Chapter 75 - The Two-in-One Aunt Needs to Be Sent to the County...
Lin Chuntao stood by the stove and called out, "Yes, I went to buy them this morning when I had nothing to do. I bought three bags from Grandma's house, and three bags from Third Grandma's house."
How much per pound?
“One coin more,” Lin Chuntao said.
Pei Ying came out after changing her clothes, and overheard their conversation, she peeked over to take a look.
"So many, did they deliver them?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Yes, they carried it for me."
At lunchtime, Lin Chunxing said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, the mutton rice noodle shop is doing better than before."
Lin Chuntao smiled, and before she could speak, Lin Duo'er said, "The shopkeeper's wife also spoke to us when we got home."
"That's great, you've replied, right?"
Lin Duo'er nodded, "I'm going back."
"That's good. Harmony brings wealth. Although we're both selling powder, they've been doing it for many years, while we've only just started. We shouldn't easily make enemies."
Lin Chunxing looked at her and agreed.
After lunch, with nothing to do, Pei Ying went to do the laundry and insisted that Lin Chuntao come along. Lin Chuntao had no choice but to pack up her younger sisters' clothes and take them with her.
She didn't like washing and cleaning, so sometimes Pei Ying washed her clothes, and sometimes her younger sisters did.
She asked them to collect the clothes, and Lin Duo'er and the others stood beside her, chuckling foolishly.
She only has two sets of clothes, and the one she needs to wash right now is the new one.
The two of them went to the river to wash clothes together, and the younger sisters were very perceptive and didn't come near them.
The two walked through the village to the river. On the way, they met some village women who were also going. They called them "aunt" or "auntie." When they saw her and Pei Ying together, the group of women teased them.
Lin Chuntao was too lazy to chat with them and just let them joke around.
There were also many people squatting by the river washing clothes. Lin Chuntao followed Pei Ying to find a flat spot away from everyone else, where there were clean stones to pile up clothes.
When they reached the riverbank, Pei Ying took her clothes and trousers out of her basin.
Lin Chuntao sighed. She had her own Pei Yingxi to wash, but she still had to wash her younger sisters'.
Pei Ying brought dried soap pods for washing clothes. It took a long time to get a little bit of foam. Actually, the stains on the clothes were mainly from hand washing. The sisters' clothes were mainly covered in mud, so they were relatively easy to clean.
After the soap pods were rubbed, they needed to be washed twice more. The river water was flowing gurglingly. There was a small puddle in front of them. They could squat down and wash there, but rinsing later would be more difficult.
Lin Chuntao took off her shoes and put them aside, rolled up her trousers, and went barefoot into the river.
In the sunlight and in the clear water, her feet looked very white. Lin Chuntao bent over and played with them for a while before Pei Ying handed her her clothes. She spread the clothes out and laid them on the flowing water to rinse them, which was quite fun.
She was slow and dawdled, playing with the clothes while doing laundry, and it took her more than an hour to finish.
As they were getting ready to go back, Pei Yingcai suddenly asked her, "Um, how big do you want the inner room of the new house to be?"
Lin Chuntao couldn't give a specific size, only replying, "I want something more spacious."
Pei Ying actually wanted to ask how big the bed should be, but she couldn't bring herself to ask in broad daylight. Fortunately, Lin Chuntao immediately followed up with, "It should be big enough to fit a bed that is at least six feet wide and seven feet long."
Pei Ying was stunned when she heard this. "We want one this big?"
Lin Chuntao's eyes darted around. They had always slept on the floor, so she didn't know how big other people's beds were.
"Too big?" Six or seven feet is about two meters. She likes a two-meter bed even when she's alone, let alone when there are two of them.
Pei Ying's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "It seems alright." But then his eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something unpleasant, and he frowned as he looked at Lin Chuntao.
"What's wrong?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Pei Ying shook her head slightly, "No."
He clearly has something to say, but he won't say it. Lin Chuntao reached out and pinched his waist. "So annoying, just tell me already."
Pei Ying's eyes darted away. He tilted his head and said in a low voice, "I was just thinking that such a wide bed is suitable for..."
*Slap!* Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chuntao slapped him on the back and scolded, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao and pursed her lips: "I haven't even said what's suitable yet. You're the one who misunderstood and then hit me."
