Wu Shuqin hurriedly said, "Xinglan is nimble and observant. She and Little Lan are close cousins, so she’ll definitely do a good job."

Tong Xinglan added, "Auntie, thank you for helping me. I’ll work hard and won’t slack off."

Wu Shufen looked at her and smiled. "Xinglan, making pastries is exhausting. You’ll be up before the chickens and in bed after the dogs. Don’t come crying to me wanting to go home then."

Tong Xinglan paused, surprised. "I heard my cousin opened a shop, and Qiaohui is working there as a salesclerk!"

Wu Shufen said, "The shop has hired staff to sell things. Yuezhen and your cousin have been busy these past couple of days, so Qiaohui is just helping out temporarily."

Wu Shuqin tugged on Tong Xinglan’s arm. "Xinglan, if Qiaohui can handle it, so can you. It’s not like you’re missing any arms or legs. What’s there to be afraid of?"

’Selling things in a shop isn’t as good as learning a trade from Lin Lan,’ she thought. ’Once you learn a skill, it’s yours for life. It’ll benefit you forever.’

Tong Xinglan didn’t answer. In her heart, she was still set on helping out at Lin Lan’s shop. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Wu Shufen glanced at her sister. ’I’ll have to find the right time to convince her to get a handle on Xinglan now,’ she decided. ’She can’t let her make the same mistakes I did.’

Wu Shufen fried the pork until it was a crisp, golden brown. She placed the meat into an earthenware jar, then ladled the hot oil from the wok over it until the pork was completely submerged. She then continued rendering more fat to fry the rest of the pork.

Once all the marinated pork was fried, the rim of the earthenware jar had already cooled.

The two sisters, Wu Shufen and Wu Shuqin, carried the jar to the east wing and set it against the wall. They would wait for the oil inside to solidify before putting on the lid to seal it. It would be ready to eat in a month.

To eat it, you’d take out a piece, steam it on a plate for about fifteen minutes, and slice it. It could be eaten as is, or stir-fried with stem mustard, green peppers, garlic scapes, or other vegetables.

The resulting pork was mellow and fragrant. It was rich but not greasy, and was said to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion.

As long as the pork was completely submerged in oil and the jar was tightly sealed, it wouldn’t spoil for years.

After frying the pork, Wu Shufen drained the brine from the soy-cured pork she had marinating in a basin. She placed it in a medium-sized earthenware crock, sprinkled in some powdered fennel and Sichuan peppercorn, then poured in soy sauce from a jug until the meat was completely submerged.

Wu Shuqin smiled. "Second Sister, I haven’t had soy-cured pork in ages. I remember when we were kids, Dad used to cure a lot every year to sell to families hosting banquets."

Wu Shufen nodded. "Every time Dad finished, he’d call us to take it out and hang it on bamboo poles to dry for a day before hanging it from the rafters." She rubbed her aching lower back. "We cured so much of it, but we never got to eat our fill."

Wu Shuqin laughed teasingly. "Your family has a pig farm now, and Little Lan just cured all this. Are you really worried you won’t have soy-cured pork to eat?"

At the mention of Lin Lan, Wu Shufen’s face broke into a wide smile. "Yes! Little Lan told me and your brother-in-law to just sit back and enjoy life."

She wasn’t trying to show off; she was genuinely content. ’I feel like I haven’t lived my life for nothing,’ she thought. ’My children are sensible, obedient, and dutiful. As a parent, what more could you ask for?’

"You’re so blessed, Second Sister." Wu Shuqin felt a pang of envy but was also happy for her.

’Her two sons in the army send all their stipends home, and the two at home are completely devoted to their parents. Even Lin Lan, who used to be the most rebellious, has become so successful.’

The sisters chatted idly as they finished with the soy-cured pork. Then they took down the ribs and cured bacon that had been air-drying and re-hung them on a few other bamboo poles.

