Bai Fumei in the ’70s Chapter 28
Translated by Serena Love
Even if she thinks with her toes, Zhao Lanxiang could understand the hurdle in the man's heart. There is an invisible ruler that ran across his bottom line. He has his backbone and pride, and he is unwilling to eat soft rice from a woman. He hopes that he can be like a good man standing upright, and support his wife and family. He hopes that every grain he eats is earned through his own efforts.
Zhao Lanxiang understood his thoughts, so the delicious and fragrant dishes on the dinner table were replaced with sweet potato and rice. The usual fine food became wild rice bran without oil. She immediately followed the way his family eat and showed him her determination to work hard with him.
But now, Zhao Lanxiang is unwilling to let him continue to eat bran and choking on wild vegetables. He is now like a tireless bull who sprinkles all his blood on the crops. He urgently needs nutrition and something good to eat. She asked him to work harder, but she did not mean this kind of desperate work.
She hoped that he would live more positively, but did not expect him to go too far.
Zhao Lanxiang pulled the man's sleeve, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Grandma gave me a note a few days ago. I don't quite understand what it means. Can you help me see?"
As she said that, she took the crumpled note out of her pocket.
He Songbai is steaming with sweat all over his body, and sweat is flowing down his dark hair. He smelled bad, but the woman who has just taken a shower is still leaning against him.
He Songbai is really helpless to her! Where have you seen such a sticky wife!
He Songbai is a bit worried for her, but at the same time he feels his throat is dry. He often feels guilty for his uncontrollable physiological response. After all, he is a man with a dirty mind!
He Songbai probably did not know that not only the woman did not dislike his smell, but he is so masculine in her eyes at this moment. Although he sweats a lot, he loved cleanliness. He bathed and changed clothes every day, and it is not the same with sloppy men in the countryside.
Zhao Lanxiang pulled He Songbai's ears and asked him to carefully read the note left by her grandmother.
She said, "I suspect that Granny has left me a treasure. Let's... look for it now?"
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He Songbai's hands which were wiping sweat are stuck in midair. The deep, sharp eyes twitched uncontrollably.
He coughed lightly and said with some embarrassment, "My family is poor. Where did any treasure came from?"
Zhao Lanxiang stretched her hands and showed the note in front of his eyes, "Otherwise, what do you think your Grandma meant by writing this sentence specifically? Are you going to accompany me tonight? If not, then I will go by myself."
His expression suddenly changed and he scold her fiercely, "Girls can't run around at night. Didn't your parents taught you?"
Zhao Lanxiang folded the note and put it in her pocket, and asked him seriously, "That's why I asked you to go with me. Are you going or not?"
After He Songbai has lost his temper, he saw in her eyes that it was inevitable for him to come. It was no good to refuse this fickle woman. Soon he took his shovel and followed her to the Niujiao Mountain.
Zhao Lanxiang slowly measured the distance of one hundred steps, illuminating the lush forest at the foot of the mountain with a flashlight.
"Acacia trees, acacia trees, where are there any acacia trees."
He Songbai looked around, then suddenly squatted down, and looked around with his thumb. He touched the rough half of the wooden stump and look again with a flashlight. The wood that had been cut off is actually broken, and the sparse and dense annual rings are dark under the light.
"I'll dig." He Songbai said.
Zhao Lanxiang continued to look elsewhere with a flashlight, "I'll go over there and see."
He Songbai pulled the woman who is running around, and his big palms covered her head, "No need."
As he said that, he is digging up the soil with excitement. A small mound of soil is quickly piled up next to him. Zhao Lanxiang held a flashlight to illuminate the man. He dug and dug with his shovel and suddenly something made a dull sound underneath him.
The astonishment and excitement in the woman's voice can't be suppressed, "Hey, don't dig anymore. You really found it."
He Songbai silently pulled out the hard object with a shovel.
This is a box covered with mud, Zhao Lanxiang tried hard to open it. She couldn't see what it was for the time being, and she was reluctant to open it violently and ruin it.
He Songbai picked it up without caring of being dirty, and said dully, "Are you satisfied? Go back."
Zhao Lanxiang nodded, it was almost as she expected.
Back at the He family, Zhao Lanxiang take a bucket of water and wash it carefully. The ugly shell of the small box was removed, revealing a quaint and heavy appearance. The wood has a delicate texture and a solid start, with a faint fragrance after careful smelling.
This is... rosewood.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't open the box, and felt that the value of the treasure given by the grandmother is reflected in this wooden box. She saw a lock hung on the wooden box. It is complicated and small. A pile of red sandalwood tangled together, forming a delicate and ingenious lock. If this wooden lock is forcibly broken, the beauty of the entire box will be greatly destroyed.
This is really an interesting box, very collectible, she doesn't know how much it will be worth to sell! However, this kind of thought, Zhao Lanxiang only thought about it for a moment, and soon dispelled it.
