Chapter 102 Soft-boiled Egg

If something happens to one family in the alley, the other families will pay attention.

The next morning, instead of going to the food shop, Lin sent Chunsheng's family some noodles she had cooked herself.

"No matter what, you have to eat." Lin placed the bowl and chopsticks in Chunsheng's mother's hands. "If you eat your fill, you'll have the strength to beat Chunsheng when he comes back."

As Chun Sheng's mother lowered her head, tears streamed down her face. "How could someone who was usually so obedient suddenly become like this?"

She couldn't understand it and couldn't sleep all night. Now she was holding the bowl listlessly.

“There are so many things in the world, how can you understand them all?” Madam Lin said. “Everyone says I worry too much, and you’re the same way now. If you can’t figure it out, ask Chunsheng when he comes back. Chunsheng is your son, you have to ask and tell him to understand, understand?”

"What, do you want me to feed you?" Lin said, picking up a noodle and feeding it to Chun Sheng's mother, which made Chun Sheng's mother lower her head and laugh.

“You can feed me.” Chunsheng’s mother took a bite, then took the chopsticks herself. “You’re right, Chunsheng is my child. I have to ask him to understand.”

The noodles were no longer hot, just lukewarm. She ate them in big mouthfuls, even finishing the soup. "But why didn't you go to the food stall today?"

"Of course, I'm worried about you!" Just as Lin finished speaking, Jin came in carrying in boiled eggs.

"Oh dear, it seems I'm a bit late." Jin helped peel the egg. "Come on, have another egg so you'll have the strength to beat your son."

Chunsheng's mother took the eggs and quickly said, "That's enough, that's enough, I can't eat that many!"

She asked Jin to sit down, and seeing that Jin was smiling but not moving, she knew what Jin was thinking. She pulled Jin to sit down and said, "Oh, why are you being so awkward? I should be the one who is embarrassed. Chunsheng is such a big man, and he had to ask eight-year-old Dahu for help to write just a few words. I still feel ashamed when I think about it."

Mrs. Lin smiled and said, "That's why there are so many benefits to being literate. Why don't you let your child learn to read too?"

"As for my family, teaching them to read is like taking their lives. Let's talk about it later." Chun Sheng's mother had finished eating and spoke with much more energy. She got up to pour tea for Lin and the others.

After a while, Widow Wang also came in carrying her granddaughter. Everyone played with the child together, chatting and laughing, and the days passed much faster.

Lin didn't go to the food shop today; she went home at noon to help take care of her grandson, while Hu Qianqian was in charge of making lunch for them.

“Our Le’er can smile now.” Lin said to her mother-in-law while playing with her grandson, “It’s so cold, tell Dad not to go fishing.”

“That’s what I said too, but your father said that we should catch more fish during the last few days so that we can make smoked fish and eat it until the first month of the lunar calendar.” Zhang was sorting through glutinous rice, picking out the spoiled rice and pebbles, preparing to grind it into rice cakes tomorrow.

Speaking of smoked fish, Madam Lin was craving some. "Then make a lot more this year and send some to the second and third wives. Xia He and the others love it too."

"Yes, make more!" Thinking of her granddaughter, Zhang asked, "Is Wang's son-in-law coming back from the academy soon?"

"I think so. I'll go see Xia He this afternoon." Lin has been visiting her daughter's house frequently lately, thinking that since her daughter is pregnant, she'll go over to check on her and help with some chores.

After lunch, Lin went to her daughter's house, where she happened to run into Wang Chuang returning.

"Greetings, Mother-in-law." Wang Chuang and Lin Shi went inside together. He had just arrived at the door and was unaware that Xia He was pregnant. "You've come to see Xia He today?"

"Yes, her pregnancy is progressing, so I come to visit whenever I have time." Seeing her son-in-law's stunned expression, she realized he didn't know. "Oh dear, what's wrong with me? Xia He is pregnant. She conceived when you came back for Mid-Autumn Festival, and now she's four... Hey, why did you leave those things by the door?"

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Chuang dropped his luggage and ran away, leaving Lin to help carry the things inside.

"Xia He! Wife!"

As Wang Chuang ran, he shouted loudly. When he saw Xia He come out of the house, he excitedly hugged her and asked, "My mother-in-law said you're pregnant. Is it true? Let me see how big the baby is!"

He spoke incoherently.

Lin Xiahe was picked up by Wang Chuang, and she was so frightened that she said, "Put me down quickly, be careful!"

"Oh? I'm so sorry, I'm just too excited! I'm going to be a dad!" Wang Chuang shouted happily. "Oh my god, I'm going to be a dad! Does Mom know?"