They then poured several scoops of rice husks, sugarcane peels, and cypress branches underneath the bacon. After fetching two bamboo sleeping mats from the house, they used them to enclose the hanging meat, then lit the cypress branches to begin the smoking process.

They let it smoke until bedtime, then took down the bacon and hung it on a wooden rod in front of the kitchen stove. After hanging in the smoky air for over half a month, it would be ready to eat.

The bacon prepared this way filled the mouth with a rich, smoky aroma. Its flavor was deep and mellow, the fat was rich but not greasy, and the lean meat was perfectly tender.

At five-thirty, Lin Lan and her father returned from Brother Yong’s home. Wu Shufen had already picked up Little Douzi.

Lin Lan said to Wu Shufen, "Mom, I need to go check on the shops. I’ll bring Qiaohui home with me."

Little Douzi tugged on Lin Lan’s arm. "Mama, I want to go with you!"

Lin Lan nodded. "Alright. Go put on your scarf and hat, and Mama will take you."

Tong Xinglan glanced at Wu Shuqin. "Mom, I want to go into town with my cousin, too."

Wu Shuqin glanced at Lin Lan, then smiled. "Go on, then. Go with your cousin and see a bit of the world."

With Tong Xinglan on the back rack, Lin Lan had Little Douzi sit on the crossbar. She carefully tied his scarf, put on his gloves, and pedaled off toward the shops.

The three of them arrived first at the general store. A customer was looking at a hairdryer, and a few others were just browsing.

Lin Lan locked her bicycle, and Little Douzi had already darted down the small alley and into the shop.

Lin Lan led Tong Xinglan into the shop. He Li greeted her with a wide grin. "You look so pretty today!"

Qiaohui smiled and nodded. "My cousin looks good in anything."

Little Douzi squeezed Lin Lan’s hand. "That’s right! My mama is the prettiest."

The other customers and people browsing in the shop all laughed.

Lin Lan shot the two women a playful glare, then asked He Li in a low voice, "Was it busy today?"

He Li let out a quiet wail. "With you and Brother Xiangyang gone, we were absolutely swamped! Thank goodness Yongmei was here to help us."

Lin Lan smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Once this busy spell is over, I’ll treat you all to hot pot."

Tong Xinglan’s eyes were glued to the watches in the display case, wide with amazement. "Cousin, you have more watches than the co-op, and they’re much prettier!"

"They’re all the latest models from the coastal cities, so of course they’re nicer than what the co-op has." Lin Lan said with a smile, glancing at her. "Xinglan, you and Qiaohui know each other, don’t you?"

Only then did Tong Xinglan look up at Qiaohui. ’The country bumpkin cousin from my memories has changed so much since coming to the city!’

Qiaohui glanced at her and gave a shy smile. "If my cousin hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have recognized you, Cousin Xinglan. I thought you were a relative of the Yang family!"

Tong Xinglan smiled and nodded. "If we hadn’t met here at my cousin’s shop, I wouldn’t have recognized you either. It’s been eight or nine years, hasn’t it?"

Seeing the two girls happy, Lin Lan took Little Douzi’s hand. "You two catch up. I’m going to check on the shop across the street."

"Okay, Cousin," they said in unison.

Lin Lan led Little Douzi to the clothing shop across the way. Inside, three people were trying on clothes and two others were browsing. And there was Zhou Yongmei, a vital cog in the machine, helping out on this side now.

Zhou Yongmei greeted her with a smile. "Little Lin, you’re here!"

Lin Lan looked at her gratefully. "Yongmei, thank you for all your hard work."

Zhou Yongmei smiled and shook her head. "It’s nothing. Since moving here, it’s good to get out and walk around every day. It helps me sleep better at night."

Lin Lan teased with a smile, "I’m just afraid of wearing you out. We don’t want Shuiqing coming after us to settle the score."

Zhou Yongmei’s face reddened. "We’re the ones who can’t thank you enough!"