Chapter 155 Bai Lu is the eldest brother
Lin Jinfan never imagined that when he returned from offering incense, the little girl would have grown up.
From a little girl who would only run to the tree to secretly wipe away her tears when she was wronged, she has grown into the heroine standing tall against the wind, facing the sun, and speaking out for the people.
From being timid and shy, afraid to look people in the eye, to becoming a graceful and sunny girl with a confident smile.
Lin Jinfan had no idea what Bai Lu had gone through.
The only certainty is that the little girl has grown up.
In the eyes of the Xiao family villagers, Bailu drove away the villains who were harvesting sand and cutting off their food supplies, thus saving their meager remaining grain. Bailu was a great benefactor of the Xiao family village.
Sincere and heartfelt thanks echoed around Bailu and spread among the mountains.
A clear, gentle voice rang out in Bailu's direction: "You haven't eaten yet, go and eat first."
Lin Jinfan entered the encirclement following the sound. The clansmen all recognized him and made way for him.
Grandma then realized that Bailu hadn't eaten yet. She grabbed Bailu's wrist and pulled her away, saying, "What time is it? Dazhuang's wife hasn't eaten yet. She must be starving. Come home with Grandma, and Grandma will cook you something delicious."
“Grandma, you’ve already eaten, so don’t bother with anything else. Bailu, why don’t you come to our house for dinner? I’ve already told the boy at home to put the rice in the pot, so we can cook something when we get back.” Li Hongying grabbed Bailu’s other wrist.
Bai Lu took Xiao Wei to the street to buy food, and then went to Xiao Family Village. It's obvious that they hadn't eaten.
So as soon as she got back, Li Hongying told her youngest son to go back and put the rice in the pot, wash the vegetables, and wait.
Grandpa and Xiao Guofu are both men, so they couldn't very well hold the little girl's hand and could only watch anxiously from the sidelines.
The villagers wanted Bailu to come to their homes for a meal, but one side of them was a highly respected elder of the clan.
On one side was the village chief of Xiao Family Village, the patriarch of the Xiao family clan. No one dared to vie for him, nor could they win.
But that doesn't stop the passion in her voice from overflowing—
"Come eat at our house!"
"We still have a piece of cured pork at home. This morning we also went up the mountain to pick fresh bamboo shoots. Cured pork stir-fried with bamboo shoots is the best. Come to our house for White Dew!"
"Come to our house, Bailu, come to our house for a meal. We have two sausages and picked some broccoli this morning. I remember that during the Qingming Festival, Bailu ate the most broccoli. Come to our house for a meal, Bailu."
"Come to our house for a meal during the White Dew season. We have pheasants; we caught them last night by setting a trap on the mountain!"
"We have salted duck eggs at home, double-yolk eggs..."
Bai Lu's hands were being held by both of hers, and she was surrounded by the enthusiastic villagers of the Xiao family, who were encircling her in three concentric circles.
One by one, they eagerly introduced their family's menu, offering up all the best meats and vegetables that they usually couldn't bear to eat, just to lure Bailu to their home for a meal.
Grandma and Li Hongying were not to be outdone; anyone can introduce the names of dishes, and they rattled off a long list.
I almost got dizzy from reciting the White Dew poem so many times.
Fortunately, Lin Jinfan's words finally led me out of the encirclement, and my buzzing ears were finally quieted down.
The air is finally less crowded.
Lin Jinfan said, "I'll take her to the banquet."
Well... when it comes to banquets, no one can compare.
Although it was a funeral banquet, there were many good dishes on the table. Some of the villagers had already eaten there, and their own meager portions of meat were indeed inferior. It was the right decision for Bailu to attend the banquet.
The old man was still lying in the mourning hall when the thugs came to cause trouble. Fortunately, Bai Lu turned the tide and prevented a collision.
The elders will surely bless Bailu with peace and good health.
There's no reason for anyone to stop us, and we can't let Bailu go hungry; we must sincerely treat her well.
Bai Lu had never attended a traditional funeral banquet, but she had learned about it from books. She didn't quite understand the complicated process, but the ritual of offering incense was definitely necessary, so she naturally followed local customs.
After offering incense.
By the time we finished eating, the sun was already setting.
It takes a long time to get back to town from Xiaojia Village, so we need to set off early to get home before dark.
In this area, it is customary for grandchildren to not keep vigil during funerals, even if the children are still able to do so. This rule has been passed down through generations and is not based on the depth of the relationship between the children and grandchildren.
Therefore, after Lin Jinfan completes the funeral procedures, he will return to Xinzhen with Bai Lu, while Lin Jinfan's mother will continue to keep vigil.
They kept vigil for three days before returning home after the burial.
The people who took Bai Lu and Lin Jinfan back to town were Xiao Guofu and the owner of the tricycle. Even if it got dark on the way back, the two men could look after each other and weren't afraid of anything.
We returned to town just as night fell.
Before it was completely dark, Bai Lu could see from afar a small figure eagerly waiting at the door of her house.
As soon as the little guy saw her, he stopped pacing back and forth and was about to run over when he saw the tricycle driving towards the door. His little steps stopped.
As soon as Bai Lu got out of the car, Xiao Wei ran over and grabbed her sleeve, his eyes fixed on Lin Jinfan, who got out of the car afterward.
Clearly, they haven't completely let go of their worries yet.
Bai Lu smiled gently and patted the little bald head.
The villagers of Xiaojia Village were as hospitable as ever, and they brought back many local specialties for Bailu. Xiao Guofu and the tricycle driver carried them all into the front yard for Bailu before going back.
Bai Lu watched the tricycle drive away, then turned to Lin Jinfan and thanked him, "Thank you for taking me out to eat today."
Lin Jinfan glanced at the little guy beside Bai Lu's legs, then looked up at the lit front door behind her, and seemed to understand why the little guy was so hostile towards him.
"Don't be shy, we used to eat together all the time, I'm just glad you're not hungry."
"No, no." Bai Lu knew that Lin Jinfan was referring to the original owner of this body, who had received a lot of care from him.
"The villagers gave you a lot of things, aren't you going to take some back with you?"
"It's getting dark." Before Lin Jinfan could answer, Xiao Wei interrupted and told him to leave.
Lin Jinfan, who was about to leave, stopped when he heard this. "What do you have?"
No, everyone is taking the same bus back with the local specialties, why are you asking such a simple question?
Bai Lu paused for a moment, then listed them off: "All kinds of fruits and vegetables, bamboo shoots, dried fish, dried fish, eggs, potatoes, and lots of snails..."
As Bai Lu continued speaking, Xiao Wei tightened his grip on her sleeve and pulled her toward the front door of their house behind them.
The small figure stood blocking the doorway, glaring at Lin Jinfan as if to prevent him from entering.
After listing all the local specialties that the villagers had given her, Bai Lu asked Lin Jinfan, "What do you like? I'll get you a bag to pack it up so you can take it home."
“Those things were given to you by Uncle Fu!” Xiao Wei firmly refused to let Lin Jinfan in.
Its small frame stood straight, blocking the doorway.
Bai Lu looked down and realized that Xiao Wei's serious and rigid face had somehow transformed into a highly alert and cold expression, as if he were always ready to go into battle.
"What's wrong with you? Brother Jinfan isn't a bad person. When I had no food, Brother Jinfan gave me a lot of food. It's only right that we give him something in return. People should know how to repay kindness."
Xiao Wei turned his head away and remained silent.
He knew Bai Lu was right, but if he wasn't allowed in, he wasn't allowed in. Bai Lu was his older brother's!
No one can take it away from me!
(End of this chapter)
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