After Lin Lao San delivered the items and confirmed that Lin Ran was fine, he left in a flash, tossing back a message that he would be back for dinner.
Lin Ran found his monkey-like, scurrying figure somewhat amusing. She had discovered that her three brothers each had very different personalities.
The eldest, Lin An, was shrewd!
The second, Lin Ju, was sturdy and simple!
The third, Lin Le, was lazy!
She also had a younger cousin named Lin Ye.
The four brothers’ names happened to form the idiom An Ju Le Ye (Living in peace and contentment)!
Once he was far away, Lin Ran carried the back-basket into her room. She sorted through the fabric scraps inside. They truly lived up to the name “scraps”—they were so small they couldn’t be any smaller. It was impossible to use them for handkerchiefs; at most, they could be pieced together to make hair ties.
However, there was a lot of material, so no one would notice if she sneaked some of her own in. After categorizing the scraps of similar colors, Lin Ran took out a needle and thread from her space and began to work. In no time, she had sewn a white floral hair tie about half a finger wide.
She happened to be wearing a white floral blouse with black pants. Although the patterns were different, they could barely be considered a match. She sewed a few more hair ribbons in black and red floral patterns before stopping.
After putting away the remaining scraps, she pulled a bolt of fine white cotton fabric from her space and began making handkerchiefs. This was also very simple for Lin Ran; she only needed to cut out a piece of material and hem the edges. In her previous life, she had been proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she was skilled in needlework; embroidery was second nature to her.
Finally, out of habit, she embroidered the character Mu (Wood) in one corner of the handkerchief. This was Lin Ran’s unique mark. Because both characters in her name contained the “wood” radical, and she didn’t want others to use her personal belongings to create trouble or scandals, she had chosen a mark that wasn’t very obvious.
By the time the family returned from work at noon, Lin Ran had already finished two handkerchiefs.
Before Lin Ran could even report her findings, Shen Wenfang discovered that several catties of rice were missing from the rice bag. She only needed to think with her toes to know that Wang Zhaodi must have taken it again to subsidize her maiden home. It made her livid! This ungrateful, back-stabbing creature!
The eggs weren’t stir-fried at lunch; they were saved for dinner. After eating, Lin Ran gave Shen Wenfang and Liu Ping each two of the newly made hair ribbons. As for Wang Zhaodi? Nothing!
Shen Wenfang smiled with pure joy.
“At least that stinking boy is somewhat useful, knowing to bring back fabric scraps. But it’s still our Ranran who is skillful! To think you could turn such tiny scraps into such beautiful hair ties. Mom thinks these are even better than the ones you made before!”
Even Liu Ping held her hair ribbons, unable to put them down, clearly liking them very much. She was only nineteen this year, an age where one naturally loves to look pretty. The others also praised Lin Ran one after another, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Lin Ran also took the opportunity to bring her handkerchiefs into the open.
In the evening, as the sky turned dark and dinner was served, Wang Zhaodi finally returned. Her timing was incredibly precise. She plopped down at the dining table, and her eyes immediately turned green with greed when she saw the stir-fried eggs with pickles. she frantically lunged at the eggs with her chopsticks.
Shen Wenfang watched her with rising fury. With a “clack,” she put down her chopsticks and moved the dish of stir-fried eggs away.
“Look at you! What kind of behavior is this? These eggs were sent by Ranran’s grandmother to nourish Ranran’s body. Ranran is filial and insisted that they be stir-fried for everyone to eat together. There are only two eggs here; are you planning to hog the whole plate?”
Wang Zhaodi was quick-witted. Before Shen Wenfang could pull the dish away, she swiftly grabbed another piece of egg. Then, she said dismissively:
“Little Sister stays home all day and doesn’t go to work; what is there to nourish? It’s just a waste.”
She didn’t take Shen Wenfang’s words to heart at all. In any case, being scolded a few times wouldn’t make her lose any flesh; what went into her stomach was what truly belonged to her. This “thick-skinned” attitude nearly drove Shen Wenfang mad.