Lin Chuntao snorted coldly, "Anyone who thinks dirty thoughts is a little dog."
Pei Ying's laughter trembled slightly. He let out a soft bark, earning him a glare from Lin Chuntao.
Actually, Pei Ying's initial thought was not this. He remembered Lin Chuntao saying that she didn't want to have children, and he thought that Lin Chuntao made a big bed because she wanted to share a blanket with him.
But then he realized he was being petty; Lin Chuntao was a very open and honest person, saying whatever came to mind. His thinking was completely misguided.
"Shouldn't the quilt also be custom-made at the shop?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Yes, it's six feet four inches wide and seven feet long. I haven't checked the sizes of the quilts in the shop."
Pei Ying said, "The shops should all be four feet wide and six feet long."
"Then we'll go and order another one in a while," Lin Chuntao said.
Pei Ying nodded slightly. He was going to go to the shop to ask today, but he forgot to ask Lin Chuntao what size she wanted. He browsed around but didn't decide. He only bought her a box of face cream. The lip balm was red. Lin Chuntao's lips were very beautiful, and she would definitely look very pretty with the lip balm on.
Now that he has the measurements, he will go tomorrow to order the quilt, sheets, and duvet cover. They didn't even have a red quilt made for their wedding, so he has to make up for it.
After hanging up their clothes at home, the bamboo rack in the yard had been used to store potatoes. Since they needed something to put things in the yard, Pei Ying had to take a sickle and go to the bamboo forest to cut bamboo.
Lin Chuntao followed him, and after carrying the bamboo back, he set up the frame while his sisters used sickles to shave bamboo skewers.
Lin Chunxing and the others were working very slowly, and they kept getting pricked by bamboo splinters. Pei Ying said, "Leave it there and I'll shave it for you in a bit. How much do you want?"
Lin Chunxing was a little embarrassed, but still said, "I need to use them every day, no limit on the amount, I'll bring about a hundred each day."
After Pei Ying agreed, they carried their baskets and went to cut pig feed.
Lin Chuntao was helping out at home, and they didn't return until almost evening. As soon as they entered the door, Lin Duo'er loudly told Lin Chuntao, "Sister, that second aunt wants to introduce my second sister to my cousin Qingqing."
Lin Chuntao's expression changed, and Pei Ying, who was still working on the bamboo frame, looked up. Lin Chuntao asked calmly, "Which second aunt? Qingqing's mother?"
"Yes, it was Qingqing who told my second sister. She also said that her cousin is not good enough for my second sister at all."
Lin Chunhe relayed the entire story to Lin Chuntao verbatim.
"Did Qingqing tell you?" Lin Chuntao asked, looking at Lin Chunxing. Lin Chunxing nodded and said, "Yes."
"How did you reply to Qingqing?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Seeing Lin Chuntao's serious expression, Lin Chunxing replied earnestly, "I told her I wouldn't get married before I turned nineteen."
"That's good."
Seeing that Lin Chuntao didn't seem very happy, Lin Duo'er also stopped being playful. Her sister was nice, but she was also afraid that her sister would be angry.
Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing said, "When you're nineteen or twenty, if you have someone you like and want to get married, I definitely won't stop you. You're both still young now."
The younger sisters nodded obediently.
Lin Chunxing also said, "Sister, I know. Besides, our engagement couldn't have been arranged without your approval."
Lin Chuntao gave a light snort, "Good to know."
Lin Chunxing smiled slowly upon hearing this. She said to Lin Chuntao, "Qingqing told me today that she doesn't have any skills, otherwise she would also like to go to the county town to make money."
Lin Chuntao's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't voice her thoughts. She simply asked casually, "She's the same age as you, right? Is her mother about to arrange a marriage for her?"
Lin Chunxing said, "I heard they're making arrangements. If it's settled, they'll get married next year or the year after."
Lin Chuntao listened and moved on without saying anything more. She took the bamboo pole to give to Pei Ying, and after Pei Ying had gone, she turned back to Lin Chunxing and said, "If any adults come to you about this, tell them to come to me."
Lin Chunxing nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice.
"Are you hungry?" The sisters shook their heads, washed peaches and hawthorns, and sat in the yard to eat them. After they finished eating the fruit, they heated up the rice and cooked the dishes for dinner.
