Chapter 4

That night, the weather didn’t look good, and sure enough, it was cloudy the next day. With the wheat ready for harvest, if the weather didn’t clear up soon, it would be disastrous.

In the morning, she carried farming tools to work. Since they were in the same small team, she inevitably ran into a few of the Wang family daughters-in-law. The fourth daughter-in-law smiled silently at her, her eyes full of gratitude. Luo Lan returned the smile kindly, even though she hadn’t really done anything. The key was herself. If she didn’t stand up for herself, it wouldn’t matter how anxious others were.

“Luo Lan, it looks like it’s going to rain heavily. I hope your little shed doesn’t get washed away,” the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family said maliciously.

“Oh dear, what would we do then? Luo Lan only has a quilt and a pot. If it gets ruined by the rain, she’ll have to sleep on the street!” the second daughter-in-law chimed in.

They were deliberately trying to make her miserable today, having been instructed by their mother-in-law. After the incident with the fourth daughter-in-law yesterday, they believed she was instigating it.

“Smack!” To everyone’s surprise, Luo Lan suddenly lunged at the second daughter-in-law. “You have a foul mouth, and you deserve a slap.”

“You dare hit me? I’ll fight you!”

The second daughter-in-law raised her hand to grab Luo Lan’s hair, but she quickly dodged. Then she brandished a hoe at her, causing the other woman to freeze in her tracks.

“If you dare step forward, I’ll chop you down with this hoe.”

“Do you dare?”

“I have nothing to fear. Now that I’m on my own, I only have to worry about feeding myself. If I kill you, I’ll pay with my own life.”

Now that she was living alone, she had to appear strong. Otherwise, if the villagers saw her as a single widow, they might come up with all sorts of ideas to bully her. Especially since these women were from her former in-laws, there were already grievances between them.

“Luo Lan, you’re not an orchid, you’re actually a thorny rose. You look beautiful, but you prick anyone who tries to pick you. You’re not a good flower.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

If you want to belittle me and anger me, I’ll reply in a way that will infuriate you. Her confident and carefree demeanor really did resemble a rose. Anyone who came to pick her should think twice.

“You… don’t be so stubborn. I’m waiting to see your broken shed get battered by the storm. I’ll wait to see all your stuff soaked in water and watch you cry.”

“We’ll see who ends up crying.”

“Keep being stubborn,” the woman said, turning to leave, fiercely tugging at the wild grass on the ground. “Just wait, you just wait. Sisters, let’s all go watch her cry.”

The eldest daughter-in-law responded, “Okay, let’s go together and see if she still has her pride.”

The sky grew darker and darker, and the team leader checked the wheat in the field. The grains were still green, and it would take another two or three days to be ready for harvest. But it was unclear how long the rain would last, and he hoped it would clear up soon.

When she returned home for lunch, Luo Lan exchanged her points for the best waterproof tarp from the system. The tarp had self-adhesive backing. She just had to peel off the black protective film and stick it to the surface. However, it wouldn’t adhere well to the grass, so she had to remove all the dry grass first.

The shed wasn’t very big, and the work was easy. After removing all the grass, she peeled off the backing and stuck the tarp to the wood. She tested it once it was applied, and it stuck tightly. The tarp was thick and durable, adhering perfectly to the wood.

With some extra effort, she quickly finished applying the tarp to the entire shed. The thick black tarp completely covered her small shelter. She poured water on it to test it, and not a single drop leaked through.

Now things were good. She happily worked while humming a tune, her good mood evident. After laying the tarp, she covered it with the dry grass again, so it looked normal from the outside.

Her brother and brother-in-law had already helped reinforce the shed, making it immune to strong winds. With the waterproof tarp secured, she no longer had to fear heavy winds and rains.

Just as she was finishing her lunch, the dark sky started to sprinkle rain. It was clear that work would stop in the afternoon. She packed all her things into the shed, having already dug a drainage system outside, so there was no need to worry about leaks.

Today the northwest wind was blowing, and she opened the small front door, keeping the rainwater out. She sat comfortably in her little shed, enjoying the sight of the rain falling outside.

The sound of the rain mixed with the wind, and a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder. She looked up at the roof. There wasn’t a single drop of water or even a trace of moisture. Great, this system really had good stuff.

With this weather, she couldn’t do anything else, so she took out the shoe soles to start sewing. These soles were for her own shoes, as old farmers wore their shoes out quickly in the fields. Some people even went barefoot to save shoes, but she wasn’t accustomed to that. Even if her clothes were old, she didn’t want to go barefoot.

“System, how many points do I have left?”

“Twenty-five. Very few. The host needs to work hard!”

“Does hitting a child on a rainy day count as a melon?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate; the most common melon during rainy days is about hitting children.”

“Hey, system, what’s instant noodles?”

“It’s a type of noodle that’s very convenient. Just pour boiling water on it and it’s ready to eat. It’s delicious! Do you want to exchange for a pack to try?”

The system was vigorously promoting its products, saying that the more interested the host was, the more motivation there would be to work. Don’t just focus on coarse grains like corn, you have to try these interesting things. Instant noodles, for people in this era, were a definite luxury. The flavor was unforgettable for someone used to seasoning only with salt.

“How amazing, noodles that you can eat just by soaking them in boiling water.”

“Yeah, I can give you a discount. Why not try a pack?”

With the housing issue resolved and food supplies temporarily secure, Luo Lan was indeed tempted, especially since the system said it could give her a discount. The discounted price was equivalent to her exchanging flour to make her own noodles. But since she had never eaten instant noodles before, it would be a good opportunity to see what they tasted like.

