NIP Chapter 398 - 396: Gentle
Chapter 398 - 396: Gentle
As he was leaving, Lin Changyou said to Lin Lan, "Now that the seedlings are planted, a major task is finished. In about ten days, the pumpkin seedlings for the private plot will be ready for transplanting. I think we should prepare the land soon."
Li Xiangyang had already allocated the plots of land to them, but Mayor Xu, Yang Dingbang, and Xu Dong were in no hurry to build their houses.
Shuiqing and Shi Song had no money left after buying their plot, and Lin Changyou also planned to save up more before starting construction.
Lin Lan thought for a moment and said, "Dad, the plot by the Eucalyptus Forest is dozens of acres. It’ll be too exhausting for us to do all the planting ourselves after closing the shop. I think we should hire people. We can go check on the land after we close up for the day."
Li Xiangyang nodded. "Exactly! Everyone’s already tired after a long day at the shop. It’s tough to hire help during the peak farming season, but in a few days, everyone else will be done with their rice seedlings. It’s a good idea to hire people for the pumpkin starts."
Lin Changyou said, "Alright, we’ll do as you say. Lin Lan, you find the workers in a couple of days."
Lin Lan replied, "Tomorrow I’ll go find the aunties who helped us wrap zongzi. I’ll ask them to find a few efficient workers."
After settling the matter, they wheeled their bicycles out the door. Wu Shufen called after them, "It’s dark, so the road isn’t easy. Ride carefully."
"Got it."
The group got on their bikes and rode toward the city.
As usual, they escorted Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan to Limin Road before splitting off to ride to their own homes.
It was almost ten o’clock when they got home. Old Li rubbed his lower back. "I’m getting old. Just planting one plot of seedlings has my back aching all over."
Li Xiangyang looked at him. "Dad, should I get the muscle relief oil and rub your back for you?"
Old Li twisted his torso a few times. "No need. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine by tomorrow. It’s late. Let’s wash up and get to bed."
Li Xiangyang came out after bathing Little Douzi. Lin Lan dried the boy’s hair with a blow-dryer and ruffled it. "Time for bed."
"Okay!" Little Douzi replied, then glanced at Lin Lan. "Auntie Little Man got a baby in her tummy after she married Youngest Uncle. Mama, you’re married too, so when are you going to have a baby in your tummy?"
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang exchanged a helpless look. "Who told you that?" she asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Little Douzi pointed toward Yang Dingbang’s house across the way, a grin on his face. "Great-Grandma did. She said all married women have babies."
Li Xiangyang scooped him up and chuckled. "Well then, would you like a baby brother or a baby sister?"
Little Douzi wrapped his arms around Li Xiangyang’s neck and giggled. "Brother Dandan said he wants a little brother, and I want a little brother too. When he gets bigger, we can go swimming in the river and catch fish together. Little sisters are no fun."
Lin Lan laughed. "But little sisters are so sweet! You can put their hair in little braids and dress them in pretty little skirts. Wouldn’t that be nice?"
Little Douzi frowned. "I don’t like that. The girls in my class cry all the time, and they’re always trying to steal my eraser."
"Alright, we’ll do our best to give you a little brother," Li Xiangyang said, looking at him. "Are you sleeping with Grandpa tonight, or by yourself?"
"With Grandpa. We already agreed to go into town tomorrow morning for blood curd and meat patties. There’s a place past the school that has really delicious pork blood curd and flatbreads."
"Okay. Grandpa should be done with his bath by now, so let’s go downstairs and let Mama have her turn."
Lin Lan watched the big one and the little one leave, then smiled as she grabbed her nightgown and headed for the bathroom.
When Li Xiangyang came back upstairs, Lin Lan was just stepping out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel as she walked. "Is Dad in bed yet?"
"Not yet. He finished his bath and is waiting for Little Douzi to fall asleep." Li Xiangyang picked up the blow-dryer and patted the stool. "Come, I’ll dry it for you."
"Thank you, Master Li!" Lin Lan said with a laugh as she sat down. "My hair’s gotten long again. It’s so inconvenient to wash. I’m going to get it trimmed tomorrow."
