80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches-Chapter 193 - 189: Won’t Watch, It’s Heartbreaking
Yang Liying also chimed in from the side, "This is ridiculous. You try to let a grown woman save some face, and she pretends not to understand plain words. Her skin’s as thick as a castle wall."
"Yang Liying, I’m talking to Lin Lan. What’s this got to do with you?" Xiang Hongxia said, then looked at Lin Lan. "Did Yang Meihua say something to you?"
Yang Liying’s eyes widened, and she was about to retort when Lin Lan pulled her back. Lin Lan looked coldly at Xiang Hongxia. "We both know full well why you’re here today. Stop wasting your time with me. No matter what you do, I will never teach you!"
Just then, another customer arrived. Lin Lan buried her head in her work, ignoring Xiang Hongxia completely.
Xiang Hongxia’s smile finally fell. She turned on her heel and stormed off. "What’s so great about you, anyway? It’s just selling a few pastries, not gold." As she spoke, she put on a disgusted expression and spat on the ground.
Yang Liying let out a cold laugh. "Taking off your pants to hang yourself—shameless to the very end!"
"You—" Xiang Hongxia looked at Yang Liying, who was a head taller than her, and pursed her lips. "I’d like to see how long you can be so smug. Sooner or later, you’ll all be hauled off for labor reform, and not a single one of you will escape!"
Watching Lin Lan make a yuan off pastries in just a few seconds, she couldn’t wait for the local patrol to show up and send them all scattering in a panic.
Lin Lan didn’t even spare her a glance, deftly placing bean rolls into a bag and handing it to the customer.
Just then, a customer also came to Yang Liying’s stall, and the two sisters-in-law both got busy.
Xiang Hongxia carried her vegetable basket, cursing under her breath as she left the Eucalyptus Forest. The moment she saw He Cuicui, she complained, "That damn Yang Liying, she’s just a tofu seller! Look at her acting all high and mighty. Hmph, I’ll just make my own to sell tomorrow."
"That’s right! Making tofu is so simple, why don’t you just make it and sell it yourself!" He Cuicui said, her face dripping with sarcasm.
Xiang Hongxia had swallowed her anger with Lin Lan and Yang Liying, but she had no such patience for He Cuicui. "If it’s so simple, why don’t you make it and sell it? It’s not like your chickens lay an egg every single day." ’An outsider, and she’s still here whining at me!’
"..." He Cuicui was choked speechless, her face turning pale. She grabbed her basket and walked away.
"I’m not some pushover! Since when is it your place to look down on me!" Xiang Hongxia shouted, chasing after her while still cursing and carrying her vegetable basket.
Before it was time to close up the stalls, Brother Yong appeared at Li Xiangyang’s meat stall. He was wearing a brand-new set of clothes, a military-green satchel slung over his shoulder and a net bag in one hand. He smiled and handed the satchel to him. "The things you asked Uncle Da to buy have arrived. I saw they were good and bought one too. I’ll give it to Yuezhen later."
"As you should. A man’s got to dote on his own woman," Li Xiangyang said as he lifted the flap of the satchel to take a look. Inside were an alarm clock, a ladies’ watch, and a few boxes of snake oil balm.
Brother Yong pointed to the alarm clock. "It’s a Shanghai Diamond. Keeps perfect time. Uncle Da said the watch is this year’s most popular model—a Rado. It’s automatic, stainless steel, and waterproof. The band is stainless steel too. He charged us two hundred and sixty for each."
Li Xiangyang nodded. "Send him a ham tomorrow." He was most pleased with the snake oil balm. Little Lan’s hands were all chapped, and this would be perfect for her.
His mother had loved using it when she was alive; her hands never got chapped or developed chilblains in the winter.
Li Xiangyang glanced over at Lin Lan and saw she was already starting to pack up. He lifted his bike’s rear rack and teased Brother Yong, "You didn’t get all gussied up just for me, did you?"
"Get lost!" Brother Yong gave him a playful kick, then said shyly, "I want to ask Yuezhen to the movies."
