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Upon hearing her daughter’s assurance, Zhang Lan felt relieved. As long as her daughter made a promise, she could generally be counted on to keep it. This child had the distinct characteristic of being very committed to her word.
When they returned home, Hao Lianchun had already warmed the kang, waiting for their return.
“Grandma, we gathered a lot of things today. We’ll cook them for you and grandpa tonight,” Zuo He said.
Having not seen the old lady all day, Zuo He hugged Hao Lianchun affectionately as soon as he got home.
“Goodness, Zuo He, you’ve done so much. Hurry and go warm up on the kang with your brother and sister. Are you feeling cold?” Hao Lianchun took off his shoes and tucked him into the warm kang.
“Grandma, Grandma, look, Grandma gave me lucky money,” Zuo He said, showing the money to Hao Lianchun.
Zuo He obediently handed over the extra money from his pocket, leaving only the coin given by Zhang Lan.
Mingcheng and the others also handed over their money. Zhang Lan thought it wouldn’t be good for the children to carry too much money, so she accepted it.
“Aunt, let me discuss something with you. I brought some dried goods from my mom’s house. Can you talk to the elderly folks and get their addresses written down? I’ll send a package to each of their homes. At the very least, it will put their minds at ease. I’ve also prepared a package for your three sons, and I’ll send it over together,” Zhang Lan said.
Zhang Lan’s gesture deeply moved the old lady. During the Lunar New Year, she had been considering sending something to her three sons at home, but she hadn’t expected Zhang Lan to be so thoughtful and considerate on their behalf.
“Lan, what can I say about you? Your heart is truly kind. Alright, I’ll ask them about it, and we’ll sew the packages tomorrow,” Hao Lianchun said, heading out to ask the elderly men for their addresses. Old Wu hurried over, unable to contain his excitement. “Niece, is what you said true?”
Seeing Old Wu’s childlike excitement, Zhang Lan found it somewhat amusing. “Uncle Wu, of course it’s true. If you write something in a letter, your family back home might not believe it. But if you can send something over, it will allow them to taste something new and also believe that you are truly living well here.”
Old Wu was reassured, but he felt a bit awkward. “Niece, I’m sorry to trouble you again.”
Old Wu didn’t say thank you, as it seemed too formal.
“It’s no trouble, Uncle. You all have a share in this. When you go back, make sure to tell Auntie. I’ll go cook now and prepare some seafood for you tonight.”
When they reached the kitchen, they found that Hao Lianchun had already prepared dinner. Zhang Lan also got to work, cooking the seafood they had brought back and making a soup.
When they all sat down together again, the old men had contented smiles on their faces. “Niece, you’ve gone to so much trouble and thoughtfulness for us old folks. We’re truly blessed to have you.”
Zhang Lan chuckled and said, as she placed a bowl of seaweed soup in front of him, “Uncles, what are you saying? We are all family here. There’s no need for such formal words. You are not only our Uncles, but also the teacher of our children. It’s only right to show respect to our elders.”
Wang Qian had never realized that Zhang Lan was so eloquent. The words she spoke were not only comforting to her, but also to the elderly men.
“Hehe, Niece, I like what you’re saying. In that case, we won’t hold back. Brothers, there’s no need to say anything. Let’s not disappoint our children’s kind intentions,” Old Chen said. After taking a sip of the soup, he added, “It’s delicious. Living with our nephew’s family is truly comfortable.”
Left Zhanshan glanced at Mr. Chen and said, “Indeed, we never had this kind of soup before. It’s only after coming here that we’ve had the good fortune to taste it.”
The seaweed soup, accompanied by flatbread, was incredibly delicious. Even though Wang Qian had come from the modern era, she had never tasted such delicious soup in her past life. So, every time Zhang Lan made it, she would have an extra bowl, even when her stomach was full.
In the evening, Hao Lianchun collected all the addresses and then sat on the kang with Zhang Lan to make pockets out of scraps of cloth.
Unexpectedly, the eldest couple came to visit again. Zhang Lan knew that her sister-in-law must have encountered something interesting while cooking today.
“Sister-in-law, come and sit on the kang. Brother, Zhenhe is next door. You can go chat with the elderly men,” She said to Wang Zhenhai, eager to go next door and listen to his wife talk about the family’s affairs.
Wang Juan sat down next to Zhang Lan on the kang and said, “Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t believe it. I saw that woman today. She doesn’t have the looks of the wife for Zhenguo, but she’s quite flashy. Her clothes and accessories are mostly bought from the city. Our cooperative store doesn’t sell such clothes. And her voice is so pretentious. It gave me goosebumps. But I saw that the old lady was delighted.”
