TATLC Chapter 41

Grandma Lu looked at the little basket and replied: “Why would anyone want a little basket like this?”

 

Grandma Lu didn’t like Lu Lin so she unfairly criticized the things Lu Lin did, but there was nothing she could do because Lu Lin was now married. She hadn’t dared to provoke Lu Lin since the incident where Lu Lin said he caught her stealing.

 

The Village Chief had warned Granny Lu about the drama she was creating, Chen Xiao Mi wasn’t someone she could bully, plus they had basically sold Lu Lin to Chen Xiao Mi.

 

“I heard Lu Lin paid Craftsman Lin Wen for the basket, 5 cents each.” Lu Song Shi replied.

 

Lin Wen was a craftsman who made articles from bamboo strips, bamboo baskets, bamboo chairs, bamboo sofas, and more.

 

Lu Song Shi is Fourth Uncle Lu An’s son, Lu Song Shi was among the children who helped pick berries today. Neither Lu An nor Lu Song Shi paid any attention to host Lu Lin.  Lu Song Shi hated Lu Lin even more when he heard Lu Lin was going to marry Bio Chen Xiao Mi, a man married into Bio’s family? Ridiculous!

 

Both Lu Tong’s mother and Lu Song Shi’s mother used to torment the host Lu Lin’s mother when she was alive, they were not willing to live in the kitchen. Both of them like to shift responsibilities to each other since Lu Lin’s mom’s death.

 

Their drama always messed up the house, and Grandma Lu had blamed it all on Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi, therefore, Lu Song Shi had hated Lu Lin.

 

Lu Song Shi was with the kids when Chen Xiao Cai asked them to take a basket and fill it with berries, he got the basket, but he didn’t go to Chen Xiao Mi’s house to exchange money.

 

Lu Song Shi raised his nose at Lu Lin, he was too proud to get 3 cents from Lu Lin.  But he liked this beautiful basket and took it home.

 

Lu Song Shi became envious when the other kids asked each other how many cents they had made, he remembered they had all agreed to be bullied and not play with Chen Xiao Cai before, but now Chen Xiao Cai had won over everyone.

 

Lu Song Shi called his friends cowards inwardly, they had betrayed their promise of money!

 

Lu An, Lu Lin’s Fourth Uncle, asked: “Why does Lu Lin want so many berries?  Lu Lin must have paid the kids more than 200 cents, how can he squander money like this?”

 

Lu Song Shi didn’t know.

 

Lu An was the lucky son in the family who was now working in the city, thanks to Grandpa Lu’s old relationship. Lu An earned 2 taels of silver per month, therefore he had a very good opinion of himself, he refused to do any farm work because he always thought he was different from the farmers in Big Stone Village.

 

But Lu An was defeated by Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi, the couple made 50 taels of silver from selling gloves in one day and Lu An was not happy about that.

 

At Chen Xiao Mi’s house.

 

Chen Xiao Mi’s brows furrowed as he looked at the three piles of berries: “What are you going to do with these mountain berries?”

 

Spring is the most beautiful season, you can feast on the mountain, Chen Xiao Mi also loved berries when he was a child. But they would rot in a few days.

 

Lu Lin smiled: “We can make jam.”

 

“Jam? What is that? Is it delicious?” Chen Xiao Mi had never heard that word before.

 

Lu Lin nodded: “”Delicious!””

 

“Ha, let me help.” Chen Xiao Mi was very excited.

 

Lu Lin nodded: “Good, you can help me wash and make a fire.”

 

The two washed the berries together and Chen Xiao Mi made a fire.

 

Lu Lin fetched sugar from his shop.  Sugar was scarce in that time and space, Chen Xiao Mi could not afford to have sugar regularly before Lu Lin married her. Lu Lin gave Chen Xiao Mi a candy one time, Chen Xiao Mi literally jumped for joy after the first taste. He kept asking for more, but Lu Lin refused to give him any more.

 

“That’s a giant packet of sugar!” Chen Xiao Mi exclaimed. ‘So expensive!’

 

Lu Lin smiled.

 

Sugar was a dime a dozen in modern society, that packet of sugar was worth like a dollar.

 

Lu Lin mixed the berries and sugar into a pot, then he stirred the pot on the stove until the mixture became quite soft and creamy. Then Lu Lin put the mixture into a clean jar to cool it down.

 

Chen Xiao Mi dipped his finger into the sugar and licked his finger: “So sweet!”

 

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi affectionately: “Isn’t it too sweet?”

 

“No, not at all!” Chen Xiao Mi must have a sweet tooth.

 

“Why don’t you mix sugar with water now since you like sugar so much?”

 

Hearing that, Chen Xiao Mi took the remaining sugar in case Lu Lin changed his mind in the next second.