After dinner, before it got dark, Lin Chuntao washed the vegetables and chopped the minced meat.
By the time they finished tidying up and brought everything inside, it was almost dark. The clothes had been drying for half a day, and the younger sisters boiled water, washed up, and then climbed into bed.
With nothing to do, Lin Chuntao washed up and went to lie down.
Pei Ying came in after a while. Seeing Lin Chuntao rolling around bored, he sat down and asked in a low voice, "Did you try it on? Do you like that color?"
Lin Chuntao suddenly remembered something, so she got up and went to get the lip rouge.
She had never been to the shop before and didn't know how many colors of lip rouge were available at this time. The one Pei Ying chose was red. Lin Chuntao unscrewed the cap, applied some with her finger, warmed it on her fingertip for a moment, and then applied it to her lips. She had a mischievous thought and deliberately rubbed some along the edge of her lips.
Pei Ying lit the tinderbox, and after wiping it clean, Lin Chuntao took a deep breath before turning to show Pei Ying.
Under the dim light of the tinderbox, the two looked at each other. Pei Ying seemed to be stimulated by something, and a scene that he couldn't bear suddenly appeared in his mind. He blew out the tinderbox without moving and threw it aside. With a slight movement of his Adam's apple, he pulled the other person over.
Lin Chuntao's entire back of her head was in his palm. He pulled her over and made her lie down so quickly that her heart skipped a beat.
After a long while, Lin Chuntao punched him hard before pushing him away; her clothes had already slipped down to her armpits.
The man leaned on her shoulder, panting heavily.
"What should I do? I can't hold back anymore..."
His hoarse voice carried a hint of pleading, and Lin Chuntao's heart pounded. She tried to calm herself down and ignored him.
Pei Ying took a deep breath, pulled her hand over, and placed it on hers.
Lin Chuntao's palms were burning hot, and she struggled to pull them back. Pei Ying murmured softly, "I didn't lie to you."
Lin Chuntao's palms were still very hot. The man next to her was tall and strong. She thought that she might have to mentally prepare herself before moving to the new house. This cunning man, don't think you can make her soften her heart now. Didn't he go through the same thing a few years ago?
Lin Chuntao wouldn't listen to him, so he tried to persuade her gently, saying, "My wife is really heartless."
"Don't try to fool me, I'm going to sleep."
Pei Ying chuckled softly and whispered in her ear, "You deliberately made me feel bad, but you turned it into my fault."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips, stubbornly denying it and refusing to respond to his words.
The man held her close, and they soon fell asleep together.
The next day, while Lin Chuntao and the others were minding the stall, Pei Ying went out under the pretext of helping to deliver meat. After delivering the meat, she went to the fabric shop, where they made quilts and quilt covers.
The red cotton duvet cover was fine; one duvet cover wouldn't require a whole bolt of fabric, but he still bought a whole bolt anyway, and he could take the rest of the fabric back to make other small things later.
Cotton costs 63 wen per jin. Lin Chuntao wants a large quilt, so he asked for 8.6 jin of cotton for the quilt and another 3.6 jin for a pair of pillows. The craftsman in the shop will need to pay an extra 150 wen after he finishes making the quilt. Including the cost of the cloth, the total is 1,619 wen. Except for the craftsman's fee, all other money must be paid in advance. The craftsman's fee can be paid when he picks up the quilt.
Pei Ying paid 1,469 cash, and the cloth shop gave him a written receipt, promising to pay the rest when he came to collect the money.
After he put away the receipt and left, Zhang Qingqing from the fabric shop said to the tailor, "Master Zhou, please make a good job for him. The one I told you about last time, who came wearing a very unique outfit, is his wife. I heard that he made it by hand, and her craftsmanship is excellent!"
The tailor raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said casually, "Isn't this the butcher from the butcher shop? He can make clothes?"
Zhang Qingqing smiled and said, "I can do it, but I definitely can't compare to Master Zhou!"
That week, the tailor smiled smugly and looked at Zhang Qingqing: "You little girl, which one of our fabric shops haven't I done well? Which customer hasn't been satisfied?"
Zhang Qingqing smiled and said, "Yes, yes, I just wanted to mention this to you. You are the pillar of our cloth shop!"
As they talked, Zhang Qingqing and the others took the fabric to the tailor's room and then went to discuss the dimensions and delivery date with the cotton-fluffing masters.
