radiothebook Chapter 379 - 376: Rumors
Chapter 379 - 376: Rumors
After dinner, Li Xiangyang and Yang Dingbang went to Xu Dong’s house to discuss starting a less-than-truckload shipping business.
After hearing Li Xiangyang’s proposal, they both agreed that the LTL business had potential. Xu Dong explained the current policies to him and suggested that if they were to proceed, they should find a reliable company to operate under.
Lin Lan saw the old woman and her two companions off. When she returned, she found Old Li and Little Douzi watching TV in the living room. She wasn’t interested in television. With no phone and no games, chores had become her form of entertainment.
The house hadn’t been cleaned for several days and was covered in dust. There was also a pile of laundry waiting to be washed.
By the time she had thoroughly cleaned the house, washed the dirty clothes, and hung them up to dry, Old Li and Little Douzi were already asleep.
Lin Lan rubbed her aching back. As she walked to the courtyard gate, she saw Yao Xiuyun heading her way. "Were you coming to get me?"
Yao Xiuyun grinned and linked her arm with Lin Lan’s. "I was just coming to call for you, and here you are! Great minds think alike, huh?" Before Lin Lan could reply, she added, "Little Man is at my place too. I came to get you to come hang out for a bit."
As they walked toward the house diagonally across, Lin Lan asked, "What delicious things have you prepared to treat us? If there’s no good food, I’m not going."
"Zongzi. The ones you gave me." After Yao Xiuyun said this, they both burst out laughing.
They entered the courtyard, and Yao Xiuyun led Lin Lan to the backyard. A barbecue table was set up there, and Yang Xiaoman was sitting at it, busy. "We were just waiting for you. The guys are upstairs talking. We’re going to grill some skewers and have a few drinks."
"We just ate a little while ago, I haven’t even digested my food yet!" Lin Lan said with a laugh, sitting down in a bamboo chair. "Where are Qiaoling and Little Hai?"
Yao Xiuyun smiled. "They’re at my mom’s place and haven’t come back yet."
"They’re enjoying some time to themselves," Yang Xiaoman said, placing a freshly grilled skewer on the plate in front of Lin Lan. She looked at them both and asked, "What do you guys think is better, having a boy or a girl?"
Yao Xiuyun looked at her with pleasant surprise. "You’re pregnant?"
"Mhm!" Yang Xiaoman said, blushing. "I went for a check-up yesterday. It’s confirmed."
They were both happy for her. Yao Xiuyun said, "Having a boy or a girl is up to fate. You already have Dandan, so I think whether it’s a boy or a girl, all that matters is that the baby is healthy."
Lin Lan nodded. "Exactly. A boy or a girl, they’re still your own child."
When Li Xiangyang came downstairs, the two of them went home. Lying in bed, Lin Lan leaned against Li Xiangyang’s chest and asked him, "Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
Li Xiangyang thought about it seriously for a moment. "Either is fine, as long as you’re the one giving birth to them."
Lin Lan hadn’t expected him to say that. She looked up at him, thinking, ’This guy gets a perfect score for sweet talk! Look at that flawless answer. It’s enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.’
After speaking, Li Xiangyang looked down at her. "Why did you suddenly think to ask that? Are you pregnant?"
Lin Lan shook her head. "Little Man is pregnant. She asked us whether it’s better to have a boy or a girl."
Li Xiangyang clicked his tongue twice. "That Ding Bang is a fast worker. We don’t have to be like him. We can take our time, no rush!"
Lin Lan shot him a look. "..."
The next morning, Lin Lan went to her shop. Yang Liying came looking for her. "Lin Lan, the brigade’s loudspeaker was blaring this morning. It said there’s a meeting at the brigade headquarters tomorrow, and every household must send someone."
Lin Lan asked, puzzled, "Everyone has to be there? Are they announcing something important?"
Yang Liying frowned. "I heard from Dehai’s older brother that it’s time to start harvesting the rapeseed. It also seems to be about the homestead plots. We’ll find out for sure when we go tomorrow."