"Mm," Li Xiangyang hummed. He dried the ends first, then ran his fingers through her hair to fluff it as he dried the rest. Seeing the fair, smooth skin revealed by her slip nightgown, his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.
Lin Lan felt the top of her head. "It’s dry now."
"Mm." Li Xiangyang put down the dryer and pulled her into his arms. He placed soft kisses behind her ear, his lips traveling downward as one of her straps slid from her shoulder.
Gentle kisses on a gentle night. Their union was a natural, inevitable culmination that left them both intoxicated.
The next day, Lin Lan woke up late again. By the time she dressed and went out onto the balcony, she saw Li Xiangyang riding into the courtyard, one hand on the handlebars and the other carrying a basket.
Lin Lan smiled. "Did you go buy breakfast?"
Li Xiangyang looked up. "I went with the old man and Little Douzi to that restaurant past the school. Their blood curd is really good—tender and numbing-spicy. It’s perfect with their griddled meat flatbreads."
"Thanks!" Lin Lan went back inside and came downstairs. Li Xiangyang placed the container of blood curd on the table. "Here, try some. See what you think."
"If the three of you say it’s good, then it must be delicious." Lin Lan sat down with a smile, picked up a spoon, and scooped up a piece of the blood curd. After tasting it, she nodded repeatedly. "It’s wonderful. Tender, smooth, and so tasty. The restaurants Dad finds always have the best food."
"Little Douzi has been eating out with the old man so much he’s developing a picky palate. This morning, the two of them were even talking about buying duck blood and eel to make an eel and blood curd stew," Li Xiangyang chuckled. "You’ve never had the old man’s blood curd stew. It’s really something special."
"That sounds great! A lot of places are selling eel these days. I’ll go to the market in a bit to buy some, then stop by the sweet-skin duck place for duck blood. I’ll grab a whole duck while I’m at it, and we can have that eel and blood curd stew this afternoon."
Li Xiangyang nodded. After Lin Lan finished eating and they cleaned up, the two of them left on their bicycles.
Lin Lan went to the South City food market and bought some assorted mushrooms, along with the other ingredients for the blood curd stew. Wheeling her bike over to the meat section, she saw Yang Zhigang busy cutting meat for a customer. The stall opposite his had a rare stock of beef, so she bought some cuts for stir-frying and stewing. The butcher even threw in some beef tallow for free.
On the way back, she passed by Yang Liqun and Yang Liying’s place and saw a sign on the door. It said they had gone home to plant seedlings and would reopen in four days. That explained why only Wang Zhilin had been running their stall lately.
Lin Lan suddenly remembered that Zhixue and Zhang Yuru’s wedding was just a few days away, and she hadn’t visited Yang Liqun’s family once to check in.
She went back to the pastry shop first. After confirming there were no urgent orders and letting Qiaohui know where she was going, she got on her bike and rode to Yang Liqun’s house.
Yang Liqun’s family’s seedling paddy was right in front of their courtyard. In the field, Yang Liying and her sister were bent over, busy pulling up seedlings.
Lin Lan parked her bicycle and walked to the edge of the paddy. "Big Sis, Third Sis," she called out. "How many more acres do you have left to plant?"
"About three acres left!" The two sisters looked up and grinned. "What brings you here?"
Lin Lan said sheepishly, "I only just remembered today that Zhixue’s wedding is on the eighteenth..."
"Don’t worry about it, we know you’re busy!" Yang Liqun said with a smile. "We’ve got almost everything prepared. We have one more busy day of planting, and then the seedlings will all be in. After that, we just need to clean up a bit and wait for the wedding day."
Hearing they would finish today, Lin Lan decided not to get into the field to help. Instead, she smiled and asked, "Is there anything you need me to help buy?"
Yang Liqun hesitated for a moment, then looked at her apologetically. "It takes half a day to get from East Market to Shilian, and the bus schedule is terrible. I was wondering if I could ask your husband to help us borrow a tractor for the wedding procession? I’m not sure if that would be convenient..."
Lin Lan remembered that Uncle Da’s Dongfeng truck was at home. "Would a truck work? Uncle Da has a big Dongfeng."