Zhang Youliang hadn’t expected this. He originally came to pick up his mother, but instead of seeing her, he unexpectedly ran into Li Shulan.
Truly, luck had delivered exactly what he wanted right into his hands!
Without thinking, Zhang Youliang straightened his clothes and immediately stepped forward.
Using his most charming voice and most attractive smile, he asked, “Comrade, do you need help?”
But Li Shulan only gripped the edge of the sewing machine table tightly and didn’t speak.
Zhang Youliang didn’t understand and spoke again.
“Comrade?”
At the same time, Li Shulan finally pushed down the wave of fear in her chest and said coolly, “No need.”
She then turned to the driver who had just helped unload her sewing machine. “Comrade, could I trouble you to help me carry this sewing machine to the west end of town?”
The driver immediately prepared to refuse without even thinking.
Who are you?
Carry it all the way to the town entrance for you?
Why not carry it straight to your home too?
He was already exhausted from the long drive, and now she wanted him to act as a porter?
Was her brain rusty?
But before the driver could say anything, Li Shulan pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her bundle and tucked it into his arms, saying:
“Sorry to trouble you. It’s just to the west side entrance. There’s an ox cart waiting. It’s not far.”
What she said was far from true. From the parking spot to the west entrance, it was easily several hundred meters, if not a full kilometer. It was far. Otherwise she wouldn’t have pulled out a whole pack of Da Qianmen to thank him.
The driver smiled, stuffed the cigarettes in his pocket, and said, “No need to be polite. We’re all comrades—of course we should help each other. I’ll move it for you right away!”
Li Shulan quickly shouldered another heavy bundle and grabbed a large mesh bag with her free hand, following after him without once looking at Zhang Youliang.
Watching her leave, Zhang Youliang rubbed his fingers lightly, his gaze darkening.
..
After confirming the ox cart she arranged in the morning was still waiting, Li Shulan finally let out a breath of relief.
The ox cart from the brigade to the town wasn’t always driven by the same person. It rotated daily among brigades in the commune.
Today’s driver wasn’t from their Yangjiao Brigade, but from a brigade three villages away.
Li Shulan didn’t know him.
If he had broken his promise and left, she would have had no idea how to get home.
Luckily, people of this era valued their word above all.
After securing the sewing machine, Li Shulan pulled out two steamed buns and handed them to the cart driver.
“Uncle, I’m so sorry. I accidentally made you wait so long. I bought these from the state-owned restaurant at noon. You’ve really worked hard.”
The driver had been quite unhappy.
He waited the whole day for just fifty cents. He had already turned away countless passengers who wanted to get a ride back.
Each passenger cost two cents. He wouldn’t get twenty-five passengers, but still—he had starved all afternoon. If he had gone home, he could’ve finished the morning cart run and then done half a day of farm work in the afternoon.
That would’ve earned four or five work points—worth almost twenty cents.
No matter how he looked at it, waiting wasn’t worth it.
But he had promised her, so he couldn’t just leave. By the time Li Shulan arrived, his face was as dark as coal.
But the moment he saw the two big steamed meat buns in his hands, his expression instantly brightened like a sky after rain.
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all! I said I’d wait for you, didn’t I? Old Li always keeps his word! Since you’re here, let’s go home. Sit tight!”
On the way, he picked up three more riders. His mood improved even more, and seeing how many things she carried, he even dropped her off right at her doorstep.
Of course, Li Shulan wasn’t one to ignore kindness.
While he unloaded her things, she went inside and grabbed a handful of fruit candies for him.
The White Rabbit candies were for her daughters-in-law—those she couldn’t give away casually.
The driver felt his pockets full of candies and happily carried the sewing machine all the way into her house. As he left, he kept calling her “little sister” and said that from now on, rides on his ox cart would be free for her. Li Shulan couldn’t help but laugh.
Looking at the sky, she knew her two dutiful daughters-in-law would return from the fields soon. She didn’t have time to tidy the house and went straight to the kitchen to wash rice and start cooking. From the meat she bought today, she cut out a pound and a half to make braised pork with green beans and stir-fried water spinach.
No wonder she was so enthusiastic. Although she received a system reward at noon today, it was only two yuan and four steamed buns.
Just because her two daughters-in-law reheated a dish, her reward shrank tenfold!
Tenfold!
Even the four meat buns she got tasted exactly like the ones from the state-owned restaurant—actually, not even as good as her own cooking.
Just as she put the water spinach into the wok, the voices of her two well-behaved daughters-in-law sounded from the courtyard.
“Mom, we’re home!”
Without even washing their hands, they came straight into the kitchen. “Mom, you worked all day, and you’re cooking again the moment you got home. It’s too tiring. Leave the vegetables—we’ll fry them. You go rest!”
Meng Yue chimed in, “Yes, Mom, we’ll handle it. You should rest.”
Twenty yuan was at stake—how could Li Shulan let them touch the food?
If the rewards dropped again and she only got two yuan, who would she cry to?
No way!
She pushed them both out. “Shoo, shoo, shoo. It’s just one dish, I’ll be done soon. Go draw some water from the well and wash your hands. The water on the stove isn’t hot yet. Wash up after dinner.”
The two had no objections and went to wash.
After washing, they returned to help set the table.
When Li Shulan carried out the last dish, the three sat down to eat.
While eating, Li Shulan kept talking. “The sewing machine is home. This morning I ran into the brigade leader’s wife and chatted a bit. The eldest one should be able to come home soon to help me sew clothes. Wheat harvest is done, so second daughter-in-law, you should be able to go teach at the school in a day or two, right?”
Su Xiao nodded. “The brigade leader found me this afternoon. He said I can stop going to work the day after tomorrow and report to the school.”
“Good. The school isn’t close. Take our bicycle. You can ride, right?” Li Shulan asked.
In her previous life, she treated that bicycle like a treasure and never let her daughters-in-law touch it, so she didn’t know whether they could ride.
Su Xiao smiled. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve ridden since primary school.”
Hearing that, Li Shulan relaxed. “Good. I bought each of you a pair of leather shoes today. Wear them when you go to school. If they’re comfortable, I’ll buy you more later.”
“Thank you, Mom!”
After dinner, Li Shulan called them into the room and divided the day’s “loot.”
Three people, two cans of malted milk each. She already had a thermos, so the other two got one each. The white cotton cloth stayed with her—enough for each of them to make three or four sets of undergarments and also a few vests for her two sons. Then the White Rabbit candies—carefully counted and divided; the extra two pieces she gave to her daughters-in-law. Then came the peach crisps, rice sticks, mung bean cakes, chocolate wafers, fruits…
After dividing everything, she carefully pulled out two watches from the bottom of her bundle and handed them to the daughters-in-law.
“When you got married, Mom didn’t give you anything. Those two brats were clueless—they thought handing over two hundred yuan was enough. Take these watches as your real bridal gifts from them.
“As for the sewing machine I bought for the eldest daughter-in-law today—second one, don’t feel bad. The family doesn’t need three sewing machines anyway. So, Mom decided the bicycle at home will be yours. I’ve kept it well; it’s practically new…”
Unsurprisingly, Li Shulan received two emotional, teary daughters-in-law in return.
They clung together affectionately for a long while. After that, they hung the leftover meat in three baskets down the well and finally went to bathe and sleep.
How the daughters-in-law slept, Li Shulan didn’t know.
Because at that moment, she was busy thinking.
Thinking about that scumbag Zhang Youliang.