“So what if that’s the case?! Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? If I succeed in the future, won’t you also rely on me for support? Why are you nitpicking about this now?!” Lan Junsheng said, his anger tinged with embarrassment. “Besides, as a woman, what else can you do except pave the way for me!”
The final sentence stunned both Fang Shi and Lan Hehua.
“So this is how you’ve always thought of me.” Lan Hehua let out a self-mocking laugh.
“Jun… Junsheng, what are you saying?” Fang Shi looked at him, the son before her now so unfamiliar that it frightened her.
“Isn’t this what you’ve always told me?” Lan Junsheng said to Fang Shi, his eyes behind his glasses completely devoid of warmth.
After speaking, he slammed the door and left.
“When did I ever say that? I never said such things…” Fang Shi murmured.
She stared at his retreating back, tears silently falling. Lan Hehua sneered and lay back down, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket.
Half a month later, Lai Hu brought several of his men to the Lan family. When he learned that Lan Meili had run away, he flew into a rage, smashing up the courtyard and demanding compensation. Including the previous amount, he now demanded a total of one thousand five hundred yuan.
Liu Guihua sat on the ground crying and wailing, but it was useless. Lai Hu declared that if they did not pay, he would bring his men to cause trouble every day. Left with no choice, Lan Tianzhu agreed to his demand and asked for one month to gather the money.
Only after Lai Hu left did Lan Aijun and Yu Shi dare to come out of the house.
“Third brother, just look at the daughter you raised!” Lan Jianshe scolded angrily. “You must pay the majority of this money!”
He had tried to stop Lai Hu earlier and now had bruises on his face, looking somewhat disheveled.
“How do I have that kind of money? Besides, everyone is involved in this matter. Why should I be the only one paying?” Lan Aijun argued.
Yu Shi nodded in agreement.
“In the end, it was Third Sister-in-law’s idea. Lai Qiang is from your village. If you hadn’t gone to him, how would we have gotten involved with such a troublesome family?” Fang Shi said, her hair somewhat disheveled as well.
“What do you mean by that? If you thought it wasn’t appropriate, why didn’t you step forward to stop me back then? Now you want to play the good person? There’s no such thing!” Yu Shi shrieked.
“That’s enough! At a time like this, stop arguing!” Lan Tianzhu roared. “All you know how to do is shift responsibility! No one has money, is that it? I’ll figure something out!”
With that, he walked out with his hands behind his back, a wave of bitterness rising in his heart. Had he truly been wrong all along? If only the second son were still here…
…
“You should have seen it. Even the millstone in the yard was pushed over. Tsk tsk, if you ask me, it’s their own fault,” Aunt Sun vividly described the scene to Lan Sisi.
Lan Sisi did not feel much about it. After all, that family had nothing to do with her anymore.
On the weekend, Lan Sisi and the others borrowed a handcart and hauled the furniture she had commissioned from the old carpenter back home.
The furniture was beautifully carved, with intricate and delicate patterns. Once placed in the house, Lan Sisi suddenly felt as though she had become part of a wealthy household from ancient times.
There was a lot of furniture, so they had to make several trips before everything was brought back.
As they pulled the empty cart out of the alley, they noticed a ragged old man collapsed by the roadside. Scattered around him were some scrap papers and a woven sack. There were few people nearby. If they had not happened to pass by, he might not have been discovered until nightfall. The three of them quickly lifted him onto the cart and took him to the nearest clinic.
The doctor diagnosed that it was caused by long-term malnutrition, in other words, hunger, and put him on an IV drip.
When the old man woke up and realized he was in a clinic, he struggled to get up.
“Please don’t move, it’ll be done soon,” Lan Sisi quickly said.
“I can’t stay in the hospital, I don’t have money,” the old man said weakly.
“Don’t worry about the money, we’ve already paid for you. Just rest and eat something,” Lin Ruihai pressed him back onto the bed.
Lan Sinian brought over a bowl of porridge he had just bought and carefully fed him, his expression serious, showing no disgust toward the old man’s condition.
As the warm porridge went down, the old man’s eyes reddened involuntarily. He could not remember how long it had been since he last had a hot meal.
After he finished eating and the IV was done, they sent him back home.
The old man lived in a small, cramped room in an alley. Outside the door was a simple stove built from bricks, with a clay pot on top. It had not been used for a long time, and grime had accumulated inside.
As soon as the door was opened, a foul smell hit them. Inside were various odds and ends, along with a wooden plank bed covered with a thin quilt so dirty that its original color could no longer be seen.
What surprised Lan Sisi was that aside from the clutter, the room was filled mostly with books, all kinds of books. Each one showed signs of being read countless times.
The old man was helped onto the bed. Lan Sisi found an excuse to step outside, went into a deserted alley, and took out a bag of vegetables and a piece of pork from her farm. She also went to the state-owned restaurant to buy several meat buns.
Inside the room, Lan Sinian casually picked up a book nearby and began flipping through it. Gradually, he became absorbed.
“You like reading?” the old man asked, half reclining on the bed.
