Chapter 159 Don't Be a Dog

This time Lu Shaotang didn't go home for half a month, and his family was very affectionate when they saw him.

The children were even more excited.

Lu Shaotang brought two bags into the house and asked Lin Shu to sort out the things inside.

Lin Shu took a quick look first, handed the candy to Panpan, took out the red and white sugar and put them in the jar, took out the maltose and canned food, and also four canned meats, several packages of dried shiitake mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, silver fungus, black fungus, dried shrimps, and dried shrubs.

These are all precious dried goods, and many families have never eaten them and will not eat them, so Lin Shu did not share them and kept them for her family to improve their diet.

The other bag was full of clothes and the like, so Lin Shu did not touch them for the time being.

Chen Yanming wanted to take his children to the technical team for a visit, but was stopped by Lin Shu.

"Yanming, when did you change the bandage on your head?"

Chen Yanming: "Old Lu, yesterday or the day before yesterday?"

Lu Shaotang: "Yesterday at noon."

Lin Shu thought that they would not take it seriously, so she asked Old Man Lu to take another look at him.

There was a first aid kit at home, and Old Man Lu's technique was professional, neat, and gentle.

When Old Man Lu was changing the bandage for Chen Yanming, he couldn't help but say a few words, "Yanming, you still have to pay attention to safety. You haven't married yet, so you should pay special attention to protecting your face."

Chen Yanming rarely received sincere care from his family, so he felt that the care of Old Man Lu, Lin Shu, and his children was particularly precious.

"Uncle, I remember that. I will be more careful next time."

It is customary for close relatives and friends to exchange gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival, especially for daughters to return to their parents' home to give gifts.

However, nowadays, everyone is poor and every household is happy to have enough dried melons to eat. There is nothing good, so most families do not exchange gifts.

Basically, they only visit each other during the Chinese New Year, and do not visit each other at other times. This way, they do not have to spend money on gifts. It has become a convention, and everyone is frugal.

Of course, if there are some good things at home, they will still think of the elderly or children.

Lu Shaotang and Chen Yanming brought back several moon cakes this time.

Lin Shu opened them, packed a piece of mutton, two moon cakes, a few pomegranates and a bottle of malt extract, and asked Lu Shaotang to take his eldest sister and brother-in-law to the Lin family to exchange gifts.

There is no need to eat there, just go and see the old man and come back at noon.

Lin Shu usually goes there, but she won't go today.

Panpan and Tiantian will go of course, they have to accompany their father to their grandmother's house, otherwise it's no wonder that he is alone.

As soon as they left, Xu Xiaoyou took Xu Shihua and Lu Hehuan back to her parents' home to give holiday gifts.

Xu Shihua has a lot of social contacts, and people will bring him something when they come.

Now there is no girl in a white skirt to find him to talk about literature by the river, but he doesn't know whether he was bullied by the ladies or his psychological distortion has become a little bit on the right track, and he published two more essays.

Yes, not poetry but essays.

Maybe he was bullied by his mother-in-law, his third uncle's wife, and his daughter. He was full of complaints but couldn't express his feelings directly, so he used various rhetoric such as mapping, symbolism, metaphor, etc., and his writing was... not bad.

So he gained a group of readers.

People didn't come to talk to him about literature, they just came to see what he was like and then give him something.

So people would send local specialties to his house from time to time.

At this time, Xu Xiaoyou personally picked up a small basket of hawthorns, a small basket of walnuts and chestnuts, and a basket of taro.

Because Lu Laodi said that pregnant women can't eat hawthorns, so she kept a close eye on Lu Hehuan and didn't let her eat them.

Of course Xu Shihua didn't want to come!

But Xu Xiaoyou said: "If you are thousands of miles away, no one will say anything if you don't go. You can just stay in Houtun and walk to get there. Why don't you go?"

"It's wrong for you not to go! It's impolite!"

"I can write poetry in the future, ah, my impolite father!"

Xu Shihua's head was buzzing because of the nagging. He couldn't beat or scold him. He had to compromise or... die in society. He chose to compromise with conditions.

When they arrived at Lujia Hutong and heard that Lu Shaotang had returned, Xu Xiaoyou and Lu Hehuan were very happy, but Xu Shihua looked sad.

He didn't want to see Lu Shaotang at all.

Xu Xiaoyou reminded him: "Today is August 15th, not the day to sweep the graves, you don't have to look so grim!"

