CH 4

During dinner time, the whole family came back, but Dawang and the Mai Sui brother and sister pair did not come home.

Right now the security was pretty safe. There aren’t a lot of kidnappings on the road, and there is only one road from Shanzui Village to the town. It’s hard to get lost. The 11-year-old boy is leading his 9-year-old sister so there is nothing for the adults to be worried about.

Lin Lan was actually a little worried. She wasn’t worried about their safety, but she was worried about Dawang and the two Mai Sui children. They went to town with their younger aunt and younger uncle and they would not learn anything good from following their youngest uncle and aunt.

In the future, she has to find a way to make her children stay farther away from their youngest uncle and aunt.

Because her sister-in-law and brother-in-law were Mrs. Han (old lady Han) children who she gave birth to at a late age, they were extremely spoiled and precious to her. The family reluctantly gave up food and clothing and were frugal in order to save food and cloth tickets for them to attend high school.

Her brother-in-law spent all day outside like a rich, young master, drinking and eating meat at restaurants.

Her sister-in-law, like a landlord’s family’s young lady [2], did not even put her fingers in the spring water. She was raised white and fat, and her niece was sent to wash her clothes.

After not seeing each other for ten days and a half months, the old lady still feels like she has wronged them.

The money they spend is all earned by Han Qingsong, but Han Qingsong’s children spend less than a cent, and it wasn’t the original owner’s fault.

Lin Lan cleaned up and took Xiaowang’s hand to go eat.

The Han’s eldest sister-in-law was busy working in the hall, and when she saw her coming out, she greeted her with a smile as if nothing had happened. “Dawang’s mother, you’re probably hungry already. Come and eat.”

The Han’s second sister-in-law glanced at Lin Lan and sarcastically said: “Oh, I say the third family, your life so good that you can spend all day laying around doing nothing. When you wake up, there’s already someone to serve you food, just like a landlord’s wife [2].

Lin Lan ignored her, greeted the eldest sister-in-law, took Xiao Wang to get water to wash her hands. “Why are my little hands so dark…” Before she finished speaking, she felt that her voice was too soft, not in line with the original host’s savage and rude image. Then let go of his voice, “Wash your hands frequently to avoid diarrhea.”

Xiao Wang squatted down obediently and put his dirty hands covered with scars in the black crockpot to rinse them out and rubbed them against his clothes even though they were drenched in water.

Lin Lan frowned and hurriedly caught his hand and had no choice but to squat down and wash him clean while teaching him how to wash his hands.

“You got it?”

Xiaowang nodded.

Lin Lan led him into the house for dinner.

The Han’s second sister-in-law looked at her as if she was a stranger. She said that so she would jump up and beat her. Why didn’t she respond as if she was deaf?

Lin Lan lay down all morning and all afternoon, and did not go to work, but the Han’s second sister-in-law was arranged to do more work, and she was very unhappy. She wanted to run Lin Lan to make her jump and make trouble so she would definitely rush back to her maternal family which would anger her mother-in-law.

How would she know that Lin Lan would ignore her!

This was too abnormal.

Lin Lan led Xiao Wang into the house, and the others immediately stared at them. Xiao Wang got scared so he hid behind Lin Lan.

Lin Lan also found that he was very resistant to leaving the room that they lived in, being in front of people, and talking in front of them. If she didn’t help him out in time, after a long time, he would have a very serious autism, and even his mother would be shut out from his heart.

Fortunately, he is still looking for love and affection from his mother, and he isn’t very sick.

She subconsciously softened her voice, “Don’t be afraid, Xiaowang. Let’s eat.” She abruptly swallowed the phrase, “This is all a family”, trying not to say words that would ruin the peace.

Even so, everyone in the room looked at her as if she was an aliens—the original owner hadn’t spoken like this normally in many years. As long as she opened her mouth, either cursing or coldly sneering and laughing.

Sister Han couldn’t hold back, and said in surprise: “Da Wang’s mother is . . . what’s wrong?”

