On the way home, Lan Sisi walked side by side with Lin Ruihai. Lin Ruihai lowered his head to look at her, yet her good mood had not been affected in the slightest, and she was even humming an out-of-tune song under her breath.
After being hurt like that by her own relatives, was she not sad, not angry?
If Lan Sisi had known what he was thinking, she would have scoffed. Feeling sad or angry over those people was not worth it. With so much grain in hand, was that not far more satisfying? At this moment, she finally understood the joy farmers felt after a bountiful harvest.
When they returned home, Lan Sisi took out two grass carp weighing five or six jin each and asked Aunt Sun to take them back as a token of her gratitude. After some polite refusals, Aunt Sun still ended up carrying the fish home.
The three of them put the rice into the storage jar and carefully organized everything else. The kitchen was piled high with grain, and even Lan Sisi, who had her farm, could not help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
That evening, they steamed a pot of fragrant white rice, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and made a bowl of egg soup. They also buried several sweet potatoes in the firewood, and after a while, dug them out, soft, sticky, and sweet.
It was nothing more than a simple home-cooked meal, yet the three of them ate with great satisfaction.
“Sis, I never thought we could live like this,” Lan Sinian said. He could go to school, eat his fill at every meal, and have family by his side.
“It will only get better and better.”
After several days of recuperation, Lin Ruihai’s body recovered quickly, improving day by day. He knew Lan Sisi must have used some kind of precious medicine on him, but neither of the siblings mentioned it, and it was not appropriate for him to ask. He simply kept it in mind, knowing he would repay it in the future.
Meanwhile, when Lan Sisi looked at the spiritual spring mark on her hand, now full once again, the weight in her heart finally lifted. The spiritual spring could recover, albeit slowly, but that was far better than it diminishing with each use and never replenishing.
Taking advantage of a day with bright sunshine, Lin Ruihai went to the town. When he returned, his pockets were stuffed with a large stack of “Great Unity” bills, all of which he pushed into Lan Sisi’s hands. She estimated there were several hundred yuan in total.
“Why are you giving me so much money? Keep it for yourself,” Lan Sisi said, pushing the money back. She was not short of money. A few days ago, taking advantage of the approaching New Year, she had gone into the city again to sell some goods from her farm. As policies had adjusted, more and more people were going to the black market, and she had made a substantial profit. She now had more than two thousand yuan in savings.
It was precisely because she had this financial backing that she dared to take in Lin Ruihai.
“Where did you get so much money?” Lan Sisi asked suspiciously.
“This is money my parents left me. I went to the bank to withdraw it today. I cannot just live in your home for free,” Lin Ruihai said as he pushed the money back into her hands.
Seeing how firm he was, Lan Sisi could only accept it for the time being and did not look further into where his bankbook or identification had come from.
When he saw that she had accepted it, Lin Ruihai revealed a satisfied smile.
The farm’s crops were piling up more and more, so Lan Sisi simply bought a food processing machine for five hundred coins. She used it to turn the produce into various snacks, dried fruits, potato chips, freeze-dried vegetables and fruits, and more. The taste was excellent, even better than anything she had eaten in her previous life. She had already planned that if she could run her own business in the future, she would open a small shop to sell the snacks and agricultural products she made herself.
When the farm reached level eleven, it unlocked cotton seeds and apples. Fruits were finally unlocked. Lan Sisi was so excited she nearly cried. She waited in the farm for two hours before the trees were finally laden with bright red apples, still glistening with dew.
Lan Sisi picked one and found that the apple was only about the size that could rest in her palm, very small and delicate.
She took a bite. It was crisp and sweet, with no seeds in the center. The entire fruit was flesh, and eating one in a single bite was no problem.
As for the cotton, once grown, it was as soft as white clouds. It could be used directly to make quilts, cotton jackets, and cotton pants without any processing. She no longer needed to spend money to buy them. For this reason, she bought another textile machine for eight hundred coins. She had accumulated a fair amount of coins, so spending them did not bother her at all.
After that, leveling up slowed down, but she was not in a hurry. Every day, she sowed, harvested, and fed the animals, taking things in a very relaxed manner.
The farm developed steadily, and the New Year gradually approached. The village slaughtered two pigs, and the villagers gathered at the entrance of the village to divide the pork. The pigs had been raised very well that year, with thick layers of fat that made everyone smile. In those days, fatty meat was more desirable. It was filling and could be rendered into oil. Eating a meal of fatty pork could leave one reminiscing for an entire year. However, Lan Sisi still preferred lean meat. She chose cuts that almost no one wanted, mostly lean, and also took the pig intestines that no one else wanted.
“Sisi, isn’t that… what pigs use for… you know? It’s too dirty. What do you want it for? You might as well take a piece of fatty meat. Look at this piece of mine, it can render so much lard. Yours is too lean,” Aunt Sun advised tactfully from the side.
“Aunt, I do not like fatty meat, and we have enough oil at home. This can be cleaned with salt and flour, and whether braised or stir-fried, it tastes delicious. When I make it, I will have Sinian bring you a bowl to try,” Lan Sisi said with a smile.
Salt and flour were valuable commodities. Who would be willing to use them to clean this? Aunt Sun did not understand, her face full of distress at what she thought was a waste of good things. Lan Sisi found it amusing. She knew Aunt Sun meant well, but she was unwilling to compromise when it came to food.
“…You go! If you leave, do not come back!” A voice came from the other side of the crowd.
