Chen Lan ran over to greet Xu Mingxuan and Ilya, the second son of her third aunt's family, as soon as she stepped out of the house. "Brother Mingxuan, Ilya, you're back! How was your haul today? How many farms did you two visit?"
Ilya replied cheerfully, "Sister-in-law, Cousin and I visited three farms today and traded for a lot of good stuff!"
Chen Lan's eyes lit up. "Really? Boris and Edward traded for thirty catties of beef and two fat sheep today. What good things did you get?"
Xu Mingxuan said, "Oh, so Boris and Edward got beef and lamb too. But we happened to catch a winter fishing at a farm near the sea today and traded for a lot of seafood."
Chen Lan was immediately interested. She quickly climbed onto the back of the old Jiefang truck and gasped. There was indeed a lot of good stuff: plump oysters and abalone, swimming crabs as big as bowls, shrimp over a foot long, and delicious, nutritious perch and ribbonfish.
Chen Lan knew that perch, with its sweet and mild nature, was excellent for those with weak spleens and stomachs or poor digestion. The fish was particularly plump and nutritious in late autumn and early winter, offering both moisturizing and stomach-nourishing benefits, making it a top choice for winter nourishment.
Winter was also the peak season for ribbonfish. To survive the winter, these fish accumulated a lot of fat, resulting in thick, oily, and incredibly flavorful flesh.
Chen Lan recalled her friends by the sea mentioning how exceptionally plump oysters were in winter. She took a dagger from her system inventory, bent down, picked up an oyster, and pried it open. A rush of fresh, sweet aroma filled the air, revealing tender, quivering oyster meat that was utterly mouthwatering.
Fearing Chen Lan might upset her stomach, Xu Mingxuan quickly stopped her. "Lan'er, aren't you feeling unwell? You can't eat raw oysters! Be careful you don't get sick. I'll steam them for you when we get back."
Xiang Xi, who had just finished carrying the grain inside, emerged and overheard Xu Mingxuan mentioning going back to eat. He interjected, "Brother Mingxuan, let's not go back. Let's eat at Third Aunt's place! We traded for beef and lamb today, and you brought back all this seafood. Let's have a barbecue at Third Aunt's!"
Chen Lan heartily agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "That's great, Watermelon! Come here quickly, let's move the things." To give Xiang Xi more time to spend with Yulia and foster their relationship, Chen Lan was eager for Xiang Xi to spend as much time as possible at her third aunt's home with Yulia.
Watching Chen Lan and Xiang Xi's effortless actions, Xu Mingxuan stood dumbfounded. When did this start? It wasn't like this this morning! What happened during the day? They were so casual at Third Aunt's house now. Did they not even need to consult the hosts about having a barbecue in their home?
At the mention of a barbecue, Yulia, Milana, and their two sisters-in-law immediately cheered and rushed to help unload the goods from the truck. With many hands, they moved everything into Third Aunt's courtyard in just two trips.
The women quickly divided the tasks. Yulia and Milana were responsible for cleaning and preparing the seafood, while their sisters-in-law handled the beef and lamb. They were already discussing roasting a whole lamb for the evening.
Third Aunt, who had been restless indoors, also came out. Seeing everyone busy, she immediately rolled up her sleeves to help.
Meanwhile, Edward and the second son, Ilya, had retrieved the family's barbecue grill and were busy cleaning it.
Chen Lan pulled the still-dazed Xu Mingxuan to the driver's seat of the old Jiefang truck. She revealed her other mission for being there: finding a wife for Xiang Xi.
Xu Mingxuan wasn't surprised by this. What *did* surprise him was how quickly things were progressing. However, he didn't say anything. As Lan'er had said, Xiang Xi was indeed old enough to settle down.
He asked, "Lan'er, is there anything I can do to help?"
Chen Lan smiled and shook her head. "We don't need to do anything right now. We just have to wait for Watermelon and Yulia to develop their relationship. After we return from Vladivostok, we'll visit Red Flower Ridge Village and ask Aunt Chang to be our matchmaker. We'll go with Aunt Chang, and whatever needs to be prepared, we'll follow her arrangements!"
Xu Mingxuan nodded and dropped the subject. He then took Chen Lan's hand and asked, "Lan'er, how was your meal today? Are you feeling any better? Is your stomach still bothering you?"
Chen Lan was deeply touched and shook her head, reassuring him, "Brother Mingxuan, it's alright! As long as I rest well, it should be fine!"
Xu Mingxuan said with some concern, "But we have to go to Vladivostok again tomorrow morning. How about you stay here with Third Aunt and wait for me to return this time? Don't come along."
Chen Lan quickly shook her head. "It's fine! Brother Mingxuan, the volume of goods we're shipping this time is quite large. One truck won't carry much. If I go, we can ship more. We've spent a lot of money on this trip, and I want to browse the flea market again to find some more good items for Father-in-law to sell. I also want to bring some Russian specialties back for the children, and I promised our daughter, Hui, that I'd bring her back a music box."
Xu Mingxuan nodded and stopped persuading her. Chen Lan felt there was something she needed to discuss with Xu Mingxuan in advance. She spoke with some difficulty, "Brother Mingxuan, after we return from Vladivostok and sort out Watermelon's matter, we'll need to prepare to go back. Please remember to exchange some new 'May Third' edition RMB for me, and get a few more three-yuan notes. Don't forget, okay?"
Xu Mingxuan held Chen Lan's hand with reluctance and asked in a low voice, "Lan'er, once Watermelon's matter is settled, will you be leaving immediately?"
Chen Lan had no intention of hiding anything from Xu Mingxuan. She patted his hand to comfort him. "Brother Mingxuan, don't worry, it shouldn't be that soon. But I've been out for over a month, almost two. Now it depends on how things develop between Watermelon and Yulia. I suspect Third Aunt won't want her daughter to leave either, and will likely have them stay until after the Russian Orthodox Christmas and New Year."