Chapter 24
What was surprising was that all the family members were there at this time.
Wang Cuilian and Ma were busy in the kitchen, while Lu Laoer and his sons were busy doing something by the wall.
Grandma Lu had some free time, but she kept looking out from the doorway. She was just as worried as anyone else, especially as the sky began to darken. She became restless and turned to ask the people in the yard, "How about I go to the village entrance to meet Shang'er and the others? They've been gone all day, and there's still no sign of them..."
"Shang'er hasn't left the house much since the New Year, and Wan Ning has never been to town either. What if they get lost? That would be terrible."
The more Grandma Lu thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She was ready to go out and look for him without waiting for any response.
Just then, two familiar figures appeared on the winding road, one in front and one behind, and the person in front stopped and waited from time to time.
Grandma Lu tiptoed and looked around, and suddenly a look of joy appeared on her face: "Shang'er is back!"
She called out a loud hello, then ran over in small steps, meeting Lu Shang early. She didn't care about the many things Lu Shang and his friends brought back, and was only busy checking whether her eldest grandson had any bumps or scratches. Seeing that everything was fine, she patted her chest and said, "Finally I'm back..."
Lu Shang moved the backpack onto his shoulder, supported the bamboo basket with one hand and held Grandma Lu with the other.
He turned to look at Jiang Wanning, then said to Grandma Lu, "We're back, we're back. I'm sorry to have worried you. You must have been waiting for us for a long time. The town is so prosperous that I was dazzled by it. Thanks to Aning for reminding me, otherwise I would have missed my return."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm glad you're back." Grandma Lu didn't care. She just heard that Jiang Wanning had made another contribution, which inevitably made her like her a little more.
She walked a few steps before she remembered to look back and waved her hand: "Wan Ning, come here quickly. You must be tired after being out all day."
Jiang Wanning smiled slightly, quickly moved closer to Lu Shang, and replied casually, "Everything is fine."
But Lu Shang immediately said, "By the way, grandma, Aning also bought you some snacks. Come and try them while they're still crispy."
"Oh, you still think of me... Why buy snacks? It's a waste of money. I'm an old lady, how can I afford such expensive things? You can just buy food for yourselves if you have money. It's a waste of money..." She said it was a waste, but the smile on her face only deepened.
Jiang Wanning was even more comforting: "Try it first. If you like it, I will try to make it, and I can make it for you at home in the future."
"Wan Ning can also make snacks?" Grandma Lu was surprised.
Jiang Wanning hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I learned a little bit at home before, so it's not very refined. I hope you don't mind."
Grandma Lu suddenly remembered that her granddaughter-in-law was different from the young ladies in the village.
She nodded silently and opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't say much. She turned around and continued talking to Lu Shang, only mentioning Jiang Wanning from time to time.
When they reached the door of their house, all the Lu family members came to greet them.
When Wang Cuilian saw the backpack on Lu Shang's back, she exclaimed exaggeratedly, "So many things, how much did it cost!"
After living in the Lu family for so many days, Lu Shang had almost understood the temperament of the family members. Facing Wang Cuilian's surprise, he just smiled and said, "It's not much money. Most of it is pens, ink, paper and inkstone. I need them for my studies."
“…” As expected, after these words were spoken, Wang Cuilian could not utter another word.
Lu Lao Er pretended to take the backpack, but Lu Shang calmly avoided it and walked straight to the kitchen. He took out the vegetables, meat and snacks from the backpack, and then, using his body to cover the view, handed the backpack and the remaining items inside to Jiang Wanning.
"The rest are my study stuff. Aning, put them back in my room first."
The rest of the people were attracted by the fresh pork on the ground and didn't have the time to explore the contents of the basket.
Wang Cuilian was curious, but before she could ask, Jiang Wanning didn't even look at her and ran back to the room.
"...Little girl, please don't let me catch you, or you will be in trouble!" Wang Cuilian muttered to herself, spat in the direction where Jiang Wanning left, and was the last one to walk into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the four children were already gathered around the table waiting for their share of snacks. Grandma Lu was smiling and saying "slow down, slow down" but she had no intention of stopping them. Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao being squeezed out, she pulled her over and held her in her arms.
Wang Cuilian didn't notice it at first, but after seeing the things clearly, she was shocked: "What is going on? I say, which good family doesn't buy snacks for festivals? Just such a small piece of snacks, it must cost at least seven or eight cents, right? We are not a rich family, how can we eat like this..."
This pack of dim sum cost thirty cents and contained only six small pieces.
Thirty cents worth of dim sum is just for fun, but if it were replaced with thirty cents worth of pork, it would be enough food for a family for a week.
Wang Cuilian’s yelling was not without reason, but this was supposed to be a happy occasion for the family, and her behavior undoubtedly ruined all the joy.
Wang Cuilian was a little angry: "It's not said that there should be a banquet for a wedding, so why buy snacks for no reason? Last time my brother got married, I talked about it for so long, but I didn't see you guys adding any snacks. How come it's happening now? You are not allowed to eat, do you understand?"
With a slap, she slapped Lu Qiu on the back of his hand. She immediately retracted her hand in pain, and tears quickly filled her eyes.
At this point, Lu Shang finally understood what caused her sudden outburst.
He couldn't say much when it came to matters of the previous generation, but Lu Lao Er frowned, "What's wrong with eating some snacks? Last time your brother from your mother's side proposed marriage, I didn't give you any snacks you asked for, but wasn't that because I added eggs and brown sugar? I added so many things, and you have to remember that bag of snacks?"
"Besides, even if Shang'er bought it, so what? Did he eat it all by himself? Isn't it divided among the whole family?"
After a series of accusations, Wang Cuilian's eyes widened: "Lu Laoer! What do you mean?"
Perhaps startled by her sharp voice, Lu Lao Er's momentum weakened a bit: "What do I mean? What do you mean..."
"I want to get to the bottom of this today!" Wang Cuilian pointed her finger at Lu Shang. "Lu Shang, you said you were going to town to buy paper and pens. Fine, as long as you can pass the exam, I won't stop you. But what about these snacks? And all that meat and vegetables, what did you buy them for?"
Lu Shang's expression had completely faded. He picked up the snacks that Lu Qiu had dropped on the ground and patted her back soothingly.
He didn't look at Wang Cuilian for a moment before saying, "Maybe I didn't explain it clearly. This time when we went back to town, Aning got a job at a bookstore. The owner paid her half of the wages in advance. Since she didn't have much meat at home, she bought these with her own money to supplement the family's income."
He emphasized "his own money", then looked up and stared at Wang Cuilian.
"What?" Wang Cuilian's eyes widened again, as if she was poured with cold water, and her arrogance was instantly extinguished.
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