Lan Sinian blushed. “I’m sorry, I started reading without your permission.”
“It’s fine. Books only have meaning when someone reads them. Otherwise, they’re just piles of waste paper,” the old man said. “Take whichever one you like.”
Lan Sinian waved his hands. “No need.”
“Take it. You saved me. I have nothing else to repay you with. Let me at least give you a few books. Or do you think this gift is too shabby?” the old man said.
Hearing this, Lan Sinian had no choice but to accept.
When Lan Sisi returned, she quietly placed the food beside the old man’s bed. The three of them then took their leave.
By the time the old man noticed the vegetables, meat, and buns, they were already gone. He could only sigh helplessly. If it had been in the past, he might have been able to repay them in kind, but now… what did he have left besides a worn-out body?
…
In the blink of an eye, another month passed. As Lan Sisi returned from the fields, she encountered the Village chief, who looked troubled.
“There’s too much wasteland in the village. No one is willing to take it, especially the plots near the foot of the mountain. Several large areas are just sitting there. They say it can’t grow grain, so I have no way to deal with it. But leaving it unused doesn’t sit right with me. Farmers always want to see land being put to use,” the Village chief complained.
Lan Sisi’s eyes lit up. “Then why not rent it to me?”
“That won’t do.” The Village chief immediately refused. Although he was anxious, he did not want to harm her. “Even if it’s wasteland, the rent is still fifty yuan a year. What would you use it for? And where would you get that kind of money?”
“It’s Lin Ruihai’s money. He’s lending it to me for now. I’ll repay him after I earn money,” Lan Sisi said without hesitation, using Lin Ruihai as her explanation, since her actual methods of earning money were somewhat questionable and could not be revealed.
After persistent persuasion, she finally convinced the Village chief. They signed a fifty-year contract, and she paid the money without hesitation. Even then, the Village chief could not stop muttering, wondering what she was thinking.
Not only him, but everyone who heard the news had the same question.
In truth, Lan Sisi’s reasoning was simple. Her current land was not enough for growing vegetables. She had already established a long-term partnership with Sun Dafa, and in the future, she even wanted to open a shop selling green, healthy foods. If demand increased, she would not be able to keep up with supply.
Now that she unexpectedly owned several mu of wasteland, Lan Sisi felt a little elated.
It took her half a month to clear all the wasteland, with plenty of help from Lin Ruihai and Lan Sinian. Half of it was planted with vegetable seeds, the other half with fruit seeds.
By the time everything was finished, she was utterly exhausted and lay in bed for an entire day before she could get up.
…
When the one-month deadline arrived, the first and third branches reluctantly gathered three hundred yuan. They could not produce any more. Liu Guihua clutched her money box, unwilling to contribute further.
In the end, Lan Tianzhu returned and placed one thousand two hundred yuan on the table, shocking everyone.
Lai Hu took the money and finally left satisfied.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, not noticing Lan Tianzhu’s unusually pale face.
“Where did you get so much money?” Liu Guihua chased after him into the room to question him.
“That’s none of your concern.” Lan Tianzhu lay on the bed, closing his eyes, unwilling to respond.
“Well then, Lan Tianzhu, your wings have grown, have they? You’re hiding things from me now! Do you still want this marriage or not?!” Liu Guihua shouted angrily.
“If you want to stay, stay. If not, then don’t,” Lan Tianzhu replied with equal anger.
In her younger days, Liu Guihua had often used this tactic, and every time he would compromise. She had never expected it to fail this time.
After a moment of silence, Liu Guihua’s sharp wailing cries erupted from the room.
…
When Lan Sinian returned from outside, he was holding a book in his hands.
“You went to Grandpa Guo’s place again?” Lan Sisi asked.
Lan Sinian nodded happily and went back to his room with the book.
Grandpa Guo was the old man they had rescued over a month ago. He had originally been a professor in Beijing. Later, during the special movement, he was reported and ended up in this small town sweeping the streets, occasionally collecting scrap paper to sell.
When Lan Sinian encountered things he did not understand in the books the old man had given him, he went to ask for guidance and discovered that the old man was extremely knowledgeable. As they interacted more, he gradually learned about his past and could not help but feel regret for him.
The old man also liked Lan Sinian very much. Although he was young, he learned quickly and was eager to study.
From then on, Lan Sinian frequently went to town to discuss things with him and returned each time having gained a lot.
Lan Sisi always let him go and occasionally asked him to bring some food and supplies for Grandpa Guo.
On the weekend, when Lan Sinian was not at home, Lin Ruihai invited Lan Sisi to watch a movie together. As soon as the words left his mouth, the tips of his ears had already turned red.
At that time, there were no explicit romance films or horror movies. What they watched was a story about a young hero. Lan Sisi had never seen movies from this era before and found it somewhat novel.
The cinema was dark, and they sat very close to each other, their arms touching. Lin Ruihai’s mind was hardly on the film at all. The faint fragrance of the girl beside him made his heart race uncontrollably.
By the end of the movie, he had no idea what it had been about at all.