This kind of antique treasure is worthless now. Not only it has no market, but it is also a hot item. What she can do is hold it tightly and store it.
He Songbai saw the box clearly, his eyebrows twitched and he said lightly.
"Go to bed, there is no treasure in it."
He began to push her away.
Zhao Lanxiang finally found this baby, where would she let go. Besides, the man's expression at the moment is very intriguing. She unlocked the complicated lock on the box at an incredible speed, and flipped the box open with a snap.
He Songbai wiped his face with his palm and was extremely silent.
Zhao Lanxiang saw moisture-protection dry grass neatly spread inside, took them out and dropped a small Ruyi lock, as well as several pieces of torn paper.
The Ruyi lock is small and delicate, the gold pieces are polished and shiny, and the engraving are smooth.
The word "Bai" is engraved vaguely on it. At a glance, she knows that this is a safety lock for children.
Zhao Lanxiang couldn't help but cover her mouth. Grandma actually took out the treasure of her good grandson and gave it to her.
She looked at the tattered little book, it is a drawing of a chubby little piglet with immature brush strokes, the writing are crooked. There should be more exciting content behind it, but...
Zhao Lanxiang glanced at He Songbai, the man's face is completely dark.
He said, "Don't look at it."
Zhao Lanxiang held the Ruyi lock in her palm and weighed it for a moment. Then she thoughtfully said, "This lock is a little heavy. I should be able to buy a pig with this."
He Songbai put away the notebook and said stiffly, "Sleep, don't think so much."
Zhao Lanxiang shakes her head. "You don't understand Grandma's meaning. She gave me the lock, just to allow you eat better. I will buy pork tomorrow. Can you eat comfortably this time?"
She smiled and put this precious lock in her pocket, and her voice revealed a bit of teasing.
The time when Grandma gave her the note was when she was "running out of food". What was so hard to understand? Grangma wanted to make her grandchildren to eat spicy and fragrant food, and be full.
So she took care of this "outsider".
Grandma is not numb and indifferent. She just quietly observes all these changes with those cloudy eyes. Grandma threw this ball of paper to her, both to make up for her and to encourage her.
Grandma hopes she will continue to make good food, which makes Zhao Lanxiang feel relieved from her guilt.
She hoped that her feeding behavior would not become a burden for He Songbai. But now the head of the family had already spoken, so Zhao Lanxiang didn't care about guilt.
Granny said to continue to eat, then they will continue to eat. The value of her gold lock and rosewood is enough for these two sisters and one brother to eat a lot of delicious meals.
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The next day, Zhao Lanxiang rushed to the store to queue up very early, and bought a fat pig's trotter with a meat ticket. An inch of white and greasy meat was like snowflakes. Zhao Lanxiang picked the fatty part that He Songbai liked to eat the most and a braised pig's trotters quickly came to her mind.
Zhao Lanxiang held it with satisfaction and returned to He family's home. She cut the ginger, onion and garlic slices, fried the trotters until golden on both sides, and then sautéed white sugar into caramel to smudge the trotters. A sizzling sound comes out, with a golden and clear liquid flow out a little. The lard wrapped the trotters and gave birth to a fragrant scent.
Zhao Lanxiang put the red pig's trotters in a clay pot, add water to the pot, and steamed it at the bottom of the stove. The fried and steamed pig trotters gradually became soft and the red skin appeared a little oily. When she poked it with a chopstick and pulled it back again, the chopsticks piercing the meat made a "bang" sound, which was extremely sticky and slippery. At this time, she knew that the trotters is soft enough to leave the pot, and it was guaranteed to be mouthful. The meat that melts in the mouth is not greasy, but fragrant and attractive.
She brought a bowl to the old woman's room. The old woman is sitting in a daze at the window. She saw Zhao Lanxiang's figure, and her old face wrinkled with complication.
"Give me the things."
Zhao Lanxiang looked at her suspiciously.
Grandma said indifferently, "You can melt the gold lock and sell it for money, but the picture book in the box, returned it to me."
Zhao Lanxiang couldn't help but laugh, "So that book was originally a picture book, but unfortunately it wasn't with me. It was taken away by Brother He."
She saw Grandma's eyes suddenly looked at her seriously. She paused and continued, "I saw the word "Bai" on the golden lock. I thought it must be Brother He's thing, so I gave it to him.
Zhao Lanxiang secretly exhaled. The eyes of He Songbai's old grandmother is so sharp. She almost slipped and told her what was in her mind!
[T/N: Ruyi Lock is a charm that is meant as a good luck charm which usually bear auspicious symbols such as the sun & moon, swords, turtles, and snakes, and decorated with Chinese characters, usually auspicious phrases related to health and prosperity, the locks would have typically been presented to a child during the hundredth day or first-year celebration.]
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