The line from just a moment ago where she said the shop was her call, Sun Lanlan thought Lin Chuxia was just saying it to reassure her, but it turns out Lin Chuxia is the actual owner of the Bun Shop.
Now thinking about it, the Bun Shop is called Qin’s Steamed Bun Shop, isn’t Lin Chuxia’s man’s surname Qin?
“Chuxia, you’ve really done well for yourself, how can you be so capable?”
Sun Lanlan was so impressed she wanted to spin her sister in circles.
She had heard awhile back that Lin Chuxia’s man had already gone to work out of town, and she was worried, feeling that the newly-wed sister-in-law at home alone seemed so pitiable.
She thought about visiting Qin Family Village but didn’t want to trouble her sister, so when she heard that Lin Chuxia worked at the Bun Shop, she immediately came to see her.
Who would have thought her sister had become so successful, even becoming the boss.
“Right, I heard recently Lin Jiayi has been pushing Li Guangyuan to find some business to do, she isn’t stimulated by watching you do business, is she?”
Daqing Mountain Village is adjacent to Xiaoqingshan Village, and with a keen ear for gossip, Sun Lanlan had heard a fair bit about Lin Jiayi.
Lin Chuxia thought to herself, Lin Jiayi wanting to do business wasn’t from being provoked by her, but rather she was still dreaming of being a rich wife.
She wonders if Li Guangyuan could be persuaded by Lin Jiayi, and she was quite looking forward to it.
Shaking her head, “My family doesn’t know I do business, and I’m not planning on letting them know.”
Sun Lanlan, thinking of the Lin Family’s attitude towards Lin Chuxia, also felt it’s better not to let them know, “That’s fine, I’ll tell my third brother to keep his mouth shut tight.”
“By the way, Chuxia, guess how Lin Jiayi has been getting along in the Li Family lately, I wonder if she regrets swapping the marriage arrangement with you.”
Sun Lanlan came just to gossip with her sister; the sudden marriage swap that Lin Jiayi did with her sister had really disgusted her, so she had been indirectly inquiring about Lin Jiayi’s situation, and oh boy, what she found out, not a single good word to say.
Lin Chuxia rarely reveals such a youthful spirit in front of her close friend, her eyes shining with the thrill of gossiping, “What’s the situation? Tell me quickly.”
Sun Lanlan shared the story of Lin Jiayi’s younger sisters-in-law stealing her dowry, and also how she claimed she would never work the fields but ended up working beside Li Guangyuan obediently.
Lin Chuxia found it amusing. Li Guangyuan managed to earn a reputation as an honest and simple man, but he’s just too nice, offending no one, and no one could afford to offend him.
In a crisis, don’t expect him to stand up for you, he’ll just try to smooth things over for both sides, often leaning towards his mother’s side.
And those two sisters-in-law of hers are also no easy targets.
When the Li Family offered eight chi of fabric as a dowry, she found it suspicious.
The Li Family is not known for their generosity; eight chi of fabric is too much for one dress and not enough for two, but the two daughters of the Li Family are slim, just enough for two new dresses each.
She had warned Lin Jiayi back then, thinking she wasn’t being kind, now let Lin Jiayi see the true face of the Li Family for herself.
Old Mrs. Li sides with her own, wishing she could milk her daughter-in-law dry, not stopping until the last drop of blood is squeezed out.
In her previous life, she had also arranged good marriages for her two sisters-in-law, sealing the mouths of all three, gaining leverage over the sisters-in-law with their marriages, which made her later life much more peaceful.
Otherwise, the two of them might cause some trouble.
“You said that you thought Li Guangyuan looked quite good before, although his family is a bit poor, the person is rather honest. But how come it turned out to be like this? It’s good that you didn’t marry him,” Sun Lanlan finally sighed. “It seems that with Qin Yang not being at home, a lot of trouble has been avoided.”
It seems that life’s pretty good for the sisters.
Seeing Lin Chuxia’s spirits drop as she spoke, worriedly she asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Sun Lanlan sighed, “It’s nothing serious, just that a matchmaker proposed a potential suitor to me. My mother thinks the other party is also acceptable, but when I look at you all, I can’t help feeling that a woman getting married is like being reborn. I have no idea what kind of fate I’ll be reborn into, which makes me feel a bit uneasy.”
Lin Chuxia’s brows slightly furrowed, “Who did Aunt Sun mention to you? Where is he from, what does he do, what’s his name?”
Seeing her so anxious, Sun Lanlan laughed first, “Don’t worry, I just feel a bit uneasy. We all have to get married eventually. He’s also a farmer, not too far from our village, from Men Village Camp. His name seems to be Liu Dahui. My mom says his family farms too, but the Liu Family is hardworking and richer than the average household. Liu Dahui is the youngest of four siblings; all his brothers and sisters are married. If I get married and move there, we’d split up and live independently, which seems pretty good.”
When Lin Chuxia heard the name Liu Dahui, her mind buzzed.
He was the very man Sun Lanlan was married to in her previous life, a name she remembered even if turned to ashes.
In her previous life, her initial marriage was into the Li Family. Because of the three hundred yuan dowry, her mother-in-law bitterly resented her family, and even though the two villages were neighboring, she wasn’t allowed to return home.
A year later, when Lin Chuxia heard about Sun Lanlan’s wedding, Sun Lanlan was already about to be married.
She didn’t expect this match to be arranged so early.
It was all because she had been too busy recently, and neglected this matter.
“What’s so good about that,” Lin Chuxia feigned anger as she spoke, “Didn’t you want to find someone with an office job? Are you really content spending your whole life farming in the village?”
“I do want someone with an office job, but those with jobs have to be willing to marry me too. If we from the countryside get married into the city, what will we have to eat and drink?”
Lin Chuxia took her hand and held it tightly, “Lanlan, I was actually planning to find you even if you didn’t come. Look at my bun shop; since it opened, there’s been no shortage of customers but just a few people to help out. I want to find a couple of reliable people to help me. Would you be willing to come work with me?”
Hearing this, Sun Lanlan excitedly clasped Lin Chuxia’s hand back, “Can I… really?”
“Of course, you can. You’re quick-handed and clear-headed; you’re overqualified for my little shop. Now that the market is open, even farmers can come to the city to work and earn wages. What does it matter if we have commodity grain or agricultural household registration? We’re able-bodied and can support ourselves. Even when it comes to marriage prospects, if you’re earning a salary every month, you won’t be inferior to those city folks. Isn’t that right? Look at me, am I any worse than Qin Yang, who has an office job?”
In the eyes of people at that time, household registration was a huge chasm between city dwellers and villagers. However, Lin Chuxia knew that with the market opening up, the gap between agricultural and non-agricultural households was getting smaller and that in twenty or thirty years, non-agricultural households would even envy agricultural ones.
She couldn’t tell Sun Lanlan all this, but she could slowly change her way of thinking.
Sun Lanlan shook her head vigorously, of course not; her sister was a boss and managed several people.
“That’s right. Go back and tell Aunt Sun that you’ve found a job in the city, and that the marriage can wait another couple of years.”
Sun Lanlan was like she was dreaming, “Would my mom agree?”
“Why wouldn’t she agree? If not, just say you’re not happy. Doesn’t your third brother still not have a suitor? Just shift the focus to him.”
Far in Daqing Mountain Village, Sun Bingnan sneezed, suddenly feeling a bit cold.