Chapter 56, Part 1

"Mom, you look really pretty in this outfit!" Lin Xuexia praised sincerely and loudly.

In reality, her mother's outfit consisting of street-market clothes and a cheap silk scarf didn't look particularly stunning to Lin Xuexia's eyes. However, compared to Zhang Yuqin's drab, weathered appearance back in the countryside, this look was better by leaps and bounds.

She looked younger, more spirited, and carried a touch of somewhat deliberate prettiness.

Yet Zhang Yuqin remained timid, hunching her shoulders and cowering. Her posture was poor; she didn't dare to stand tall and look people in the eye, which made her look peculiar and slightly petty.

Zhang Yuqin had a very slender figure without the bloated belly typical of middle-aged women. However, wearing this outfit right now, she still wasn't as pleasing to the eye as Zhao Huiru standing next to her. Zhao Huiru carried herself with relaxed ease, completely devoid of tension or stiffness. While not necessarily strikingly beautiful, she at least looked comfortable and natural.

When Zhang Yuqin wore these clothes, she didn't look ugly—just... odd, like a poor person who had sneaked into a landlord's house and put on discarded garments, wearing them with complete bewilderment.

Lin Xuexia realized that her mother lacked that sense of "self-assured" confidence.

Originally, the outfit wasn't ugly and fit her quite well, yet the way she carried herself made it look strange.

Under no circumstances could she crush her mother's confidence right now. Thinking of this, Lin Xuexia took the initiative to offer a few more compliments: "Mom, who picked out that silk scarf around your neck? It suits you so well."

"Really?" Zhang Yuqin touched the scarf at her neck, feeling both pleasantly surprised and doubtful, her heart pounding.

"Of course it's real. Mom, take off the scarf and let me take a close look." Lin Xuexia untied the scarf from Zhang Yuqin's neck, unfolded it, and held it by both ends with her back to the wind, letting the breeze make the scarf flutter behind her head.

Lin Xuexia was naturally striking. With the scarf draped this way, concealing most of her dark hair, her delicate facial features were further accentuated, exuding a moving and unconventional charm.

The smile on her face grew even more captivating, her beautiful eyes full of emotion: "Mom, do you think it looks good like this?"

Zhao Huiru and the others watching nearby unconsciously held their breath. They thought it looked breathtaking! Absolutely stunning!

Zhang Yuqin nodded instinctively: "It looks good, really good!"

Lin Xuexia smiled gently: "Mom, I've seen a lot of people who love to take photos by the seaside like this. Once you and Sister get settled here, the few of us will go play by the beach together on the weekend. Remember to bring your scarf and let Fu Wei take pictures of us."

"... Okay," Zhang Yuqin murmured softly. A surge of warmth coursed through her entire body, and she blinked incessantly, her heart racing from the scene painted by Lin Xuexia's words.

Since coming here, she hadn't yet seen the ocean, only photographs of beaches. She imagined herself and her daughters standing on the beach with their backs to the sea, facing the ocean breeze, holding up brightly colored scarves while a handsome son-in-law took pictures of them with a camera...

That picture was too beautiful and too blissful, stirring up her emotions intensely.

Zhang Yuqin's eyes were red-rimmed, and the turbulent emotions surging within her body could no longer be contained. She was so moved she wanted to cry; she had never imagined she could have days like this.

Acting as though she hadn't noticed Zhang Yuqin's reddened eyes, Lin Xuexia smiled as she put the scarf back on her and gently instructed: "Mom, you aren't farming the fields anymore; just take care of yourself. The rest of us sisters will provide for you in the future. You don't need to save money. Whenever you have cash on hand, go buy yourself a few more pretty clothes and dress up nicely. Look, buy a few more scarves too. Since we live by the sea, how can one be enough? We need every color."

"When taking pictures by the seaside, the brighter the colors, the better they look."

Zhao Huiru quickly chimed in: "Yes, yes, yes. Your daughter Xuexia is right."

Zhang Yuqin nodded. She touched the scarf around her neck, then stroked her hair, a shy look in her eyes: "I really like this scarf too. I want a blue one as well."

"Xuexia, they've been telling me to go get my hair permed, but I was so scared yesterday."

Lin Xuexia encouraged her: "Mom, you can give it a try."

Unable to suppress her excitement, Zhang Yuqin said, "Once my hair grows a bit longer, I'll go try it. I like that little sister's short curly hair—not too long, and not too curly, just a bit fluffy."

"Mom, you have great aesthetic taste..."