After asking, he slapped his forehead. "I was too happy. Mother must know. Thank you, Xia He. Come inside quickly. What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you."

Lin Xiahe pointed to the door, "Don't worry about what I eat, quickly help Mom bring the food in."

"I'm sorry, Mother, I'll do it, I'll do it!" Wang Chuang ran over, grabbed his things, and threw them into the study. When he came out, his mother had also arrived.

Madam Wang was overjoyed to see her son. "My son is back! Let me see, have you lost weight?"

She wanted to see her son, but he kept looking at his wife. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You've really forgotten your mother now that you have a wife! Alright, alright, you two talk to each other first. In-law, come on, I'll take you for tea!"

Madam Wang took Lin to the next room, leaving the young couple to talk.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and seeing that no one else was around, Wang Chuang gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek.

Lin Xiahe was still a little embarrassed, but as Wang Chuang got closer and closer, the two of them became affectionate.

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Lin, who lived next door, were both experienced women. They chatted and drank tea for about half an hour before the young couple came over to greet them.

"Mother, Mother-in-law, these are calligraphy copybooks I brought back from the academy. The children at home can practice them." Wang Chuang handed over two copybooks. His older brothers all had children, and the family sent all the children to school, so there were two more copies at home, which he would later send to his second and third brothers.

Lin hadn't expected that her own son would be included, saying, "Le'er is still too young; he doesn't need it yet."

"Then keep it for now, it'll come in handy someday," Wang Chuang said.

Lin stayed at the Wang family's house for a while and then said that they would be having a meal at their house on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, and that Wang Chuang and his wife must come.

Lin took the calligraphy copybook home. She never imagined that her family would produce a scholar, but it was good that he could recognize characters.

At the same time, Xu Mingxuan also arrived home, accompanied by Lu Zhao and his group.

Lu Zhao brought Chunsheng back, and Meng Dayong thanked Lu Zhao, saying, "Thank you very much, Lord Lu. We will prepare gifts to thank you later."

"No need to be so polite." Lu Zhao looked at Chun Sheng kneeling in the courtyard and said a few more words, "The military camp is not what you think. You can't just go there and fight your way to merit. If you think you can handle it, I can take you to the City God's Office for a few days. It will only be harder to stay in the military camp."

He had been traveling for a day and a night, and he was exhausted, so he lost his temper.

Knowing that the Meng family wanted to speak with Chunsheng privately, Lu Zhao took the initiative to bid farewell to the Meng family. As soon as he stepped out, he encountered Qingjiu, who had come looking for him.

"Sir, has Brother Chunsheng returned? Was he beaten?" Qingjiu's voice was loud, and as soon as he opened his mouth, not only the Meng family in the courtyard heard him, but also the Xu family, the Qiao family, and the Wang family.

Widow Wang and her son scoffed, "Don't you think Qingjiu is stupid?"

Wang Dazhu was playing with his daughter and didn't listen to what his mother was saying at all.

Widow Wang received no reply, so she pursed her lips. When she got to the door, she couldn't see Lu Zhao and his servant, and the Meng family's door was closed.

At this moment, Meng Chunsheng was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, thinking that his parents were sure to beat him.

Meng Dayong did bring bamboo sticks, but instead of using them, he handed them to his wife. "Hit him, hit him hard! This brat wouldn't come back when we found him!"

They ended up spending the night in the dilapidated temple. Lord Lu took his son out and said something to him before his son agreed to come back. However, when Lord Lu asked him, his son refused to say.

Chunsheng's mother looked at her son's hands, which were frozen purple, then at the bamboo strip, and sighed, "Why are you hitting him? If I hit him, won't you feel bad?"

Meng Dayong: "I..."

"Alright, go and boil some poached eggs. You must all be hungry." Chun Sheng's mother sent her husband away, then looked at her son. "Get up. If you keep kneeling, I'll have to call a doctor to see you later."

Chun Sheng didn't move.

"Alright, kneel if you want." Chun Sheng's mother took a deep breath. She actually had a lot to say, but in the end, she slowly squatted down and patted her son's head. "Son, I want to hear why."

She tried to hold back her sobs, but tears still streamed down her face. Her eldest son, whom she thought was the most obedient and well-behaved, had done something she never expected.

His mother's tears made Chunsheng look up abruptly. He panicked, "Please...please don't cry. I was wrong, I was really wrong. Hit me, hit me with a stick, hit me hard!"

While in the dilapidated temple, Lu Zhao and Chun Sheng said that his mother had bumped into a door panel and got a big bump on her head because she was in a hurry to go out to find someone, but she didn't cry. However, when she learned that he was going to join the army, she fainted on the spot.

