you so much!" Zhao Xiaohui grabbed Lin Lan’s hand, thanking her again and again with delight.
Wu Shufen had told them when she got back that Little Lan’s business was doing incredibly well. Customers flocked to the shop, buying things by the armful as if they were free.
Zhang Xiuqing also thanked her happily. "Little Jun and the other kids took Douzi to the brigade store to buy bang snaps."
Zhao Xiaohui quickly added, "Don’t worry, Little Lan. The bang snaps are harmless; they won’t hurt anyone."
Bang snaps were a type of firecracker that children loved playing with during the New Year. Each paper packet contained a bit of gunpowder and a few small pebbles. When thrown hard against the ground, they let out a crisp, pleasant POP.
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Zhigang bought some the other day, too. Qiaohui and Douzi love playing with them."
Zhao Xiaohui looked at Qiaohui, who was by the stove, and said with a smile, "Qiaohui has changed so much after spending time in the city. I almost didn’t recognize her this time."
Qiaohui blushed and said, "I think I’m still the same. Please stop teasing me, Auntie Xiaohui."
Zhao Xiaohui looked at her, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "You’re still the same as ever. You blush the moment you get a compliment."
Zhang Xiuqing laughed self-deprecatingly. "You think everyone’s as old and thick-skinned as us? She’s a young lady, it’s normal for her to be shy."
"Ha... haha..." Zhao Xiaohui burst into cheerful laughter.
’She had been in high spirits lately. After the New Year, she would be going to East Market to start a business. And today, her sister-in-law had given her a fashionable woolen coat. Soon she’d be wearing woolen coats and high heels, just like a city person.’
After chatting with her two sisters-in-law in the kitchen for a few minutes, Lin Lan went to the main hall.
A brazier burned in the middle of the main hall. Peanuts and fava beans were arranged around its rim to roast, while sweet potatoes and regular potatoes were buried in the hot ashes beneath.
Lin Changyou had heated up some sweet rice wine and was keeping it warm in a copper kettle. He had placed a small, white enamel mug in front of everyone, each filled with the warm drink.
Li Xiangyang and the Lin men were gathered around the brazier, eating roasted peanuts, watching television, and sipping their drinks. It was the picture of contentment.
Lin Guoliang waved Lin Lan over. "Little Lan, hurry, Dad heated up your favorite sweet rice wine. Come have a drink."
"Here, I’ll pour you some." Lin Changyou beckoned to her, smiling as he filled her mug halfway.
Lin Lan sat down beside her father and took the enamel mug from him. She looked at the milky-white sweet rice wine inside, brought the mug to her lips, and took a sip. A delicate sweetness and the fragrant aroma of wine instantly filled her mouth, a comforting warmth spreading through her.
Lin Changyou watched her with a loving expression. "Don’t drink it too fast. It’ll make you flush."
"It’s delicious!" Lin Lan smacked her lips and took another sip.
Li Xiangyang lifted the copper kettle and smilingly topped off her mug. "If you like it, I’ll learn to brew it for you."
Lin Guoliang pointed at Lin Lan. "She doesn’t have a sweet tooth for candy, but she loves sweet rice wine. Whenever Mom made a batch, she’d sneak in and drink all the liquid, leaving just a crock of fermented rice behind."
Recalling the warm scenes from her past self’s memories, Lin Lan’s face broke into a happy smile. "I remember we were so poor back then that Mom only made it once a year for the New Year. But Mom, Dad, and my brothers all knew I loved it, so they’d always save the liquid for me."