Why did was it similar to a blind date where the unmarried woman is shameless and still speaks gently and kindly.

Lin Lan tried to make herself sound a bit ruder, dragged a small bench to sit down, took a pancake, broke it apart, and gave Xiaowang a piece. She then said, “Nothing’s wrong. I just saw the gate of death and chatted with Yama, King of Hell. I’ve seen through it.

Because they believed in ghosts and gods, the ignorant people easily believed what she said.

Moreover, it wasn’t impossible that she had met the gate of death and her temperament changed drastically.

Anyway, she wouldn’t explain. Whatever they made up themselves doesn’t matter.

Although the Han family has enough food to be full, the food is not that great. It is nothing more than cornmeal pancakes, boiled sweet potatoes, pickles, soy sauce, onion, garlic and so on. There are vegetables in the summer and autumn vegetable garden, and there is also salt water for cooking. There wasn’t a lot of meat.

But compared to those who don’t have enough to eat and drink three times a day, this is quite good.

After taking a bite, Lin Lan almost spit it out. It was bitter and rough. How could this go down her throat?

What a terrible taste!

When she is in charge of her own home, she must eat fine noodles and meat dishes!

Everyone at the full table was watching her and Xiaowang eat so intensely that they forgot to eat themselves.

Second sister-in-law Han couldn’t help but continue to provoke, “Third family, do the pesticides taste good? What’s the flavor like?”

Lin Lan snorted, “You want to drink it that badly? If you just try it yourself, won’t you know how it tastes.”

The second sister-in-law Han was immediately unhappy. “Third family, how can you say something like that?”

Lin Lan finally swallowed the pancake stuck in her throat and deliberately ignored her. “I heard that I’m going to be driven back to my parents’ house?”

Eldest sister-in-law immediately got on guard, for fear that the third family would lift the dining table up. “There’s nothing like that going on. Dawang’s mother, don’t worry.”

The others also looked at Lin Lan nervously.

Lin Lan smiled and turned to look, “Erwang and Sanwang, these two preserved eggs [3], where did they go now?”

They were still at home a few moments ago. In a blink of an eye, they weren’t there anymore. They really are naughty boys who couldn’t obediently stay at home.

A few adults almost choked like their breath had turned into stone. If you have something to say, just finish saying it. Why do you have change the subject?

The Han’s second sister-in-law snorted and said, “Who knows . . . You spend all day not cutting the grass and not earning work points. You only know how to be rude. Da Zhuang and Da Tian all . . .”

“Separating the family, right?” Lin Lan nodded, “Separating the family is good!”

The Han’s second sister-in-law, “…”

Did this shrew really go to the King of Hell, Yama? Why was it so irritating!

The old lady Han knocked the chopsticks on the table, “I’m going to say some ugly things. We are a big family. We aren’t like those kinds of family who don’t understand rules and talk nonsense. If we want to separate the family, besides your own rations for each person. After we split the family, you guys have to earn your own work points, take care of your own children and their food, I . . .”

“It doesn’t matter. They still have a father.” Lin Lan looked nonchalant.

Han Qingsong is coming back anyway.

The old lady Han was interrupted, and her breath suddenly stagnated.

Although the original author could be noisy, but to be honest, it didn’t matter if it was asking for money, having her man come back, or whatever else, she would make a fuss and shout, but it was all self-inflicted. She had never scolded her mother-in-law straight to her face.

Moreover, Lin Lan’s soft-spoken speech gave the old lady the illusion that this is her eldest daughter-in-law, not her third daughter-in-law. She subconsciously made a face and made a mother-in-law type of move, “The mother-in-law is speaking. How can the daughter-in-law interrupt?”

Lin Lan looked at her in surprise, “Oh, I see. You want me to slap the table and scold my mother, right?”

She rolled up her sleeves as she spoke.