As Wang Juan described, Wang Qian imagined someone who wasn’t good-looking and spoke in a coquettish manner. It seemed like she was a bit spoiled by her family.
“Sister-in-law, can you believe that woman set her sights on Wang Zhenguo? It’s unbelievable. Her family background is quite good, and her brother works at the Revolutionary Committee. She shouldn’t have married him. I can’t see any good qualities in this little brother of ours,” Zhang Lan said.
Not even Wang Juan could see any good qualities in him. “Ah, who cares? They’re a match made in heaven.”
“Sister-in-law, our mother-in-law really went all out today. We’ve been married for so many years, and during the Lunar New Year, we’d be lucky to see a few pieces of meat in the dishes. Today, I felt like I was seeing something new. I guess our mother-in-law used up all her meat rations for the whole year. The table was filled with delicious dishes. Did you see how the second brother’s family was practically dripping with oil from all the food?”
Wang Qian, who had been listening, asked curiously, “Auntie, what did you talk about with that woman today? How was her demeanor and conversation?”
Wang Juan became irritated as she brought up the topic. “Don’t even mention it. I was like a servant today, catering to her. She didn’t have time to talk to me. She only pulled Wang Zhi aside to whisper. Your second sister-in-law tried to approach her and say a few words, but she was ignored. You know what your second sister-in-law asked? She asked if that woman could buy discounted goods through internal channels. The woman replied that she didn’t know yet and would let her know when she found out. It made me want to laugh.”
“By the way, Auntie, what’s that woman’s name? We can’t keep calling her ‘that woman’ all the time, can we?” Wang Qian asked.
Wang Juan tapped her head and began to think. “What was it… I remember now. Her name is Ma Fenqing. It made me want to laugh. It’s quite a strange name. It reminds me of horse manure from the production team.”
The people on the kang found the name quite amusing, especially Wang Qian, who was quite the idealist. She wasn’t really a part of this generation, so the name made her feel uncomfortable. She hoped she wouldn’t have to deal with such people in the future.
As Zhang Lan sewed the pockets, she asked, “Sister-in-law, what does Ma Fenqing do that the old lady values her so much?”
Wang Juan spat out the melon seed shells and said, “That woman is a state worker, selling goods at the cooperative store on the hill. Her father is quite influential, being the director of the cooperative store. Our old lady is trying to curry favor with her because of her monthly salary. We’re living off public funds, and our old Wang family is new to this. Can you blame the old lady for trying so hard?”
Hao Lianchun shook her head as she listened. “Your mother-in-law is really fixated on money. I’m not just talking about your little brother. Even with his attitude towards Lan, he won’t have a good future. He’s not a knowledgeable person.”
As Hao Lianchun heard Zuo He talk about the Wang family, she really couldn’t stand Wang Zhenguo. A young man like him, fighting with his niece and nephew for food, and abusing his brothers wife was not someone she could respect. She didn’t understand what the girl’s family was thinking, pushing their good daughter into a fire pit.
“Grandma, we can’t resist when two people are a match made in heaven. I heard that the girl caused quite a stir at home to be with Wang Zhenguo. I guess her family had no choice but to agree. Tomorrow, Wang Zhenguo will be going to the girl’s family, and I think the matter will be settled. Sister-in-law, do you know how much lucky money our mother-in-law gave?” Wang Juan glanced at everyone, piquing their curiosity. Zhang Lan pondered and asked, “Twenty?”
Twenty was already a significant amount in Wang Qian’s eyes. How much could a farmer’s annual bonus be? It was almost a fifth of it.
“Twenty? You’re underestimating Comrade Zhu Qiyu. It’s fifty, a whole five big unity notes. I envy her. When we got married, how much did we get? This is the first time she’s given such a large sum. The old lady has really gone all out for her precious son. She’s not afraid to make sacrifices for him,” Wang Juan said, clicking her tongue at the fifty yuan. She had never heard of such a large sum being given on the first visit. She couldn’t help feeling envious. How could the treatment of daughters-in-law vary so much?
Everyone on the kang, except for Hao Lianchun, was surprised. Wang Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, that’s a lot. Where did their family get so much money?”
Wang Juan glanced at her eldest niece and sighed inwardly. “Dear, that money was mostly saved up by your parents during their time in the cooperative. Otherwise, with the little money we received, how much could we have saved from our daily expenses? Your grandmother’s generosity probably comes from her own savings. Your family is the one who suffered the most.”