Chapter 23 Too Stupid
Old Man Lu asked his two sons to repair the grave in the nursery, while he went home with a hoe on his shoulder - it was time to worship the God of Horse!
He walked briskly, and he would not stop to talk to anyone who spoke to him on the road, and would just give a perfunctory reply.
"The Second Master went to repair the grave today, which means he acknowledged that Shao Tang was gone. Oh, how pitiful."
"It's not a big deal, Shao Tang was such a good child, and it's no wonder that the Second Master was so upset that his ears became a little deaf because the old man sent the young one away."
"Be smart, don't poke the Second Master's heart."
Forget about the words of condolence, think more positively, and take care of yourself.
How could he not know?
If it was so easy to think positively, who would be sad?
Old Changtou stood at the intersection, looking at the back of Old Man Lu and sneered.
He had clearly sympathized with the Lu family and comforted them from time to time, but they were not grateful and instead made a fuss over a small matter.
He had been feeling hot since his eldest daughter-in-law was forced to apologize. He was too ashamed to see anyone when he went out. He even dared not go out to cool off at night because he felt ashamed.
People live by their face!
The Lu family tore off his face and stepped on it!
They made the Chang family lose face in the entire production team and even the brigade. This... this is not what human beings do.
The good image that his family had built up in Lujia Village for so many years was completely destroyed by Fang Dihua.
Since they didn't care about his sympathy and didn't give him face, he would hate the Lu family in the future!
Let them know that losing a good person like him is their loss!
What's even more ridiculous is that the Lu family actually instigated their children not to play with their grandchildren. This is too petty.
What does it have to do with the children if the adults quarrel?
Originally, his older grandchildren liked to play with Lu Ping, and the younger ones liked to play with Tiantian and Panpan. Now they are hiding from their own children. It
's really... petty!
Fang Dihua told the children about this. During dinner last night, she asked the children to stay away from the children of the Chang family, saying that "the upper beam is not straight, and the lower beam is crooked." The Chang family stares at them all day long to eat and drink and compete with each other, so the children will learn a little.
Father Lu has no idea what others are thinking. He is just anxious to go home to study.
He didn't believe in Marxism-Leninism at first. Although his family had sold all their property to support the revolution, he thought that was to support his elder brother, just like his grandfather sold all his property to join the Boxer Rebellion.
In his opinion, this was just like spending money to make connections and arrange a job. He just did it according to the situation, rather than the belief in the destiny of the revolution that sprouted from the depths of his soul.
After all, his activities were limited to his own family, which was the richest in the village and lived a good life. He treated his tenants well and they lived a good life.
He thought it had been good all along.
But when he opened the Manifesto and saw the first sentence, he felt like he was electrified: a ghost, □□, wandering in Europe...
He couldn't help but think of his home, his grandfather's home, other people he knew, the traitorous village chief who was shot, the pro-Japanese landlords, and the traitors who sold out the country for glory.
Although his feelings came a little late, now the revolutionary martyrs have led the people of the whole country to victory in the defense war, but isn't his third son still fighting?
His third son believes in Marxism-Leninism, so he wants to think deeply about what this is, just like he thought about Chinese medicine when he was a child, and he wants to delve into it.
This is one of his characteristics and advantages. He can delve into anything he is interested in.
Seeing her father-in-law coming back, Lin Shu just greeted him and then went about their own business. In this day and age, when a large family lives together, the father-in-law and his daughter-in-law rarely chat with each other. The situation is similar for the eldest uncle and his sister-in-law. When
Old Man Lu saw Tiantian and Panpan reading comic books under the eaves of the courtyard, he went into the house to find his own books.
Seeing the Capital and the new Selected Works of Mao brought back by the old woman, he immediately became very interested. He took a copy of Capital and sat next to the two children to read attentively.
Lin Shu was delighted to see the old man and two children so passionate about learning.
