CH 128

Lin Lan then counted the jars and said to Han Qingsong, “If the old lady wants a jar, we can give her this.”

She pointed to a corrugated jar as the glazed jars were all useful to her. They could store grains by ensuring that the contents were not damp.

Han Qingsong said, “There is no need.”

Lin Lan couldn’t tell if he was talking out of anger or something else, but she was surprised that Han Qingsong didn’t give in to the old lady’s wants. She actually even bought one more jar in case she had to deal with situations like this due to Han Qingsong’s unfavorable position as the center of the two women.

But since he said that there was no need to do so, then she was going to forget about it. She wasn’t the one who needed to be the good guy, after all.

After returning from work in the evening, Lin Lan guided Erwang and Maisui as they tackled the task of cooking. She also directed Han Qingsong, Dawang and Sanwang to return home.

Large jars for food should be placed inside the house. There was also a water jar in the house and another smaller one placed outside. A pickle jar was placed outside and it was covered with a lid to protect against rain.

The house was so full to the point that there was only one path left for walking.

When Han Qingsong was transporting the jars into the house, the diameter of the bigger jar was large and the door was small, so he almost couldn’t get in. Fortunately, he was strong. Coupled with the fact that the door frames were also made of elastic wood, he was able to squeeze them in.

Though, it was going to be a troubling task to take them out as they might have to remove the door panels.

Lin Lan would think of a way to settle that when the time comes.

The pots, pans and jars were all set up. The already cramped room was even narrower, but it also seemed to be full of the scent of clay.

Han Qingsong said, “We’ll make do with this first. I’ll build a hut next to us after a while.”

Lin Lan agreed, stating that she would very much like that!

Taking advantage of the hot weather that was going to continue for the next few days, Lin Lan took the time to disassemble and wash the quilts and cotton clothes at home.

Fortunately, Erwangand  Maisui helped her, who was not good at sewing, to successfully complete the task.

There was just some trouble when she was trying to do the laundry.

At this time, detergent was nonexistent. Besides, the soap bars were only sold by tickets.

Lin Lan didn’t manage to buy any of them this outing, so there was only one soap bar in the house— the one that Han Qingsong brought home.

The commune members were very reluctant to use soap to wash their clothes. Only a few households in the village actually buy soap. Basically, most of them used alkali solutions, but even some villagers couldn’t bear to use those. They utilised grass and wood ash to soak it before using a mallet to beat the fabric against the stone. This movement also washed away the ash quite efficiently.

Lin Lan was afraid of breaking the cloth. These clothes had been worn for several years and they were very thin. If she exerted too much force, things would not work. If they were pounded restlessly against a stone, they would definitely break faster.

She reluctantly used the bar of soap. One day, she was going to find a way to get a few of them.

It was not necessary for them to wash their clothes every day, but this quilt had been used for an entire year. Even if she didn’t want to, there was no avoiding this wash.