Chapter 138: Toffee

“Well, I think that’s a good plan. We need to be careful with our words, or we might give ourselves away,” Zhang Lan agreed.

After lunch, the mother and daughter set up a stall at another residential area with their produce. The familiar elderly residents recognized Wang Qian and hurried over to join the rush to buy the fresh vegetables. It was rare to see any green vegetables in the winter, and with the approaching Lunar New Year, many people had some extra money to spend. Once they saw the fair prices, they naturally reached for their wallets.

After selling out their goods and returning home, the mother and daughter sat on the warm kang and counted their earnings for the day. When they finished counting, Zhang Lan’s tears began to flow. “Qianqian, we can finally pay off our debts. From now on, our family won’t owe anyone money. We’ll have some extra money after selling more goods tomorrow.”

Initially, Zhang Lan had thought it would take several years to pay off all their debts. However, in just one day, her wish to repay the debts had been completely fulfilled. She couldn’t help but feel emotional, especially as she thought about her young daughter making countless trips to the city. At an age when she should be playing, Wang Qian had taken on the responsibility of supporting the family. As a parent, Zhang Lan felt guilty.

“Qianqian, from now on, I’ll accompany you when we sell goods. You’re working too hard on your own,” Zhang Lan said.

Wang Qian snuggled up to Zhang Lan. She rarely acted so affectionate, as she felt that such behavior didn’t quite suit her at her age. But today, she just wanted to enjoy the rare warmth of her mother’s embrace.

“Mom, I’m not tired. As long as our family is safe, healthy, and happy, I believe that what I’m doing is worth it. Mom, you need to take care of yourself too. We’ll grow up and take good care of you. You’ve suffered too much in the past,” Wang Qian said.

Zhang Lan held her child tightly, feeling moved. “I didn’t suffer. With you and your siblings by my side, I feel that there’s hope for the future. Look, our family will soon be free from debt. From now on, we’ll save the money we earn. I want to watch you all grow up and provide you with good food and clothing. Among all my children, you are the most worry-free, but also the one who makes me the most heartbroken.”

Zhang Lan held her young and frail daughter tightly, feeling deeply moved. “I didn’t suffer. With you and your siblings by my side, I feel that there’s hope for the future. Look, our family will soon be free from debt. From now on, we’ll save the money we earn. I want to watch you all grow up and provide you with good food and clothing. Among all my children, you are the most worry-free, but also the one who makes me the most heartbroken.”

As she spoke, tears began to well up in Zhang Lan’s eyes. “Qianqian, you need to eat more from now on. Why are you getting thinner and thinner?”

Zhang Lan could even feel her daughter’s ribs.

“Mom, my stomach hurts a bit. Can you feel it? It’s been like this for the past couple of days,” Wang Qian said, feeling a bit uneasy as she sighed and spoke to her mother.

She hadn’t paid much attention to it over the past few days, but the cramping pain she had just experienced made her feel uncomfortable. Zhang Lan quickly reached into her daughter’s clothes and gently felt her shrunken belly. However, the hard lumps moving inside caught her attention.

“Qianqian, have you been experiencing cramping pain and feeling hard lumps in your stomach these past few days?” Zhang Lan asked.

Wang Qian nodded in her mother’s embrace. “Yes, but the pain goes away after a while, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.”

Zhang Lan sighed. “You little thing, if your stomach hurts, you should tell me right away. Instead, you’ve been enduring it on your own. I suspect you have worms in your stomach. Tomorrow, I’ll buy some medicine to deworm you.”

When Zhang Lan mentioned deworming, Wang Qian realized that the food they were eating was mostly organic and grown with natural fertilizers, which could contain worm eggs. Combined with their lack of attention to their diet, it was quite normal for them to have worms.

She realized that in modern times, she had hardly ever dewormed herself. With all the vegetables and fruits she consumed, some exceeding safety standards and others with pesticide residues, any worms in her stomach would likely have been killed by the toxins.

Under her mother’s gentle touch, Wang Qian slowly fell asleep. The next day, her stomach no longer hurt, and she regained her energy. After selling their goods in the morning, Zhang Lan took her daughter to a department store.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, the place was crowded. Wang Qian couldn’t help but marvel at the Chinese New Year tradition. At this time, it seemed as if the money was not hard-earned. People were eager to spend and buy things, and the frugal working class only seemed to enjoy spending money during the holidays. However, she wondered if these people would regret their spending after the holidays.

Zhang Lan led her to the medicine counter. In the 1970s, there were no pharmacies, so stores and supply and marketing cooperatives usually had a dedicated area for selling medicines to make it convenient for people to buy them.

“Comrade, can you give me twenty pieces of toffee?” Zhang Lan asked the somewhat indifferent service staff behind the counter, whose attitude was not as warm as those in the supply and marketing cooperative.

However, as employees of the state, the service staff had a monopoly on the sale, and the common people had no choice but to buy from them, regardless of their attitude.

The staff member wrote a few words on a piece of paper and handed it to Zhang Lan. “You can pay for it over there.”

The mother and daughter hurried to the cashier to pay, and once the money was exchanged, the staff member handed over the toffees to Zhang Lan.