Soon Fang Dihua came back carrying a hoe. She put down the hoe and went to the west window to get the water that Lin Shu had dried to wash her hair. She lowered her eyes and saw the cotton and cloth on the kang in the west room, and asked Lin Shu in surprise what was going on.
Lin Shu: "Mom, this is the cloth and cotton that my sister-in-law from the east has returned to me for borrowing over the years."
Fang Dihua didn't believe it. She would rather believe that a rooster would lay eggs. "Can she return it to you?"
Lin Shu: "Anyway, that's what I heard. She said that I didn't straighten my clothes, so she gave me the cloth so that I could make my own clothes. I thought, isn't this just returning the cloth I had before?"
Fang Dihua thought of something and her face darkened. "Give it back to her. If you want new clothes, go back to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy cloth. I have saved the cloth coupons."
Lin Shu: "Mom, this is what she returned to me. How can I return it to her? Wouldn't I be at a big loss?"
Fang Dihua: "..."
She felt that the third daughter-in-law was preparing a big move for her.
She didn't say anything else. After washing her hair, the light dimmed. She asked the old man and the children not to read books anymore, so as not to damage their eyes.
She herself had poor eyesight, so she paid special attention to the children's eyes.
Panpan immediately told her grandmother the story of the comic book happily.
Father Lu was still immersed in the shock of knowledge and couldn't extricate himself. He felt like his soul was baptized. That look made Lin Shu feel that she would immediately go to the battlefield to defend the border after wearing a big red flower.
Lin Shu reminded Fang Dihua to wash her eyes and put on eye ointment, and asked Father Lu to help supervise.
The old woman's business was the most important, and Father Lu quickly called Fang Dihua to get the medicine.
Fang Dihua took Lin Shu to the hospital with the lithospermum ointment. A director named Yan asked him to go over and talk to him about making the ointment.
Father Lu: "If he wants the prescription, just give it to him. It's not a secret."
He thought that what he figured out from his master and medical books was very simple, and he thought that everyone in the world could do it just by reading a book.
There is a big difference between Old Man Lu and those ordinary people. He is very humble and not arrogant at all. He does not think he is awesome.
Lin Shu can understand his feelings. Once a person knows a certain knowledge, he can't go back to the state of ignorance. He feels that this knowledge is very simple and others should know it.
She said, "Dad, Director Yan asked you to go, so just go and talk. First, make some extra money and food stamps by making medicine for the hospital, and then maybe you can become a barefoot doctor slowly."
She knew that her father-in-law was a focused and thoughtful person. If he really became a barefoot doctor, he would definitely continue to study medicine, and sooner or later he would be a formal doctor in the hospital.
A good doctor is not restricted by age or length of service.
In ten years, he might be treated as a famous doctor.
Those old Chinese doctors with good medical skills have a registration fee of 500!
Even after retirement, many clinics are still vying to hire them. The better the medical skills, the more popular they are.
She wants her father-in-law to become a famous doctor, and then she can win without any effort! She wants
to rely on her parents-in-law and her children to win without any effort!
She wants to let herself go wild on the road to winning without any effort!
Father Lu was worried that something was wrong, maybe someone was deliberately looking for trouble and wanted to trick him into going to the county to deal with him.
Fang Dihua thought he didn't need to worry about this, "That old doctor Yan looks very serious."
Father Lu: "Okay, then I'll go and take a look."
Fang Dihua: "You can't work for him for nothing, and we won't ask for too much. One catty of grain coupons and one yuan a day are required. It's reasonable for you to take some back to apply the ointment yourself after it's done." If
it's just one prescription, it's estimated that he will go at most twice a month. Two yuan and two catties of grain coupons can't do anything.
The third daughter-in-law is right. Try to let him be a barefoot doctor. In the future, he won't have to work hard in the fields and can get full work points and medical subsidies.
Lin Shu has great confidence in her father-in-law. He doesn't just know one prescription. After he talks more with Director Yan, he will know other prescriptions, acupuncture, massage, etc., won't they all be useful?
The lithospermum paste is just a guide stone.