Xu Shihua rolled his eyes, "I am your father."

No wonder people say that poets should not get married or have children, because that is all debt and will drain him.

Knowing that Lu Shaotang took the children to Linjiatun, Xu Shihua couldn't help but feel relieved.

Xu Xiaoyou was a little disappointed, but it was nothing, they would be back soon.

She was still complaining about Xu Shihua, "If you hadn't been dawdling at home, we would have run into my third uncle."

Xu Shihua had already made up his mind that when he arrived at the Lu family's door, no matter who said he was humiliating him, he would treat himself as a deaf, blind, and dead person and would not get angry.

Anyway, just stand there and show etiquette.

Xu Xiaoyou: "Look, my third uncle went to see his father-in-law and mother-in-law as soon as he came back! This is the necessary courtesy. My third uncle did this to respect my youngest aunt and mother-in-law, and to show

his love for his daughter-in-law!" Lu Hehuan hurriedly said: "Xiaoyou, your father loves me very much too."

Xu Shihua sneered.

At this time, when they entered the Lu family yard, Lin Shu, Chen Yanming, Fang Dihua and others were busy in the yard, and Xu Shihua shut up. There was

still no smile on his face, and he looked like a lady who was forced to have a wedding night.

"Dad, Mom, happy holidays."

Country people don't like such happy festival greetings. They won't say them. Besides, they are too clichéd and corny. People come to congratulate, and everyone understands.

He glanced at Chen Yanming and had a vague impression that he seemed to have been to the Lu family before.

No one took the initiative to introduce him, so he naturally didn't rush to greet Chen Yanming. He thought that he should say goodbye after greeting his father-in-law and mother-in-law. As for Lu Hehuan and Xu Xiaoyou, it's up to them. Anyway, he can't control them now.

Chen Yanming glanced at him, and seeing that he didn't smile, he didn't take the initiative to greet him, but helped Lin Shu do things.

Lin Shu knew that Xu Shihua was apparently escorted here by Xu Xiaoyou, but was actually forced to come by her and Fang Dihua, so she must be very angry in her heart.

She just nodded to them and said, "I'm here", but did not chat enthusiastically.

Xu Shihua gritted his teeth and greeted Fang Dihua and Lu Laodi, stood there awkwardly and listened to a few words, then quickly found an excuse to say goodbye and left first.

Naturally, no one kept him.

After leaving the Lu family's door, Xu Shihua felt a sense of relief as if he had just been released from prison.

What on earth did he want! I

spent money on gifts, but I still suffered this!

Lin Shu asked Lu Hehuan to stay for dinner with Xu Xiaoyou.

Of course, if Lu Hehuan couldn't bear to leave Xu Shihua, it would be nice for him to go back and accompany him.

Lu Hehuan chose to stay. She hadn't seen her third brother for a long time and wanted to see Lu Shaotang.

Xu Shihua wouldn't disappear anyway. She saw him every day. Besides, she was pregnant now. I don't know why she would bother him from time to time. Soon,

the three brothers of Ding Guohua also came to send Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to their grandmother's house. They were still a bag of grain, a bucket of oil, a piece of meat, and a bottle of maltose.

Since she wanted to keep a distance from the Ding family, every time Sister Lu sent grain and oil, Lin Shu paid according to the market price. It was not the cheap market price of the grain administration, but the black market price outside.

Of course, Sister Lu refused to take it, but finally accepted it according to the market price of the grain administration.

Lin Shu said that it was okay to send food once in a while, but if someone deliberately reported the Ding family, it would be easier to settle accounts if there was an account. It was just to help the grain management office clean up the warehouse bottom instead of giving away grain.

Big sister Lu thought Lin Shu was too timid. The grain management office said that this was a legitimate welfare. The warehouse bottom was not recorded in the account but distributed to employees as welfare, and everyone got it.

Besides, this was the decision of the director, not her father-in-law.

But Lin Shu insisted, Fang Dihua naturally supported Lin Shu, and Big sister Lu agreed.

The three brothers Ding Guohua are now particularly warm and affectionate when they visit their grandmother, and they are no longer arrogant as before.

Before they even entered the door, they called out affectionately: "Grandma, Grandpa, Third Uncle..."

Old Man Lu liked children and was just as happy to see his grandchildren. He asked them how is your grandma and why your parents didn't come.

