“It’s good to have you back, it’s good to have you back!”
At the He family home in Honghe Production Brigade, before the Bai family had even stepped through the door, the eldest and second maternal uncles’ wives were already pulling Bai Baowei close and refusing to let go.
“Your eldest and second uncles both said you look like a true member of our old He family. Your aunt and I were wondering just how much you could possibly resemble them. My goodness, you’re practically the spitting image of a He family member!” The eldest aunt looked at her nephew and felt more and more drawn to him with every glance.
Bai Lan looked at Bai Baowei, standing together with her three male cousins, and couldn’t help but remark that they really did look like brothers.
Not exactly identical, but their features and expressions were especially similar. Anyone who saw them would immediately say they were family.
“Damned woman, that wretched Qian Chunyun. If the police hadn’t taken her away, I would have gone over there myself and clawed that old face of hers to shreds.”
Seeing that Bai Baowei looked no different from her own son, the eldest aunt’s hatred for Qian Chunyun only grew stronger.
“Don’t be angry, Sister-in-law. Her days from now on won’t be easy.”
Bai Mom quickly tried to calm her down. Then she told everyone what had happened to the Qian family.
“Serves her right! Absolutely serves her right!”
The entire atmosphere in the Bai family became light and cheerful.
Seeing this, Bai Lan was very happy. Instead of intruding on the elders’ conversation, she walked out into the yard to take a look around.
—
Although Honghe Production Brigade was rural, because it was located on the outskirts of Beicheng, the people there weren’t poor. At the very least, no one went hungry. The houses in the village might not have been made of green brick and tile, but they all looked quite sturdy.
The He family home was in the center of the village, surrounded by other households. When they saw Bai Lan come out, quite a few people looked her way.
Bai Lan smiled and nodded but didn’t strike up a conversation. She simply observed the village.
Every household’s yard had a couple of chickens wandering around. Pigs, on the other hand, were less common. She had heard that the village had a collective pig farm.
“Bai Lan, what are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at everyone’s chickens and pigs.”
He Xuejun said, “What’s there to look at? Oh, are you craving meat?”
“What nonsense are you talking? The Bai family doesn’t lack for meat.” He Xuejun’s twin sister walked over and smacked him on the back.
He Xuejun immediately started grimacing in exaggerated pain.
Seeing this, Bai Lan found it quite amusing. The twins were so close. If Bai Baowei hadn’t been swapped away, her second sister’s personality probably wouldn’t have turned out so meek.
She always felt that her second sister’s gentle nature had a lot to do with Bai Ping taking advantage of her so-called frailty to get the better of her since childhood.
But Bai Lan didn’t say such mood-killing things out loud. She just teased, “Xiuli, I heard you have a situation lately?”
He Xiuli blushed at this. “It’s not even close to being certain yet. Unlike you—Aunt just said you’re about to get married.”
He Xuejun immediately asked, “Is it that Xu Jianbei guy?”
Bai Lan also reached out and gave He Xuejun a smack on the back. “If not him, then who?”
He Xuejun said, “I just think you’re still young.”
“Young? Are you saying you want Lanlan to end up like you two—almost twenty and not even a prospect in sight?”
The second aunt walked out of the house carrying an enamel basin, complaining as she came. “Lanlan, don’t be like them. That prospect of yours is very good. Your grandmother, eldest uncle, and second uncle all said so after meeting him. Your mother was just saying that you two are already preparing the things for the wedding. Once the date is set, remember to let the family know early.”
Bai Lan nodded. She would definitely tell her grandmother’s family in advance. But with one thing after another happening in the family over the past six months, Bai Lan didn’t plan on having a big wedding this time.
She would just invite close friends and family to a simple meal.
—
After the second aunt went back to work, Bai Lan pulled He Xuejun aside to ask about meat.
“Wouldn’t the meat for the wedding be your family’s responsibility? Isn’t that the man’s side’s business?” He Xuejun was surprised by Bai Lan’s question.
Bai Lan shook her head. “It’s not for the wedding. A friend needs it.”
It was actually Liu Meiling who needed it.
Speaking of which, Liu Meiling really was a short drama female protagonist. She had kept a low profile in the courtyard, married in for less than half a year, and had already managed to build something impressive. Bai Lan had only found out yesterday from Xu Jianbei that Liu Meiling had started a braised meat wholesale business.
That’s right—the essential braised meat business for every female protagonist in era novels and dramas.
Xu Jianbei had invested money in it from the start. Bai Lan knew about it too. So when Xu Jianbei mentioned that Liu Meiling’s braised meat business had grown and she needed more meat sources, Bai Lan immediately thought of her second uncle’s family.
Her second uncle and his father-in-law both worked as butchers at the commune slaughterhouse. He Xuejun also collected chickens and ducks for the slaughterhouse. He should have connections for meat sources.
Upon hearing this, He Xuejun lowered his voice. “You’re not doing anything shady, are you?”
Knowing how many ins and outs there were with meat, He Xuejun was well aware of the potential pitfalls.
Bai Lan knew this older cousin of hers. Despite his carefree exterior, he had a good head on his shoulders. She didn’t hide anything from him and picked a few things she could share to explain.
“There’s a friend of mine who’s selling braised meat on the black market. As you know, you can’t make braised meat without meat. So I wanted to ask if you can get a supply. The quantity can vary, but it needs to be steady.”
If it’s not steady, this business can’t continue.
He Xuejun looked at Bai Lan in surprise. “Wow, you’ve got a friend like that?”