Father Lu thinks simply that he just wants to make some cash and food coupons to buy meat buns for his grandchildren. "Okay, I'll go."
Fang Dihua: "Let the eldest and second sons repair the tomb tomorrow. You take a leave to go to the county hospital and visit the county committee to thank the leaders for coming to visit us that day." Father Lu
agreed. The old
couple have discussed and agreed since they got married and lived together. Once they decided, they would go directly to do it without notifying their sons and daughters-in-law. After all, in Fang Dihua's view, except Lu Shaotang, the sons and daughters-in-law are not reliable.
At this time, Lu Shaocai showed his head from the east courtyard wall again, "Second uncle, auntie, there will be a memorial service tomorrow. My eldest auntie asked Changfu to notify the second auntie and the two sisters. Have you notified them?"
He was talking about Lu Lao's elder sister and two daughters.
Fang Dihua said unhappily, "They said there will be no memorial service!"
Lu Shaocai: "Auntie, I know you are upset, but the leader is coming, we have to set up two tables to show our appreciation."
Fang Dihua said coldly, "When the third brother comes back, I will set up ten tables to show our appreciation. You don't have to worry about it."
Lu Shaocai was choked by her and couldn't speak. Second auntie, are you crazy?
He's dead and you still want him to come back?
Hurry up and make some money during the memorial service. If you think about it after a while, this good thing will be gone.
He still didn't believe that what Old Man Lu and Fang Dihua said about a simple ceremony without wine and without any leader coming, so he naturally thought that Old Man Lu wanted to host the memorial service without him and get close to the cadres.
That was impossible, he had to get involved.
It would be better if the second branch's relatives didn't come, because they were all his relatives, and when the time came, he would have more people and more power, and the second branch would not be able to resist.
The gifts and condolences brought by the leaders must be his.
The next morning, Old Man Lu had to go to the county hospital.
He had asked for leave from the production team leader last night, and after understanding the situation, the team leader said that he would give him leave in the future.
These days, if you take leave, you will not get any work points. Even so, you can't just take leave casually. Some people take too many leave in order to secretly go to the city to work or go to other places to speculate and make some money. The team will deduct money from you if you take too many leave.
If someone didn't go to work for a month or two, the team would ask him to pay one yuan a day, otherwise he would not be allowed to spend money to buy food from the team.
In those days, food was scarce, and even if you had money, you couldn't buy it. If you wanted to buy food from the team, you had to work in the team.
Fang Dihua asked him to take the bus there and take the bus back at night, since the hospital said it would reimburse him.
Before leaving, Lin Shu secretly put two boiled eggs and two thin steamed buns for her father-in-law.
Although the hospital said it would provide meals, Lin Shu was afraid that he would be hungry and have nothing to eat when he was out. Old people are not good at resisting hunger, and their blood sugar is generally low due to lack of nutrition at this time. It is best to bring something to fill his stomach in the middle.
Zhao Meifeng had just returned from ordering a chicken and ran into Old Man Lu taking a bus. She chased after him and shouted, "Uncle, where are you going?"
Old Man Lu said, "To the county."
Zhao Meifeng: "What for?"
Old Man Lu ignored her and pretended to leave before going in.
Zhao Meifeng immediately rushed home and said to Lu Shaocai: "His father, your second uncle went to the county, he must have gone to invite the leaders."
Lu Shaocai: "What an old man, he also lied to me that there would be no banquets for the simple wedding. Fortunately, I didn't fall for it. I knew he was playing tricks on me and wanted to make money for himself."
Zhao Meifeng: "It's okay, when the leaders come, we will invite them here, and when the leaders go to worship, we will bring all the paper money over."
Then he bowed his head and burned it for Lu Shaotang. How dare he not pay? If Lu's father didn't pay, then the government would pay for him?
This bargain, he Lu Shaocai took.
Zhao Meifeng wanted to get some firewood from the east wall of her second uncle's house, but she found that the pile of firewood was... gone?
