Chapter 17 Calculation
Anyway, whether I pretend to be sick or stupid, I must find a way to get my mother-in-law to the hospital for examination.
There is a highway to the south of Lujia Village, which was built during the large-scale construction in the late 1950s. With this road, transportation is much more convenient.
There are buses from Qingxian in the east to Rongcheng in the west that pass through here. There are very few buses, one in the morning and one in the evening. If you miss it, you have to wait until the next day.
As for going from the commune to the county town?
If there are no buses, you can only hitchhike on the road, which may be tractors carrying coal and sand, or ox-drawn carts carrying fertilizers and crops.
If there is no car, you have to walk.
Fang Dihua borrowed a bicycle from the secretary's house with her face and took Lin Shu to the county town.
Lu Laodi went to the brigade to discuss Lu Shaotang's matter.
He and Fang Dihua had discussed that since his son had a secret mission and his superiors were using "sacrifice" to protect him, the family had to cooperate and get the matter done as soon as possible.
Funerals are simple these days, unlike in the past when they had to set up a mourning tent, place the body, inform all relatives of the death and ask them to come to pay their respects. Everyone was at work during the day and the production team could not give so many people a holiday.
Now the cremation is done in the county, the closest relatives and the family cry twice, and the relatives and friends who live nearby come to pay their respects at noon or in the evening, and then the urn is sent to the cemetery for burial.
Civil servants or the military hold memorial services, and if it is simple, there is no need for a memorial service.
The old couple believed that their son was not dead, so they naturally did not want to waste money on the government. They did not need a memorial service or a funeral, let alone a mourning ceremony. They only asked for two more plots of land next to the ancestral tomb, which would belong to Lu Shaotang and his wife.
The villagers had prepared the cemetery in advance.
When Old Man Lu talked to the brigade secretary and the brigade leader, they agreed on the spot.
Not to mention the help the Lu family had given to everyone in the past, Old Man Lu’s eldest brother was still being honored in the compound of the Capital Military Region, his second nephew was still an officer, and his third son was a glorious martyr even though he died.
In short, the county and the commune respected the Lu family, so how could the brigade block them?
The brigade secretary handed a cigarette to Old Man Lu, "Second brother, sit for a while."
Old Man Lu: "My trachea is not good. Smoking makes me cough in winter. You should smoke less."
He learned to smoke when he was young, but stopped smoking after getting married.
The brigade leader: "Second brother, think about it, don't be too sad."
Old Man Lu waved his hand, "Yes, I think about it. You two take a rest, I'm going to work."
After Old Man Lu left, the brigade leader sighed and said to the old secretary: "It's really unpredictable. Who could have thought of it when I was young?"
At that time, the second master of the Lu family was a handsome young man, riding a big horse and holding a whip, followed by a group of drivers who drove big carts. He was young and managed a large inn and cart shop, and the goods coming and going piled up like a mountain.
At that time, they all looked up to him, and always felt that the second young master was like a person in the sky, unattainable.
Now... the captain smiled,
things change over time. However, the old man of the Lu family, whether it is the first or the second master, is not the kind of greedy and vicious person, but a smart and honest person, so they can still live a good life when the world changes.
Smart people.
"Hey, what is my second uncle, a busy man, doing in our brigade headquarters?" While speaking, Lu Shaocai came in with a cigarette in his mouth.
He is the nephew of Lu Laodi and the current accountant of the brigade. However, his business ability is mediocre. In the first two years after he took office, Lu Laodi had to help him with the accounts. He has only gotten used to it in the past two years, but he still makes mistakes from time to time.
If it weren't for his father and second uncle, the brigade secretary and the captain would really want to beat him.
The brigade secretary was smoking and didn't pay attention to him immediately. The captain simply said a few words.
Lu Shaocai: "Demarcate the grave? That's not possible, is it? Nowadays, all land is quantified, and the land can be cultivated after the graves are leveled. How can we allocate those two large plots to him?"
The brigade secretary rolled his eyes to the sky, you idiot, lawless, fatherless and motherless dog, there are so many people in Lujiazhuang, and your grandparents are buried there, and you want to level the graves just like that? If
you want to make a name for yourself and make achievements, then you can. If you step on your second uncle to show your performance, no one will care. But if you drag us into this, we will kill you!
When this dog was a child, he followed his mother to the capital to join his father who was a military officer. Everyone thought he must be a national cadre at least, but who knew that he would suddenly come back with his family in the winter of 1966.