Lin Xuexia stayed and chatted a bit longer with Zhang Yuqin. Zhao Huiru, listening nearby, couldn't help but want to get her hair permed too, while Gao Chunyan pouted: "You two went to buy scarves and didn't even take me."

Gao Chunyan had originally been the least concerned with clothing and appearance among them all. She ran a street stall—what was the use of dressing nicely? She skimped and saved on clothing, which was evident from the way she bought shoes for her daughter.

Even though she was such a person, at this moment, she couldn't help feeling tempted by a floral-print silk scarf.

Chen Miaorong tentatively chimed in, "I want to buy a few too."

Chen Miaorong tried her hardest to hold back, dying to join their conversation. In the past, she was too shy; her family had bought many nice scarves, but most of them stayed locked in the wardrobe. She had been too embarrassed to wear them out, afraid people would laugh at her, saying her taste was poor or that they didn't match her clothes, and she hadn't even had a friend to discuss it with.

The scarves Chen Miaorong had bought in the past were of better quality and more expensive, but she thought the one around Zhang Yuqin's neck looked much prettier... Anyway, if everyone wore them together, there wouldn't be any problem.

Seeing that she had sparked the topic, Lin Xuexia let them chat amongst themselves while she headed to the market to purchase ingredients and meat.

After she left, Zhao Huiru nudged Zhang Yuqin with her elbow in deep envy: "Yuqin, look at how thoughtful your daughter is, with such a sweet mouth. She's capable and even found you a good son-in-law. You won't have to worry about the rest of your life."

"You can take it easy from now on, buy yourself a few more pretty clothes to wear. Like my other old friend, she saves a bit of gold every year and has some gold jewelry custom-made for herself. There's a shop where the gold is wonderful, and their craftsmanship..."

Zhao Huiru began chattering to Zhang Yuqin about her own plans. Since she was making money now—her salary plus the red envelope bonus given by Lin Xuexia—she had accumulated a small nest egg. She could save it in the bank, but she felt that keeping money in the bank wasn't secure enough. Some of her older friends suggested going to Harbor Street to buy gold and have jewelry made...

For women of their age, rather than watching numbers increase in a bank savings passbook, they preferred having a bit of gold in their hands—pretty, valuable, and something they could wear in private to show off and take photos.

"Buy gold..." Zhang Yuqin's mouth opened slightly, her eyes filled with a mix of confusion and longing.

A month ago, she was still a country woman without a single coin to her name, not even daring to venture into town, with all the household finances controlled by her eldest sister-in-law and mother-in-law.

And now, she had experienced spending several hundred yuan at once. Upon arriving here, aside from buying clothes and silk scarves, these older friends were actually plotting to buy gold.

Had she never come here, she would have thought that wearing gold and silver was something only wealthy landlords' wives did. But having witnessed the housing prices and living costs here, she now felt that buying an ounce or two of gold didn't seem all that expensive? !!!

An ounce of gold only cost dozens of yuan, just a bit more than a month's rent. If she saved up for a year, could she really manage to save a few grams?

Zhao Huiru continued, "Our older friends are also planning to chip in next year to buy a small speaker so we can dance by the seaside. Yuqin, do you like dancing? Around nine or ten in the morning, there aren't many people at the stalls, and one person can watch it alone. Can you talk to your daughter and let us take turns learning to dance from them? If daytime doesn't work, nighttime is fine too. Let's form a group..."

"Okay, okay." Zhang Yuqin had originally wanted to refuse, but thinking about having companions and wanting to experience something fresh herself, she mustered up some courage thanks to her daughter's praise just moments ago.

Zhang Yuqin found that the city women here were vastly different from the village women. The gossiping women in the village talked about who was quarreling with whom, how to discipline a daughter-in-law, or how to find a wife for a son...

The women here were very different. Zhao Huiru spoke of the wealthier one among her older friends who wore cyan. Although she was also from the countryside, she was very bold and dared to buy stocks. Even though Zhang Yuqin didn't understand what stocks were, Zhao Huiru said that person bought stocks and made a huge profit, buying a house worth over one hundred thousand yuan for her son and daughter-in-law...

Zhao Huiru added, "Of course, you can't buy stocks recklessly. My daughter-in-law followed along and bought some, and she lost a fortune. They don't touch those things anymore."

"That sister just had good luck and caught a good time."

Zhang Yuqin couldn't understand it, but she listened very attentively. She found it fascinating and extremely interesting.

Seeing how earnestly she was listening, Zhao Huiru spoke with even greater enthusiasm—though in truth, she herself had no idea what stocks actually were.

