So that’s how it was. Zhao Lanzhi couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed or something else. “Comrade Shi and Comrade Xie are really too polite.”
“Yeah, they’re so generous.” Huang Cuicui said happily. Last time they came for a meal, they brought so many good things, including malt extract. Although she didn’t get to drink any herself, her Erhu and Si Ya both had some.
Su Hongshan was still worried about Su Junze. “Has your second brother not returned yet?”
Could something have happened to him?
Ah, he had said all along that place really shouldn’t be visited!
“Don’t worry, Dad. Second brother has already returned and is putting things away in the storage room. Go take a look.”
Su Qingran led them to the storage room, where they indeed saw Su Junze carrying sacks into the room. Wearing a tank top, he was drenched in sweat but his face was full of excitement. “Dad! Mom!”
“Guess how much money each of Little Sister’s White Fungus sold for?”
“How much? Three yuan?”
“Five yuan each! All five were bought by the same person!”
Su Junze placed the sack in his hands into the storage room, dusted off his hands, unable to conceal his excitement. “That man probably has an unusual status. He said his wife is pregnant and can’t keep anything down.”
“He happened to get one White Fungus before, and after eating it, she kept demanding more. But this thing is hard to come by in the north, and he hadn’t been able to find any. Just when he was worrying himself sick, he heard I had five high-quality White Fungus. He immediately decided on the spot to pay five yuan each and take all five!”
“That’s twenty-five yuan! Oh my goodness!”
Zhao Lanzhi’s smile stretched from ear to ear. They country folks toiled in the fields all year round and probably only earned about ten yuan annually. These five ear-shaped things could actually sell for so much!
“Is that young wife carrying a golden nugget or something?” Huang Cuicui also marveled in amazement.
Su Hongshan glanced at the storage room and asked, “Second son, what did you buy then?”
“Following Little Sister’s instructions, I bought some oil, meat, salt, sugar, and daily necessities like soap. The rest was spent on food – twenty jin of rice and twenty jin of white flour. There’s still fourteen yuan left.”
Su Junze handed the remaining money to Zhao Lanzhi.
Zhao Lanzhi unceremoniously took the money. Huang Cuicui and Liu Xiaoyan had no objections – Zhao Lanzhi managed all household finances, and besides, this money was obtained by their little sister, having nothing to do with them. They were already quite satisfied that their little sister could contribute this money for household supplies and food.
“Alright, Eldest and Second Son, you two handle the wild rabbits and pheasants your little sister caught. It’s too hot – if we don’t process them today, they’ll probably spoil by tomorrow.”
Su Junze’s eyes lit up. “Are we eating them all tonight?”
“Eat them all? Are we not going to live anymore after that?” Zhao Lanzhi shot him an annoyed look. “We’ll salt and preserve them to eat slowly. We just bought salt, perfect timing.”
Su Qingran actually agreed with her second brother. “Mom, why don’t we eat them all? My luck has been so good lately – maybe next time I go up the mountain I’ll encounter more pheasants or wild rabbits?”
Su Junze nodded vigorously. In the past, when they rarely ate meat, it was one thing, but recently they’d been having meat quite frequently, making other dishes seem rather bland in comparison.
Seeing her daughter say this, Zhao Lanzhi could only compromise. After all, these things were obtained by her daughter – how could she stop her daughter from eating them?
“Let’s prepare the two wild rabbits to eat, and we’ll salt and preserve the pheasant, alright?”
“Alright! Mom, you’re the best!” Su Junze grinned cheekily.
“Always with the smooth talk!”
Su Qingran suggested, “Then let’s have steamed buns tonight? Steamed buns with rabbit meat will definitely be delicious!”
White flour steamed buns…
Zhao Lanzhi felt a pang of frugality, but since her daughter wanted it, she could only nod, “Fine, fine, let’s eat then.”
Huang Cuicui was delighted, “I’ll go knead the dough!”
Soon after, Lin Jiahui and Su Qingshu returned home. Smelling the aroma in the house, Lin Jiahui asked in surprise, “Do we have guests today?”
“No guests, just family eating at home.” Su Junze explained about Su Qingran’s lucky streak. Lin Jiahui raised an eyebrow, uncertain whether he believed it or not.
Su Qingshu smiled, “Looks like we’re in for a treat today.”
The children were also thrilled, chattering nonstop. Zhao Lanzhi followed behind them, reminding, “Don’t you dare tell anyone outside what we ate today, hear me? If I hear any talk outside, I’ll beat you senseless!”
“We know, Grandma! You’ve said it several times! We’re not fools.”
“…”
Liu Xiaoyan and Huang Cuicui picked plenty of peppers from the vegetable garden. Su Qingran made a stir-fried rabbit dish that had all five children drooling.