"What movie is playing today?" As he asked, Li Xiangyang suddenly remembered that he still hadn’t taken Lin Lan to the movies.
Brother Yong scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "They said it’s *The White-Haired Girl* today. People say all the women like watching that one."
Li Xiangyang shot him a grin. "I know that one. They were showing it all the time a couple of years ago. They say even the men cry when they watch it!"
Brother Yong chuckled. "You should ask Lin Lan to come too. We can all go together!"
Li Xiangyang shook his head. "It’s too tragic. It’s just heartbreaking to watch. I’ll wait for a comedy." ’Little Lan’s life has been hard enough, why would I take her to watch some tearjerker?’
Brother Yong thought about it and agreed. Yuezhen also had her own share of sorrows; he should take her to a comedy. "Then I won’t go either. I’ll ask her when there’s a good comedy."
Li Xiangyang nodded. "Yeah! You keep an eye out, and I’ll ask Lin Lan to go with us then!"
"Ask me to go where?" Lin Lan asked, turning to look at the two men.
Brother Yong smiled. "Xiangyang said I should look out for a good comedy so we can all go to the movies together."
Lin Lan asked with a smile, "Don’t you guys like watching war movies? The ones like *Tunnel Warfare*."
Li Xiangyang quickly replied, "We want to watch something happy!" Then, he quickly changed the subject. "What did that woman want with you and Yang Liying this afternoon?"
Lin Lan laughed. "Oh, you mean Xiang Hongxia! She..."
"You did the right thing. You can’t give people like her any face," Li Xiangyang said as he hung a basket on his back seat. He turned to glance at Brother Yong. "Are you going to Lin Lan’s place?"
Brother Yong hesitated for a moment, then put the net bag onto the bike’s rear rack. He smiled at Lin Lan and said, "You can take this back for Yuezhen. I won’t head over."
Lin Lan glanced at the blushing Brother Yong, thinking how earnest people were these days. She laughed. "We’re not delivering things for you, you have to give it to her yourself! Besides, the movies in the south of the city aren’t any good. You can take her to the cinemas in the east or north districts!"
Brother Yong nodded repeatedly after hearing that. "Right! How could I have forgotten!"
Li Xiangyang looked at Lin Lan. "Are you busy? If not, we could all go together!"
Lin Lan shook her head with a smile. "Yuezhen has already left for the day, and I have to make the pastries for tomorrow’s wholesale orders. Let’s go next time."
"Alright," Li Xiangyang nodded. He started pushing his bicycle and walked back with Yang Liying and her husband, who were waiting for him.
Lin Lan saw a fishmonger with half a bucket of boat-nail fish left and bought them all.
Yang Liying glanced at them. "Boat-nail fish are delicious, but they’re so small it’s a hassle to eat them."
Lin Lan smiled. "If you coat them in starch and deep-fry them until they’re crispy, they’re great. They’re good either fried or in a soup!"
She and Douzi loved to eat boat-nail fish. The bones were small and the meat was tender. Especially after being fried, you didn’t have to worry about the bones. One bite would fill your mouth with flavor.
"Anything deep-fried is delicious!" Yang Liying said, then added, "I heard the production team is digging two new fish ponds tomorrow. After they distribute the fish, I’ll bring you some tofu pudding to make fish with tofu pudding!"
Lin Lan replied, "For fish with tofu pudding, I prefer to use bighead carp. I’ll have Xiangyang bring over some large bones tomorrow to make a rich broth. You can take some back to cook your fish with, too."
Yang Liying said, "The fish in the ponds are a mixed bunch. There are bighead carp, silver carp, grass carp, and common carp—all kinds of them."
Li Xiangyang called out from behind them, "Yang Liying, I’ll bring some pork intestines over tomorrow. Fish with pork intestines tastes great too!"
"Okay!" Yang Liying nodded with a smile. "I’ve heard of a tofu banquet; let’s have a fish banquet tomorrow!"
Listening to the two women discuss the best ways to cook fish, Brother Yong felt his own cravings stir. ’I need to marry Yuezhen and bring her home soon,’ he thought, ’then I can finally have a hot, home-cooked meal.’
