80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 413 - 411: Lin Lan Recovers

The brigade leader nodded. "We’re back. We had a relative bring us over in their boat. The water level in the river was already much higher on our way here. If it rains tonight, I’m afraid it’ll rise even more."

After a few more pleasantries, Lin Changyou had the brigade leader sit down for a meal with them. As he was leaving, Lin Changyou gave him the two black carp.

After seeing the brigade leader off, Lin Changyou looked up at the sky and frowned. "The mountain ridge to the northeast is completely covered by dark clouds. Looks like we’re in for a heavy rain tonight."

All the experienced old farmers on this side of the river knew that once the northeastern mountain ridge was shrouded in dark clouds that wouldn’t disperse, there was a ninety-nine percent chance of a downpour.

Wu Shufen glanced over after hearing this and smiled. "Don’t worry. The levee is so high, the water won’t overflow it even if there’s a downpour."

Old Li said, "It’s been many years since we’ve had a major flood, too."

Lin Changyou thought for a moment. "Thirty or forty years, hasn’t it?"

Old Li nodded. "About that."

Wu Shufen finished cleaning up and boiled some water. After everyone washed up, they went to their own rooms to sleep.

In the middle of the night, a loud clap of thunder boomed right over the roof, startling Lin Lan awake. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the world outside her window in a sheet of brilliant white.

"Little Lan, are you awake?"

"The thunder woke me up."

"A storm is coming." As she spoke, Wu Shufen reached up and pulled the light cord, but the lamp didn’t turn on. "The power’s out."

The power supply in the mountains was unreliable; the electricity went out seven or eight days a month.

Lin Lan yawned. "With all this thunder and lightning, they probably shut off the grid."

As they spoke, they heard the DRIP... DROP... of raindrops on the roof tiles. The sound grew more and more dense until, in just a moment, the heavy rain began to pour down in a torrent.

Wu Shufen said to Lin Lan, "Go back to sleep. We just repaired the roof before we left, so it shouldn’t leak."

"Mhm." Lin Lan pulled the blanket up tight. ’Little Douzi is sleeping with Li Xiangyang, so he won’t be scared.’ With that thought, she listened to the rain and drifted back to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt much better. ’It’s nice to be young,’ she thought. ’You have a strong immune system and recover quickly.’

She got dressed and went outside. The downpour had stopped, replaced by a fine, rustling drizzle that fell upon the overlapping rooftops, ran down their slopes, and dripped from the dark eaves.

Li Xiangyang came out of his room and saw her standing in the doorway of the main hall. He smiled. "Feeling better?"

Lin Lan nodded. "Yes, much better."

Little Douzi came out, saw she was better, and ran over happily to grab her hand. "Mommy, can we go fishing by the river today?"

Before Lin Lan could answer, Li Xiangyang said, "Mommy’s just getting over her cold. It’s too windy by the river, so we can’t go."

Lin Changyou came out of the kitchen. "That’s right. It’s still raining, so the water level must be high. We can’t take you fishing by the river."

"Oh." Little Douzi looked at Lin Lan. "Can I go catch fish in the ditches with Brother Jun and the others?"

Lin Lan nodded. "You can go after the rain stops."

After breakfast, everyone played for a bit, but the rain continued to drizzle without any sign of stopping.

Lin Changyou brought out a straw rain cape and said to Old Li and Li Xiangyang, "Old Li, Xiangyang, let’s go down to the river and see if the water has risen."

Old Li chuckled. "Bring the fishing net. We can cast it once and see what we get."

Lin Changyou nodded, went back inside to grab the fishing net and a urea sack, and the three of them got ready to leave.

Lin Jun tugged on Lin Changyou’s arm. "Grandpa, we want to go too!"

Lin Changyou shot him a glare. "You’re staying home. You can take your younger brother and sister to the ditches to catch fish only after the rain stops. And let me tell you, don’t you dare sneak off to the river. If I catch you, I’ll break your legs."

Lin Jun pouted. "It’s not like I’m the only one who wants to go."

