novelno Chapter 358 - 355: The Unlikable Old Lady
Chapter 358 - 355: The Unlikable Old Lady
Zhang Xiuqing froze for a moment. Lin Guoliang gave the couple a pointed look and said, "Sorry about that, Xiangyang."
Li Xiangyang smiled. "It’s nothing. We’re all family, so there’s no need for such formalities."
Before Lin Guoliang could say anything, the old lady spoke up again. "People ought to follow the rules in everything they do. The morals these days are declining, and it’s all because of you young people."
Lin Lan and the others heard this and didn’t know how to respond.
Lin Changyou smiled. "Grandaunt, times have changed. Young people are just more casual these days."
The old lady shot him a glare and was about to say something else, but Lin Lan quickly interjected, "Dad, where’s Mom?"
Lin Changyou answered, "Your third brother took her by bike back to Lexing to get the quilt covers your aunt gave you. They forgot them when they left this morning."
Wu Shufang smiled. "They’re nothing valuable. I just wish you and Xiangyang a long and happy life together, and may you be blessed with children soon."
Lin Lan looked at Wu Shufang. "Thank you, Auntie!"
Wu Shufang patted Lin Lan’s hand, then looked at Li Xiangyang. "You two live a good life together."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang nodded repeatedly. "We will."
With the old lady sitting there, the atmosphere grew tense, and no one could speak as freely as before. After a short while, they started to head outside.
"Lin Lan, come here. I have something to say to you," the old lady called out, stopping Lin Lan.
Lin Lan turned and walked over, stopping a few steps away from the old lady. "Yes, Grandaunt? What is it?"
The old lady looked up. "Did you, or did you not, help a female teacher with the surname Gou from Dashiqiao Primary School buy a television?"
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "You must mean Gou Haixia. Yes, I did help her buy a television."
The old lady stared at Lin Lan. "Then you can get one for me. My Little Heng needs one for his wedding."
Lin Lan smiled sweetly at the old lady. "Grandaunt, when do you need it by?"
Seeing Lin Lan’s respectful attitude, the old lady looked at her with satisfaction. "I need it by the eighteenth of this month. You make sure you get it done for me."
Lin Lan’s brow furrowed. "The eighteenth of this month? But today’s already the eleventh! That’s only a few days away." She turned her head to Li Xiangyang. "Does Uncle Da have any televisions left?"
Li Xiangyang shook his head. "He’s been out for a while. Besides, we’re not leaving for a few more days."
They had already made plans with Liu Da. As soon as Li Xiangyang and Lin Lan’s bridal homecoming ceremony was over, they would all set off for Yangcheng City. Besides, for big-ticket items like this, you had to make arrangements in advance. Where were they supposed to find one on such short notice?
The old lady was not pleased. She thought Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang were putting on an act. Her face darkened as she turned to Lin Changyou. "Changyou, I came all this way for your help. You need to make this happen for me."
Lin Changyou knew his daughter and son-in-law. If they said there were none, then there really were none.
He looked at her, conflicted. Suddenly, he remembered the television Li Xiangyang had given Lin Lan. The Li family already had a TV, and Lin Lan was busy with the shop day in and day out, so it was still sitting there, unopened in its box.
At this thought, Lin Changyou pulled Li Xiangyang and Lin Lan aside. "Xiangyang, Little Lan, your granduncle was very kind to me when I was a child. I want to ask you something. How about we just sell your wedding television to the old lady? It’s worth several hundred yuan; it’d be a shame to let it break from disuse."
’It’s worth several hundred yuan,’ Lin Lan thought, ’and if you leave electronics sitting for too long without using them, the wiring can go bad.’
Li Xiangyang glanced at Lin Lan. Seeing her nod, he said, "Alright. If she wants it, let’s let her have it."
Lin Changyou patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder. "Go play cards with Guoliang outside. I’ll go talk to her."
"Okay!" The two of them left with Lin Guoliang.
Lin Changyou returned to the old lady and said with a smile, "Grandaunt, we do have one television. It’s a 14-inch model, one of Xiangyang’s betrothal gifts. It’s brand new, never even been taken out of the box. If that’s acceptable, I can have Xiangyang go fetch it for you."
The old lady’s face fell instantly. She lowered her voice and said, "Changyou, you’re not handling this correctly. Have you not thought this through? Your Little Lan is a widow who remarried. If my Little Heng uses her betrothal gift, won’t that be dreadfully bad luck?"
Lin Changyou’s expression changed instantly. Suppressing the rage in his heart, he said in a low voice, "You’re right, Grandaunt. It was my mistake; I shouldn’t have brought it up. But they really can’t get a television right now. You’ll just have to ask my cousin to find someone else to help."
Zhao Xiaohui, who had come in to refill the teapot, was not happy to hear this. She muttered under her breath, "Damn old hag. If our Little Lan being a remarried widow makes her gift unsuitable, then it’s not appropriate for her to buy a TV for your Little Heng either! Why don’t you find someone blessed with perfect fortune to buy it for you!"
The old lady turned her head toward Zhao Xiaohui. "What’s your second daughter-in-law saying? What’s this about ’perfect fortune’?"
Lin Changyou shot Zhao Xiaohui a glare, then turned back with an apologetic smile. "Grandaunt, she didn’t say anything. Just asking if we need more hot water."
The old lady gave him a suspicious look and sighed. "Changyou, your family has done well for itself. I can’t order you around anymore, can I?"
Lin Changyou explained in a low voice, "Grandaunt, it’s not that we don’t want to help. You heard Xiangyang; his uncle is out of televisions. We’d have to wait for them to get back from Yangcheng City to buy one."
The old lady stood up, sighing. "When you get old, you lose all your standing. Some people get a little successful and start acting high and mighty. They don’t even see their old grandaunt anymore."
Lin Changyou bowed apologetically. "Grandaunt, I’m sorry. Your nephew truly doesn’t have that kind of pull." In East Market, they relied completely on Xiangyang and his friends. Where would they find the connections on their own?
"Fine! Just pretend I was never here today." The old lady stormed out in a huff.
Seeing this, Lin Changyou hurried to stop her. "Grandaunt, you should at least wait for Little Heng and the others to come pick you up!"
The old lady flung his hand off. "They’re at the department store. Have Guoliang take me there." With that, she tottered outside on her tiny feet.
"Alright, I’ll have Guoliang take you there." Lin Changyou quickly went to her side, helped her into the shop, and had Lin Guoliang escort the old lady out.
Lin Changyou sighed to Lin Lan and the others. "That old lady... she was like this when she was young, and she’s still the same now that she’s old."
Wu Shufang chuckled. "They say the old become children again!"
Zhao Xiaohui pouted. "Xiangyang’s grandmother is so nice! This old lady isn’t the least bit likable."
Lin Qing ran in. "Grandpa, my dad and Uncle Shitou are back!"
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Zhou Shitou and Lin Guodong came in carrying a back-basket and a bucket, a string of children trailing behind them.
"Our luck was pretty good. We caught a few big soft-shelled turtles," Lin Guodong said with a grin, pointing at the bucket.
Li Xiangyang took a look. "Guodong, next time you go, let me know."
Lin Guodong nodded. "Alright. When you get back, we’ll go cast-net fishing again."
Lin Lan pointed to the fishing net in the back-basket. "Guodong, you brought the fishing net with you?"
"Yep!" Lin Guodong nodded proudly. "Bring a net, find a ditch, and you can catch yourself a meal."
Lin Changyou chuckled and gave him a light smack. "Stop showing off and go prepare them."
"Alright!" Lin Guodong and Zhao Xiaohui agreed, heading for the backyard.