bookbashuk Chapter 397 - 395: Unsuitable, Returning It to You
Chapter 397 - 395: Unsuitable, Returning It to You
The next morning, as soon as Lin Lan arrived at the pastry shop, Tong Xinglan pulled her aside and said embarrassedly, "Cousin, the young boss from the steamed bun shop came looking for me this morning."
Lin Lan looked at her. "What did he say to you?"
Tong Xinglan took a silk scarf from her pocket and said with a blush, "He gave this to me. He said he wants to date me."
Seeing her blushing and shy, Lin Lan felt a sense that her little girl was all grown up and couldn’t be kept at home anymore. "Have you thought it over? Did you say yes?"
Tong Xinglan glanced up at Lin Lan, shuffled her feet on the ground, and stammered, "I didn’t say yes. I was going to give the scarf back to him, but he just left it there and ran off."
’She has a good head on her shoulders,’ Lin Lan thought. ’She wasn’t swayed by a few cheap gifts.’ "You did the right thing. A girl should be a little reserved. Look at all those sixteen and seventeen-year-old girls from your team—which one of them doesn’t have a few suitors? You’re good-looking and you’ve learned a skill, so of course you need to consider your options carefully."
Tong Xinglan thought for a moment, realizing it was true. She nodded and said, "I’ll go over and give it back to him in a bit."
Lin Lan patted her shoulder. "Right. A girl can’t be too easily impressed. Besides, it’s not like you can’t afford a silk scarf yourself. If you don’t like him, reject him outright. Dragging it on isn’t good for you or for him. If he dares to come here and pester you, your cousins aren’t just for show."
After hearing this, Tong Xinglan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lin Lan and said, "Cousin, if he really wants to date me, why doesn’t he have his parents send a matchmaker over to propose it?"
"Also, every time he comes looking for me, it’s when his parents aren’t around. I’m worried his parents look down on me for being from the countryside and won’t approve. And I’m afraid he’s not serious about me and just wants to fool around."
Lin Lan hadn’t expected her to have thought things through so much. ’My aunt must have taught her a lot about these things,’ she thought, looking at her with satisfaction. "Since you understand all this, you should return his gift as soon as possible.
If you want to marry someone in East Market, it’s a big city with plenty of good men. I can ask Sister Xiuyun and Sister Liying to help keep an eye out for you."
’There was nothing wrong with a girl wanting to marry well,’ she thought. ’The key was to have a clear head and know her own place. She was willing to help people who were level-headed and understood things clearly.’
"Thank you, Cousin," Tong Xinglan said gratefully. "I’ll go return it right now." With that, she picked up the silk scarf, left the shop, and walked toward the steamed bun shop across the street.
When the young boss saw Tong Xinglan approaching, he asked nervously, "What are you doing here?"
"I’m sorry, this scarf doesn’t suit me. I’m returning it to you." Tong Xinglan placed the scarf on the table by the entrance and turned to leave.
"Hey—" The young boss picked up the scarf, but when he looked up, Tong Xinglan was already running back to the pastry shop. Annoyed, he stuffed the scarf into his pocket.
Tong Xinglan ran back into the shop and said to Lin Lan, "Cousin, I gave it back."
Lin Lan nodded. "Good. Now that it’s returned, you can focus on your work."
"Got it. You watch the shop, I’m going to the back to make vegetable crackers."
In the afternoon, Lin Lan and the others went to Lexing again, leaving Wu Shufen and Zhang Xiuqing at home to cook. The children also stayed behind.
Lin Changyou looked at Old Li. "In-law, are you staying home or coming with us to take a look?"
Old Li smiled. "It’s been many years since I’ve transplanted rice seedlings. I’ll go take a look too."
Lin Changyou recalled how deftly Li Xiangyang had transplanted the seedlings the day before and said happily, "I originally thought Xiangyang wouldn’t know how to do it, but who knew he’d be so fast and good at it."
Old Li beamed and said, "That all comes from the years in the countryside, when he was forced to work under constant supervision."
"Sigh!" Lin Changyou let out a breath. "A lot of people suffered in those years. Life is better now."
Old Li said cheerfully, "That’s right. You forget the hard times once they’re over. But the skills you learn will always be useful."
Lin Lan turned to see the two in-laws chatting animatedly and said to Li Xiangyang, "They’re all praising how skillful you are!"
Li Xiangyang grinned smugly. "Of course! Don’t you know who I am?"
Lin Lan looked at him, grinning. "Who are you? You’re that brilliant sunflower."
The group of more than a dozen people went to the seedling paddy first. After just one day, this entire section of rice paddies was already full of transplanted seedlings.
Everyone got into the paddy, pulled up all the remaining seedlings, and carried them to the field adjacent to the Construction Team’s land. Once this field was planted, all of Lin Lan’s family’s fields would be finished.
Lin Changyou checked the water level in the paddy and felt it was a bit too deep. He had Lin Guoliang open the irrigation gate to drain some of the water, closing it again once the water just barely covered the soil.
Newly planted seedlings need to be kept in shallow water. If the water is too deep, the seedlings can lose their balance, which is bad for root development and can cause them to float up.
After dividing the field into sections using bamboo strips tied with nylon rope, everyone got into the paddy. Working in pairs, with each pair planting one section, it didn’t take long for them to finish the last *mu* of land.
Lin Guoliang planted the remaining bundle of seedlings at the edge of the paddy to serve as "nursery seedlings." After planting, the fields had to be checked regularly. If any seedlings floated up, they would re-enter the paddy after three or four days and use these reserved "nursery seedlings" to fill in the gaps.
After being transplanted, the seedling leaves will turn yellow. After 5-7 days, they enter the "revival period," at which point a nitrogen fertilizer like urea must be applied as a "revival fertilizer" to help the seedlings turn green again.
After applying the revival fertilizer, the seedlings, now nourished, will grow and turn green faster, and their resistance to disease will also increase. Once they have revived and grown new roots, urea must be applied again as a tillering fertilizer...
Tong Xinglan pounded her aching back. "Farming is still the most tiring work. You toil away all year long, never eating a decent meal or wearing a nice piece of clothing."
Old Li watched the people bent over and busily working in the fields and chuckled. "Look at that. It’s this late, and there are still so many people working. It seems working for yourself is a completely different matter from working for the collective."
Lin Changyou smiled and nodded. "No one’s slacking off like they did during the ’big pot rice’ days."
An old man in the next field chimed in, "The land is in our own hands now. If you slack off, you’ll be begging for food. From now on, we’re responsible for our own harvests, good or bad. No harvest means an empty stomach!"
Lin Changyou said, "Exactly. This is the first year of the household responsibility system. I hope everyone has a great harvest, and that other places can adopt the system soon too."
The old man said cheerfully, "They will. Look, they’re even letting us run small businesses now. The policies are only going to get better from here on out."
After saying goodbye to the old man, Lin Changyou headed back with Lin Lan and the others, who had finished packing up their tools.
When they got home, Wu Shufen and Zhang Xiuqing had already finished cooking. Everyone carried the table out into the courtyard, and Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan helped bring the dishes out: Braised Eel with Whole Garlic, Fish with Pork Intestines, Old Duck and Mushroom Stew, Braised Chicken...
The rich aroma of garlic paired perfectly with the eel, cutting through any gaminess. The spicy Braised Eel with Whole Garlic was perfect with both rice and wine, and the Old Duck and Mushroom Stew was savory and delicious... After eating and drinking their fill, the group sat around in the courtyard and started chatting.