Ding Guohua said, "My grandma has a cold, my mom is taking care of her at home, and she has to cook, so she won't come for the time being. She said she would come back to see you in two days. My dad is working overtime at the company today, and he said he would come back to talk to my third uncle."

Ding Guowen and Ding Guowu also said, "Grandma, grandpa, my grandpa asked us to come and help you with the autumn harvest. We have wanted to come for a long time, but the commune is the same as the city, and there is no autumn holiday. It's really annoying."

Every year during the wheat harvest and autumn harvest, the Ding family would always come up with this sentence, "Let the children come to help grandma harvest the crops," followed by "If they hadn't gone to their eldest aunt's house, there would be no holiday," and then they would definitely come.

Of course, no one came to work, and old man Lu would naturally not let them work.

According to him, the grandchildren in the family don't need to do anything before they are ten years old.

Knowing that Lu Shaotang went to the Lin family, Ding Guowen said: "Oh, every time you come, it's not a good time. Next time my third uncle comes back, let him wait for us at home. We will definitely come to find him."

In his opinion, Lu Shaotang is his third uncle, and his relationship with his mother must be closer than his relationship with the Lin family.

He turned around and said in surprise: "Where is Lu An?"

In the past, when they came, Lu An would run over and warmly entertain and flatter them. Like a pug, he was not seen today.

Lu Xiuxiu said, "I went to Linjiatun with my uncle."

Ding Guowu was surprised, "How can a jeep carry so many people?"

Ding Guohua laughed, "Stupid, can't they ride a bicycle?"

He smiled at Lu Xiuxiu and said softly, "Xiuxiu, it's been a while since you went home to play. Are you busy making clothes now?"

Lu Xiuxiu: "Everyone is harvesting in autumn, so I can't go out for fun."

She washed hawthorns, pears and other things for them to eat.

Lu Hehuan also came over to talk to Ding Guohua and others, asking him how his work in the commune was.

Although Ding Guohua had only been in the commune for a short time, he could see that he had already taken on some of the style of the government. After all, he had been influenced by his grandfather since he was a child, and he learned it right away.

Ding Guohua also said one by one, "Director Qin of the commune often instructs me, and there are also people who instruct me in the county. Everyone is very enthusiastic about me."

Grandpa had told him a long time ago that when he goes out, he should report good news instead of worries. He doesn't need to tell others about the things that make things difficult or difficult at work. Outsiders don't understand and can't give advice. Instead, they will watch the excitement. Just say nice things happily.

If you speak lively, relaxed, and confidently, others will think you are excellent, highly valued in the unit, and everything

goes smoothly. They will also respect and look up to you. If you complain to everyone about your leaders and colleagues being stupid, and you are also full of anger or complaints, others will naturally think you are a fool. Otherwise, why do you always stay in an environment full of idiots?

Moreover, no one is perfect. How can others be bad, but you are all good?

That's impossible.

In short, don't let people think you are full of complaints, otherwise they will think you are not worth associating with.

Ding Guohua wanted Lu Shaotang to help him, so he naturally had to show that he was excellent. Director Qin gave him advice and praises, and the county cadres also praised him for being young, capable and promising. Only then would he be worthy of the third uncle's support, right?

If he didn't have some ability, he would be useless, so who would be willing to take care of him?

Lu Hehuan was simple-minded, and he gave feedback according to Ding Guohua's thoughts, "That's because you are excellent. The leaders see that you have a future and are willing to give you advice. Work hard and strive to get a regular job as soon as possible."

Ding Guohua smiled and said, "Aunt, I will definitely work hard."

After that, he smiled at Lu Xiuxiu on the side.

Lu Xiuxiu was peeling pomegranates, so she shared them with them.

Not long after, Lu Shaotang and his friends came back.

Not only did they bring back a bunch of kids, but also Lin Baoer was brought over.

Of course, Lin's mother, father, and Lin Yue didn't come, and this was the first time Baoer left his grandmother's side.

He was closest to his grandmother and couldn't live without her for a day. He was a typical milk-baby boy, and if he continued like this

, he wouldn't be able to live without someone when he grew up. But today, he was so in love with playing with his sisters and brothers that he was tricked by Panpan to come here.

Lu Shaotang didn't mind at all, anyway, Lujiazhuang and Linjiatun were not far away, and if Baoer couldn't stay, he could be sent back in a few minutes.

The Lu family compound was like a nursery, with loud laughter.

Ding Guowen called out to Lu An, "Why are you there too?"

