Chapter 234: Each Live His Own Life
Gao Xiulan went back after a short chat. Hu Qingqing and Chuyi fell asleep under the eaves, their heads touching. Seeing that July was almost here, Gao Xiulan didn't worry about catching a cold in the middle of the day. She went into the house, took the soles of her shoes, and sat on the doorstep to mend them.
After seeing the child, she had another thing on her mind.
Lu Dongcheng got married half a year earlier than Lu Dongping. It has been several years now, so why is there no movement at all? This person is not around, so she has no idea what the situation is.
Lu Dongcheng was older than Lu Dongping, and he was already 28 this year. The 28-year-old men on the team had children who could carry baskets and pull grass for pigs, but he hadn't made any progress, which was really worrying.
Earlier she was still trying to persuade Zhang Hongying, but now Lu Dongping has decided that the first baby will be a boy, and it doesn't matter who the next ones are. It's really true that there is no one in her family who can be worry-free, from top to bottom.
The weeds in the fields haven't been completely weeded yet, so they have to go back to work once the sun has set, avoiding the midday heat. They get up early, and when the sun is high at noon, they either do some housework or catch up on some sleep. It's not the hottest time yet, so naps are rare. The women usually use this time to wash, sew, and mend, while the men tidy up their plots. The first dog days of summer are radishes, the second dog days are vegetables; sowing is the beginning of autumn, and the harvest comes later.
The two or three mu of private plots, with the edges and corners opening up a little each year, have been plowed wide. They feed their own pigs, and they pad the pads regularly. Besides the manure they hand in, there's still plenty left to shovel out and use as padding for their own plots. They also plant several rows of corn in their plots. These are the seedlings weeded during the spring corn season. The members pick them up and plant them in their own plots. In the fall, they can enjoy a fresh ear of corn, or harvest some to supplement their income.
Between the rows of corn were planted sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, and peppers, and against the embankments were beans, lentils, and loofahs. Originally, there weren't so many varieties, but I heard someone had some, so I'd go in advance and ask them to help me save the seeds. Then, I'd trade them for something, and over time, the fields became richer in produce.
Lu Donglin came down the path beside the private plot, sweating profusely, carrying a backpack. Just as he reached the plot, Lu Dongping called out, "Why are you back at this hour?"
Lu Donglin paused, looked at him, and said, "I don't want to bother with you," and started to walk back with the basket on his back.
He leaned on the hoe handle and looked at Lu Donglin with a bad face: "Lu Donglin, I noticed that your skin has been loose recently. Do you need me to tighten it up? I have a question for you!"
Ever since Wen Wan became pregnant, Lu Donglin has been acting strangely. Lu Dongping knows that he likes Wen Wan and doesn't want to see her suffer, but as her brother, he can't argue with her over such trivial matters. Wen Wan is also very happy that her brothers and sisters like her. After all, she has no relatives here, and the more people like her, the more comfortable she will be.
But he felt that this bastard was just an arrogant person. If you give him a little bit of face, he would be so arrogant. He was young, but he had a bad temper.
For example, two years ago when they were in school, as long as he frowned, Lu Donglin would be scared to be obedient, but now, it seems that he doesn't buy it at all. He just glanced at him and walked away with the backpack on his back.
Lu Mingjiang exclaimed, "What's going on? This bastard is going crazy! He's going to go to hell!"
Lu Dongping picked up his hoe and dug, saying, "I've started working, I've gained skills, and I feel like I can support myself, so I've become more proud."
Lu Mingjiang said: "You have become more capable? What kind of capabilities have you gained? Your wings are still not strong enough and I am not dead yet!"
Lu Dongping nodded: "Go ahead and clean it up. If you don't clean it up now, I don't think you will be able to do it in two years."
Lu Mingjiang threw the hoe to the ground and went back angrily.
Lu Dongping shook his head and continued digging.
His father knew it best. He had a bad temper when he was young, but as they grew older, he became less and less irritable. Especially after he got a job, life at home became better, and he became even more tolerant. He couldn't control him before, and now he couldn't control Lu Donglin.
Lu Donglin came home carrying a backpack and sat down on the ground against the wall.
Zhang Hongying asked him, "It's so hot, how long have you been off work? Why are you back so late? What are you doing in the mountains? There are so many insects and bees right now. I want to bring bad luck to you."
Lu Donglin wiped the sweat from his face and said, "I'm not afraid of those things." As he said that, he got up, reached out and started to take the pig grass out of the backpack. After a few tries, he took out the thing.
It is a bag made of several tung leaves, filled with snow-white bubbles.
He took it to the kitchen, found a large bowl, and poured it out, which actually made up a large bowl.
He stuck his head out and was about to call Zhang Hongying when Lu Mingjiang came back, looking angry.
Zhang Hongying asked him, "Are you done?"
"Dongping is working on it. I came back for something." He then walked to the eaves and called out to Lu Donglin, "Come here!"
The tone was not good, and Zhang Hongying interrupted: "What's the matter? I just got back and haven't eaten yet!"
"Don't worry about it!"
Lu Donglin put the bowl back on the stove and walked out the door. He didn't go over to the front, but just stood there leaning against the wall: "What's the matter?"