“Mom, I thought we were buying medicine. Why are you buying candy?” Wang Qian didn’t quite understand the connection between deworming and eating candy.

“Silly girl, this is deworming candy. When we get home, everyone will have some. If there are worms in our stomachs, they will eat up the good food we consume,” Zhang Lan explained.

After browsing the store for a while, Zhang Lan bought a new pair of socks for each family member, a cigarette for a few elderly men, thermal underwear for her parents, and new shoes for Zhang Weiguo, along with an extra pair of socks for each person.

After this, the mother and daughter left without looking at the variety of goods on the counter. After having their meal, they checked the items they had bought to take home, then took a car directly to Wang Qian’s maternal grandparents’ house.

It was the Lunar New Year, and Zhang Lan’s parents had often supported her family financially. Therefore, she planned to buy some gifts for her own parents before the New Year. Along with the items she bought, she also brought fresh vegetables from her daughter’s space and some homemade wine. After getting off the car, they headed straight to her maternal parents’ house.

Geng Lianhua didn’t expect her eldest daughter to visit at this time, especially with so many gifts. When Zhang Lan was with her mother-in-law, there was hardly anything she could bring over. This year was different, and she could finally take charge and show some filial piety to her parents. The family’s financial difficulties had also been resolved, which made her very happy.

“Silly child, why did you come back at this time? There are so many people at home waiting for you to cook for them,” Geng Lianhua said, surprised to see her daughter bringing out so many things. “Have you struck it rich? These things don’t come for free. Why spend money when we’re still dealing with financial difficulties? You’re not living a good life, you silly girl.”

Zhang Lan knew her mother was feeling sorry for her. She hugged Geng Lianhua’s shoulders with a smile. “Mom, I haven’t bought much things for you before, haven’t I? You haven’t received much from your daughter all these years. This year is different. We’ve divided the family property, and I’ve set aside some money for you. I bought these in the city for you. Keep these vegetables for eating, and the wine is for you and Dad. It’s quite sweet and good for your health. I’ve been drinking it and haven’t had any heart problems. You should try it too. If you’re not sick, then we can focus on taking care of ourselves.”

Geng Lianhua’s eyes became a little moist. After so many years of supporting her daughter, she finally saw her child showing filial piety. She felt a thousand emotions in her heart. It seemed that her daughter was finally living a good life.

“Daughter, don’t spend money recklessly in the future. The children at home need to eat and dress, and there will be expenses for their education. You need to save slowly. Don’t spend two cents when you only have one,” the old lady advised. Zhang Lan knew her mother’s nagging was for her own good, and she rarely had the chance to act spoiled, so she leaned on Geng Lianhua and said, “Mom, I understand. I won’t spend money recklessly.”

The old lady chuckled and patted her daughter. “You’re all grown up, yet you’re not afraid of your daughter making fun of you. You still rely on your mom to act spoiled. It’s a pity that I’m old now. I can’t carry you like I used to when you were little.”

When Zhang Weiguo returned from fishing and saw Zhang Lan and Wang Qian, he was excited. “Sis, why are you here? I was thinking of sending you some gifts these past few days. Qianqian, come and let your uncle hold you.”

Even though she was an adult, Wang Qian still enjoyed being held by her young uncle. Being with him made her feel a sense of vitality and energy.

“Uncle, don’t slack off in your studies. If you have time after the New Year, come and stay at our place. Don’t hesitate to ask the grandpas if you have any questions. Grandpa Chen and the others are staying at our place now, so it’ll be more convenient to ask them for advice,” Zhang Lan advised.

As Zhang Weiguo held his young niece, he couldn’t help but find her serious expression amusing. She was becoming more and more like her grandmother.

“Alright, I got it. I’ll come and stay at your place after the New Year. If I eat up all the delicious food you bought, will you still welcome me?” Zhang Weiguo teased.

This was clearly teasing the child, and Wang Qian playfully pinched Zhang Weiguo’s cheek. “Uncle, you can eat as much as you want. If there’s not enough, we still have two barrels of water for you to drink.”

Zhang Weiguo was left speechless by Wang Qian’s teasing. Then, Zhang Lan remembered something. “Weiguo, come here. I bought some toffees. You and Qianqian should eat them. If there are worms in your stomach, they’ll be eliminated together.”

Zhang Lan took out a paper package and unwrapped two yellowish, cake-like pieces. They were shaped like small pagodas, but just smaller.

“Qianqian, open your mouth. It’s not bitter at all. Just let it dissolve slowly. You and your uncle can eat it together,” Zhang Lan said.

She also put a piece into Zhang Weiguo’s mouth. Although he was turning eighteen soon, Zhang Lan still treated him like a child. She couldn’t forget about deworming her younger brother, just like she did with her own children.

“Sis, will this thing still work for me at my age?” Zhang Weiguo had eaten it before, but that was when he was much younger.

“It may or may not work, but it won’t do any harm. Just think of it as eating a piece of candy,” Zhang Lan replied.

Wang Qian took a bite of the yellow toffee. It was sweet and crumbly, and it dissolved in her mouth quickly. It didn’t taste bad, and in no time, the toffee had completely dissolved in her stomach.