«Reflections»
Li Lanlan hung up the phone. She knew Wang Dashan wouldn’t be able to hold out for long, and sure enough, he’d called after just four or five days. Her own children were actually quite mischievous, each in their own way.
But business here was really booming. With Wang Dashan helping her out, they could earn even more; the two of them had always discussed major matters together.
Yet once Li Lanlan had made up her mind, Wang Dashan had little room to refuse. Whatever she wanted to do, provided the circumstances allowed, she was determined to see it through.
Besides, she’d only been working as a nanny here for four or five months. Once her cousin had given birth and finished her postnatal confinement, this job would be over.
In fact, she’d come here in the first place to see if there was any work to be had; after all, there were more opportunities in a big city!
On top of that, she’d made nearly a hundred yuan in just a short while. What did that mean? Wang Dashan, even after a day of toiling away at manual labour, only managed to earn a bit over ten yuan.
She was genuinely tempted, but the children were a problem. They were all still so young; leaving the two older ones with her mother was manageable, but adding the two younger ones to the mix, she feared she wouldn’t be able to cope.
After all, her mother still had to look after her two nieces, as well as the housework and the farm work—there was no end to the chores, inside and out!
It was truly a headache!
Having tidied up, Li Lanlan set off for Wang Caixia’s house. On the way, she popped into the local shop to buy some bananas and carried them over.
Wang Caixia was home alone at the moment. Li Lanlan followed her inside to find Wang Caixia watching television.
“How have you been, sis?”
Wang Caixia’s bump was truly enormous; at just over six months, it was as big as someone about to give birth. Twins really take it out of you!
“The babies are so big. I’ll probably need a caesarean when the time comes, otherwise it won’t be an easy birth!”
Wang Caixia struggled to sit on the sofa and looked very uncomfortable. Li Lanlan grabbed a cushion and placed it behind her lower back so she could lean back more comfortably.
She sat down beside her.
“I’ve only been here less than five days, and Dashan’s already phoned wanting me to come back. Just look at him—he’s been looking after the children for a couple of days and he’s already full of complaints. I’ve looked after them for years and never said a word!”
“He only earns a bit of money each day. These children will need food and drink as they grow up, and they’ll need to go to school later on. Money’s needed everywhere—what are we going to do then? He doesn’t even think about these problems!”
“Here’s what I’m thinking, sis. Do you reckon I should get Dashan to come over here so we can set up a little business? Once you’ve finished your postnatal confinement, I’ll head over and join Dashan in running it. That way, we sisters can look out for one another.
It’s just these children that worry me. How on earth am I supposed to look after all four of them? Back in the village, I could let them run and jump about freely, but there are so many cars in the city—I just can’t feel at ease! There’s no one to help out at my in-laws’ place either. I’ve got my mum and my two nieces to look after, and on top of that, I simply can’t keep an eye on all these little ones at home!”
Li Lanlan didn’t want to go on and on like this; if the children were just a bit older, she wouldn’t be in such a quandary.
“Lalan, if you’re willing to spend the money, you could put the children in a nursery here. They take children from six months old. There’ll be people to look after them. I’ll ask your brother-in-law to find out for you.”
“Sis, do they actually take six-month-olds at the nursery?” Li Lanlan really didn’t know about this. In her previous life, she’d only sent her children to nursery when they were four or five years old. Could children here start as young as six months?
“Of course they do! If they didn’t, who would look after the children in those dual-income families? Maternity leave is only two months, and some workplaces even accept children older than two months!”
“So, is it easy to rent a place here, sis? I don’t know much about this sort of thing, so I just wanted to ask you!”
“What sort of place are you looking for? Prices vary depending on the type! Take the allocated flats like ours, for instance – they go for seven or eight hundred on the open market. These days, everyone prefers flats, so it’s the terraced houses that are cheaper!”
“Sis, are there any flats for rent in your compound? It looks quite safe here – even if the kids play in the courtyard, they’ll be safe!”
“Of course there are! The housing shortage in Beijing is relative, after all. There are hardly any flats available, just those terraced houses with little courtyards. But they’re only let to people within the compound, and the rent’s cheap. Let me ask around for you!”
Wang Caixia was naturally a bit of a hothead. Since this was her own cousin and not a stranger, she rushed to dial the number for the community service centre, which handled all sorts of odd jobs.
“Hello, Director Li, are there any of those little courtyard houses still available? Right, right, thank you so much. I’ll ask Sister Zhang!”
“Hello, Sister Zhang. Yes, a relative’s coming to stay and needs a place to rent. Right, right. Oh, alright, thank you, Sister Zhang.”
Wang Caixia hung up the phone and said cheerfully to Li Lanlan, “They don’t normally let out flats here, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Sister Zhang’s family were allocated that flat by the community service centre, but they had too many children and moved upstairs! So their flat’s been left empty, and normally you can’t rent it out.”
“But your situation’s different. I’ll vouch for you, so you can rent it directly from Sister Zhang—we’re all on the same side. But this is only valid while her husband’s in office. Once his term ends, the flat will be handed back to the service cooperative’s logistics department. Still, you’ll be fine living there for two or three years!”
“But the rent is five hundred a month, non-negotiable. It’s a bit pricey, but cheaper than elsewhere—after all, it’s such a big courtyard!”
“Alright, why not!”