Lan Sisi looked over and saw Hong Xiulian, Aunt Hong. Although she was sharp-tongued, she had always been kind when seeing the siblings. After giving birth to a daughter, she had never become pregnant again. Her mother-in-law and her husband, Zhao Fugui, had both grown dissatisfied. Zhao Fugui was a carpenter. When there was no work in the fields, he would take on carpentry jobs. Over time, he became involved with a widow from the neighboring village.
Aunt Hong’s daughter was now fourteen, thin and frail, quiet and withdrawn. As she watched her parents arguing, she merely stood silently among the crowd, as if she had long grown accustomed to it.
“What are you making a scene for? Aren’t you embarrassed? I just went to help repair a stool!” Zhao Fugui said as he shook off Aunt Hong’s hand.
“To repair it on a bed, perhaps? Zhao Fugui, you are worried about embarrassment now? When you were entangled with that widow and the whole village was laughing at you, why were you not embarrassed then?” Aunt Hong’s tears burst forth as she shouted hoarsely.
“I will tell you the truth, Hong Xiulian. Xiaofang is already pregnant. The village doctor said it is a son. I will not be coming back in the future. Do whatever you want!” After saying this, he turned and left, leaving Hong Xiulian collapsed on the ground, crying.
From beginning to end, Aunt Hong’s mother-in-law did not say a single word. She had long known that the widow was pregnant. As long as the Zhao family line would continue, she did not care who gave birth to her grandson. In fact, she had long wanted her son to cast off this “hen that could not lay eggs,” and now she was only pleased to see it happen.
Lan Sisi watched from afar and felt a sense of sorrow. Some people were not condemning Zhao Fugui’s heartlessness, but instead discussing how, if Aunt Hong had given birth to a son, perhaps Zhao Fugui would not have left.
To the villagers, this matter was nothing more than gossip to pass the time, but for Aunt Hong, it was a devastating blow. In this era, women were always treated unfairly.
Yu Shi stood not far away, covering her mouth to keep from laughing. She still remembered the fight she had once had with Hong Xiulian. Now, she felt that Hong Xiulian deserved it.
Aunt Hong’s daughter, Zhao Laidi, stepped forward to help her mother up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “Mother, let’s go home.”
The mother and daughter left together, leaving behind the murmurs of gossip.
“Hong Xiulian is truly pitiful, encountering a man like that,” Aunt Sun sighed.
“Why does she not get a divorce?” Lan Sisi asked.
“If she divorces, how will a woman survive on her own? The gossip in the village alone would drown her. She also has a daughter. If she takes her, how will she raise her? If she leaves her behind, with her mother-in-law’s temperament, how could she possibly treat her well? Being worn down to the bone would be the least of it.”
Although it sounded infuriating and unfair, what Aunt Sun said was the truth.
“Mother, so much meat!” On the way back, they ran into Yu Shi, Lan Guangming, and Lan Meili. When Lan Guangming saw the meat in Lan Sisi and Lan Sinian’s hands, he immediately shouted.
“Oh, isn’t this Sisi? So much meat, can you even finish it all?” Yu Shi said, swallowing as she looked at their meat.
“That is none of Third Aunt’s concern,” Lan Sisi said coldly.
“Lan Sisi, how can you speak to my mother like that?” Lan Meili jumped out and said.
Lin Ruihai frowned and quietly stepped in front of Lan Sisi, shielding her. “What do you want to do?”
Lan Meili looked up and saw the handsome young man in front of her, and her face instantly flushed red. “I… I… she is my cousin. My mother is just concerned about her.”
“Concern? I cannot accept that. If you would just stop coming to my house to snatch things, I would already be satisfied,” Lan Sisi said.
“You jinx, what are you saying? Is this how you speak to your aunt? No wonder you are a parentless thing. Not even married yet, and already living with a man. Shameless, just like your short-lived mother… ah!”
Before Yu Shi could finish, Lan Sisi kicked her, sending her flying and crashing heavily onto the ground.
“Third Aunt, be careful with your words. You can talk about me, but do not speak about my parents. Otherwise, next time, it will not be so easy,” Lan Sisi said in a low voice. She had already been in a bad mood, and now they had provoked her directly.
“You… you… you have gone too far! Ah, my backside! I am your elder! I will go find the Village Chief!” Yu Shi shouted.
“Third Aunt, do you see anyone around here? Who saw me hit you? Did you see it? Did you see it?”
Because of the meat distribution earlier, there was almost no one on the road.
Lin Ruihai and Lan Sinian both shook their heads.
“I… I saw it!” Lan Meili said. As for Lan Guangming, he had long since been frightened and was hiding behind her.
“Really? But who would believe you?” Lan Sisi let out a cold laugh.
“Sisi, what is going on?” Aunt Sun hurried over and saw the chaotic scene.
“Aunt Sun, Third Aunt rushed over trying to grab our meat. I dodged, and she fell. If I had known, I would not have dodged,” Lan Sisi said innocently, her tone full of feigned grievance.
“What nonsense are you spouting? You wretched girl! You clearly kicked me!” Yu Shi shrieked.
“I think you are the one talking nonsense! Yu Juan, do you have no shame? Snatching meat from children and then slandering them! Bah! What a thing you are. You deserved that fall! Sisi, let’s go, do not let this bad luck rub off on us!” Aunt Sun grabbed Lan Sisi and led her away.
Yu Shi and her two children were left speechless, forced to swallow their grievance in silence.