Lu An glanced at him. He would have laughed his ass off before and tried to flatter him, but now he tried to be more reserved, just like his brother said, and learn from Hou Bo. Look at

Hou Bo, except for his eyes lighting up when he saw his third uncle, he was very calm and composed when he saw other people. You just met Ding Guowen, what's so exciting about that?

It's not that Lu Ping has any opinions about his eldest aunt. He and his eldest aunt are friendly, and his eldest aunt treats them very well. The main thing is that Ding Guowen has always been a little arrogant to them.

Ding Guowen may not have noticed it himself, but Lu Ping could feel that Ding Guowen was arrogant at first and then respectful when his third uncle was around and when he was not.

He once whispered to his grandmother, and his grandmother said, your aunt is a good aunt, but your cousins ​​are closer to his grandma.

Lu Ping understood.

To put it bluntly, brothers are brothers, and cousins ​​are just one level apart. Unless the relationship is really good, they are just relatives.

Lu An greeted his cousins, and this time he tried to be neither humble nor arrogant. After greeting, he stood with Hou Bo as usual, and the two continued the previous topic affectionately.

Ding Guowen looked very uncomfortable.

Although he didn't think much of Lu An, he was unhappy that Lu An, who had always been trying to please him, was not trying to please him now, but was trying to please Hou Bo, who was hostile to him before.

He wondered why Lu An suddenly got along well with Hou Bo. Wasn't he jealous and excluded Hou Bo before?

Why did he go to Hou Bo's grandmother's house to play today?

This... is unbelievable, right?

He took the initiative to approach and said with a smile: "Lu An, why did you follow Hou Bo to Linjiatun?"

He also gave Lu An a look, didn't you two not get along before?

Lu An: "I now climb trees with brother Hou Bo in the morning to exercise. Let's compete to run to Linjiatun to see who is faster."

Ding Guowen felt more and more uncomfortable, "Who won?"

Lu An: "We came back together."

Ding Guowen thought Hou Bo was from Qizhou before, and wanted to get in touch with him more. Knowing that Lu An arranged to squeeze Hou Bo, he wanted to mediate as a cousin, but now the two of them are getting along, and he has left him alone!

He originally wanted to play both sides, but now the two of them are getting along, and he has become an outsider.

Lu An himself was a bit petty, and felt that Ding Guowen had looked down on him before, and that he had fawned on him before, and now he felt a bit ashamed.

He didn't like to hang out with Ding Guowen and Ding Guowu anymore, and just liked to stick to Hou Bo.

Hou Bo, however, was not the kind of stingy person who formed a small circle. Instead, he was willing to lead everyone to play together.

Although he was younger than Ding Guowen, he had more experience, so he led them to play multiplayer games.

For a while, they were in harmony.

Originally, Lu Ping and Ding Guowen were of the same age, and Hou Bo, Lu An, and Ding Guowu were of the same age, but because Lu Ping was mentally mature and worked as an accountant for adults, he was actually the same age as Ding Guohua.

He saw that his younger brother was always following Hou Bo, and Hou Bo was generous and not stingy, so he felt very relieved.

As expected, he comes from a family of senior cadres, with extraordinary knowledge, which is worth learning from.

He felt more and more that his uncle and aunt were amazing, and he must watch Lu An get close to his aunt in the future.

Everything else was empty talk.

As long as his uncle and aunt were there, their family would get better and better.

Mother Lin also gave a gift in return. Lin Yue bought fish from the reservoir of the brigade. This time, they also got two big black fish, each weighing more than four kilograms. It happened that Lin Shu's pickled sauerkraut was almost done, so she kept them first and made authentic Sichuan-style sauerkraut fish later.

In addition, she gave a pig's trotter with a pig's trotter.

Lin Shu was surprised and said, "Did our parents kill a pig?"

Before Sister Lin could explain, Panpan and Tiantian rushed to tell Lin Shu.

Tiantian: "No, it was the Zhou family's pig that broke its leg. Grandma Zhou said it was very pitiful, so we should not let it suffer and just kill it and eat the meat."

Panpan: "My grandma asked her to kill it and sell it. It was easy to sell during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the price could be slightly increased by two cents. My grandma bought some and gave us most of it."

Mainly because Baoer came with them, the eldest daughter and the eldest son-in-law did not stay for dinner, so Lin's mother and father naturally brought all the meat.

Panpan whispered: "Mom, we also went to the Jie family official manor to help grandma look after great-grandma, so my grandma doesn't have to worry."

