Lin Sanshui was about to ask what pork sausages were when he saw an old lady at the door. "Sanshui, is there any pork left? Little Niu is insisting on eating meat, and I’m out of options. If there is any left, could you spare some for me?"
The visitor was none other than Little Niu’s grandmother, known to be a tough character. She and Mrs. Zhang could get along as in-laws, a testament to the saying "only a family can enter the door of another family."
"Yes, Auntie, there’s still quite a bit of pork left. Come and take a look, which piece do you want? Pick a good one, and I’ll slice it for you," Lin Sanshui said politely.
Little Niu’s grandmother looked for a long time, picking this and that, before finally pointing at a piece of fatback, "This one, please."
Lin Sanshui expertly sliced it and was just about to hand it over when she spoke with a troubled expression on her old face, "This meat is good, but it must be quite expensive, right?"
Lin Shui chimed in from the side, "Auntie, we’re all from the same village, and we didn’t plan on making much profit. It’s already three copper coins cheaper per pound than in town. Since you’ve come in person, I’ll make the call for Sanshui and give you a further discount of two copper coins."
With that, Lin Sanshui weighed it and handed it over, "Auntie, it’s exactly one pound. The price of this fatback is generally a bit higher, so just pay thirteen coins as for fatty meat and it’s fine." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt
Little Niu’s grandmother slowly pulled out a few copper coins from her pocket, hesitantly handed them to Lin Sanshui, and said, "Sanshui, auntie only has these few coins left. Look, I’m so old already; just want to taste some meat before I die. How about you give me a better price?"
She was leveraging her old age to the fullest.
Lin Sanshui’s face fell immediately. He put the fatback down and picked up a smaller piece from the other side of the table, roughly the size of a pound of meat. "Auntie, I won’t say more. The money you have isn’t enough for the fatback. How about you take a look at this piece instead? It’s leaner, but it’s still quite good overall..."
"Well then, thank you, Nephew Sanshui. You’re a good person. Your great kindness, auntie will surely remember!" Little Niu’s grandmother took the meat, tightened her grip on the lone copper coin, and left.
Lin Sanshui was totally angered this time. He raised his hand as if wanting to call after her.
Lin Shui tugged him gently and said in a low voice, "Let it go. She’s an old lady; let’s not argue with her. Consider that bit of meat our act of kindness."
Lin Shui understood well; though the old lady seemed easy to talk to now, she wasn’t simple at all.
Back in the day, she once sat on someone’s doorstep with a stool and scolded for three straight days and nights. Lin Shui didn’t want to confront her unless absolutely necessary.
Lin Sanshui was still fuming and it took him a long time to calm down.
Mrs. Jiang also came over to soothe him, and only then did Lin Sanshui’s face improve.
Fortunately, the incident with Little Niu’s grandmother was just a minor episode; there really weren’t many people like that around. Otherwise, today might have been even more tumultuous.
For Gu Nian, she really didn’t understand much about the Lin Family’s interpersonal dynamics.
But as a child, there were indeed some things that she shouldn’t mindlessly get involved in.
After instructing Lin Sanshui on how to process the pork, Gu Nian followed Mrs. Jiang and the sisters-in-law to the pond to clean the casings.
The sound of chopping meat boomed in the Lin Family courtyard.
Lin Shui asked Lin Sanshui, "Old Three, do you really trust that child? If something goes wrong, all this pork will be ruined!"
Lin Sanshui had complete faith in Gu Nian’s words, and he was also highly praising of Gu Nian’s culinary skills. "Big brother, just wait and see. Niannian won’t disappoint us."