“Grandma, what era are we in? They’ve been saying to break the old and establish the new for ages. This is superstition. Once people die, they turn to dirt, and there’s nothing left,” Chen Liyuan said with a frown of disapproval.
“What do you know, you little kid? Hurry up and help your sister clear the table, then go back to your rooms.”
The child didn’t believe it, but Wu Chunmei was a firm believer in what Chen Laotai said. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the health clinic be able to find anything wrong? Why wouldn’t the medicine she took work? It must be an entanglement.
“Mom, why don’t you take a look?” The old lady had eaten more salt than they had rice, no matter what she said. Wu Chunmei pleaded.
After all, he was her own son. Chen Laotai couldn’t just ignore him. She first had him lie down on the kang, then instructed Wu Chunmei to prepare the necessary items.
Paper money had to be bought, as well as bowls for water, chopsticks, a mirror, and various other odds and ends. Once everything was ready, Chen Laotai got onto the kang and sat cross-legged above Chen Mantun’s head.
…
By the time Chen Lishuo returned to the village, it was past four in the afternoon. The sky outside was gradually darkening.
Rui Rui hadn’t seen Chen Lishuo all day and had been quietly looking out the window. Only when he saw her figure did he eagerly put on his shoes and go to meet her.
“Mom.”
As soon as Chen Lishuo entered the house, a small dark figure rushed towards her. Her legs suddenly felt heavy as Rui Rui hugged her.
“Mom, you’re cold. Don’t catch a chill.”
Rui Rui tilted his small face, blinked his eyes, and asked with concern, “Mom, is it very cold outside? My hands are very warm. I, I’ll warm your hands for you.”
Looking at his eager little eyes, Chen Lishuo felt a warmth in her heart. She took off her hat and gloves and offered her hands to him.
Rui Rui’s hands were too small, but he tried his best to cover every inch of Chen Lishuo’s skin.
“Mom, are they warm?”
Chen Lishuo smiled, “Warm, very warm. Thanks to Rui Rui, Mom isn’t cold at all.”
Chen Lishuo pulled Rui Rui into the house. Gu Song and the other children were gathered around the stove, roasting vermicelli noodles on it. Only Li Xiulan was on the kang, cutting fabric.
“Mom, where are the others?” Chen Lishuo put down her hat and scarf, as well as the piece of fabric in her hand, and then sat down on the edge of the kang.
“They’re all in the rooms sewing clothes. Your dad and the others are still out collecting grain.”
“Mom, this is for you.”
As Chen Lishuo spoke, she handed Li Xiulan a piece of fabric along with ten yuan.
Ever since Chen Lishuo returned, Liu Yuemin had been paying attention to the movements outside. When she saw Chen Lishuo giving Li Xiulan something, she pouted and didn’t come out.
*So pretentious again.*
“You child, your dad and I aren’t short of clothes, and we earn quite a bit each year. It’s not easy for you to run a business, so take it back quickly,” Li Xiulan, thinking it was her daughter’s filial piety, waved her hands repeatedly in refusal.
Chen Lishuo smiled, “Mom, please accept it. Everyone in the family has received one. This is your reward for working all year, consider it a year-end bonus.”
“Bonus?” Li Xiulan was stunned for a moment. She had never heard of year-end bonuses for working. She only did some work when she was idle and didn’t think she was better than others. “Third sister-in-law, you said everyone has one? Do I have one too? I’ve been working a lot this year, haven’t I? Even pregnant women are working, you can’t pretend not to see it, right?”
Liu Yuemin, upon hearing that everyone had one, quickly pushed open the door and stepped out, afraid she’d miss out if she was any later.
“Second sister-in-law naturally has one too,” Chen Lishuo said, picking up the fabric and money and handing them to her.
Liu Yuemin happily took them. Upon seeing that there was ten yuan and inspecting the fabric, which looked like at least two meters, her face lit up with joy.
“Does eldest sister-in-law have one?”
Chen Lishuo smiled and nodded, “Everyone has one.”
Liu Yuemin’s eyes darted around, and she immediately turned to call Zhang Qin and the others.
When she saw that Chen Lishuo had given Zhang Qin the same as she had, she finally felt at ease, taking her things back to her room.
“Mom, this portion is for the eldest maternal uncle’s family in the front courtyard. Could you help deliver it when you have time?”
When Li Xiulan heard there was one for the Li family, she quickly put down the items in her hands, put on her shoes, and got off the kang. “I’ll deliver it to her right away. I’ll come back to cook dinner afterwards.”
Chen Lishuo smiled, “Mom, no need to rush. I’ll cook dinner later.”
…
Chen Laotai sat on Chen Mantun’s head, muttering incantations, reciting the names of everyone she knew who had died. However, even after several attempts, the chopsticks in the bowl refused to stand up.
“Mantun, this matter is a bit strange. You might have encountered someone difficult to deal with. I don’t really understand this sort of thing. Wait for me to go back and inquire, and then I’ll invite a skilled person to take a look.”
Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Laotai put on her shoes and got off the kang. She suddenly noticed the garlic sprouts Wu Chunmei had planted by the window. She directly picked up a pair of scissors and cut a large bunch before shuffling away.
Wu Chunmei’s heart tightened upon seeing this. She wanted to say that she had already promised it to Liu Yong, but she was afraid Chen Laotai would scold her further. Although she felt pained, she could only let it go.
…
The next day, Chen Lishuo went to the county town as usual. She first brought things to see Yuan Lihua and chatted with her for a while before going to see Zhou Bin and Nan Haitao.
“Sister, you’re too kind.” Zhou Bin said with a smile, looking at the fabric in his hand.
“We’re in this business ourselves. With the new year approaching, I don’t have enough manpower for custom tailoring, so I can only give you fabric.”
Chen Lishuo smiled, “Originally, I wanted to treat Brother Zhou to a meal, but I have children at home and can’t get away at night. I have to wait until next week to travel. How about we get together on Sunday when you’re off?”
Zhou Bin smiled and nodded, “No problem, then let’s set it for Sunday.”
After leaving the Material Bureau, Chen Lishuo went to the department store.
“You didn’t have to bring anything when you came, you’re too kind.” As soon as they met, Nan Haitao’s gaze fell on the bag in her hand, and he said playfully.
“Do you have X-ray vision?” Chen Lishuo smiled and took out the fabric from the bag, placing it on the table in front of him. “I picked this out specifically for you. The color is bright and suitable for giving to a girlfriend.”
Nan Haitao looked at the peach-colored fabric in front of him, his eyebrows slightly raised. He smiled, put the fabric into the cabinet, and then nodded his chin towards the chair opposite him, indicating for her to sit.
“You’re quite quick. You’re already thinking about looking at store premises after the meeting upstairs just ended?”
Chen Lishuo smiled, “I can’t compare to you. You’re guarding such a large department store and holding onto a stable job.”
“If you wanted to, you could have at least been a deputy section chief after graduating from university, right? Besides, you have a diploma, and you’ll definitely be more successful than me in the future.”
Chen Lishuo smiled without replying.
“Oh, and I have some good news for you.” Nan Haitao said, as if remembering something, “The county’s office for cracking down on speculation and illicit dealings has officially been restructured into the County Administration for Industry and Commerce.”
Chen Lishuo’s eyes lit up when she heard this. “Really? That’s great news.”
Nan Haitao smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll notify you the moment there’s any new development on this front.”