“After I saw you collect my body, I came back to life last night. Maybe God took pity on me and gave me a space where I can grow things and have a farm.”
"Mom! Don't be sad! From now on, my son and I will live well and live happily!"
Lin Laosan wiped Lin Li's eyes, ignoring the tears streaming down his own face.
"good!"
Lin Li patted Lin Laosan on the shoulder and looked at him with a smile.
"Okay, Mom will go cook. You can put these things away first."
"Okay, Mom!"
Lin Li quickly went to the kitchen, and Lin Laosan hurriedly took the cooking utensils to the kitchen, then ran back to the main room to put away the remaining items one by one.
As dusk streamed through the window covered with old newspapers, its orange glow spilled into the kitchen.
Lin Li turned on the kerosene lamp, and in the warm yellow light, she wore a blue and white checkered headscarf, tucked her gray hair behind her ears, and her eyes were full of gentleness.
On the cutting board, the marbled pork belly glistened with oil, and the fresh green vegetables and tender white mushrooms were neatly arranged. These were all Lin Laosan's favorite home-style dishes.
Holding the cleaver, she skillfully and meticulously sliced the pork belly into even, thin slices. She stirred the pork belly in the wok with a bamboo spatula, sautéed the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then quickly stir-fried the pork slices. The moment she poured in soy sauce, a rich aroma filled the kitchen.
She quickly washed and chopped the greens, stir-fried them with mushrooms, sprinkled them with a pinch of salt, and the verdant green leaves and white mushrooms complemented each other beautifully.
On the other side of the stove, winter melon and pork rib soup was simmering. In the milky white broth, the winter melon chunks absorbed the aroma of the meat, and the floating scallions added a touch of freshness.
Half an hour later, Lin Li called out loudly, "Third brother, come help Mom bring the dishes to the table."
"They're here!"
On the wooden table in the main room, two pairs of enamel bowls were placed quietly. The braised pork was glossy and tender, with the sauce coating every piece of meat; the stir-fried vegetables were emerald green and fresh, still slightly glistening.
The aroma of meat wafted from the courtyard, attracting frequent glances from the surrounding neighbors.
"Grandma Lin is cooking meat dishes, they smell so good!"
"Probably. She's finally come to her senses. She's sacrificed so much for those sons in the past!"
"Yes, I never expected those Lin brothers to be such scoundrels. Who can argue with that!"
...
Lin Laoda, Lin Xiaodi, and Lin Xiaomei, who were about to head towards the Lin family's old house, were so angry at the villagers' words and their pointing and whispering that they turned around and went back to Lin Laoda's house.
"Mom, does she really not want us to be filial to her anymore?"
“I don’t think she can hold on for long. With the way the third brother is acting, she’ll be coming back begging us to go back in a few days.”
As Lin Laoda spoke confidently, the image of Lin Laotai kneeling and begging him to return to his home made him smile uncontrollably.
“I’m afraid she’ll squander all of Dad’s money. Look at her today, she’s cooking meat at home.”
Lin Xiaodi said through gritted teeth.
"That's the most troublesome thing. We need to find a way to stop her from spending money like that, otherwise we won't have any money when we get back."
"Exactly! When you're broke, who cares about that old hag!"
The three Lin siblings discussed among themselves, one after another, "How about we call our second brother back? He's well-educated, quick-witted, and resourceful!"
Lin the eldest nodded and told Lin the youngest to quickly go to town and call Lin the second back so they could discuss it together.
While they were discussing how to make Lin Li regret it and "invite" them back, Lin Li was happily having dinner with the three old men at the table.
Lin Li placed the largest piece of braised pork into the third brother's bowl, smiling as she said, "Try it and see if it suits your taste." The third brother ate his food in large bites, and Lin Li watched, her smile deepening.
"It's delicious, thank you, Mom!"
"Eat more if you like it! There's no need for thanks between mother and child!"
As Lin Laosan ate the fragrant meat and listened to his mother's gentle voice, he felt incredibly happy, more so than he had ever been before!
After Lin Laosan finished eating and put down his chopsticks, Lin Li didn't immediately clear the dishes. Instead, she looked at him and smiled, "Laosan, what are your thoughts on that job?"
"Mom, I'm not well-educated and don't understand any grand principles. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it without hesitation."
Hearing Lin Laosan's straightforward yet firm voice, Lin Li smiled and said, "Laosan, Mom knows that you've always loved reading. Your grades back then were way better than Lao Er's. If it weren't for the high cost of Lao Er's education, which forced you to drop out, you would definitely have gotten into a better university than him!"
Hearing Lin Li's words, Lin Laosan lowered his head with red eyes.
"Mom also knows that you've been continuing to read books all these years; you've never given up on learning!"
Upon hearing Lin Li's words, tears streamed down Lin Laosan's face. It turned out that his mother had always known that he was studying and learning, and that he was a son she cherished.
“Here’s what I’m thinking: Tomorrow we’ll go to the town leaders and find out exactly what kind of job they’re giving us. If it’s promising, we’ll learn as we go. If it’s not, we’ll sell the job and you can go into business with Mom.”
"Okay!" Lin Laosan quickly wiped away the tears that had fallen on the back of his hand, raised his head, looked at Lin Li with his red eyes, and nodded trustingly, "I'll listen to Mom!"
"Good child, let's rest after we've packed up. We're going to town tomorrow!"
"good!"
After the mother and son finished talking, they quickly started packing up.
Lin Laosan was stacking the rough porcelain bowl, still covered in rice grains, into a chipped earthenware basin, preparing to wash it with water.
"The well water is cold, I'll go to the stove and get some hot ash." She lifted the pot lid, took out a few pieces of dark red charcoal from the earthen stove, put them in a tin box, and poured cold water into an aluminum basin. The rising steam carried the aroma of burnt wood ash.
The bamboo basket beside the well was covered with cobwebs, and inside lay several recycled glass bottles with faded labels from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Lin Li used a rusty iron bucket to fetch water; the edges of the bucket were worn with deep grooves by the rope.
Lin Laosan squatted on a low stool, holding a brush made from a broken wooden comb to scrub the bowls. The dirty water flowed into the vegetable patch through the cracks in the bluestone slab, gleaming silver in the moonlight.
The soap box was made by smashing the metal sheet from a used battery. The remaining soap scraps were soaked in water and produced only a sparse lather.
"Go get the soap I bought today."
"Alright!"
Lin Laosan brought out the soap and washed the dishes again.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Lin Li took out two enamel basins from the bottom of the wooden cabinet. The paint on the basins was chipped and rusty.
When she poured well water into the basin, she deliberately tilted the aluminum kettle so that the last few drops of hot water would flow into Lin Laosan's basin.
"Soak your feet more often, the roads in the village are all pebbles." She scooped water with a chipped, rough porcelain bowl, her foot-washing water mixed with a few fallen leaves.
Lin Laosan used a polished bamboo strip to scrape the mud off the soles of his shoes; the bamboo strip was leftover scrap from weaving baskets.
"I have to go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow; a lot of things at home have broken!"
Lin Laosan nodded, "Listening to Mom is always the right thing to do."
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