“Fine, you, Wang Zhaodi! My words as a mother-in-law don’t carry weight anymore, do they? Also, did you go behind my back today and steal rice? Several catties of rice! Do you know how many meals that could have lasted our family? I remember you just took grain to your maiden home last month, didn’t you? It’s only been a few days and you’re taking it again? And several catties at once? Are we not supposed to eat anymore?”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the table turned their gaze toward Wang Zhaodi. Clearly, they were also very angry. Wang Zhaodi pinched the money and coupons she had earned today in her pocket, feeling a bit guilty. But since this ready-made excuse was available, she might as well use it, so she spoke up righteously again.
“Well, I can’t return to my maiden home empty-handed, can I? If others found out, they would surely say our Lin family doesn’t know etiquette.”
Lin Lao San let out a sneer.
“Who could possibly understand etiquette better than Second Sister-in-law? You take things from our Lin family whenever you want without even giving a heads-up. You’re just one step away from moving everything to your maiden home.”
Originally, Shen Wenfang was in a fit of rage. No matter how dissatisfied she was, Wang Zhaodi had already given the things away and they couldn’t be taken back; she could only vent a few words at her. When Lin Lao San spoke up, he happened to hit the mark.
“I haven’t even talked about you yet!” she barked at him. “You’re never at home. Where did you go fooling around yesterday? It’s not that Mom wants to nag you, but you’re not young anymore. Can’t you be a bit more settled? Now, everyone in the surrounding villages knows that Lin Lao San is lazy and idle all day. I’ll see where you’re going to find a wife in the future!”
Lin Lao San looked completely unconcerned.
“If I were to marry a wife like Second Sister-in-law and never have a day of peace, I’d rather not marry at all!”
The atmosphere at the table instantly froze.
“Pfft…”
Lin Ran truly couldn’t hold it in. She used her handkerchief to cover her lips and let out a light laugh. Even if Wang Zhaodi’s skin was as thick as a wall, her face turned bright red at this moment. She immediately roared:
“Lin Lao Er, are you deaf? Are you just going to let your younger siblings insult your wife like this?”
Lin Lao Er kept his head down, focused on his porridge, and didn’t even look up. He replied in a muffled voice:
“What Third Brother said isn’t wrong. Ever since I married you, I haven’t had a single day of peace.”
“You!” Wang Zhaodi was floored. “Fine, fine, fine! Your whole family is targeting me. I can’t afford to provoke you, so I’ll just leave, alright?”
As she spoke, she picked up her rice bowl and left. Before going, she took the opportunity to grab one last mouthful of the stir-fried eggs with pickles. This shameless behavior made Shen Wenfang clutch her chest, trembling.
“It’s truly a sin! How did our Lin family end up with such a debt-collecting daughter-in-law!”
Seeing that Shen Wenfang was indeed extremely angry, Lin Ran quickly helped soothe her breathing.
“Mom, don’t be angry anymore. Second Sister-in-law just has this personality; don’t ruin your health over it.”
Lin Weiguo also tried to persuade her:
“Exactly. It’s just a few catties of rice. If the family’s grain isn’t enough to eat, I’ll find a way to exchange for some. Don’t get so worked up over this; it’s not worth it!”
Speaking of this, Lin Lao Er felt a bit ashamed. He put down his rice bowl, wiped his face, and made a decision.
“Dad, Mom, this rice was taken by our second branch. It should be deducted directly from our food rations. From now on, we will eat a bit less each meal to make up for it.”
How could Shen Wenfang possibly agree? However, since the eldest and third sons were both there, it wasn’t easy for her to say anything, so she could only let the matter pass.
While eating the eggs sent by Old Lady Zhao, Shen Wenfang suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, that girl Lin Meng accidentally fell into the river while washing clothes today. We helped send her back at the time, but I don’t know how she is now or if she was sent to the health clinic.”