Wu Shufen sighed. "That’s right. Your father and I find it hard to believe sometimes. At first, we were constantly worried that in a week or two, she’d go right back to her old lazy, greedy ways."

Lin Guozhu said, half-joking and half-serious, "Mom, I think you and Dad are half-responsible for how Little Lan used to be."

Wu Shufen wasn’t angry. "I know. The other day, I saw your Second Aunt’s son, Littlebo, and told her she was spoiling him rotten. Your aunt just said I was pretending to be nice."

"Seeing her act that way reminded me of when people used to warn me not to spoil Little Lan. They’d say coddling a girl isn’t loving her, it’s harming her. I didn’t like hearing it back then. It wasn’t until Little Lan was tricked and ran off with that scoundrel, Yang Laoyao, that I was sick with regret."

Lin Guozhu looked at his mother. "We brothers were accomplices, too. We helped you spoil Little Lan."

Wu Shufen looked at her handsome son, her expression full of gratification. "You boys have been sensible and filial since you were young. Now that Little Lan has wised up, your father and I feel like our lives have been worth living."

Lin Guozhu smiled. "Then just get ready for us to take care of you."

"Alright," Wu Shufen said, patting his shoulder and looking at him lovingly. "Go lie down with Little Douzi in the side room for a bit. Wait for your father and Little Lan to get back."

"Okay." Lin Guozhu handed the money to Wu Shufen. "You hold on to this. I’m going to wash my feet before I lie down. I haven’t washed them in days. The stench is enough to kill a man."

Wu Shufen chuckled. "You take after your father. You both have stinky feet."

"Well, he’s my dad, so of course I take after him." Lin Guozhu washed up with a laugh, then went to the side room, lay down next to Little Douzi, and fell asleep.

Wu Shufen found the dirty clothes in his duffel bag. Looking at the pile in the basin, she shook her head again and again. ’Such a grown man, and still so messy. He’s not as tidy as Guoqiang in that respect.’

Wu Shufen looked up at the cured meats hanging from the rafters. ’I wonder how my youngest son is doing in the army?’

****

Lin Lan took Xiang Qun to the East Market. When they arrived at the shop, she saw Lin Changyou sweeping and walked over with a smile. "Dad, has the food Zhigang brought over gotten cold?"

Lin Changyou shook his head with a smile. "Not yet."

Lin Lan glanced around, saw that the shelves were fully stocked, and asked, "Dad, how was business for the first day?"

Lin Changyou said cheerfully, "Not bad. We made a few dozen yuan from walk-in customers, and Ah Yong and Shuiqing referred three restaurants that bought over a hundred yuan worth of goods."

"Two of them even asked us to start stocking things like salt, MSG, bean paste, cornstarch, soy sauce, and vinegar, and to make deliveries to them every so often."

Lin Lan thought for a moment and agreed. "Okay. I’ll go to the food processing plant and the condiment factory to see if I can source the goods."

"Little Lin, Xiuyun’s uncle is a sales manager at the condiment factory," Xiang Qun chimed in.

"That’s great! I’ll ask Xiuyun to help me get in touch." Lin Lan then turned to her. "Sister Xiang, take a look. We’re selling all these items, and everything has a price tag. Just sell everything at the marked price."

"The main thing to remember is that we’re a private business. We can’t act like the clerks at the state-run supply co-ops. When customers come in, our staff has to greet them with a smile and speak politely. It doesn’t matter if they buy a lot or a little, you can never give them a sour look..."

Xiang Qun listened intently, even taking out a notebook to jot down Lin Lan’s words. She asked a few questions about things she didn’t fully understand, and after Lin Lan’s explanation, she promised to meet all the requirements.

Both Lin Lan and Lin Changyou were very satisfied. The market quieted down after noon, so the three of them closed the shop. After taking inventory of the goods, they handed the store over to Xiang Qun’s care. From now on, they would only need to come once a month for inventory.

Xiang Qun then said to Lin Lan, "Little Lin, since I’m new, I’m worried I might miss something. Would it be possible to have Uncle Lin stay and show me the ropes for a couple of days?"

Lin Changyou laughed. "It’s my first day minding the shop, too. I’ll come by tomorrow to check on things."

With Xiang Qun on board, Lin Lan would only need to handle restocking and stop by in the afternoon to collect the daily revenue.

By the time they finished, it was already 3:30 PM. There were very few people on Vegetable Market Street at that hour.

Seeing that the backyard was empty, Xiang Qun asked Lin Lan, "Little Lin, would it be alright if I brought in a small coal stove to heat up my lunch in the back?"

Lin Lan nodded. "Sister Xiang, this market closes early, so from now on, you can work from seven in the morning until four-thirty in the afternoon."

"Okay." Xiang Qun nodded.

Lin Lan and Lin Changyou left the East Market. Lin Changyou took the bus home, while Lin Lan rode her bicycle to the south side of town, where Yang Liying and the others had already closed up shop.

They still had some of yesterday’s puffed rice candy and sachima in stock, so Lin Yuezhen and Qiaohui were busy making egg yolk pastries.

By the time they had finished a batch of pastries, it was already six o’clock. Qiaohui, Lin Yuezhen, and the other helper rode their bikes back to Lexing, while Lin Lan biked to the department store and the clothing shop to collect their daily earnings.

Only when Lin Lan returned home did she learn that her third brother, Lin Guozhu, had arrived.

Looking at the tall, handsome Lin Guozhu, Lin Lan laughed. "Third Brother, did you bring a sister-in-law home for me?"

"Couldn’t find anyone who’d have your third brother." Lin Guozhu looked at Lin Lan, nodding with a smile. "Impressive. It’s true what they say—a short absence can reveal a great change. You seem like a completely different person, Little Lan."

He felt as if his little sister had been completely reborn. She was dressed decently, and her radiant face wore a confident smile.

Lin Lan smiled at him. "Third Brother, I’m not some teenage girl anymore. I’m a mother now; I know how hard life can be. If I don’t get rid of my old bad habits, Little Douzi will grow up and resent me for being an unfit mom."

Lin Guozhu nodded again and again. "When I was in the army, our political commissar used to say that difficulty and setbacks make a person grow. Hardship forges one’s will and makes them strong."

Tong Xinglan, who was standing nearby, laughed. "You soldiers are really different from us. You talk just like schoolteachers."

’What Lin Guozhu said is too simplistic,’ Lin Lan thought. She believed that different personalities reacted to hardship differently. A strong person would rise to the challenge, viewing suffering as a trial to be overcome. A weak person would just blame the world and resign themselves to ruin.

Lin Changyou looked at his children with a gratified expression. "You are all such capable, sensible kids."

When Lin Lan learned that Lin Guozhu had been assigned to the local People’s Armed Forces Department after leaving the military, she shot him a surprised glance. She had originally assumed he would be assigned to the Bureau of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.

After dinner, Lin Changyou handed Lin Lan the allowance money that Lin Guozhu had brought home. "Little Lan, your brother told me to give this back to you."

Lin Lan pushed the money back to Lin Changyou. "Dad, it’s the end of the year, and I’m not short on cash. Third Brother just got back and hasn’t even reported to his new post yet. He’ll have plenty of expenses once he starts working. You and Mom should keep it for now."

Lin Changyou shook his head with a smile. "There’s no need. We’ll have money once we go home and sell the fatted pig in the sty."

"Little Lan, I still have some money on me," Lin Guozhu added. "If I run short later, I’ll come to you for a loan."

Lin Lan nodded. "Alright. I’ll hold on to it for you. Just ask me for it when you need it."