Outside, the rain had become a gentle drizzle after the recent downpour, and some families had already started going up to their roofs. With earthen houses and thatched roofs, the dried grass was blowing everywhere.

She stood up and stretched. All the shoe soles were finished today. Tomorrow she would start making the shoe uppers, which would be much quicker to complete than the soles.

“I’ll exchange for instant noodles.”

Ultimately, she made that decision, as the temptation of a discount was something no woman could resist. The sound of rain was diminishing, and by dusk, only a light drizzle remained. The strands of fine rain floated down like silk threads, softly and gently falling between heaven and earth.

Such a pleasant atmosphere truly gave a feeling of the misty rain of Jiangnan. She had never been to Jiangnan. She had only read about it in books. The misty rain seemed almost ethereal.

After starting a fire and adding water to the pot, she carefully tore open the bag of instant noodles she had exchanged for. Inside was a block of noodles and three small packets. Looking at the instructions on the packaging, she knew these were all seasoning packets to be added to the pot along with the noodles.

Braised beef noodles, the most common flavor among instant noodles. After tearing open the seasoning packets, she brought them close to her nose to smell. The rich aroma made her mouth water instantly.

“So fragrant!”

There wasn’t much water in the pot, and soon it began bubbling vigorously. She added the block of noodles, followed by the powder, sauce, and vegetable packets one by one. As the steam rose, the fragrance became even more intense.

She gulped, surprised that there was such delicious food in this world. The points were exchangeable, and the system said there would be discounts every time. She had to work hard to make sure she could enjoy this a few more times in the future.

After about three minutes, she lifted the pot from the heat and poured the noodles and broth into a large bowl. She turned to put the pot down, and at that moment, she heard some commotion outside.Iit seemed someone was coming.

“What’s that delicious smell?”

“Yeah, it’s so fragrant! It’s even more aromatic than stewed meat.”

“It looks like Luo Lan is living quite well. Hey, didn’t you say she would definitely be drenched in the rain, a wet chicken clutching her quilt and crying? She seems fine to me.”

Three women’s voices were familiar. Luo Lan, with the food in front of her, didn’t rush to greet them. Instead, she took a big slurp of noodles first.

Delicious! She had never eaten such tasty noodles before.

Enjoying the delicious food, her mood lifted significantly. In a moment, the women appeared at the entrance of her shed. With the kerosene lamp lit, everything inside was clearly visible.

They glanced around and simultaneously sniffed the air. The wife of her former brother-in-law, wide-eyed, asked, “Third sister-in-law, what are you eating? It smells so good.”

Another woman, a neighbor from the Xu family who had been called over by the eldest daughter-in-law to watch the fun, asked, “Luo Lan, you seem to be doing quite well.”

“This little shed is really sturdy. Not a single drop of rain has leaked in. It’s sturdier than many earthen houses. The old Liu family is currently blocking holes, and they say their quilts got soaked. You haven’t had any issues at all.”

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family was astonished, unable to believe that the hut was so solid. The roof had no moisture at all, and the bedding was neatly arranged on the makeshift bed. Those who thought she couldn’t even afford porridge had no idea she was eating something good. They could smell the aroma from far away.

Luo Lan smiled and directly confronted the instigator. “You specifically brought people to watch my misfortune? Unfortunately, you’ll be disappointed. Why don’t you go check on the Liu family? Oh, the old Liu woman is not easy to deal with. What if she gives you a slap? You’d have to go to work with two handprints on your face. That would be quite embarrassing.”

“You, Luo Lan, don’t be so arrogant. Once you consume all the good stuff, I’ll see how you get by.”

“Ha! You don’t need to worry about that. At least I’ve enjoyed the good stuff, have you?” She mocked the eldest daughter-in-law, whose face was as ugly as liver. “Oh, I forgot. The Wang family only has porridge for dinner, and you can only drink half a bowl. Look how skinny you are; it’s really pathetic.”

“You…”

“What? Did you think I couldn’t live well after leaving the Wang family? Unfortunately, I’m doing just fine. Are you jealous? Feeling envious? Ha! No matter how envious you are, you can only watch.”

“I, I…”

“I what? Why did you come here today? Were you drooling, drawn by the aroma to come over? Oh, with our relationship, do you think I’d share with you?”

As she spoke, she lifted her bowl of instant noodles and started to eat heartily. The fragrance wafted through the air, making the women who had no seasoning in their usual meals drool. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family swallowed hard, afraid of being discovered, and tried to cover up by shouting.

“I’m not drooling!”

“If you’re not drooling, why are you salivating?”

“I…” The woman was caught off guard by Luo Lan’s words and instinctively raised her hand to wipe her mouth. To her surprise, it was indeed wet. “I’m going home!”

The woman angrily turned to leave, and the other women who had come to see the commotion burst into laughter. A group of people, who were unhappy with each other, showed no mercy when it came to entertainment. The laughter made her wish she could shrink into herself, regretting her decision to come see Luo Lan.

Today, she should never have come to watch her misfortune; now she had become the laughingstock. Tomorrow, the whole village would know, and it would be terribly embarrassing.

Luo Lan sent her away in disgrace, standing at the door with a triumphant smile. She didn’t feel particularly satisfied just by confronting someone, she had heard the system’s prompt.

You’ve gained ten points for this little melon. Host, please keep up the good work. Even if there’s no melon to eat, you still need to create some!

The fourth daughter-in-law of the Wang family looked at her with burning eyes. She was wearing the most ordinary clothes and a patched shoe on her foot. But she had a slim and healthy figure and bright facial features like the warm sunshine, which could dispel any haze.