Lu Yuan and Wen Moxue, who were far away in Changhe Brigade, were unaware of the Wen family's troubles. They were happily preparing for the Lunar New Year.
Before the Lunar New Year, Lu Yuan sent New Year's gifts to Jiang Haishan, Zhong Quanyong, and Wang Fengnian from the brick and tile factory, as well as Zhang Hongxi from the agricultural machinery station, and Lu Qianjin and his father-in-law's family.
The dried wild rabbits and pheasants, as well as cured wild boar meat, and fruits such as apples and frozen pears, made the families extremely happy. They also gave back a generous New Year's gift, including plenty of good things such as malted milk powder, canned goods, biscuits, and fabric. They were very generous.
The Spring Festival was quite lively.
The family of four, plus Old Man Liu, Xiao Fan, and Yu Shaoheng, were all there. Lu Yuan didn't want his mother and wife to have to work hard, so he also called Lu Xiaoqin and Lu Xiaojun, the siblings.
The New Year's Eve dinner was very lavish, all prepared by Lu Xiaoqin. With Wen Moxue's guidance and plenty of seasoning, the food tasted quite good.
“From now on, you can stay at home and help with cooking, washing clothes, and doing some housework. You and Xiaojun will eat at home. I’ll give you an extra 20 yuan every month. Are you willing?” Lu Yuan asked.
Now that his wife is heavily pregnant, his mother is finding it a bit difficult to manage all the housework for the whole family by herself.
Lu Xiaoqin was overjoyed. Seeing Lu Yuan's eyes redden, she nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, brother. No need to pay. My sister-in-law is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to come over and help take care of her and do housework. It's only right that I come over to help."
“There’s no question of what you should or shouldn’t do. Your help makes things much easier for your sister-in-law and aunt, and we are very grateful. Giving you 20 is a reward, and it’s what I, as the eldest brother, should give you. Your father can’t be relied on, and you and Xiaojun will have to rely on yourselves from now on. Xiaojun will continue to study after the New Year. You’ll need money for his studies and for getting him a wife. You have to take this money.”
The siblings both cried, tears streaming down their faces and falling into their bowls.
"Oh dear, you shouldn't cry during the New Year, please stop crying," Xiao Biyun said.
At first, Gao Weishan and his wife felt a little uncomfortable when they saw the siblings, but as time went on, they saw that the siblings were not bad and that they were also pitiful, so their discomfort gradually faded away.
Lu Yuan has no siblings, so these two can treat each other as relatives.
Lu Xiaoqin and Lu Xiaojun quickly wiped away their tears and smiled through their tears.
"Big brother, I will study hard and become a successful person in the future," Lu Xiaojun said.
Lu Yuan nodded, "Yes, you really should study hard. If you study well, it will be much easier to find a job. Right now, your sister is supporting you. When you grow up and have a job, you will be your sister's support."
"I understand, brother," Lu Xiaojun said firmly.
Lu Yuan smiled. This guy has matured and become more stable in the past six months. He goes up the mountain to chop firewood every day, and his small body looks much stronger.
Lu Xiaoqin's eyes reddened again, but she tried her best to hold back, thinking that crying during the New Year was unlucky.
After the meal, Gao Weishan and Xiao Biyun prepared lucky money for everyone, even Old Man Liu.
Old Liu flashed his teeth and waved his hand in refusal, "I'm an old man who gets food and drink from you guys every day, why would I need New Year's money?"
Gao Weishan handed it to him, saying, "Please take it, it's not much money, just a little something for good luck during the New Year."
Even if it's not much, it's still five yuan, which is quite a lot.
Lu Yuan and Wen Moxue received the most, each receiving two hundred yuan. Xiao Fan received twenty yuan, while Yu Shaoheng and Lu Xiaoqin, like Old Liu, each received five yuan.
Lu Yuan also gave each of the siblings a two-yuan red envelope, while Xiao Fan and Yu Shaoheng each gave a one-yuan red envelope to Lu Xiaojun but not to Lu Xiaoqin.