She quickly climbed up the wall with a ladder and saw Lin Shu feeding pigs in the southwest. She shouted, "Where's the firewood pile from the third uncle's house?"
Lin Shu pretended not to hear.
Of course, she asked her eldest sister-in-law to move the firewood pile away last night.
Now that it's empty, she can dig a small fish pond in a few days.
Zhao Meifeng's family didn't have much firewood, so she had to rush a few children out to pick up firewood, so that when the leader came, there would be no firewood to cook.
Of course, she thought that it would be the same if she took firewood directly from the second room.
Lin Shu listened to the busy sounds of Lu Shaocai's house next door and sneered. The couple was really greedy and stupid.
If it weren't for the fact that Lu Shaotang followed his uncle to join the army and had a bright future, how could the parents-in-law feel that they owed the first wife a favor and give the accounting job to Lu Shaocai?
Favors are owed one by one, and they will not be repaid for a lifetime.
Let's not talk about the work, the second wife doesn't owe the first wife anything, just say that Lu Shaotang is gone, and Lu Shaocai still wants to use this to control the second wife, what can Lu Laodi and Fang Dihua do?
They are not the kind of people who don't know what's going on.
Let's not talk about Lin Shu being busy at home, just say that Lu Shaocai is sure that Lu Laodi is going to the county to invite the leader in person, and he is getting more and more excited.
He put on Dacron, shaking pants, and big leather shoes, with two Hero brand pens in his left chest pocket, and pinned a small white flower on his arm. At ten o'clock, he was at the southern entrance of the village to welcome the leader.
He thought that Father Lu had left at 6 o'clock, but the county committee didn't start work until 8 o'clock. He had to find a leader to chat and drink tea, so he had to leave here at 9 o'clock.
The county had a small car and two jeeps replaced by the army. Could they seat so many leaders?
Wouldn't some people have to ride bicycles?
Then at least 10 o'clock... 10:30?
He waited and waited, looking forward to it, but he didn't see the county's small car or jeep until 11 o'clock. Instead, he was blown by sand on his head and face by the passing tractors and trucks.
Father Lu didn't go to the county committee? If not to the county committee, where would he go?
Besides, he didn't come back yet, so he must still be on the way.
Perhaps the leaders had delayed him by asking people to prepare wreaths and mourning couplets. He might arrive in the morning, just in time for dinner, and then go to the nursery for burial.
As a result, he waited until the sun was due south and then west, but still did not see the leaders. He was very hungry.
Zhao Meifeng had already led people to kill chickens and ducks at home, and stew chickens and ducks. He sent children to ask several times if they had arrived.
As a result, he waited until more than two o'clock in the afternoon, but the leaders and Lu Laodi did not return. Instead, the commune funeral shop came to ask for money.
People sent paper money to the nursery, so of course they had to pay.
A total of 18 yuan, plus an additional 8 yuan.
Lu Shaocai was anxious and ran to the nursery.
He even imagined that Father Lu was playing a trick on him and secretly took the leaders from the north to the nursery.
As a result, there were only the workers in the funeral shop who delivered paper decorations, and the old men, women and children who did not work in the village. They came here to watch the excitement.
There was no entertainment these days, and weddings and funerals were their opportunities to watch the excitement.
Especially now that everyone is poor, no one is lavishly building things. Lu Shaocai made so many paper decorations, boys and girls, big horses and carts...
watching the excitement and pointing and talking, it was very lively.
"Lu Shaocai is here. I used to think he was a miser, but I didn't expect him to buy so many good things for his cousin today."
"We are a family, and even if our bones are broken, they are still connected."
Lu Shaocai was going crazy. He first fooled the employees, saying that he would find his second uncle to ask for money and then give it to them. He asked them to wait a while, then he turned around and rode his bike to find Fang Dihua.
He had to ask carefully, what the second uncle and aunt were doing!
Are they deliberately teasing him? Are they deliberately
taking revenge on him and making him lose money and lose face?
Don't even think about it!