Lin Changyou flicked him on the forehead. "It doesn’t matter who wants to go. You’re the oldest. If you don’t keep your younger brother and sister in line, I’ll hold you responsible."

Under Lin Changyou’s firm pressure, Lin Jun and the other kids reluctantly nodded. "We get it."

"You all stay home. We’ll net some shrimp and bring them back to fry up." Li Xiangyang waved to Lin Lan and Little Douzi, then left with his father and father-in-law.

Once the three men had left, Lin Jun and the other kids watched the incessant drizzle, their hearts restless and fidgety, as if scratched by a cat’s paw.

Wu Shufen remembered the river shrimp they had netted the day before were still uneaten. She said to the children, "Go get your homework out. Your Little Aunt and I will fry up some shrimp for you."

Little Douzi nodded. "Mommy, I want the salt-and-pepper kind!"

Lin Lan smiled and tweaked his nose. "You’re quite the little foodie, aren’t you?"

Lin Jun and the other kids chimed in, saying they wanted salt and pepper too.

Lin Lan and Wu Shufen poured the river shrimp from the bucket into a wicker strainer. They picked out any debris, rinsed the shrimp clean with scooped water, let them drain, and then transferred them to a ceramic pot.

They sliced some ginger, added a splash of white wine and a sprinkle of salt, and mixed it all together. After letting the shrimp marinate for about ten minutes, they removed the ginger slices, added a little flour, and tossed everything until each shrimp was lightly coated.

Wu Shufen lit the firewood while Lin Lan picked up the oil jug and poured a generous amount into the wok.

Wu Shufen sighed. "Fried food is delicious, but it uses so much oil."

"It really does!"

Lin Lan waited for the oil to heat up before pouring in the shrimp. She used chopsticks to stir them, ensuring they cooked evenly. She fried them over medium-low heat until they were crisp, then scooped them out to drain. Once drained, she put them back in the ceramic pot, sprinkled two spoonfuls of salt and pepper over them, and tossed to combine. She tried one—it was crispy and delicious.

Lin Lan picked out a couple for Wu Shufen to try, then said, "Mom, Lin Jun and the others have been doing their homework for over half an hour. Let’s bring these over to them!"

Wu Shufen nodded. "Go on. I’ll scoop the oil out of the wok and strain it."

Lin Lan carried the salt-and-pepper shrimp to the main hall. "The shrimp are ready. You can eat and play for a little while, then get back to your homework."

Lin Jun immediately put down his pen, grabbed one, and popped it in his mouth. After a couple of chews, he exclaimed, "This is so good!"

Lin Lan gave him a light slap on the arm and placed the ceramic pot in the center of the large, square "Eight Immortals" table. She looked at the children. "Go wash your hands before you eat. No hands if you don’t wash."

"Sister Hong, shrimp are way more fun to eat with your hands!" Little Douzi said as he slid off his stool and ran toward the washstand in the corner of the covered porch.

The children chattered away as they washed their hands. Then they crowded around the table and, in no time at all, devoured every last one of the salt-and-pepper shrimp in the pot.

Lin Jun licked his fingers. "Salt and pepper is the best flavor. When Grandpa gets back from casting the net, Little Aunt can fry more shrimp for us."

Lin Lan picked up the empty pot and shot him a sideways glance. "If you want to eat delicious things, you have to study hard. Otherwise, you’ll end up being a ’sheep commander.’"

Lin Jun pouted and pointed at Lin Lan. "Little Aunt, you’ve changed! You’re becoming just like Grandma and Grandpa."

Lin Lan made a gesture as if to poke him. "You little smart-mouth!"

Lin Jun just grinned at her sheepishly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Eldest Sister-in-law Wu? Little Lan? Are you in?"

"We’re here!" Lin Lan ran to the courtyard gate and pulled it open to find Wan Jiao and her mother, Chen Zhaodi, standing there. "Auntie, Jiaojiao, please, come in!"

Wan Jiao looked at Lin Lan sheepishly. "Sister Lan, we were supposed to come thank you yesterday, but we were so exhausted we fell asleep the moment we got home."