At this time, the portions of food were very generous. Each meat bun was as large as an adult’s palm. Lan Sisi felt full after eating just one, while Lan Sinian ate two. The braised pork was rich but not greasy, coated in a savory sauce. Even though Lan Sisi had not eaten fatty meat in her previous life, she still ate several pieces. The two of them ate until they were completely full, sighing in satisfaction. The remaining buns and dishes were not wasted, they packed them up to take home and could reheat them for dinner.
After eating, they went straight to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. They bought two sets of cotton-padded clothes each, along with two quilts. The quilts at home were stiff and hard, with an indescribable odor, and should have been replaced long ago.
They also bought pots, bowls, utensils, various cooking seasonings, as well as soap, towels, candies, and biscuits. Lan Sisi herself did not care much for sweets, but Lan Sinian was practically drooling when he saw them. In the end, they bought a large pile of items, even making the usually aloof shop assistant raise an eyebrow in surprise.
Lan Sisi also went to the meat stall and bought some lean meat, pork offal, and pork bones. By the time they finished, both their baskets were packed full. She found a secluded spot and stored everything in the farm warehouse, leaving only the quilts and pork bones in the baskets. The village ox cart had arrived, and they rode it back home.
“Grandma!” Back at the Lan family’s old house, Lan Guangming ran in quickly.
“What is it, my dear grandson?” Liu Guihua asked with a smile.
“When I was playing with Qiangzi and the others, I saw those jinxes come back, and they even bought meat! Qiangzi said he could smell it,” Lan Guangming said loudly, his eyes shining with excitement.
“Well now, where did those little brats get money from? They have good things and don’t even think to honor me first! Wait here, dear grandson, I’ll go over with your mother right now!” Liu Guihua said as she called Yu Shi and stormed toward Lan Sisi’s house. Behind them trailed Lan Meili, eager to see Lan Sisi suffer.
Fang Shi stayed inside, sneaking a glance outside. Seeing that the old lady had not called for her, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had no intention of getting involved. Junsheng had once told her a saying that sounded very cultured, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.
At that moment, Lan Sisi had already put the pork bones into a pot to simmer. The items in the basket had not yet been sorted.
She had just sat down to catch her breath when she heard hurried footsteps.
Bang, bang, bang!
A knock sounded on the door. Lan Sinian went to open it. As soon as he did, the door was shoved open forcefully, and he was knocked to the ground.
“Sinian!” Lan Sisi’s heart lurched. She rushed over to help him up, only to see his face covered in blood.
It was the first time she had seen such a scene. Her hands trembled slightly. “Sinian, where does it hurt? Where did you hit?”
There was a sharp stone on the ground, stained with blood.
“I’m fine, Sis,” Lan Sinian said, forcing a smile to reassure her.
“What are you doing?!” Lan Sisi glared fiercely at the intruders.
The ones who had come were Liu Guihua and her group, with several villagers trailing behind to watch the commotion.
“Oh dear, what happened? Ergouzi, go call the village doctor!” Aunt Sun from next door pushed through the crowd and shouted.
“You… is that how you speak to your grandmother?” Liu Guihua was briefly flustered but quickly regained her composure. She put her hands on her hips and began scolding. “You little brat, do you think you’re some young master or lady? Which rural child doesn’t get bumps and bruises? Where’s the meat you bought? Bring it out! You have good things and don’t think to give them to your grandmother first, yet you want to hide them for yourself. How did your parents teach you? And where did you get the money to buy meat? A child like you can’t even hold onto money properly. Hand it over, I’ll keep it safe for you. When you get married, won’t I be the one preparing your dowry? Ungrateful wretch!”
Lan Guangming was practically drooling. That was meat, he had not eaten any for months. Then he noticed the new cotton jacket Lan Sinian was wearing and immediately shouted, “Grandma! A new jacket, I want it!”
“Didn’t you hear him? Take it off and give it to your brother!” Yu Shi ordered, still treating them as weak, parentless children. She felt delighted, not expecting to get a new jacket for her son on this trip.
“What a waste. You even bought cotton clothes and quilts. How much money do you have to squander like this? Hand it over, I’ll keep it for you!” Liu Guihua said with a pained expression, as if the money already belonged to her.
Lan Meili stood behind them, covering her mouth, almost laughing out loud.
“Liu Guihua, this is a new society now. We don’t tolerate banditry. Breaking into their home like this, what are you trying to do? Robbery can land you in jail!” Aunt Sun stood in front of the siblings with her hands on her hips.
“Sun Xiufang, don’t try to scare people. Isn’t it only right for them to honor their own grandmother?” Yu Shi replied, though she faltered for a moment.
