“Keep talking! Keep talking!” Old Madam Lin angrily pounded Old Man Lin’s back a few times. “I didn’t mean to kill Second Daughter-in-law! When that beam fell, I was terrified, so I pulled her in front of me… What, you think you’re clever for opening your big mouth?”
Old Man Lin realized he had said too much. He yelped in pain but dared not talk back.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the yard, as if someone had knocked something over. Old Madam Lin was alarmed and shouted sharply, “Who’s out there?”
Old Man Lin scrambled out of bed, not even stopping to put on his shoes, and rushed outside.
With a creak, he pushed the door open just as his eldest daughter-in-law was stepping out of the side room she shared with her husband. She jumped when she saw him. “Father… you… why are you out?”
Old Man Lin asked, “Who was just in the yard?”
The eldest daughter-in-law shook her head. “No… no one.”
Her voice sounded guilty, no matter how you heard it.
Old Man Lin stared at her face for a moment, but in the pitch darkness, he couldn’t make out anything. He searched the yard and found no suspicious traces, then slammed the door shut and went back inside.
The eldest daughter-in-law muttered under her breath, “Nuts.”
After cursing, she turned to her husband, Lin Dabo, who stood behind her. “Go quickly and come back fast. If my family knows that these spiky things can be eaten, they won’t have to worry about running out of grain either.”
Lin Dabo was reluctant. “At this hour? You want me to travel in the dark? What if I step in a hole and fall into a ditch?”
“We can’t put this off. We’ll be going up the mountain again tomorrow, and it’ll take several days to gather all the spiky husks from the back mountain. By the time word reaches my family, how many will be left? Now go. On your way back, stop by Butcher Cheng’s and buy two catties of meat. I’ll get some tofu, and I’ll make a nice braised pork dish for you and the children tonight.”
She pressed a small string of coins into Lin Dabo’s hand. When he heard there would be braised pork, his laziness vanished.
His wife took the opportunity to push him out the gate, pressing a torch and a fire starter into his hand. “There are too many eyes in the village. Who knows if someone’s wandering around at night? Don’t light it until you’re out of the village.”
“Alright, don’t worry. I’m quick on my feet. I’ll be back before we go up the mountain tomorrow.”
Lin Dabo broke into a jog and soon disappeared into the night.
The eldest daughter-in-law closed the gate and was about to head back inside when a short, dark figure dashed into her room, startling her.
Realizing it was her son, Goudan, who had gone out to use the latrine, she patted her chest and scolded, “You little brat! You scared me to death!”
She glanced toward the main house and pursed her lips. Judging by how nervous the old man had been, she wondered what Goudan had overheard while eavesdropping outside his grandparents’ window.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu were in a self-service supermarket. They walked around the store, surrounded by goods within arm’s reach, but saw no one selling anything.
Only when they noticed people lining up at the exit to pay did they realize that here, you picked out what you wanted, put it in a cart, and then went to the checkout counter to pay.
With that understanding, the siblings began selecting items without hesitation.
In the promotions section, an auntie handed Lin Xiaoman a large pack of toilet paper. “Little sister, this paper is soft. It won’t hurt your bottom when you wipe. It’s also good for when you have your period.”
Lin Xiaoman had no idea what a “period” was. Seeing her blank expression, the auntie pulled her aside and whispered an explanation. Lin Xiaoman’s ears turned bright red.
So that’s what the auntie meant by “period”—it was a woman’s monthly cycle. Though she hadn’t experienced it yet, her mother had taught her about it. Back home, women sewed long cloth bags, filled them with plant ash, and after use, emptied the ash, washed the bag, and let it dry indoors for next time.
Women here were so fortunate—you could even buy these things!
Remembering that they didn’t even have coarse paper at home and had been using large leaves, Lin Xiaoman immediately put four large packs of toilet paper into her cart. Following the auntie’s recommendation, she also added several packs of sanitary pads for both daytime and nighttime use.
Lin Xiaoman remembered Granny Liu saying yesterday that her skin looked young because she always used moisturizer. She asked the auntie where to find that.
The auntie enthusiastically led her to the moisturizer counter and had the sales assistant help select two types suitable for young girls and two for children. She even applied some to the back of Lin Xiaoman’s hand for her to try.
She could smell the pleasant fragrance without even leaning in. The prices weren’t expensive—all around ten-plus yuan per small box. The moment she applied it, her hand immediately felt moisturized. She decided to take one of each recommended type.
The sales assistant, seeing how readily Lin Xiaoman made purchases, noticed her rough hands—clearly used to hard farm work—and made another recommendation. “Little sister, this Vaseline lotion is best for people who do manual labor regularly. Apply it on your hands in winter, and you won’t have to worry about them chapping.”
Lin Xiaoman looked at her hands, roughened by a year of farm work, and without hesitation, bought two large jars.
Next, they went to the dried goods and seasoning section. Hot pot base was on sale—29.90 yuan for a large pack, with flavors including spicy numbing, tomato, and mushroom. The promoter had three pots set up, each with a different broth, simmering skewers of hot pot ingredients.
Though they had no idea what hot pot base was, the ingredients and meatballs cooked in the broth were absolutely delicious.
The spicy numbing flavor was especially addictive—even though it made their tongues tingle, they couldn’t stop wanting more.
They bought one pack of each flavor, intending to cook it at home. The promoter then directed them to the hot pot section, where they picked up several ingredients to cook.
They had never seen instant noodles before—buy them!
Seafood, fruit, and meat canned goods looked delicious—buy them!
Various packaged sausages and ham—buy them!
Soy sauce, cooking wine, and soybean paste—buy them!
And so it went, one purchase after another. By the time an announcement came over the speakers that the store was about to close, both of their shopping carts were piled high.
They quickly made their way to the checkout counter. By then, few customers were waiting. Though there was no line, it still took over ten minutes to ring up both carts.
Leaving the supermarket with seven large bags, the siblings raced home.
Back home, the house was pitch black. Lin Xiaoman took out the outdoor camping lantern they’d bought at the supermarket and pressed the switch. Instantly, the room flooded with light—far brighter than any oil lamp.
Lin Erhu let out an excited yell. “Sis, this is amazing! It says if it gets enough sunlight during the day, it can keep shining. When we build a new house later, we’ll make the walls high and replace all the lamps with these.”
Lin Xiaoman quietly stored the sanitary pads in the cabinet and replied, “Alright. We’ll put one in every corner. When you study, you can use these lights, so you won’t end up nearsighted like Master Lü.”
They hadn’t eaten anything since coming down the mountain, so Lin Xiaoman decided they would have a proper hot pot meal.
Though they had only tasted a few bites at the supermarket, the flavor was unforgettable. That was why they had bought a divided hot pot pot—one side for spicy, one side for mild.
They took out the clay stove they used for heating in winter, filled the pot with water, added spicy beef tallow base to one side and tomato base to the other.
Even before it was fully cooked, a rich aroma filled the air, mingled with a pungent spiciness.
The siblings leaned in to savor the scent, only to be hit by the spicy fumes, sneezing several times in a row.