After returning, the whole family lived with the second uncle first. He made trouble and snatched the position of brigade accountant from the second uncle. In 1966, he also wanted to make trouble.
At that time, the city was bustling, but the village was calm. The members were busy doing farm work. How could they have the time to do this or that?
This dog money thing, claiming to be a big shot from the capital, was well-informed and insisted on joining the city to make trouble.
Even if he was a brigade accountant, the villagers didn't recognize him. Who was he?
He wanted to start a movement, but no one cooperated with him. Who could he do?
So he took action against his own uncle, wanting to settle the matter of running an inn, a big carriage inn, and being a landlord's son.
Of course, he said nice things to Uncle Lu, saying that it was just a formality. If he could make some achievements in politics, he might be able to become a cadre in the commune.
Fang Dihua was so angry that she sent a telegram to Uncle Lu. Uncle Lu called the commune and scolded his eldest son.
But he refused to change his bad habits. If he was not allowed to dig the root, he would find other problems. He also said that he was not allowed to raise chickens and grow vegetables, and that the graves had to be leveled and ancestor worship was prohibited.
In the end, the brigade cadres couldn't stand it and stabbed him twice, and he finally behaved himself.
If he didn't have a father who was a senior cadre in the capital, no one would let him be an accountant!
Compared with Uncle Lu's business ability, he is not even worthy of carrying his shoes!
Who would enjoy a good life in the capital with his biological father, and suddenly return to his hometown in disgrace?
He boasted that he couldn't get used to living in the capital, the dust storms there, and the stinky bean juice there. Bullshit, he must have been driven back!
The brigade secretary rolled his eyes, smoked a cigarette, and ignored him.
Seeing that the brigade secretary and the brigade leader didn't agree with him, Lu Shaocai immediately felt very embarrassed. He pretended to flip through old newspapers and messed with the accounts reported by various production teams. In his mind, he was thinking: Second uncle has come to terms with it and admitted that the third brother is gone? Then the funeral... must be a big deal. When the time comes, I, the eldest cousin, will be the host. I have to collect a lot of funeral gifts?
Will the county officials come? If he comes, can I take the opportunity to curry favor with him?
If the county can't come, then the commune secretary and director will definitely come, and then I will flatter them.
A lot of other people will come, right? They can't come empty-handed, they must bring gifts, right?
This gift money cannot be given to the second uncle, if I host it myself, I will let my wife and son keep it, and I can use it as a betrothal gift for my eldest son to marry a wife.
He thought very well, and never took the captain's words "Dad Lu asked for a simple funeral and no memorial service, just a burial site" into his mind. He only thought about what he thought, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that there were many opportunities to make a fortune.
Lu Shaotang was a martyr, and he received a sum of money from the memorial service. Then he must visit the grave on the seventh day after his death? Must he sweep the grave on Qingming Festival in the future?
Must the county commune send relief supplies to the Lu family regularly?
Apart from other things, 50 kilograms of flour, 10 kilograms of oil, 10 kilograms of meat, a few kilograms of cotton, and two rolls of cloth a year is not too much, right?
The more he thought about it, the more proud he became. He sat on the chair and leaned back, with his leather-shoeed feet resting on the worn-out desk. When he was proud, his two feet moved little by little, and the chair leaned back so that only the two hind legs were on the ground, making a creaking sound under the weight.
The old branch secretary got so angry that he stood up and walked away with his hands behind his back and a sullen face. Damn it, why didn't he fall to death!
*
Although it was more than 40 miles from Lujiazhuang to the county town, Fang Dihua was strong and rode fast, so Lin Shu felt that they would arrive there soon.
If it was for herself, wouldn't it take two or three hours to ride?
Such a difference.
The key person Fang Dihua didn't blush or breathe heavily.
Fang Dihua was not one of those neighbors who were so nervous about going to the city that they couldn't open their mouths as if they were glued together, and didn't know whether to step on their left leg or right leg. She would ask people where the Xinhua Bookstore was and rush over without wasting any effort.
Lin Shu: "Mom, let's go to the hospital first."
Fang Dihua: "The bookstore is close, let's put it aside for now."
At this time, the Xinhua Bookstore was just two simple small shops, and there was a small picture book stand at the door. There were four or five children sitting on small stools flipping through books.
Lin Shu knew that her mother-in-law was a donkey, so she had to stroke her hair. OK, then buy books first.
She saw that the popular comic books at that time were also new, and there was no one at home.
The Lu family also had books, but they were old-fashioned handwritten copies left by Lu's father. They were all traditional books, and there were almost no pictures.
