The kerosene lamp in the room flickered with a dim, bean-sized flame.
Hou Yong sat by the stove, having moved a small table under the lamp to work on translating the instruction manual.
When his parents returned that evening, they had initially been puzzled to find the courtyard empty, wondering why he hadn't made any jelly. Hou Yong gave them a general account of the day’s events. After listening, neither Hou's father nor Hou's mother said much. At first, upon hearing that he would only be selling the raw materials for the jelly, Hou's mother had lamented what a pity it was. But once she saw that Hou Yong had actually taught himself English and could earn money through translation, her disappointment over the hundreds of yuan they might have made was quickly replaced by pride in their son’s success.
Chapter 32