Going to the Jie family official manor to see old lady Jie was suggested by Tiantian and Panpan.

Although the two children are smart, they are also soft-hearted. They hate seeing the harsh look of old lady Jie scolding and beating people. But once they can't see her, they just think about the pitiful things like "the old lady in her seventies broke her thigh, lying down and can't move, her family doesn't like to take care of her, she doesn't eat well..." and so on. They feel sad and think that this old lady is quite pitiful.

If they bring their grandma and grandmother into the picture, it will be even more pitiful and distressing.

The two children even took the initiative to say to Lin's mother, "Grandma, we will help you take care of your great-grandmother on the way back, so you don't have to worry."

Lin's mother wanted to go see her mother, after all, she broke her leg and couldn't move, and she didn't know how her sister-in-law took care of her. But since the children said so, she was relieved.

Father Lin and Lin Yue went to work every day to harvest in autumn. If she was not at home to cook, they would not be able to eat hot food.

So Lu Shaotang and his friends turned to the Jie family official manor, parked the jeep outside the village, and Lu Shaotang took Tiantian and Panpan to see it. They

didn't even have to go to Sister Lu's house, after all, they came from Qizhou. No matter if it was a job transfer or any other reason, they would always have to explain a lot when asked, which was troublesome.

Lu Shaotang was wearing a military uniform, tall and long-legged, handsome, and with two cute kids of the same height, his killing power was very high. As

soon as they entered the Jie family official manor, they attracted the attention of everyone they met, and the two playful puppies on the side of the road couldn't help but follow them.

"Oh, Grandma Jie is so blessed. Look, her grandson-in-law is bringing his children to see her again."

"This young man is so tall and handsome!"

"He looks like a big cadre!"

Although Lu Shaotang was reluctant to socialize, he would not skimp on the necessary formalities. He should support Fang Dihua's parents' home and his wife.

Of course, he doesn't like to talk, and no one can force him to talk. If someone asks him twenty questions, he will answer two if he is willing, and he won't answer if he is not willing, and no one will have any opinions.

So he doesn't have to say anything when he goes to Li's house. Even if people ask him too much, he can just respond with a few words like "um", "yes", or "no".

For example, when his aunt-in-law saw him trying to get close to her, she asked, "Nephew-in-law, where are you from?" "How is the treatment in the army?" "The salary has increased, right?"

Another example is when his uncle wanted to show off to him who he knew who had retired to become a militiaman, and who had returned from the army, he asked Lu Shaotang if he knew them.

How could Lu Shaotang know them? He just said he had never heard of them and didn't know them.

The rest was left to the two kids to do.

Tiantian looked at Old Lady Jie lying on the kang. What a pitiful old lady! Her hair, which was originally neatly combed, was cut into small pieces and stood up. Her hair, which was originally black, was now completely white.

Her face, which was originally a bit plump, was now sunken, and her eyes were very swollen.

Tiantian really sympathized with her, just as an old lady. After all, when Old Lady Jie was not mean or hitting or scolding people, she was also an ordinary old lady.

Tiantian and Panpan put down two moon cakes for her, and also a handful of sugar.

In addition, there were things that Lin's mother packed, two apples for Huang Yuanshuai, a pumpkin, and two white steamed buns.

Panpan: "Grandma, my grandma and uncle harvest crops every day. They go before dawn and go home after they go to bed at night. My grandma misses you so much. She doesn't have time to come to see you, so we come to see you on her behalf. My mother is the same. She cooks for the whole family every day, and she also has to grind, feed pigs, and fetch water. She is so tired."

Lu Shaotang: "..."

If his wife is really so tired, he will not agree.

The Xie family really believed it, because they thought Fang Dihua was powerful, a fierce mother-in-law, and it would be impossible for her to be very good to her daughter-in-law.

Besides, they themselves are powerful mothers-in-law who suffer from their daughters-in-law, and most of the mothers-in-law around them are powerful, so they think that everyone in the world is the same.

Old Mrs. Xie panted, "I know, your mother is the kindest and most filial person in the world, not like some ungrateful people."

She also cast a glance at her aunt who was busy serving her.

While working, the aunt silently cursed the old woman to go to heaven as soon as possible.

Since the separation, the old Xie family has changed a lot. Old Mrs. Xie, Xie Jinkui, and Xie Jinlan are no longer as comfortable as before.