“That’s right. This is our Lan family’s matter. They are my grandchildren. If they don’t honor me, who should they honor? When their parents were alive, I didn’t even need to come myself, they would bring things to me. I’m just disciplining my son’s children. What are you meddling for, Sun Xiufang?” Liu Guihua rolled her eyes.
“You still remember they’re your grandchildren? How long has it been since their father passed? When they needed help, you stayed far away. Now that you smell something good, you come to take advantage. They’re just children, and you’re trying to take their things? Disgraceful!” Aunt Sun scolded.
“Aunt Sun, don’t worry. From now on, no one will take anything from me or my brother,” Lan Sisi said, her expression darkening. “My parents were too honest. Everything in the house, the egg-laying hens, the vegetables in the backyard, were all taken by them. Every year, they left us nothing from the meat we were allotted. When my mother fell ill and we asked you for money, you had just pretended to be sick to take money from my father, yet you refused to give a single coin. In the end, the delay worsened her illness, and she died. Now you’re sucking our blood again, and you even injured my brother like this. It’s so cold, what’s wrong with him wearing a cotton jacket? What’s wrong with us eating some meat? Just because we’ve lost our parents, are we supposed to starve to death?!”
Her final words were almost shouted. The original owner’s lingering emotions surged within her, and combined with her deliberate acting, her eyes filled with tears. Even the onlookers felt their eyes redden, and murmurs spread among the crowd.
“This family is truly heartless. How could they treat children like this?”
“So that’s how Aimin’s wife died. I was wondering how a simple illness became so serious. Disgusting.”
“Anyone with sons or daughters should avoid marrying into this family. They’d grind you down to death.”
“…”
“You wretched girl, just like your short-lived mother, you’re no good. Now you dare slander me? I’ll beat you to death!” Liu Guihua shouted angrily as she lunged at Lan Sisi.
“Stop!” A stern voice rang out from behind. The village chief pushed through the crowd, his expression dark. “Aimin hasn’t been gone for long, and you’re already here causing trouble. What are you doing?!”
The village chief held great authority in the village and was of the same generation as Liu Guihua. Even she became subdued.
“Village chief, we’re not causing trouble. We’re just worried the children can’t manage money properly. Sisi is almost of marriageable age, her grandmother should be saving for her dowry. It’s only right for her to give money to her grandmother,” Yu Shi tried to smooth things over, though her reasoning was clumsy.
“What? Can Jianshe and Aijun not support their parents, that two children have to do it?” the village chief asked coldly.
The question was sharp. If they answered yes, it would mean Lan Jianshe and Lan Aijun would be branded as unfilial.
“When the second branch was still around, they gave me dozens of catties of grain and money every year. I’m not asking them for grain now, but surely I can take my son’s money? And I’m keeping it for them anyway. Won’t they need money for marriage in the future?” Liu Guihua said righteously.
“You’d keep it for them? How much have you taken from Aimin’s family over the years? Did you contribute a single coin when his wife was sick or for his funeral? And how much money could they even have? Didn’t you take everything when he died? Don’t think I don’t know. They’re just children, and you still act like this? Back then, you refused to raise them, and now you come to demand benefits. I’ve never heard of grandchildren having to support their grandparents when their sons are still alive. It’s shameless!” Aunt Sun scolded.
“Call the police,” Lan Sisi said coldly. “They broke into our home, injured my brother, and tried to take our things. That’s robbery.”
“You… what nonsense are you talking about? I’m your grandmother!” Liu Guihua panicked slightly. No matter how bold people were in those days, the mention of the police still frightened them.
“That’s enough! Everyone take a step back. I’ll make the decision today. From now on, the children of the second branch will not have to provide grain or money for elderly support. You are not allowed to come here again to demand anything. Return everything you took when Aimin died. Sisi, you also step back. She is still your grandmother. Give me some face,” the village chief said.
His meaning was clear. If she truly called the police, she might end up in the wrong, given the weight of filial piety in this era.
“This… this won’t do! We didn’t take anything!” Yu Shi blurted out. They had taken quite a lot during the chaos after Aimin’s death, and had been using those items comfortably. Returning them was out of the question.
“Then you’d rather go to jail?” the village chief said, his face darkening.
Yu Shi immediately fell silent.
“Forget it, village chief. I don’t want the items. But the fifty yuan my father hid under his pillow was taken by them,” Lan Sisi added. The other items were just pots and utensils, things she no longer wanted anyway.
“Nonsense! What fifty yuan? It was clearly thirty!” Yu Shi exclaimed.
The moment she finished speaking, she saw everyone staring at her. Only then did she realize she had fallen into a trap, but it was too late.
In the end, Liu Guihua gained nothing. Instead, she reluctantly returned thirty-five yuan, five of which was compensation for Lan Sinian. The group left in disgrace, and from beginning to end, not one of them had asked about Lan Sinian’s blood-covered face.