80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 376 - 373: Happy Dragon Boat Festival

Yang Liying frowned. "Liqun said the girl isn’t ugly, and her family isn’t from the countryside. They live right near the commune office."

Lin Lan looked at Yang Liying. "What does Liqun mean by that?"

Yang Liying gave a sheepish laugh. "She wasn’t thinking about that at all, and I never mentioned it to her. It was just me... I was thinking about how they’re about the same age. I guess I was overthinking things."

Lin Lan figured it was fine as long as Yang Liqun wasn’t reading too much into it. "The two of them have never gone out alone. I think it’s probably because Zhilin hasn’t been around many girls. When he’s looking for a partner, he probably subconsciously compares them to Xinglan."

’If Tong Xinglan was really interested in Wang Zhilin,’ she thought, ’she wouldn’t be accepting buns from the young shop owner across the way.’

Yang Liying thought it over and agreed. "That’s possible. If they really liked each other, they would’ve probably gone to the movies by now!"

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Exactly. Young people love going to the movies. Well, if there’s nothing else, I should get going."

Yang Liying said apologetically, "Don’t take this the wrong way. It just crossed my mind, so I wanted to mention it to you."

"I’d be more worried if you didn’t tell me." Lin Lan shot her a playful look of reproach before turning to leave.

After seeing Lin Lan off, Yang Liying greeted Zhao Dehai and then went to Yang Liqun’s house to relay what Lin Lan had said.

Yang Liqun listened, her face etched with worry. "I want to get the residential plot for Zhilin approved too, but we just don’t have the money! You know we just built a new tile-roofed house for Zhixue, and we have his wedding banquet on the eighteenth of this month. We’ll have to wait until the second half of the year to scrape together enough money to start on Zhilin’s house."

Lexing had a rule for approving residential land: construction on any new plot had to begin within a year. Commune members weren’t allowed to claim a plot and then let it sit empty.

Yang Liying said, "Sister, I don’t think Lin Lan is wrong. If you’re really in a bind, I can lend you the money."

Yang Liqun looked at her, touched. "You silly girl, I’d have to pay you back! Don’t you want to rebuild your own place into a big, tile-roofed house?"

Yang Liying smiled and shook her head. "I don’t want to do anything with it right now. I heard Lin Lan mention that she plans to rebuild her old house into a two-story home in the future. I’m going to save up more money so that when she starts building, I can build one just like it."

Yang Liqun laughed too. "You little schemer. It’s a good idea to follow Lin Lan’s lead. They’re more capable and farsighted than we are. Since you don’t plan on building your house soon, lend me some money to get the plot approved."

Yang Liying nodded. "Alright. Just let me know ahead of time when you need it." She turned to go.

"Liying, one more thing." Yang Liqun quickly stopped her. "That boy Zhilin has met with several girls now, and none of them have worked out. Do you think I could ask Lin Lan to help talk some sense into him? I’m worried that if a few more meetings fail, the matchmaker will start telling everyone we’re being too picky."

Yang Liying remembered her earlier conversation with Lin Lan and felt it wouldn’t be right to approach her about this now. "I think you should ask Zhixue what kind of girl Zhilin is actually looking for."

Yang Liqun’s face was a mask of worry. "I already asked. He said he doesn’t want to find a girlfriend right now; he just wants to focus on making money. Once he saves up enough, he’s going to go with Xiangyang to Yangcheng City to source clothes to sell. He even said his aunt already agreed."

"The clothing business is good, but it requires a lot of startup capital."

"He said if he doesn’t have much capital, he’ll just set up a stall in the city. He gave us the money he’s saved over the last two years to build the house. Whatever he saves next year, he’ll use to go to Yangcheng City, stock up, and start his stall."

"Zhilin isn’t even eighteen yet; he’s still young. I think you should stop pressuring him to find a girlfriend. As long as a man is capable, will he ever have to worry about finding a wife?"

"When we were poor, I worried all day that no one would introduce Zhixue to any girls. Now that we’re better off, I’m worried that my son won’t go on the dates. What kind of problem is this?"