Compared to the original owner, she is very temperamental, and she is afraid that they will not be able to adapt to her deliberately gradual and orderly progress. Since she was not used to the way she normally spoke, then she still had to slap the table and curse someone?

Lin Lan is a little uncertain. It couldn’t be that this person was used to being abused?

“Oh, Da Wang’s mother, don’t.” Sister Han hurriedly pressed her arm, “If you have something to say, don’t get angry.”

Don’t lift up the table.

Lin Lan smiled, “Yeah, isn’t that how it is? The judge Cui said the same. He told me that quarreling and losing my temper can’t solve the problem so I have to sit down and have a good talk. He also said that my heart was borrowed when I was born. If he opened it for me, I will understand the truth, and I won’t be able to be like that anymore.”

Seeing the family was shocked by her as if they had seen a ghost, she smiled again and continued to add fire, learning the drama, holding a fist and shaking it to the old man and the others, apologized, “I used to be confused. When I’m doing something not right, Dad, eldest brother, second brother, eldest sister-in-law, you have to bear with me.”

“Patter.” Someone dropped their chopsticks on the table.

The old lady Han was so surprised that she forgot to scold her, and she kept looking at her, wondering if she had drank the pesticide, died, and was possessed by something?

Second sister-in-law kept screaming at the men, trying to get the men to support herself.

Lin Lan didn’t care if they lost their souls one by one, but first made sure she, herself, and Xiaowang finished eating.

This thick pancake was stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t swallow after a few mouthfuls so she had to keep drinking water.

When she finished eating, she noticed that everyone else was peeking at her while eating, making it obvious that they were nervous.

Don’t look at how the old lady Han scolded her so vigorously behind her back, but when she was actually in front of her, the old lady Han was not an opponent. She could win over her. The original owner also wouldn’t let the old lady Han hit her, and the original owner was also very shameless so her mother-in-law Han who still wanted a bit of face really had no way to win.

Only after it was all over and the original owner was not there anymore could anyone criticize and scold her.

After all, the old lady doesn’t have the name of a shrew, and she still has to have face.

Thinking that the old lady wanted to drive herself and the children out but would not give any money, Lin Lan didn’t want her to eat peacefully.

She put down her chopsticks, “Father, I have something to say.”

Without waiting for the old man Han, the old lady Han slapped her chopsticks like a frightened rabbit, pulling her face and cursing nervously, “What kind of dog shit do you have? I warn you, drinking pesticides again won’t scare people. Next time you want to drink pesticides you won’t need to get a bottle, I’ll buy you a full bottle!”

Lin Lan touched Xiaowang and told him to eat his own food and said to the old lady, “Mother, regarding what you said, pesticides are materials and can’t be randomly bought whenever you want to buy some. I want some money to bring Xiaowang to the town’s hospital to have a look at his eyes.”

“We don’t have any money!” The old lady was like a cat whose tail was trampled on. “It’s not like you don’t know our family’s situation? Where would we get the money to see a doctor? Besides . . .”

He’s just a stupid fool. What kind of illness is there? Raising him hungry but not dead is already good enough.

Lin Lan sneered. Since that’s the case, I’m sorry I’ll have to offend you. I’ll take the money for this quarter first!

Notes:

[1] In this chapter, Lin Lan’s husband side of the family is introduced. The uncle and aunt are younger than normal because the old lady Han or Mrs. Han gave birth to them at an older age. The Chinese is 小叔和小姑 so it means that most likely, they are Lin Lan’s children’s youngest paternal aunt or uncle so I used the term their youngest uncle and their youngest aunt. They are also Lin Lan’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law so you might have seen the two terms used interchangeably.

[2] In this time period, a landlord’s family was considered rich so whenever they mention this, it’s similar to saying you’re someone from a rich family.

[3] these two preserved eggs 这俩皮蛋- This is sort of like saying those two naughty boys/rotten eggs. In Chinese, preserved eggs is pi dan 皮蛋, and naughty in Chinese is tiao pi 调皮. It’s like a play on words with the word pi 皮.