The cotton fluffer was astonished when he heard the size of the quilt.
"Why is it so big?"
Zhang Qingqing laughed and said, "Perhaps because there are many people in the family, this larger space will prevent everyone from fighting over the blankets."
Even so, the craftsman still felt the quilt was too big. But he just sighed and said that whatever size the customer wanted, they would make it accordingly.
When Pei Ying returned, the stall was already crowded, especially with teenagers and young children, who all had three or five coins to buy eggs.
Most people buy two, and some children even make plans with their playmates to buy them together.
Lin Chuntao watched as the two children each held three coins, but they were discussing, "I'll give you two coins so you can buy two, one for each of us. Tomorrow you give me two coins, I'll buy two and then I'll give you one, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, the child's eyes lit up. He obediently took the two coins, made up five copper coins, bought two eggs, and happily left.
The people around them also started to get interested, and the children who had three coins started to pool their money to buy two for five coins.
Lin Chunxing was a little unhappy to see that the people in line were starting to do this, so Lin Chuntao gently patted her.
She regained her senses and managed to hide the emotions on her face.
People who come to eat rice noodles also add two braised eggs. They made 240 eggs yesterday, which sold out very quickly. In the end, the eggs were gone, but the rice noodles were still available.
After the crowd thinned out, Lin Chuntao said to Lin Chunxing, "You can only make a little profit from each egg. The more you sell, the more you earn. Two eggs cost five coins each, and the kids can save up for two days and buy another one. Isn't that great? Don't be upset."
Lin Chunxing nodded. She had just noticed that the people in line were imitating those two children, as if they had suddenly lost several coins, and she hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.
"I know."
Lin Chuntao said to her, "When doing business, never be rude to customers. Remember, harmony brings wealth."
Lin Chunxing agreed, but Lin Chuntao added, "Of course, it depends on the situation. We can't let them bully us if they go too far."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chunxing smiled and stared intently at Lin Chuntao, her eyes filled with a subtle, starlight-like adoration.
The noodles would be sold for a while longer, Lin Chunxing thought, while Lin Chuntao carried a basket on her back and went out to buy vegetables.
She often goes to buy vegetables and has become quite familiar with some of the farmers.
Previously, there was no fixed quantity, and now that eggs haven't been delivered for the past two days, the number of rice noodles sold has decreased slightly, but it's still more than before the promotion; they need to sell nearly forty catties of rice noodles. The daily quantity of rice noodles is now roughly fixed, and the daily amount of vegetables is also known. Lin Chuntao is chatting with the auntie who sells tomatoes about whether she can regularly deliver to her in the future.
The woman said, "Sending them is no problem, but there's not much left in the field. My field can only sell for about twenty days at most."
Lin Chuntao hissed coldly and asked, "What about the other families in the village? Are there any others?"
The woman frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.
Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "I need them every day. If there are any in the village, Auntie, you can buy some from other people and then sell them to me. You can make a profit in the middle."
The woman's gaze towards Lin Chuntao changed instantly.
"Then I'll collect it for you and let you take a look."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's eat chives and tomatoes together. If we don't have enough for the next day, let me know in advance."
After the woman agreed, Lin Chuntao carried the tomatoes and chives away.
She was so busy before that she lost her mind. Now it seems like nobody grows greenhouse vegetables anymore. Many vegetables are out of season. It's just that the temperature in Yizhou is good, so there are tomatoes and chives available in every season.
Although these dishes don't sell much, they are essential every day.
Many vegetable farmers at the market also grow their own produce to sell, which is why there is no other way to form a reliable supply chain.
She checked the seed section on the control panel and found that she could exchange for tomato seedlings. She would ask around when she got back to the village. The villagers had just dug up potatoes and the land was still idle. If they were willing to plant, she would provide the seedlings, and she would harvest the tomatoes after they bore fruit.
If this can continue indefinitely, it will save her some trouble.
When she returned to the stall, Lin Chunxing was already packing up. She helped with the washing and cleaning, and only after packing up did she carry her things home.
They had only gone halfway when they saw a mule cart moving slowly ahead. There were two adults and two children on the cart. Their faces were not clear from a distance, but the back of the person driving the mule cart looked somewhat like Aunt Guizhi.