"Come here, I have something to ask you!"
"Just say what you want to say. I'm not deaf." He is not a fool. It is obvious that the person is not friendly. How could he go up to him and ask for a beating?
Lu Mingjiang frowned and said sullenly, "Lu Donglin, you son of a bitch, what's wrong with you now? Just because you can earn a few work points, you think you're so powerful, right? Or do you think that now that I'm in a good mood and haven't dealt with you for a long time, you can go to heaven?"
Zhang Hongying was confused and looked at them. "No, what are you doing for no reason? Keep your voice down. Wanwan is resting in the room, and Dandan just fell asleep."
Lu Mingjiang was furious, but his voice softened. "What's he doing? He's so arrogant now, he's disrespectful. He used to be a very obedient child, but he's become more and more disrespectful as he gets older. When I came back to Dongping and called him, I asked him why he came back at this time, but he didn't even speak, and his eyes rolled back. Who is the older brother and who is the younger brother? Is there still a hierarchy? Who took care of him from childhood? Who gave him food and drink? He's just a debt collector, and he's become so crooked that it's hard to be sure. After all this time, he's become an ungrateful person. I'm not just making a fuss about this one incident today, this is not just a one-day thing."
Zhang Hongying had also noticed this. For the past six months, the two brothers had not been getting along. In the past, when Lu Dongping spoke, he would run away very quickly, but now he was like a thorn in the flesh and could not be pulled out no matter what he did.
In the past, Lu Dongping would have dealt with him many times. Now that he has a wife, his mind is focused on her and he doesn't care about him at all.
Zhang Hongying saw Lu Donglin standing at the door and called out to him, "Come here, come here and tell me and your father what you're thinking about all day long."
Lu Donglin was so hungry that he was a little impatient: "Nothing, what's the matter? I'm just hungry. I'm so hungry that I don't want to speak. Is it a mistake not to speak?"
Lu Mingjiang glared at her, "Don't talk nonsense to me. I'm not blind. I can't see. What's going on between you and your brother? Let me tell you, you're sixteen this year. In the past, sixteen meant you were going to get married, but now it's not that early. But it hasn't been two years yet. You're an adult now. You should know what's right and wrong. It's pointless to keep asking for a beating. You act so arrogant all day long. If it were in the past, your brother would have dealt with you long ago without me saying anything. Do you know why he hasn't dealt with you now? Because you're older now. In two years, once you get married, you'll be your home and he'll be his. You'll each live your own lives and be a family from now on. So he doesn't think it's necessary to control you anymore. But you have to understand yourself, right?"
Lu Donglin pursed his lips and said after a long while: "I'm only sixteen, what's the point of talking about a wife?"
Lu Minghai snorted, "That's a matter of time. But what I want to say now is not whether you should talk about your wife or not, but to let you know that everything should be done in moderation. It's too much. Don't look at how fast you've grown in the past two years. You're almost as tall as your brother. It's not that I look down on you, but if he punishes you, you really won't be able to resist. You're such a grown man, and it won't be good to get beaten again."
Lu Donglin said, "I understand." But he snorted in his heart, unwillingly, and turned to go into the kitchen to eat.
After dinner, he asked Zhang Hongying, "Mom, I picked a lot of pears on the mountain. Can you eat them, sister-in-law?"
Zhang Hongying looked at his tanned face and said, "Come on, don't be silly. Your sister-in-law can't even go to the fields now. She can only drink soup. Can she eat rice?"
Speaking of this, Lu Donglin felt uncomfortable again: "If giving birth is so annoying, why do you still want to give birth?"
Zhang Hongying looked up at him and said, "You have a pig's head, don't you? You are so old, why are you still asking such questions? If you are like me, not giving birth because of the pain, then there will still be people in this world, right? Will our family still exist, will you still exist? If I find it too painful, I will just give birth to your brother. Without you and Chun'e, life will be much easier."
Lu Donglin understood what she said, but he was stuck in a dead end and it would not be easy to get out of it.
Later, when the couple lay down, Lu Mingjiang sighed: "Chun'e is a hardworking girl. If she can find a job smoothly in the future and marry an honest and reliable man, I won't have to worry about her. Dongping has been very capable since he was a child, so I never worried about him. Now he has a wife and children, so there is nothing for me to worry about. But Lu Donglin, that little bastard, is really troublesome. He was naughty and clever when he was young, but why is he getting more and more nonsense as he grows up?"
"My eldest brother and I have never done anything dirty in our lives, but you see, my second brother and I—Dongping and Donglin—are brothers. I wanted them to be like us, helping each other and getting along. The two of us will have to leave early and won't be able to accompany them for the rest of their lives. But why is this bastard getting more and more disobedient as he gets older? Dongping is different now. Before we got married, we were brothers and family. Now that he's married, his wife and children must be more important. When he gets married again, we'll really be two families."
Zhang Hongying knew what he was worried about, and knew that what he said made sense. However, no matter how good your thoughts were, if it didn't work out as you thought, it was useless to worry. Zhang Hongying reached out and patted him: "Don't think about it, go to sleep!"
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