Chapter 84: Smart Mistake

For farmers in Hunan Province who have finished harvesting late rice, there is basically no farm work left, except for the particularly diligent ones who will plant a crop of rapeseed.

After Lin Ting and Zhou Qing finished their autumn harvest, their faces became thinner and darker.

"Old man, are we really going to Qiuqiu's place?"

That night, the old couple leaned on the railing of the bunk bed and chatted.

"I have made it clear to Mr. Zhou at the prefabrication factory that I will not work there anymore. I will just take a cut of the profits every year!"

Lin Ting did not directly answer Zhou Qing's question, but instead talked about the prefabrication plant.

"I told you to stop doing it a long time ago, but you didn't listen!" Zhou Qing followed Lin Ting's words and started to talk.

"Don't you think about the fact that you will be nearly 60 in two years? How can you move cement bricks and cement slabs like a young man? Every time you go to the prefabrication factory, I worry about your waist and shoulders."

"I'm not old or eighty years old!" Lin Ting refused to admit his age. "Besides, if I don't go to the prefabrication factory to do something, I'm afraid I won't even get enough food if I rely on those two!"

When talking about his two sons, Zhou Qing remained silent.

Others may not understand what kind of people my two sons are, but don’t you understand it yourself?

"While I can still move, I'll save more money for my retirement." Lin Ting lit a cigarette. "The sky will collapse if you rely on it, the mountain will crumble if you rely on it, and in the end you still have to rely on yourself!"

"Then you still plan to go to Pengcheng to find your daughter!" Zhou Qing muttered.

"Don't you miss Shanshan?" Lin Ting asked back, holding a cigarette, "Anyway, I miss her a lot!"

"Every time I hear Shanshan ask me when I'll be there, I feel embarrassed to lie to her again!"

Lin Ting felt guilty every time he thought of his granddaughter asking on the phone, "Grandpa, isn't your little brother born yet? Why don't you come to see me?"

It is really wrong for me to keep lying to my granddaughter who trusts me so much.

"How come such a tiny thing has such a good memory?" Zhou Qing marveled at his granddaughter's memory.

"We've only been with her for a short time, but the little one has always been thinking about us. This shows that blood ties can't be severed no matter how far apart we are!" Lin Ting was very proud of talking about the relationship between him and his granddaughter.

"Will our presence add to Qiuqiu's burden?"

"Let's go over and take a look first. If we can't get used to living here, we'll come back. Anyway, we still have two acres of land. You and I won't starve to death!" Lin Ting blew out a smoke ring.

"Should we talk to them?"

"Just tell them the day before you leave! I'm afraid if they find out too early they'll cause trouble!"

Lin Ting was mainly worried that Lin Li and Liu Xiang would cause trouble after they found out. He really didn't want to let these two people ruin his mood.

"As you say."

…

"Dad, you said you were going to Pengcheng again?" Lin Hui yelled when she heard the news, "Why did you go to Qiuqiu and the others for no reason?"

"What are you yelling about? You're so grown up, but you're still so impatient!" Lin Ting glanced at Lin Hui, thinking that she had grown so old in vain!

Lin Hui shrank her neck when she was glared at. "Aren't I just worried about you and Mom?"

"You don't need to worry about your mother and me now!" Lin Ting looked away. "The autumn harvest is over now, and there's nothing to do at home. Your mother and I will go over there to play for a while."

When Liu Xiang heard this, her eyes moved rapidly.

"Mom, there's nothing for you to do there anyway. Minmin hasn't seen her aunt and uncle for a long time. Why don't you let Minmin go with you to Pengcheng to broaden her horizons?"

When Zhou Mei heard this, she raised her head with shining eyes, "Huanhuan and Congcong haven't seen their aunt for a long time!"

Lin Hui and Lin Li also felt that there was nothing wrong with what their wives said, and they also looked at their parents.

Zhou Qing shook his head in disappointment.

"Your abacus beads are falling on my face!" Lin Ting pointed at his four sons and daughters-in-law, "Do you think you are smart?"

"We're going to Pengcheng to relax, and we're going to babysit your children for free. Why do you think so beautifully?"

Lin Hui and Zhou Mei lowered their heads, and Lin Li also avoided his father's stinging gaze.

Only Liu Xiang remained calm, "Minmin is already this old, she doesn't need to spend too much time on it!"

"Since you want me to take Minmin and the others with you, then you can pay for the travel expenses and living expenses. Your mother and I will not charge you for taking care of the children." Lin Ting looked at his daughter-in-law calmly.

"Why do I need travel expenses and living expenses?" Liu Xiang pouted unhappily.

"Are you going to walk there without paying for the trip?" Lin Ting didn't give her a good look. "The child is not mine, and I don't want to take him there."

"I've never seen a grandmother or grandfather ask for travel and living expenses when taking their grandchildren out?" Liu Xiang said confidently.