It wouldn't be appropriate for them to give red envelopes to Lu Xiaoqin, a girl who is about the same age as Yu Shaoheng.
This was the first time the siblings had ever received so much New Year's money in their lives. It was a huge sum of money for them, and they were deeply moved. When they got home, they couldn't help but wipe away their tears. They knew they shouldn't cry during the New Year, but they just couldn't help it.
The Lunar New Year has passed, and the people of Changhe Brigade have started to get busy again. Lu Yuan is even busier, as the construction of the sanatorium is only one-third complete, and that's with a lot of people.
After the New Year, everyone was busy with spring plowing, so some people couldn't come to repair their houses. Seeing that the progress had slowed down, Lu Yuan found a way to get an agricultural tractor. This sped up the spring plowing, improved efficiency, and saved manpower, which made the house repair progress faster again.
Su Tingxiao and his three companions returned to the Changhe Brigade. After competing with the others, they realized that they had made progress, and the gap between them and the others had widened in both close combat and field training.
The commander was delighted and, when he sent the group over, he also brought a few team members with him.
Lu Yuan didn't care; he'd accept it if given to him. After all, he was just there to carry bricks and help build houses.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the basic structure of the sanatorium finally began to take shape. The next steps were to complete the roof, install doors and windows, and then do the interior decoration.
Actually, the renovation was the real project. Good materials, especially the ones Lu Yuan wanted, were hard to come by, and he put a lot of effort into it.
Things like toilet tiles had to be sourced from the provincial capital.
The furniture and other items were all made by Sun Maodou's father, Sun Dadou. Since he was too slow to work alone, Lu Yuan asked him to find a group of carpenters from other villages to work together, and he also brought along many apprentices, all of whom were young men from the village who were willing to learn the craft.
At this time, news came from the Wen family in Hangzhou that Wen Moyu had given birth to a boy, which made Wen Moyu, Yu Xuejian, and the Yu family extremely happy.
They even proactively arranged things for the Wen family, saying that their maternal family should prepare an old hen and eggs for their daughter during her postpartum period, and that the maternal grandparents should prepare a small blanket and clothes for the baby. More importantly, they said that red envelopes were a must.
Wen Moyu and the Yu family both thought that the Wen family would forgive and forget for the sake of their grandson. But to their surprise, Wen Shengtao and Mo Yitao didn't even go to see their grandson once, let alone prepare anything or a red envelope. They even went to the Wen family to make a scene before Wen Moyu had even finished her postpartum confinement.
“I didn’t even want her daughter anymore, why would I still want a grandson? Humph, so what if she gave birth to a son? Our Xiaoxue had triplets in one pregnancy,” Mo Yitao said.
Wen Moxue's due date is in a month. Multiple pregnancies usually result in premature births. Mo Yitao has already taken two months' leave from the factory. She plans to go to Changhe Brigade to accompany her daughter during childbirth and take care of her during her postpartum period.
On the day Mo Yitao left Hangzhou, Wen Qihang called Lu Yuan and asked him to remember to pick her up at the station.
Lu Yuan told Wen Moxue the news, but who knew that the girl would get nervous.
"Will she realize I've had a different soul?"
Lu Yuan chuckled and reassured him, "No, even if I feel you've changed, I won't overthink it. After all, you were tricked into going to the countryside, so it's normal for your personality to change."
Even so, the little girl was still somewhat unsettled, perhaps because it was the first time she had met this mother.
When my emotions fluctuate, my stomach reacts, and I always feel a downward pressure. I didn't pay attention at first, but I realized something was wrong when I felt pain in the middle of the night.
"Honey, my stomach hurts."
Lu Yuan jolted awake, quickly stood up, and ran to the next room without even putting on his shoes. Wen Moxue's outstretched hand, like Er Kang's, couldn't stop him.
"Mom and Dad, hurry, my wife is about to give birth."
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