The homegrown peppers were bell peppers, not very spicy, so even the children could handle the heat. But since both Su Qingran and Zhao Lanzhi preferred spicy food, she set aside half the rabbit meat, then added several small red chili peppers to the remaining portion and gave it another quick stir-fry over high heat. The fragrance of the small red chili peppers instantly burst forth, making even Su Qingran swallow her saliva at the aroma.
So fragrant!
After stir-frying a few vegetable dishes, Huang Cuicui’s steamed buns were ready too.
When all the dishes were served on the table, Zhao Lanzhi felt another twinge of frugality, “Wouldn’t it have been better to stew the rabbit with potatoes? The potatoes would absorb the meat flavor. With just meat and peppers like this, such a small amount will be gone in no time.”
Su Junze took a bite of the spicy stir-fried rabbit and said, “Mom, you just don’t understand. Rabbit stewed with potatoes can’t compare to little sister’s stir-fried rabbit!”
Lin Jiahui nodded in agreement, “Little sister’s cooking has improved quite a bit, almost as good as the chefs at the state-run restaurant.”
“You should be grateful to have food at all, yet you’re being picky.” Zhao Lanzhi shot him an annoyed look.
“Hey, it’s not me being picky! It was little sister who wanted to make stir-fried rabbit. If you want to blame anyone, blame her!” Su Junze knew his mother doted most on his younger sister, so he said this deliberately.
Zhao Lanzhi indeed stopped complaining.
Su Qingran smiled, “Let’s eat quickly. Focus on eating – this food won’t keep overnight, it’ll spoil by tomorrow.”
Although the two rabbits made a large bowl of stir-fry, the Su family was quite large – nine adults and five children, fourteen people in total. Although the five kids were young, they all had good appetites. Everyone ate heartily, and soon the large bowl of meat was nearly empty.
…
Su Qingran had just finished bathing and was drying her hair when she heard Zhao Lanzhi knocking outside, “Ranran, are you asleep?”
“Not yet, Mom. Come in.”
“Creeak—”
Looking at her daughter who resembled a fairy under the moonlight, Zhao Lanzhi couldn’t help feeling proud – no girl in all the surrounding villages was more beautiful than her Ranran!
Whoever marries Ranran in the future will be secretly overjoyed!
Feeling her mother’s gentle and affectionate gaze, Su Qingran’s face warmed. “Mom, what did you need me for?”
“Just wanted to chat with you.” Zhao Lanzhi sat down beside Su Qingran and pulled a stack of money from her pocket—the same fourteen yuan Su Junze had given her earlier.
“Mom, what are you…”
“Ranran, you keep this money. You’re grown now, you should have some emergency funds on hand.”
“Mom, I still have some left from the pocket money you and Dad gave me.”
Zhao Lanzhi shook her head. “Although I manage the household finances, your eldest brother, second brother, and third sister all have their own families now. They never handed over all their earnings before—they kept some for themselves.”
“These twenty-five yuan were all earned by you. Consider what you’ve spent as your contribution to the household, and keep the rest for yourself.”
“Originally, I thought since you’re still young, I’d hold onto it for you and give it to you as dowry when you marry. But these past few days, I’ve noticed you’ve become much more sensible. Your father and I feel comfortable putting this money in your hands now.”
“Didn’t you mention during dinner that you wanted to make jam from the picked fruits and sell it? Such ventures require capital. From now on, you can keep the money you earn—no need to hand it over to me.”
“You just need to contribute enough grain for your meals, like your brothers and sisters-in-law do.”
Ranran was just one person and didn’t eat much. The rations allocated by the village plus the Work Points she earned from collecting pigweed should be sufficient. Some matters were better discussed openly.
Even among close siblings, accounts should be settled clearly—especially since Ranran’s brothers and sisters all had their own families now. Although they doted on her, things were inevitably different.
She didn’t want future conflicts over money, nor did she want Ranran to be taken advantage of.
Su Qingran understood her mother’s meaning almost instantly. She smiled wryly, “Don’t worry, I won’t be shortchanged. Besides, we’re family—they’ve always treated me well. Even if I suffer some losses, it’s not a big deal.”
Having experienced the fickleness of human relationships in her past life, how could she not know that keeping money in her own hands was the safest option?
But whenever she remembered how her entire family had died because of her in her previous life, she was overwhelmed with guilt and couldn’t help but want to be extra kind to them. Yet these were things she could never voice.
Zhao Lanzhi still shook her head. “It’s not the same. You can afford to take losses, but you mustn’t let others think it’s taken for granted for you to be shortchanged.”
“In the future, when you earn money, you can buy meat to supplement family meals. But the money must remain in your hands, so everyone knows it’s your contribution to the household. Even among siblings, accounts should be clear. Actually, settling accounts properly might even improve relationships between you siblings and in-laws.”
Zhao Lanzhi spoke with sincere emotion, genuinely considering what was best for her.
Su Qingran pressed her lips together. “Mom, I understand.”