Lin Lan woke up and fumbled for the watch under her pillow. A glance at the time had her sitting bolt upright. She mumbled to herself as she dressed, "It’s almost nine. No wonder it’s so quiet."

Dressed, she went to the kitchen. She saw white beans steaming in the pot and noticed the charcoal fire in the stove was about to burn out.

Lin Lan added two shovelfuls of coal briquettes to the stove, poured some hot water to wash up, and came back. She saw a lid on the table. Lifting it, she found a steamer rack filled with wontons. She went to the backyard to snip a few green onions, then ladled two scoops of water into a clay pot and set it on the stove to boil for the wontons. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Just then, Wangcai’s friendly barks came from outside.

’Li Xiangyang must be here,’ Lin Lan thought. She went and pulled open the kitchen door just in time to see him wheeling his bicycle into the courtyard. "You’re here! Have you eaten? I’m about to make some wontons."

"I haven’t eaten." Li Xiangyang parked his bicycle and strode toward Lin Lan.

His gaze was locked on her—direct, intense, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Lin Lan understood his meaning. Her face flushed and her heart pounded. She turned away to grab the wontons from the steamer, trying to hide her reaction.

"Honey, I missed you. Did you miss me?" Li Xiangyang wrapped his arms around her. The sight of her blushing face made his breath catch. His throat tightened as he lowered his head and kissed her...

Unlike the stormy, fierce kisses before, this one was filled with a deep, lingering tenderness and sweet affection.

Not until the water in the clay pot started BUBBLING noisily did Lin Lan, breathless, push Li Xiangyang away. "I’m hungry, and the water’s boiling."

"I’ll let you go for now."

Li Xiangyang glanced at her slightly swollen lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He gave her one more quick kiss before finally letting her go.

Lin Lan suppressed her racing heart and, as if escaping, ladled half a scoop of water into the clay pot. She picked up a bamboo basket. "I’m going to go pick some pea shoots."

Seeing her flustered state, Li Xiangyang chuckled. He took the basket from her hands. "I’ll go. You get the bowls and prepare the seasoning."

Lin Lan shot him a playful glare before tipping the wontons into the clay pot and giving them a gentle stir. She then opened the cupboard, took out a large bowl and a smaller one, and set them on the kitchen counter.

She poured soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, and Sichuan peppercorn oil into the large bowl. She added a splash of bone broth and a sprinkle of chopped green onions. By then, the wontons in the pot had floated to the surface. She scooped them out with a slotted spoon and placed them in the bowl.

Li Xiangyang came into the kitchen carrying the pea shoots. He rinsed them, blanched them in the clay pot, and added a pinch to each of their bowls. The wontons in chili oil, with their thin skins and generous filling, were ready to eat.

They sat down facing each other. Li Xiangyang ate a wonton, then looked up at Lin Lan with a smile. "It’s so much better being back. Life on the road is no life for a human."

Lin Lan thought about how much worse the road conditions were now compared to decades later and nodded. "Yeah, Yangcheng City is too far, and transportation is a hassle."

Li Xiangyang remembered something. "After we got to the provincial capital, Uncle Da mentioned they’re also opening a department store wholesale market there. I wonder what the supply of goods will be like."

Lin Lan glanced at him. "I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Even if the provincial capital gets a wholesale market, I doubt its supply of goods could ever compare to Yangcheng City’s."

Li Xiangyang looked at Lin Lan with admiration. "Uncle Da said the same thing. He also said that since we’re in an inland region, we’ll never be able to keep up with Yangcheng City’s pace of development no matter what."

Lin Lan remembered Uncle Da mentioning selling dried mushrooms. "Did Uncle Da check out the dried goods market over there?"

Li Xiangyang shook his head. "We didn’t have time to ask. We called Old Zhang as soon as we arrived, and he told us to wait for him at the station. After that, we were busy hauling goods back to the guesthouse and then going to the market to stock up. I’ve noticed more and more people are going to Yangcheng City to source their goods."

Lin Lan nodded. "The number of people doing business is only going to grow."

Li Xiangyang thought of the empty courtyard behind the clothing factory and said to Lin Lan, "Little Lan, my original plan was to renovate that courtyard in the south of the city and open a hot pot restaurant. But now, we’re not allowed to hire many people. What do you think we should do with that black market spot in the south of the city?"

Lin Lan said, "Policies are always changing. What’s not allowed now might be allowed next year or the year after. I think as time goes on, more and more people will be traveling.

Once we’ve saved up enough capital, we can renovate the front courtyard and open a restaurant. On the empty land in the back, we can build a seven or eight-story building and open a high-end guesthouse."

Li Xiangyang thought for a moment. "You’re right. Look at the guesthouse we stayed at in Yangcheng City. We had to call ahead to make a reservation, or we wouldn’t have gotten a room."

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Yangcheng City is developing fast, and East Market will develop in the future too."

Suddenly, Wangcai started barking in the courtyard. A banging sound came from the gate. "Lin Lan! Shufen! Are you there?"

Lin Lan frowned. "My second aunt. Why is she here again?"

"You get the door. I’ll wash the dishes," Li Xiangyang said as he started clearing the table.

"Coming!" Lin Lan put Wangcai on his leash before going to open the gate. She saw Wu Shuhui and Xu Xiaobo standing at the entrance.

The moment Wu Shuhui saw Lin Lan, she forced a smile. "Little Lan, I spoke harshly the other day. It was my fault. Please don’t hold it against your aunt."

She hadn’t wanted to come begging Wu Shufen and her daughter. But two days after she went home, Littlebo, for some strange reason, suddenly announced he wanted to go to Lexing to learn how to make pastries from Lin Lan. He had pestered her for days, insisting she bring him to Lexing.

Xu Xiaobo also chimed in, "Cousin, I’m sorry. I was immature and said some awful things. You’re the bigger person, please don’t hold it against me."

Lin Lan stared at the mother and son, speechless for a moment, then said, "Second Aunt, you two should come in and sit down. I’ll go get my mom."

Wu Shuhui and her son followed Lin Lan under the eaves of the porch, where Lin Lan brought a chair for her.

"I won’t sit," Wu Shuhui said, looking sheepishly at Lin Lan. "No need to call your mom. I’ve brought Littlebo here to learn a trade from you. I’m begging you, for the sake of your mother and I being sisters, please take Littlebo on as your apprentice."

’Someone like Xu Xiaobo, who’s never been knocked around by the real world, couldn’t possibly change his personality in such a short time,’ Lin Lan thought. ’Not unless he’s like me and has a different soul inside.’

She recalled reading about the subconscious tells of a liar and looked at Xu Xiaobo with a serious expression. "Do you really want to learn how to make pastries from me?"

Xu Xiaobo looked up, his gaze fixed on Lin Lan. "Cousin, I really want to learn from you."

Lin Lan asked again, "Are you sure about this?"

Xu Xiaobo replied once more, "Yes, really, Cousin. I really want to learn from you."

Lin Lan watched his constantly blinking eyes, thought of her mother, Wu Shufen, and after a moment, nodded. "If you’ve made up your mind, then you’d better learn well."

Xu Xiaobo let out a sigh of relief and said with feigned happiness, "Thank you, Cousin. I’ll be a good student."

Wu Shuhui looked at Lin Lan gratefully. "Little Lan, thank you. Your aunt has a bad temper. Please don’t hold it against me."

Lin Lan gave a polite smile. "You’re my elder. How could I hold a grudge against you?"

Li Xiangyang came out of the kitchen after washing the pots and bowls. Lin Lan said to him, "Xiangyang, this is my second aunt, and this is Littlebo."