Er Ya nodded, and Lin Fugui was about to go into the house when Er Ya quickly stopped him and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, let him have some peace and quiet. He's not feeling well right now, and he won't be able to digest anything even if he tries to eat something."
"Alright then, they've all left. Your dad and I are waiting for you here. Let's go home."
It's no wonder Lin Fugui waited for her. On one hand, they had been getting along well over the past few months, and on the other hand, it was on the way. Lin Fugui arrived home not far away. After agreeing on a time for tomorrow, Lin Jianguo took Er Ya home.
Thinking that Er Ya must be tired after a long day, Lin Jianguo bent down to pick her up, but she dodged him. Lin Jianguo's expression turned sour: "Er Ya, are you upset that your father didn't come home with you?"
Er Ya stubbornly remained silent and continued walking forward on her own.
Lin Jianguo caught up with Er Ya and said with a pained expression, "Even if your grandma did something wrong in the past, she still gave birth to me and raised me. Moreover, seeing your grandpa Lin today makes me even more upset. I'm afraid that one day when your grandma is gone, I will regret not being able to take good care of her."
“Dad, it’s good that you want to be filial to Grandma, but you also need to be clear about whether their kindness to you is for ulterior motives.”
Lin Jianguo stammered, "No way, maybe they just feel they didn't do well in the past and are trying to make up for it now. Your grandma is really good to me now, better than ever before."
Er Ya was speechless. Seeing that the fish was about to take the bait, who would be foolish enough to scold him again?
Anyway, all the family's money is with Jiang's mother. If he wants to get closer to the old house and be a good son to Old Lady Shen, then go ahead. She should be able to guarantee that as long as she can't get anything out of him, the two of them will turn on each other faster than turning the pages of a book.
Time will prove her right. Seeing Lin Jianguo's pained expression, she didn't want to discourage him further. She smiled and said, "Dad, if you want to be filial to Grandma, then be filial to her. Just don't drag me and Mom into it."
Seeing that Er Ya nodded in agreement, Lin Jianguo's expression improved. In the family, his daughter always had the final say, and if she agreed, he could explain things to his wife.
He scooped up Er Ya in his arms and laughed heartily, "Now Daddy can give you a good hug, right? Let's go, let's take our little girl home!"
"Giggle giggle".
The next morning, when Er Ya got up, Lin Jianguo had already gone to Lin Shitou's house. He had returned late the night before, and when she got back, Jiang's mother was already asleep. Jiang's mother was now questioning her about what happened yesterday.
Er Ya told Jiang's mother everything that had happened yesterday, which brought tears to Jiang's mother's eyes: "Poor child, how could his parents be like that? They are so cruel."
Er Ya casually remarked, "Maybe Lin Xiao isn't their biological son, otherwise why would anyone treat their own son so badly?"
Jiang's mother shook her head and said, "No, that's impossible. Everyone knew when Lin Xiao's mother was pregnant with him. However, his mother's health was not very good during her pregnancy, but it's true that he was born to his mother."
Jiang's mother overturned her prediction, so Er Ya simply ignored him. Perhaps Lin Shitou really was a selfish and petty person. Didn't he see how ruthless he was to his own father?
At Lin Shitou's house, after a busy day, everything was almost ready, and they were just waiting for the appointed time to properly bury Grandpa Lin.
Seeing that everything was ready, the helpers prepared to leave and come back in the afternoon. They really didn't want to see the hypocritical and vicious faces of Lin Shitou and his wife again.
All morning, all they heard was Li Cuihua bossing people around. If Lin Fugui hadn't kept calling for their help, everyone would have wanted to drop everything and go home. They were too tired to stay here and listen to a woman's orders.
Seeing that everyone seemed to be about to leave, Li Cuihua quickly nudged Lin Shitou, signaling him to speak.
Lin Shitou stopped the group from leaving and said sadly, "Thank you all for taking care of my father's funeral. My father passed away suddenly, and my wife and I are very sad. We hope you can understand if we have been negligent in any way."
His words sounded so genuine that everyone thought he had finally had a change of heart. However, because of the couple's previous bad reputation, no one paid him any attention for the time being.
Seeing that the atmosphere had become tense, a usually easygoing person said, "It's alright, Lin Shitou, just make sure your uncle is properly buried. It's only right that we all help out."
Lin Shitou gave him a grateful look, but he didn't expect that his next words would anger everyone present. Lin Shitou wiped away his tears and said, "My wife and I are having a banquet at noon today. You are all welcome to come and eat."
Li Cuihua quickly squeezed forward and added, "People in our hometown all say that you can't hold a funeral empty-handed. We're all from the same village, so don't bring too much. Ten or eight yuan is enough."
"You..." How could there be such a shameless person?
Li Cuihua shrugged and said in a shrill voice, "What? Isn't it the old custom to hold a banquet for the elders in the family? We've given money as a gift before, so we should return the favor when our own elders are getting older."
There is indeed this tradition in the village, but it's not as exaggerated as she described. Ten or eight yuan—how many families in the village can come up with that much money all at once? Normally, for funerals, people would only bring a few eggs, or fifty cents or a yuan.
As the village head, and given the actual situation, Lin Fugui said to everyone, "Let's listen to her. We'll come over for lunch and just treat everyone the same as usual."
Li Cuihua pursed her lips, but knowing the village chief had spoken, it seemed she wouldn't get much benefit. Her eyes darted to Lin Jianguo standing behind her, and she smiled, saying:
"Oh my, isn't this Lin Xiao's godfather? We both call him 'father,' so our two families are really close. You can't skimp on lunch today, or you'll embarrass your godson."
Lin Jianguo, who was always tongue-tied, was not good at dealing with women and stammered, unable to speak. Seeing that he did not intend to refuse, Li Cuihua's smile became even brighter: "Then it's settled. Take care, we'll start preparing the meal now, so don't miss the mealtime."
Lin Fugui waved his hand and said, "Alright, everyone disperse. Go home and get your money."
"Alright, let's go, everyone, let's go home and get the money."
Funerals are different from other events. If the family calls on you, you can't not go, no matter if you're related to them or not, otherwise it's considered unlucky.
To be continued!
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