Chapter 357: Chapter 354: The Bride’s Homecoming
"Mom, Big Brother, you’re here!" Qiaohui turned, saw the mother and son, and cried out in pleasant surprise. She put down the pumpkin pancake in her hand and went out to greet them.
Wu Shufang took Qiaoh-ui’s hand, her heart overflowing with joy as she looked at her lovely daughter. "We’re here. We wanted to come for the wedding banquet, but who knew it would rain so heavily? We didn’t make it in time."
Qiaohui looked happily from her to Zhou Shitou. "No wonder I looked for you at the entrance a few times and couldn’t find you."
Zhou Shitou looked at her and commented, "Little girl, you’ve grown taller again."
Qiaohui gave him a playful glare. "Big Brother, I’m not a little girl anymore."
Tong Xinglan came out and greeted them. Wu Shufang asked the two girls how their training was going and urged them to work hard and not be lazy.
The two agreed. They chatted for a little while longer in the backyard before heading to the east side of the city.
Lin Changyou showed Zhou Shitou the vermicelli that had been delivered from Jinjia Pingzi. He told him that customers who had bought their vermicelli were coming back for more, saying it was soft and chewy with a good bite, and didn’t get mushy in the pot.
Their restaurant used the Jinjia Pingzi vermicelli for its hot and sour noodle soup.
Zhou Shitou recalled that they used spring water from Shishanling to cook their vermicelli. ’Our vermicelli isn’t as smooth as the stuff from Jinjia Pingzi. It must be the drying process.’ He decided to talk to the brigade leader about building a drying house as soon as he got home.
The four of them came out of the general store and went to the restaurant next door. Inside, about ten people were seated at four tables, some eating steamed vegetables with tofu pudding and rice, others eating noodles or hot and sour noodle soup.
Once in the backyard, Wu Shufang said happily, "Shufen, last time when I heard you were going to uproot your lives to come out here, I was so worried. But you’re so capable! Your business is booming!"
Wu Shufen smiled. "What do we know about running a business! It was all taught to us by Little Lan and Xiangyang. They said that as long as we make the food taste good and give generous portions, the customers will come."
Zhao Xiaohui chimed in from the side, "Exactly. Every time we cook noodles, we add an extra handful. All our customers say our portions are bigger than other places, that one bowl here is enough to fill them up."
The Lin family made all their fresh noodles by hand. A catty of flour cost less than two jiao and could be made into several bowls of noodles. Add some minced meat sauce, pork intestines, or fried bean paste, and a bowl could be sold for two jiao.
Wu Shufang looked at Zhang Xiuqing, bustling about with a constant smile, and the radiant, animated Zhao Xiaohui. She thought of her two daughters-in-law back home. Xu Hongju had regained some of her spirit lately, but Li Xiaofeng and her husband were as listless as eggplants after a frost.
’A tree dies when moved, but a person thrives. When I get back to Shishanling, even if I have to have a huge fight with that old hag from the Li family, I’m getting that couple out of there so they can start living like proper human beings!’
****
Two days passed in a flash, and it was time for Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang’s homecoming visit.
When the alarm went off, Lin Lan squinted and turned on the bedside lamp. Li Xiangyang sat up too, his well-built upper body bare, revealing red scratch marks on his shoulder.
Lin Lan reached out to touch it, but Li Xiangyang’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her with a grin. "You’re awake, honey!"
Lin Lan’s face flushed. She quickly pushed herself up to get out of bed. "Why don’t you sleep a little longer?"
Li Xiangyang smiled, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head for a kiss. "No more sleeping. We have our homecoming visit today."
Lin Lan nestled lazily in his arms. "My mom said we should go straight to the East City Restaurant."
Li Xiangyang nodded. "Mm. Your brother told me that yesterday, too."
The faint sound of voices drifted in from outside. Lin Lan gave him a push. "Get up. Little Douzi and your dad are already talking."
"Mm!" Li Xiangyang threw back the covers and got out of bed.