"You are very lucky to have parents who love and care for you. They care about you and are concerned about you. If I'm not mistaken, your parents have never hit or scolded you since you were a child, right?"

Chunsheng nodded, then listened as Lord Lu continued, "Perhaps you want to show your manly spirit, or maybe you just want to make a name for yourself. But Chunsheng, it's not wrong for you to want to improve yourself, but you shouldn't have left without saying goodbye. Have your parents treated you badly, or have they forced you to do something? How can you bear to make them so anxious and worried?"

Hearing this, Chunsheng couldn't answer.

His parents cared for him very much. When there was meat at home, they would give it to him and his younger siblings first, while his parents would only get a bite or two at most.

This is about all that ordinary parents can do.

Meng Chunsheng looked at his mother and slapped himself hard across the face. "It's my fault. I wanted to make something of myself, but I was too stubborn and didn't think things through. I know I'm not capable. You say I'm obedient and honest, but I wanted to make you proud!"

Not long after leaving the city, he was swindled out of most of his money. He was filled with resentment, thinking that if he could persevere, he could eventually join the army. But he was too naive.

The words "I want to make you proud" were enough to make Chun Sheng's mother punch her son. "When did I ever ask you to make me proud? From childhood to adulthood, all I've ever wanted is for you to be safe and healthy. Did I compare you to Er Mao, or use Lord Lu to put you down?"

She got angrier and angrier as she talked, until she finally yelled and felt much better. "You blockhead, you have your merits, why do you insist on joining the army?"

When Meng Dayong brought out the fried eggs, he saw the mother and son crying their eyes out. He tried asking, "Do you still want the fried eggs?"

"Eat, why aren't you eating?" Chunsheng's mother pulled her son up. "Get out of here and eat a poached egg, then take a hot bath and drink a bowl of ginger soup. If you ever scare us like that again, I won't recognize you as my son!"

She became fierce, which actually made Chunsheng feel more comfortable.

Meng Dayong also sat down to eat a poached egg. He added a spoonful of lard and some chopped green onions. He had also controlled the heat very well today, and the egg was perfectly runny. He ate the poached egg in two bites. After he finished eating, he looked at his son and said, "You little rascal, you're lucky. If it weren't for Lord Lu leading the way, I really wouldn't have been able to find you."

He went to see his wife, saying, "Thanks to Lord Lu, he still led me on the way even though it was dark. In such cold weather, even someone as thick-skinned as me has a runny nose, let alone Lord Lu. Have you finished scolding him? If you have, let's go see Lord Lu."

Chunsheng's mother agreed, and the two of them carried a basket of eggs to the Lu family's house. As soon as they entered, they smelled a strong ginger aroma.

Chun Sheng's mother went to the kitchen and saw two large pieces of old ginger in the pot. She sighed and told Qing Jiu to watch over him. "Put in so much old ginger, do you want Lord Lu to turn into a furnace?"

"How much should it be?" Qingjiu asked.

"Just a few slices will be enough." Chun Sheng's mother took a bite, and the spiciness made her tongue numb. She simply added more water to the pot. "Since it's already boiled, the ginger won't stay even if you take it out. Let's just boil a whole pot so everyone can have some. Hey, is Lord Lu's condition serious? Should we call a doctor to take a look? My family will pay for it."

Qingjiu said she should be fine, "She said her nose was stuffy, but she's energetic and has gone to bed now."

"You should still invite a doctor over, and take a look at Chunsheng and the others as well." Chunsheng's mother took out money to give to Qingjiu. They couldn't let Lord Lu get sick, otherwise it would truly be a sin for the Meng family.

At this moment, Lu Zhao was curled up, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He was dreaming of his mother, and he mumbled "Mother" incoherently.

In his dream, his mother was very young, and she was sewing clothes for Lu Zhao, but no matter how he called out to her, she did not respond.

"Mother, look at me, it's me, Zhao'er!"

Lu Zhao shuddered, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. He tried to run towards his mother, but the scene suddenly shifted to the Qiao family home.

He stood at the entrance of the Qiao family home and saw Lin chatting and laughing with Qiao Wu, the Qiao brothers chopping wood together, and the Qiao family matriarch playing with her great-grandson. The whole family was enjoying themselves, which made him envious once again.

At this moment, Miss Qiao noticed him, walked towards him, and said with a smile, "It's Lord Lu! Why don't you come in?"

"I..." Lu Zhao was about to speak when he found that he couldn't open his throat. It wasn't until he suddenly opened his eyes and met Qing Jiu's dark eyes that he realized he was dreaming.