"That’s just how life is. The rich have their worries, and the poor have theirs. It’s just a matter of what you want to worry about: having no one to introduce to your son, or having someone to introduce and him refusing to go?"

Yang Liqun was amused by her sister’s tongue-twister logic and gave her a playful glare. "I can’t win an argument with you. You’ve always got an answer for everything."

"Hee hee!" Yang Liying giggled and left.

It was almost ten o’clock when Li Xiangyang finally returned with Little Douzi from an Uncle Da’s house. He had left on a bicycle but came back pulling a cart. On the cart were the bicycles and sewing machine that Yang Liying and her sister had asked for.

Yang Liying’s family got a Golden Deer bicycle, while Yang Liqun got a 26-inch Forever-brand women’s bicycle and a Bee-brand sewing machine.

The two sisters ran their hands over the brand-new machines, grinning so wide they couldn’t speak. "Thank you, thank you so much."

Lin Lan smiled. "Take your time admiring them. We have to go back and get the festival gifts for my mom’s house."

Yang Liqun nodded eagerly. "Go on, hurry. They can start the meal as soon as you get there."

The two of them hurried back to Yucai Road on their bikes. They picked up the festival gifts her father had prepared: eighty-eight zongzi, eighty-eight salted eggs, two bags of sugar, two mature ducks, two bottles of Quanxing Daqu liquor, and two boxes of tea.

Lin Lan was touched. "Xiangyang, look at all the festival gifts Dad prepared for us. He even included liquor and tea."

Li Xiangyang smiled. "You’re touched, aren’t you?"

"Mhm!" Lin Lan nodded emphatically. "We’re going to need two back-baskets for all this."

They packed the gifts into the back-baskets, and with Little Douzi in tow, carried everything to the East City Restaurant.

Lin Jun and the others were already waiting for them at the restaurant entrance. Spotting Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang approaching on their bicycles in the distance, Lin Qing dashed inside. "Grandpa, Grandma, our aunt and uncle are here!"

Hearing this, Wu Shufen quickly told her two daughters-in-law, "Xiuqing, Little Hui, you can start bringing out the food."

Zhou Shisong’s family was also there celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with the Lins. When Lin Qing announced the arrival of Lin Lan’s family, they followed the elderly couple, Lin Changyou and his wife, outside to greet them.

As soon as Li Xiangyang stopped his bicycle, Little Douzi hopped off while holding his arm. "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncles, Aunts, happy Dragon Boat Festival!"

"Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Happy Dragon Boat Festival!" Lin Changyou said cheerfully, taking the boy’s hand.

Lin Guozhu stood by the street, smiling at Li Xiangyang. "The new son-in-law is here! Mom and Dad are grinning from ear to ear."

Li Xiangyang said apologetically, "Mom, Dad, Third Brother, sorry we’re late."

Lin Changyou smiled. "You had things to do. It’s no problem that you’re a little late."

Lin Guozhu teased, "Dad, who was it that peeked out the door at least ten times just now?"

Lin Qing looked at Lin Changyou. "It was Grandpa! He even told us to keep a lookout at the door."

Everyone burst out laughing.

After they went inside and exchanged greetings, everyone gathered around the large, round table.

The feast was already laid out on the table. Zongzi, salted duck eggs, and amaranth were the traditional Dragon Boat Festival staples, but there was also duck soup, cured meat stir-fried with termite mushrooms, and more.

Wu Shufen took out a scented sachet and hung it on Little Douzi, then dabbed some realgar wine on his forehead. Zhang Xiuqing, Zhao Xiaohui, and Li Xiaofeng also gave Little Douzi the sachets they had made themselves.

Little Douzi happily thanked them.

Lin Lan looked apologetically at Lin Jun and the other children, pulling out the sachets Lin Yuezhen had helped her make. As she put them on them, she said, "Sorry, everyone. Your aunt is completely useless and can’t make these. Aunt Yuezhen helped me make them."

Lin Hong giggled at her. "Auntie, Grandma says you’re only good at cooking, not at sewing sachets with a needle and thread."