Li Lanlan was truly grateful to her sister; she’d thought of everything. It made her realise she hadn’t really kept in touch with Sister Caixia all those years in her previous life.
She herself had struggled to make ends meet for many years; the children’s school fees and the family’s livelihood had all rested on the shoulders of just the two of them. Often, when she returned home, all she wanted to do was rest.
On top of that, as the children grew older, the expenses only mounted. Everyone knew their burden was heavy, yet it was always easier to add to their good fortune than to offer help in their time of need. She had seen the coldness and warmth of human nature all too often and endured her fair share of gossip.
Yet now, the moment Li Lanlan asked, Sister Caixia had rushed about making enquiries and making arrangements for her.
Thinking of this, tears welled up in Li Lanlan’s eyes.
Wang Caixia watched as Li Lanlan’s tears streamed down her face and felt a bit at a loss. This younger sister of hers had always been strong-willed since childhood, fearing nothing under heaven; she never in a million years would have imagined her crying!
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m here!”
Wang Caixia patted her on the back, and Li Lanlan composed herself, wiping away her tears.
“Sis, I really do thank you!”
“We’re sisters, you know! You’re being too formal.”
Li Lanlan knew that Sis Caixia had always led a relatively comfortable life and hadn’t experienced the kind of desperate hardship she had, where there was no one to turn to for help. She didn’t quite understand why her sister had broken down like that, but this kind of suffering was something no one should have to go through.
After all, suffering isn’t exactly a good thing.
“What time do you need to go home to cook? Sister Zhang is only free at lunchtime and in the evening—she works during the day. Ask her to take you to have a look at that flat. I’ve been to the area with the terraced houses before; they’re basically just a few rooms with a small bathroom. If you rent it, you’ll probably have to take the whole place!”
“Sis, Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang won’t be home for the next couple of days—they’re not back until Friday! I’ve got nothing on my plate these days, so any time is fine!” With nothing much to do these days, Li Lanlan was planning to help Sister Caixia with the cooking. Looking at her big bump, it seemed to have grown a bit since the day she first arrived.
Being heavily pregnant makes everything a bit of a faff!
“That’s great. I’ll have a word with Sister Zhang. They live in this block too, and their flat isn’t far from here. After lunch, I’ll ask her to take you over to have a look!”
“Right then, Sis. What would you like for lunch? I’ll go and buy some ingredients!” Li Lanlan saw that the clock on the wall was almost at eleven, so it was time to start thinking about cooking!
Wang Caixia had always known her younger sister was a straight-talking sort with no hidden motives, so she didn’t stand on ceremony. She fished out five yuan and handed it to her.
“I fancy some hand-pulled noodles. It’s a bit of a bother to make them myself, and your husband’s been terribly busy of late. It’s just as well I can piggyback off you today and have a proper meal.”
Li Lanlan refused to take the money and was about to head off, but Wang Caixia reached out to stop her.
“Lanlan, you can’t do this. I know you mean well, but you’ve got a heavy burden to bear right now. Once you’re a bit better off, I’ll definitely be a regular guest at your place, but you’ve still got four children to feed!”
“All right, sis, I’ll take it then. I’ll be a regular guest at your place right now!”
Li Lanlan didn’t dwell on it and didn’t stand on ceremony with Wang Caixia.
“Sis, is your husband coming home for lunch?”
“No, he hasn’t been back for days. He doesn’t let me ask for details; he just gives a heads-up whenever he’s not coming home.”
“Right, then I’ll just make enough for the two of us!”
Li Lanlan went to the kitchen to prepare the dough. It was still cold outside, so the dough needed to be kneaded early on, otherwise it wouldn’t rise properly.
She first poured some hot water from the kettle into a bowl and mixed it with cold water, then added some lye and salt to make the dough chewy. She kneaded a batch of half-boiled dough.
That’s how you make wheat noodles—the dough mustn’t be hard.
Next, she soaked the wood ear mushrooms and Chinese chives in hot water, covered the bowl, and left them to soak for a while.
As for herself, she went to the market to buy some second-harvest radishes and firm tofu. The Ningzhou way of eating He Luo Noodles calls for adding radish and such, all for that distinctive radish flavour; the other counties and districts in Yang City each have their own variations.
Upon returning, she quickly chopped the accompaniments. Wang Caixia’s family owned one of those modern, labour-saving hand-pulled noodle machines.
Once Li Lanlan had finished the soup, she quickly boiled the noodles, rinsed them under cold water, drained them, ladled out two bowls of noodles, and carried them to the dining table on a plate.
Wang Caixia took a bite and gave a thumbs-up.
“Lanlan, your cooking really has been passed down from your aunt. Every time I visit my grandfather’s house, I love coming to your place for a meal the most. Your aunt’s cooking is simply delicious! I cook myself, but even so, I still love your aunt’s cooking the most!”
Li Lanlan smiled, “If you like it, have some more!”
If Sister Caixia had met her at this stage in her previous life, she certainly wouldn’t have dared to eat her own cooking; back then, she could never quite get the heat right and would burn the vegetables at the drop of a hat.
Accompanied by some delicious pickles, the two of them ate to their hearts’ content! Not even a drop of soup was left.
After the meal, Li Lanlan had just finished clearing the table when Sister Zhang arrived.
Li Lanlan followed Sister Zhang to see the small courtyard that had been allocated to her family.