After Lin Fugui left, Lin Jianguo finally breathed a long sigh of relief. In just that short time, he felt as tired as if he had hoeed five acres of land.
Moreover, he preferred to hoe the fields rather than accompany the village chief. Heaven knows he didn't dare to breathe loudly just now, his hands were sweating profusely with nervousness.
He walked into the kitchen and called out to Er Ya, "I'll help your mother. You go and keep your village chief company."
Er Ya had just lit the fire when she said, "What's wrong, Dad? Let me help Mom with the work. You two can go and talk."
"Go ahead, you're too young to be of much help."
He picked Er Ya up and quickly took his place.
Er Ya could only walk out of the kitchen in confusion. Just then, Lin Fugui came out of the toilet and saw the pig they were raising. He asked in amazement, "Did you catch this pig this year? How come it has grown so big?"
The plump, white piglet ate even more diligently when it heard someone praising it.
Little did it know that the fatter it got, the faster it would die.
Er Ya replied with a smile, "We caught them not long ago, after we separated from the family. They've probably eaten them. Just feeding them every day makes my mother's back ache."
"The fatter the pig, the more money it will fetch. Judging by its appearance, your pig should weigh around 300 jin by the time the New Year comes."
Er Ya tilted her head and said with a smile, "Then I'll take your good wishes. If my pig really grows to over 300 jin, I'll give you five jin of pork."
"Haha, okay, it's a deal. I'm looking forward to eating your pork."
At this time, the pigs don't eat feed, but only leftovers or some pigweed, and at most some wheat bran.
So an adult pig usually weighs around 200 jin (100 catties). If someone's pig grows to 300 jin (150 kg), people from the whole village will come over to ask how they feed it.
At this moment, Lin Xiao returned from outside. He had been worried about his grandfather. He had just left when Lin Fugui arrived, and he was thinking of going home to check on his grandfather before dawn.
He quietly climbed onto the wall, saw that the yard was quiet and knew that his parents had not yet gotten up, then leaped down and tiptoed into their room.
Grandpa Lin didn't sleep a wink all night. He begged Lin Shitou to go find Lin Xiao. How could such a young child survive if he was kicked out?
But he was old and in poor health, which made him unpleasant to people, so they didn't want to listen to him. The couple ate and cleaned up as usual and then went to bed.
The poor man, leaning on his cane, had intended to go out and look for it himself, but his daughter-in-law scolded him and brought him back, saying that he was already unsteady on his feet, and if something happened to him in the middle of the night, wouldn't it all be their responsibility? The two of them dragged him into the house, locked the door, and took the key.
He imagined all sorts of terrible scenarios for his grandson: would he be beaten, or would he go up the mountain and be eaten by wild animals? Every time he closed his eyes, he would see his grandson covered in blood, crying for his grandfather to save him, which terrified him so much that he kept his eyes open until dawn.
A violent coughing fit left Grandpa Lin breathless. Just then, someone walked over and patted him on the back. He coughed for a while before he calmed down.
Grandpa Lin's eyesight was failing, and he tentatively touched the ground, asking, "Who is it?"
Lin Xiao choked up as he said, "Grandpa, it's me, Xiao Xiao."
"Xiao Xiao? When did you get back? Where did you go last night? You worried Grandpa to death."
Fearing that Lin Shitou and the other man might wake up, Lin Xiao briefly recounted his experiences from the previous day to reassure his grandfather. He also told him that the village chief would be coming today to discuss the division of the family property, at which point he could take his grandfather away.
“No, child, you’re so young. If you separate from the family, what will you eat and drink in the future? You should apologize to your parents properly. You’re your father’s own son. He won’t really abandon you. It’s not too late to separate from the family when you’re older and able to support yourself. For now, just bear with it. At least you’re here and have something to eat.”
After Grandpa Lin finished speaking in one breath, he started coughing again.
Lin Xiao hardened his heart and said, "He already said he doesn't want me anymore, so why should I stay here and get in their way? Don't worry, Grandpa, didn't I tell you before that I've saved up some money? If I take this money out, it'll be enough for me to buy a small house. If I work hard, I'll be able to support myself. Once I've settled down, I'll bring you over, and I'll take care of you in your old age."
Grandpa Lin sighed: "Grandpa doesn't need you to support him in his old age, he just wants you to be well. Alas, your father really went too far this time. Don't hate him, he's had a hard time too. Since you've made up your mind, just do as you say. It'll just be a bit tough, and I'm sorry to trouble you in the future, child."
Just then, a child's cry came in, and a woman's voice grumbled and complained that the child was crying so early in the morning, disturbing everyone's sleep. Ling Xiao immediately recognized the voices of his stepmother and younger brother.
Afraid that they would see her when they woke up, she quickly said to Grandpa Lin, "Grandpa, I'm leaving now. Don't worry about me. I'm all grown up now. I live in this village. I'll come to see you again in the future."
Grandpa Lin was in tears. It was all his fault for raising such a good-for-nothing son. He had listened to a woman's words and had no regard for his own son.
Thinking this to himself, he started coughing again. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand, and when he opened his hand, it was covered in blood. Afraid that Lin Xiao would worry, he quickly put his hand behind his back and said softly, "You should go now. Take good care of yourself from now on. Don't worry about Grandpa. Your father is still good to me."
Lin Xiao quickly ran out and then quietly jumped off the wall.
As soon as I entered Er Ya's yard, I saw Lin Fugui pointing at the pigs in the pigpen and talking to Er Ya. After calming myself down, I walked up to them and greeted them, "Hello, village chief."
Lin Fugui was laughing heartily when he saw Lin Xiao coming over. He quickly shut his mouth, and the image of a group of people throwing eggs at him involuntarily flashed through his mind again.
He quickly feigned concern and asked, "Where did you go so early in the morning, child?"
“I went to see my grandpa. I didn’t go home last night, so he must be worried about me.”
"Oh, you're quite filial. Lin Shitou's heart is blinded by lard. He wants to kick out such a dutiful son. He'll regret it later."
Seeing Lin Xiao's face darken again, Er Ya quickly laughed it off and said, "My mother should have finished cooking by now. Let's go eat. Aren't you hungry after all this time?"
"Oh, yes, I'm hungry too, let's go."
To be continued!
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