Chen Miaorong listened to their conversation, trying her hardest to hold back her tongue.

She really wanted to correct the errors in Zhao Huiru's words, but she was simply not eloquent.

*

Lin Xuexia and Xue Junling went to find a familiar vendor to source a batch of low-priced, fresh meat. In fact, the larger the quantity, the more room there was for bargaining. The two ordered the meat and vegetables, then pushed their cart back.

When buying the meat, the vendor threw in a generous amount of offal. Lin Xuexia planned to stir-fry a few dishes at noon for everyone to share.

Xue Junling walked quietly beside her, not speaking, only flashing a clean and pure smile whenever Lin Xuexia looked at her.

Having just seen the bright and colorful clothes on her biological mother, Lin Xuexia looked at Xue Junling and felt she dressed very plainly, still wearing those same dark blue floral outfits. She used to wear two braided pigtails, but now they were coiled up. Wearing a hat and an apron, her tender little face retained a touch of baby fat.

"Junling, when we have time, let's go shopping together to buy some clothes," Lin Xuexia remarked casually.

Xue Junling froze for a moment, then nodded happily.

Living with her older brother, although Xue Shan was a good person and a good brother, he couldn't possibly look after her in every single aspect.

The consumption of chili peppers at the stall was faster than Lin Xuexia had anticipated. Some people even came specifically to buy chopped chili sauce to take home and mix with rice. She planned to buy more chili peppers and make another batch of sauce.

Lin Xuexia and Xue Junling began preparing the meat, primarily handled by Lin Xuexia, while Xue Junling, whose skills in making cold dishes were practiced and proficient, took charge of preparing all the cold dishes. Lin Xuexia began braising the meat.

Soon, a rich aroma of braised meat drifted out from this secluded alleyway far from the main street.

Many people came over to inquire: "What are you making? It smells so good."

"Oh my, this scent is amazing."

...

It wasn't as if no one had asked before, but previously, Xue Junling would keep her mouth shut—of course, she couldn't speak much anyway. Later, she would cook huddled inside the house, keeping the door closed and only opening the window, precisely because she was afraid people would come asking.

Now that Lin Xuexia was here, she generously answered: "Turn ahead a short distance, right beside that rice noodle shop. We sell braised pork rice at noon and night."

A middle-aged woman lingered at the entrance of their shop for a long time before hesitantly walking forward. Her eyes flickered, and she blinked unconsciously as she asked, "Young sister, you're the boss here, right? I know you; your braised pork is really delicious."

Lin Xuexia asked, "What is it?"

The middle-aged woman glanced at her, then shifted her gaze toward the large pot inside the room, struggling to make her voice sound natural: "There's an elderly family member of mine celebrating a birthday, and he really likes the braised pork your family makes. Can I buy ten catties directly from you here?"

Her voice revealed her timidity, and most of what she said was a fabrication. Seeing that Lin Xuexia's braised pork rice sold well and that she had rented a house not far away under their building specifically to set up a kitchen for making meat, the woman couldn't help feeling tempted.

The woman didn't know how to cook meat, but she figured that if she could buy ten catties directly from Lin Xuexia and set up a stall selling braised pork rice elsewhere in the city, she might be able to make some money.

Seeing the odd look in the woman's eyes, Lin Xuexia knew everything she said was false. People back in those days were honest, and many didn't know how to lie, which actually made Lin Xuexia relax at that moment.

Someone who couldn't even tell a proper lie was, by contrast, much more reassuring than a smooth-talker.

Lin Xuexia said, "My braised pork is six yuan a catty when bought individually, and seven yuan a catty starting from ten catties."

"Ah?!" The middle-aged woman froze. Why did buying more make it more expensive?

Lin Xuexia suggested, "If your family elder just wants to satisfy a craving, buying one or two catties to take back will do."

The middle-aged woman looked torn; one or two catties simply wouldn't cut it.

Lin Xuexia added, "Although buying ten catties makes it one yuan more expensive per catty, I'll throw in complimentary secret rice-mixing sauce and chili sauce."

"Think it over."

The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes. She realized that buying at this price put her right at a tipping point where she could still make a profit. If she could sell one to two hundred portions a day, she could easily make one or two thousand yuan a month; if she could sell three to four hundred portions, even more.

Gritting her teeth, the woman said to Lin Xuexia, "I'll reserve twenty catties. I'll come pick it up the day after tomorrow."

Suspecting that Lin Xuexia had already seen through her intentions, she simply stopped saying anything more.

Lin Xuexia registered her order, wanting to test this woman's character and capability—whether she could actually sell them was her own ability.