Lin Chuntao pointed to the mule cart and asked Lin Chunxing, "Do you think that's Aunt Guizhi?"
Lin Chunxing looked closely and said, "The one behind her looks like Sister Shuilian."
"Is that Aunt Guizhi? Let's hurry."
After saying that, Lin Chuntao and the others quickened their pace. The mule cart moved slowly, and before long they were close. When they saw that it really was Aunt Guizhi, Lin Chuntao called out, "Auntie!"
Hearing the familiar voices, Aunt Guizhi hurriedly grabbed the mule's rope, frantically wiped her face, and then turned around to look. When she saw that it was Lin Chuntao and the others, she forced a smile and replied, "Chuntao, it's you."
"Auntie, are you going to pick up Sister Shuilian?"
After they finished speaking, they approached.
Only then did they notice that Aunt Guizhi, Lin Shuilian, and the two children—the mother, daughter, grandmother, and grandchildren—all had red eyes. Lin Shuilian had bruises on her neck, face, and even her exposed calves.
This startled Lin Chuntao!
She looked at Lin Shuilian and called out, "Sister Shuilian."
Lin Shuilian couldn't speak, she just gave a muffled reply. Lin Chuntao looked at Aunt Guizhi and asked, "Auntie, what's going on?"
Aunt Guizhi was furious, but the thought of her daughter being beaten like this made her heart ache, and tears fell before she could even utter a word.
“That beast! Your sister Shuilian was pregnant, and he beat her up just because I was late bringing her food. Look at all the injuries on her body. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t gone to see her.”
After Aunt Guizhi said that, Lin Chuntao noticed Lin Shuilian's slightly protruding belly.
Her eyes darkened slightly as she handed a handkerchief to Aunt Guizhi.
"Auntie, shall we take Sister Shuilian to the clinic for a checkup?"
Aunt Guizhi said, "Yes, we should go. I was thinking of sending these two children home first."
Looking at Lin Shuilian's expression, Lin Chuntao felt angry. If it were her in charge of this matter, she would definitely teach that scoundrel a lesson. However, how to handle this matter depended on Aunt Guizhi. She could only lend a hand.
Looking at the two children, the older one looked about four or five years old, and the younger one was probably three? They were both thin and small, and Lin Chuntao wasn't sure how old they were.
Seeing such a young child and his mother covered in scars, Lin Chuntao felt heartbroken.
Moreover, Lin Shuilian's lips were a grayish-purple color, which made Lin Chuntao feel uneasy. She immediately said to Aunt Guizhi, "Aunt, I think you should take Sister Shuilian to the clinic first."
Aunt Guizhi hurriedly turned around to look at Lin Shuilian, who was sitting with her back to her. When she looked down, she saw that Lin Shuilian's private parts were already wet, which shocked Aunt Guizhi and made her face change drastically.
Lin Chuntao said, "Let the child go back with Chunxing, and I'll go to the county town with you."
Aunt Guizhi hurriedly jumped off the mule cart, picked up the two children, explained things to them, and thanked Chunxing and Peiying.
Lin Chunxing was stunned, and she felt a little flustered looking at Lin Shuilian.
"Sister, I'll take them back, and let your husband go with you."
Lin Chuntao looked at Pei Ying and agreed, then took some money from Lin Chunxing before hurriedly driving the mule cart back to the county town.
When they arrived at the clinic, Lin Shuilian was already on the verge of death. She leaned softly against Aunt Guizhi's back. Aunt Guizhi was driving the mule cart while shedding tears. When she got off the mule cart, her eyes were terribly red.
Dr. He was sitting in the sun at the door when he saw Lin Chuntao and the others. Just as he was about to greet them, he heard Lin Chuntao call out, "Dr. He, it seems her water broke during her pregnancy. What should we do? Can we bring her inside?"
Doctor He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Quickly bring him in!"
Lin Chuntao and Aunt Guizhi both had to help lift her; one person couldn't carry Lin Shuilian. Pei Ying didn't hesitate at all, picked up Lin Shuilian, and carried her into the clinic.
On the same small bed inside, the doctor quickly took her pulse, his expression shifting rapidly until finally his brows furrowed. He called out, "Xiao An, bring me my needles! Old woman, cut a slice of ginseng! Hurry!"
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