After changing, they left the room and went downstairs. They saw Old Li putting packs of dried noodles wrapped in red paper into a wicker carrier. On the table were meat, cigarettes, liquor, canned goods, and candy—all in pairs and wrapped in red paper.
Lin Lan went to the backyard to pick some bok choy, then came back and made wontons in chili oil. After they had all eaten, Old Li rode his bike to the department store, while the other three hung the homecoming gifts on the back of their bicycle and rode toward the East City Restaurant.
The East City Restaurant only had two of its door panels open today; in the backyard, they were preparing for the feast.
Lin Jun and a few other kids were playing in the doorway, rolling iron hoops and flipping cardboard squares. When they saw the three arrive, he yelled at the top of his lungs into the restaurant, "Grandpa, Grandma, my aunt and the others are back!"
As Li Xiangyang stopped the bike, Little Douzi grabbed his hand and slid off. The group of children immediately started playing together.
Lin Guoliang poked his head out. Seeing the couple, he hurried out to greet them, handing Li Xiangyang a cigarette. "You’re here! I was just about to go and get you!"
Lin Lan smiled at him. "It’s not that far, why would you make the trip?"
Lin Guoliang took the wicker carrier. "Auntie is here, and so is our great-aunt."
Lin Lan had no memory of a great-aunt. "Which great-aunt? I don’t remember her at all."
"The wife of Dad’s great-uncle. Ever since our cousin got discharged from the army and started working at the Shiqiao Commune. At first, Mom and Dad would still pay them New Year’s visits, but our cousin’s wife said some nasty things, and Great-Aunt gave them the cold shoulder too. After that, Mom and Dad stopped going."
Lin Guoliang said in a low voice, "She wants to ask you for help buying a television for her grandson’s wedding. She’s probably too proud to ask directly. The old lady is a bit annoying, always pulling rank because of her age. Mom and Dad feel they can’t be rude to an elder, so if you hear anything unpleasant later, just let it go in one ear and out the other, okay?"
Li Xiangyang and Lin Lan exchanged a glance, then smiled. "Got it. Whatever she says, we’ll pretend we didn’t hear it."
’So, they got rich, cut off their poor relatives, and now that they see the Lin family is doing well, they’re back to flaunt their seniority.’
Seeing that they understood the situation, Lin Guoliang carried the wicker basket and led the couple toward the backyard.
The moment they entered, Zhao Xiaohui pulled Lin Lan aside. "That old woman in there is a real piece of work. Just go in, say hello, and then come right back out with Xiangyang."
’Just what kind of old woman is she?’ Lin Lan grew even more curious.
As she stepped inside, she saw an old woman with high cheekbones, thin skin, and her hair in a bun, sitting ramrod straight on a bamboo chair under the eaves. When the three of them entered, the woman merely lifted her eyelids for a glance, then resumed her pose, waiting for the couple to approach and pay tribute.
Zhang Xiuqing saw the couple and greeted them happily, pointing to some chairs in the courtyard and telling them to sit.
Lin Changyou smiled at the couple. "Xiangyang, Little Lan, this is your great-aunt."
"Hello, Great-Aunt," the two of them said, turning to greet her politely.
"Hmph!" The old woman didn’t even crack a smile, just snorted through her nose by way of acknowledgment.
’An adorable little old lady is someone kind and amiable like my grandaunt,’ Lin Lan thought. ’As for this one... isn’t it exhausting to live so pretentiously?’
"Xiangyang, Little Lan, you’re back!" Wu Shufang came out of the house smiling. She took Lin Lan’s hand and looked at the couple apologetically. "I’m so sorry, Auntie came too late and missed your wedding banquet."
Li Xiangyang smiled. "It’s alright, Auntie. I heard our cousin is here too, but I don’t see him."
"He and Guodong went to the river dam early this morning to catch fish. They should be back any minute."
Just then, Zhang Xiuqing came out with a tea tray. "Dad, Xiangyang..."
Before she could finish, the old woman sitting to the side pursed her lips. "Such poor manners. She doesn’t even know to call him ’Brother-in-law’."