Lin Ting didn't indulge her, "Hasn't he seen it now?"

“Dad, you…”

Seeing that Liu Xiang was speechless, Lin Li jumped out again.

"We'll pay for the trip, but as a family, if Minmin stays at her aunt's house for a few days and needs living expenses, how will others look at Qiuqiu?"

"We are all family. It would be bad for Minmin to go to see her aunt empty-handed, right?"

Lin Ting was too lazy to say anything about his younger son who only knew how to take advantage of others.

"Qiuqiu is so well off, what does she have? Why would she need these local products at home?"

"That's right! I don't think Minmin's aunt would even look down on these country goods at home, so why bother with that?"

Lin Li and Liu Xiang are worthy of being a couple, they work in harmony with each other very well.

Lin Ting shook his head when he heard this. "I'm really enlightened today to see such a shameless pair!"

"Dad! What you said is a bit too much!" Lin Li stiffened his neck, and the veins on his forehead bulged. "What do you mean by shameless? Just because my niece goes to my aunt's house to play for a few days is shameless?"

"Whether you have shame or not is not determined by what you say, but by what you do!" Lin Ting pointed at Lin Hui and her husband, "Your elder brother and his wife at least know right from wrong, courtesy, righteousness, and shame, how about you two?"

"You only know how to take advantage of others and play tricks. You talked back to me, slandered your mother, angered your mother and made her run away from home, and plotted against your own sisters. Which of these things has nothing to do with you and your wife? Although your eldest brother and his wife have their own tricks, they still listen to my opinions. But what about you two?"

Lin Ting did not give Lin Li and his wife any face at all and laid all the matters out in the open.

"During the autumn harvest this year, the eldest brother knew that I had two acres of rice to harvest, so he went to help me before dawn. What about you? You were nowhere to be seen when we were working, but when we were eating, none of the four of us were left behind!"

Lin Li argued unconvincedly, "You didn't tell me that Liu Xiang couldn't handle the two children at home alone. Besides, didn't I come to help in the afternoon?"

"Doesn't your sister-in-law also have two children? How did she know to help your mother spread the rice? And why don't you say that you are here to help? You are a young man in your late thirties, but you can't work as well as me, an old man who is almost sixty." This time, Lin Ting really took off Lin Li's face.

Lin Li's face turned pale, "Dad, you don't take my reputation seriously at all!"

"How many times have I given you face, have you ever cared about it? It is you who don't take your own face seriously!" Lin Ting has been able to remain calm when facing this son.

"Okay! Since you don't take me seriously, I won't be a bother to you anymore!"

After saying that, Lin Li pulled Liu Xiang out. Liu Xiang wanted to say something but was yelled back by Lin Li.

"Why are you still here? Do you think the cold shoulder you get from others isn't enough?"

After Lin Li and his wife left, Zhou Qing pounded the table and said, "I have given birth to a curse!"

"Old woman, don't be angry! Anyway, I have raised him to this age and helped him get married, so I have done my best for him. Anyway, I don't expect you to do anything in the future." Lin Ting patted Zhou Qing's hand and turned to look at Lin Hui.

"Big brother, I say the same thing. I have done my best to help you, whether it's getting married, building a house, or raising children. I have helped you in every way I can. From now on, you will have to rely on yourself! I, an old man, just want to live a few more years of carefree life with your mother."

Lin Hui's eyes turned red, "Dad, I'm sorry!"

Lin Ting waved his hands, "There is nothing to be sorry about. It is my duty to raise you. Whether you support me when I am old depends on your conscience. Don't worry, as long as I can still move, I will not trouble you two brothers. If I can't move, I will still keep the money for burying me and your mother."

"Dad, don't say that." Lin Hui was frightened by Lin Ting's words and trembled a little. "Although I don't have much ability, I will definitely not run away from what I have to do."

"I know you are filial. Just live a good life for your family of four!" Lin Ting nodded. "Old Zhou said that the battlefield needs a count. You two should discuss who will go. Once you have decided, go find Old Zhou directly."

Zhou Qing didn't expect such a good thing to happen. He was delighted and said, "Thank you, Mom and Dad!"

Lin Hui wanted to say something but was driven away by Lin Ting.

"Do you think Li Zi will come and make trouble with us after he finds out?" Zhou Qing was a little worried.

"I'm already in Pengcheng, why should I care so much about him? Don't worry, he won't get any good things from the boss!" Lin Ting gave up on this son completely.

"Why do you think he should do that? If he hadn't made a fuss and behaved well, he could have gotten a good job." Zhou Qing thought and shook his head.

"This proves the saying, 'too clever is half the brain! '" Lin Ting said with emotion.

"Forget it, let's check our luggage again, we have to catch a train tomorrow!"

"OK!"