Which child could resist such illustrated comic books?
She decided to buy some to show them to Lu Ping and his family, especially Tiantian and Panpan, who could not miss the company of comic books in their childhood. While
Lin Shu was reading comic books, Fang Dihua was looking at the old lady selling ice cream on the roadside.
The temperature was already quite high in late May of the lunar calendar. On the roadside, there was an old lady wearing white Dacron, with her hair tied up in a bun, waving a large palm-leaf fan in her hand, sitting on an iron folding chair, with a wooden wheelbarrow in front of her, pulling a white painted box with the two big words "ice cream" written in red paint on it.
Fang Dihua was also curious. Didn't they crack down on speculation and prohibit trading? There were no stalls on this street. Why could this old lady sell ice cream here?
This old lady must be of a special status.
She hesitated whether to buy Lin Shu a sweet popsicle.
San'er had been away from home since his marriage, and Fang Dihua felt that she owed her daughter-in-law. In addition, Lin Shu could communicate with Ma Shenxian, so Fang Dihua felt that she should give her a...more expensive ice cream.
But it seemed that she wanted to buy comic books, so would she buy ice cream?
Lin Shu looked back at her, "Mom, hurry up and buy some books. I'll wait for you here."
Fang Dihua gave her two yuan with all her heart. This was the salary sent back by San'er. Lin Shu should have had a share, but she couldn't save money and was always coaxed by others, so Fang Dihua didn't give her any.
Lin Shu took it happily, "Thank you, Mom."
She squatted beside a few children and flipped through the comic books together, carefully selecting a few to take back for the children.
Among the children sitting next to them, two were wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, sandals and white nylon socks on their feet.
Wow, so particular.
Looking again, oh, the mosquito bites were serious. It seems that mosquito coils and floral water are not popular in this city. Look at the big bumps on the calves caused by the bites of this kid.
The boy was absorbed in flipping through the comic book, and he was pinching his legs so hard that they were bleeding.
Lin Shu had the bottle of comfrey ointment in her bag, and was going to the county hospital to find a chance.
She rubbed the boy's legs with it.
The boy felt a cool sensation as he was rubbing his legs, and he was not itchy anymore. He looked at Lin Shu in surprise, "Wow, Auntie, you are so pretty, hey, I am not itchy anymore."
The bookstore manager heard his son talking to someone, and immediately came out to see. He saw a thin woman in shabby clothes squatting there, flipping through books and applying some ointment on his son's legs.
He immediately became alert, because a child was stolen from the back street a while ago and has not been found yet.
He immediately stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing?"
Lin Shu turned her head and raised the book in her hand, "Buying books."
The bookstore manager was stunned. Isn't this... this young wife too pretty? Her big watery eyes are clear and bright, which makes people's heart beat faster. A child stealer can't be so pretty, right? It's too eye-catching, and her eyes are clear, not like a bad person.
He cleared his throat, "Buying books? Can you read?"
Seeing that Lin Shu was dressed shabbily, his voice was inevitably a bit teasing.
Lin Shu was not bothered, and asked back, "How many words are considered knowing words? The entire Xinhua Dictionary or the Kangxi Dictionary?"
The bookstore manager noticed that the young wife's sweet voice was a little embarrassed, "What were you touching just now?"
Are you trying to get close to the child and steal the child? If you dare to steal a child, no matter how handsome you are, I will send you to the police station.
Lin Shu: "His legs were itchy, and I happened to bring some comfrey ointment, so I applied some on him."
The bookstore manager didn't take it seriously and sneered, "The Shanghai brand floral water I bought didn't work, how could yours work?"
His son is afraid of heat, can't wear long clothes and long pants, and has a physique that attracts mosquitoes. His skin is also quite sensitive, so he always gets a big blister, and the child can't stand it, so he always scratches it until the skin is broken and bleeding, leaving scars, which is really heartbreaking to see. The key point is that the blister won't go away for many days, and there are still marks all winter.
Lin Shu smiled and didn't answer him. Do you think you are superior to me wearing patches just because you wear Dacron?
Seeing that it was finally his turn to speak, the boy turned his head to look at his father and said loudly: "Dad, the ointment that Aunt Jun gave me is very effective. My legs are no longer itchy. Please buy me this ointment!"
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: 47684285 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Xixi 20 bottles; Shanyue Xiaoyu 10 bottles; Dongdongdong, Wumianyu 2 bottles; Shanwai Qingshan, Maomao, Fengconghailai, BBB 1 bottle;