Lin Lan nodded. "Okay, come get me tomorrow morning."
"There’s one more thing," Yang Liying said, hesitating as she looked at her. "I don’t know who’s spreading this rumor, but they’re saying outsiders have come to the brigade, and everyone should keep a close eye on their belongings so nothing gets swiped."
Hearing this, Lin Lan frowned. "Are you saying they’re talking about my parents and Shi Song’s family?"
Yang Liying looked at her. "Right now, they’re the only outsiders in the brigade. I think they’re talking about Uncle Lin and Shi Song’s family. It’s true that an innocent person has nothing to fear, but if someone in the brigade loses something, I’m afraid people will jump to conclusions."
Lin Lan thought for a moment. "The people I have the biggest conflicts with in the brigade are Sun Xiuhua, Zhang Yazhen, and Zhang Jun. The ones cooking up this nasty gossip are most likely from their families. I’ll go find Sister Li and Sister Meihua and ask if they’ve heard anything."
Yang Liying sighed. "We come to the city to open our shops at the crack of dawn every day, so we don’t know what’s going on in the brigade. I only found out because my sister-in-law told me when we were at her house for the Dragon Boat Festival yesterday. Otherwise, we’d still be in the dark."
Lin Lan said indignantly, "These people have nothing better to do than eat and cause trouble by spreading rumors."
Yang Liying consoled her, "It’s not worth getting angry over people like them. Remember to come to my place for dinner this afternoon."
Lin Lan nodded. "Okay, call me when you’re closing up."
After seeing Yang Liying off, Lin Lan rode her bike to the East City Restaurant. She saw that Wu Shufen and the others didn’t look troubled at all and figured that since they also left home at dawn, they probably hadn’t heard the nasty talk.
In the afternoon, the family went to Yang Liying’s house for dinner. On their way back, they stopped by Yang Meihua’s and Li Guizhi’s houses, but they were all still out with their stalls and hadn’t returned. Lin Lan decided she would ask them for information at the brigade meeting tomorrow.
The next morning, Lin Lan and Yang Liying went to the brigade headquarters. As soon as they arrived at the drying ground, Li Guizhi came over and pulled Lin Lan aside. "Little Lin, I heard from accountant Jin that the brigade is going to remeasure the homestead plots."
She lowered her voice and said, "Someone in the brigade is saying that since it’s just you and your son, and since you’re married and have bought a house in the city, your household register now only has Little Douzi on it. On what grounds do you get to occupy such a large homestead plot?"
Lin Lan scoffed. "Who says Little Douzi is the only one on my household register? As if the people at the brigade office don’t know whether I’ve transferred my registration or not."
Yang Liying said angrily, "Exactly! Besides, that homestead plot is where our family’s old house was. Our family has lived there for generations. How dare they say we’re occupying too much land!"
Li Guizhi nodded. "They’re going to talk about this at the meeting later. I’m telling you so you have a heads-up. Let’s just listen to what they say during the meeting."
"Thank you, Sister Li," Lin Lan said gratefully.
Li Guizhi smiled. "It was nothing. Don’t be so polite!"
Lin Lan held her back. "Sister Li, there’s something else I want to ask you. Have you heard..."
Li Guizhi glanced over at Zhang Yazhen and Zhang Jun’s wife, who were talking nearby. "I was just about to tell you. They’re saying you brought people from the middle of nowhere to live in Lexing, and they’ve been spreading a lot of nasty rumors about it."
Lin Lan shot a look at the two of them. "I figured it was them. Don’t these people have anything better to do than spread rumors and cause trouble?"
Worried Lin Lan would immediately go confront them, Li Guizhi grabbed her arm and said apologetically, "I only heard this from my sister-in-law, too. As long as they don’t say it to your face, just treat it as hot air. Otherwise, if you confront them, things will get ugly for everyone."
Lin Lan understood what she meant. "Don’t worry, I won’t go pick a fight with them."