He Xiuli was equally surprised. “You be careful, okay?”
Bai Lan smiled. “I’m not getting involved myself.”
As for Liu Meiling, she had her protagonist’s halo. She wouldn’t have any problems. Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei were just along for the ride, getting a small share. That was fine.
Seeing that Bai Lan knew what she was doing, He Xuejun began to explain the meat sources at their slaughterhouse.
Ordinary chickens, ducks, and geese came from people in surrounding villages who brought them to the purchasing station. The purchasing station then sent them to the slaughterhouse. Occasionally, they also sent people to the production brigades to buy directly. As for pork and other medium-to-large livestock, besides the quota pigs, they came from the commune’s pig farm.
Relying on wild boars or random pigs from scattered households was impossible.
“So, if your friend really wants some, someone at the commune pig farm needs to be smoothed over. Forget about the good meat. Some trimmings, offal, and pig heads should be obtainable.”
Those parts were more than enough for braised meat. Bai Lan nodded. “I’ll ask her when I get back. If she wants it, I’ll give you a call. And don’t be an idiot and cover the expenses yourself.”
He Xuejun rolled his eyes. “I’m not that noble.”
The cousins laughed and chatted, and the matter was settled.
Later, on the way back to the city, Bai Mom was curious about what her youngest daughter had been talking about with her second brother’s kids.
Bai Lan said mysteriously, “You’ll find out in the future!”
If this worked out well, not to mention the eldest uncle’s family, the second uncle’s family should be able to live even better.
Although the He family’s conditions were good for the village, there was still a gap compared to the city. All her relatives at Grandma’s house were especially wonderful. Bai Lan wanted them to build up some capital and experience before the markets opened.
That way, they could seize the opportunity as soon as the markets opened.
—
The family returned to the courtyard around six in the evening. Under the setting sun, the entire courtyard was very lively. Clearly, everyone was still caught up in the excitement of the Qian family moving out and the Bai family taking over the room.
Bai Lan didn’t go straight into her own house. Instead, she went to the western wing to find Xu Jianbei.
“Oh, Bai Lan, are you here to find my youngest brother?”
Before she even reached Xu Jianbei’s room, Su Xiaomei called out to her.
She said warmly, “My youngest brother just went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy soy sauce. We ran out at home. Have you eaten? Why not come in and have a meal with us?”
Bai Lan had never seen Su Xiaomei so warm and welcoming before. A bird in the hand—Bai Lan sensed something was off.
But Su Xiaomei had no idea what Bai Lan was thinking. She just kept urging her to come inside.
Seeing that Liu Meiling was also there, Bai Lan thought for a moment and then walked into the Xu family home.
The main room of the Xu family was full of Xu family members. They naturally all greeted Bai Lan when they saw her. Then Bai Lan brushed past Su Xiaomei’s hand and went directly to sit down next to Liu Meiling.
“Meiling, I—”
“Oh, Bai Lan, we’re going to be sisters-in-law soon. Why are you so biased, only talking to Third Sister-in-law?”
Bai Lan sighed and looked at Liu Meiling, silently asking her with her eyes if Su Xiaomei had lost her mind.
Liu Meiling shrugged, indicating she had no idea.
Bai Lan sighed again. If there was one thing bad about marrying Xu Jianbei, it was having a big brother and sister-in-law like Xu Jiandong and Su Xiaomei. But no one was perfect. Xu Jianbei wasn’t going to depend on his big brother and sister-in-law anyway, so there was no need to be afraid of them.
So Bai Lan only gave Su Xiaomei a polite smile and continued talking to Liu Meiling. “I asked about that thing. There’s a way.”
Liu Meiling naturally knew what “that thing” meant. A flicker of joy crossed her face. With the meat, her braised meat business could expand.
Su Xiaomei, feeling ignored, was very displeased. But thinking about her own plans, she managed to swallow her frustration.
She was about to say something else when Xu Jianbei returned with the soy sauce.
Seeing Bai Lan sitting in their main room, he was momentarily startled, then smiled and said, “You’re back?”
Bai Lan said, “Yeah…” Then she stood up, tilted her chin toward the door, and signaled for them to go outside and talk.
As soon as they stepped out, Su Xiaomei curled her lip. “What’s the big secret? Why go outside to talk?”
Liu Meiling was speechless. “Sister-in-law, if you don’t think there are any secrets, then can you tell me how much money you’ve saved?”
“You—” Su Xiaomei was rendered speechless.
Bai Lan had no idea about this exchange in the Xu family. As soon as they were outside, she found a convenient place to talk and told Xu Jianbei about the meat source.
After hearing her out, Xu Jianbei thought for a moment, then said, “Okay. You don’t need to handle this anymore. I’ll contact Xuejun first and introduce him to Third Brother. After that, let Third Brother and Xuejun work it out directly.”
In this braised meat business, Third Sister-in-law Liu Meiling was responsible for the recipe and production. Third Brother Xu Jiannan was responsible for raw materials and delivery. Xu Jianbei was just an investor. Taking only twenty percent of the profits, there was naturally very little for him to do.
Bai Lan nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Liu Meiling and Xu Jiannan were the male and female protagonists. They had a halo of protection. They wouldn’t have any problems. The two of them had been running this business for over half a year without any incidents. But Bai Lan had heard from her work at the cafeteria that quite a few people selling food on the black market had been caught.
So Bai Lan firmly believed that the male and female protagonists had a protagonist’s halo. She, an ordinary passerby, wouldn’t get involved.
——
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