Chapter 25 Good Things
When it was getting dark, Father Lu came back from outside and heard the nephew's house next door shouting and drinking. The noise hurt his heart.
He knew San'er was still alive, but that bastard Lu Shaocai didn't know.
The bastard didn't look like he was mourning at all, and he even treated everyone to a feast. What kind of nonsense was this?
Father Lu was completely disappointed with the nephew he had brought up since he was a child.
Tiantian and Panpan didn't go out to play because today was the day when Lu Shaotang was repairing his grave. They stayed at home with Lin Shu.
When they saw Grandpa coming back, they immediately ran over to greet him joyfully, "Grandpa, Grandpa, you're back."
Surrounded by their tender, sweet and crisp voices, Father Lu was instantly happy again. He quickly took out meat buns and candies from his cloth bag, some of which were given by Doctor Yan, and some of which he bought himself.
Lin Shu quickly set the table for him, and there were still stewed eggs in the evening, which were reserved for him.
When Brother Lu heard that his father was back, he immediately came over, just in case he could have a drink?
But Father Lu didn't drink, because he and Doctor Yan had drunk two cups of wine together at noon, so he naturally didn't want to drink his own wine.
He was really happy.
His third son was fine, and he also began to believe in Marxism-Leninism, and even went to the county hospital as a non-staff member.
Today, when I went to the county committee to thank the leaders, I unconsciously mentioned sentences from the "Manifesto" and "Selected Works of Mao Zedong" in my speech, which moved the director of the Revolutionary Committee very much. He held his hand and praised him vigorously, saying that he was worthy of being Lu Shaotang's father, that his thoughts were progressive and he had been making progress, and he hoped that he would keep making progress.
He didn't know why he was so excited, but he could clearly feel that it was because he began to believe in Marxism-Leninism.
He even reflected on himself, saying that he was not progressive enough in the past and affected his children. In the future, he would make progress and not embarrass his children.
He would firmly believe in Marxism-Leninism and let the immortal Marx bless his third son.
Of course, the county leaders were definitely not qualified to know his third son's secret mission, and he couldn't show it too much. He had to keep a low profile and be sad as much as possible.
In short, he was very happy.
Fang Dihua: "What did Doctor Yan say?"
Old Man Lu adjusted his mood and said slowly: "Very good. Doctor Yan said that he has approved with the hospital leaders and wants to get me a job as a non-staff doctor in the hospital, which is similar to a barefoot doctor. I can practice medicine in the brigade, but I will only be in charge of traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, let me go to the county hospital twice a month to help them boil ointments, exchange and learn, etc."
He went early and arrived at the county hospital first, but he didn't expect that Doctor Yan was already there.
The two were old acquaintances, and there was not much distance between them when they met. It was natural to talk about the past.
Doctor Yan personally tried his acupuncture, massage and other medical skills, and praised him for being more and more experienced, and his prescriptions and ointments were also well thought out. He said that he would introduce important patients to him when he had the chance.
Doctor Yan really wanted to promote him. He originally only wanted to cooperate with the ointment, but now he directly gave him the qualification of a non-staff doctor. After the hospital's approval, the county health group will send a document to the Fendou Commune and the Lujiazhuang Brigade to appoint Old Man Lu as a non-staff doctor stationed in the Lujiazhuang Brigade of the County People's Hospital.
Of course, the hospital does not pay Old Man Lu a salary, but only a pharmaceutical subsidy. In addition, he can keep the medical fees for his own practice.
Old Man Lu felt that the medical fees were not much, and he didn't take it seriously, so he naturally agreed.
Doctor Yan said that the pharmaceutical subsidy was a minimum of five yuan a month plus five kilograms of food coupons.
This was an additional subsidy for food, and Old Man Lu felt very good.
Five yuan, in this day and age when old farmers work so hard to earn only three cents a day, five yuan is really a lot of money.
He is very content and grateful to Dr. Yan.
Fang Dihua is very proud, "Then I will talk to the production team leader and the brigade tomorrow."
Father Lu: "Wait
a minute, wait until the county notifies us." He slightly revealed to the production team leader that people should be low-key and not show off, and the brigade will talk about it later.
Brother Lu smiled and said, "Mom, my dad is doing such a good thing, why don't you drink a few cups?"
Fang Dihua: "Drink a few cups."
On the contrary, San'er has nothing to do, so he will be happy to drink a few cups.
Brother Lu happily went to get the wine cup and bottle.
But old man Lu was unhappy. He and his wife knew that San'er was fine, but this bastard didn't know. Why was he so happy?
He was not sad at all when his brother got into trouble.
When eldest brother Lu happily poured two cups of wine and was about to take them, old man Lu covered them with his hands.
Elder brother Lu: "Dad?"
Old man Lu's face sank. "It's getting late. Go back to your room."
Elder brother Lu was stunned. "Dad?"
Fang Dihua: "Hurry up, hurry up, I need to take a shower and go to bed."
Elder brother Lu wanted to cry but had no tears. Why was he like this? He was the eldest son, his own.
He returned to his room with a sad look on his face. His two sons had gone out to look for cicadas and monkeys and had not returned yet. Elder sister-in-law Lu was mending his clothes.
Lin Shu can help make new clothes, but she has to sew the trousers herself.
Brother Lu glanced at her and said disdainfully, "You are such a stupid woman. Look at your thick needles and big threads. You can poke Magu's eyes out, make the weaver jump into the river, and even break Huang Daopo's spinning machine. Tsk tsk... Hey, except for me, no one dares to want you."
Sister-in-law Lu was not annoyed at all, "Yes, you are the best. Are you drunk? Let me rub your waist."
Brother Lu: "Dizzy, what the hell? I didn't drink a single sip." Sister- in-
law Lu: "What's the matter? Dad won't give it to you?" Brother
Lu said with a frown.
Lu Dasao turned around and groped in the kang cabinet, "Here. " Lu Dasao squinted and saw that
there was two fingers of liquor in the old white wine bottle. He sat up immediately, "Where did it come from?"
Lu Dasao laughed secretly, "I secretly poured our father's, hehe, don't let it slip." Lu
Dasao was immediately as happy as a god, and hurriedly asked Lu Dasao to find him some snacks.
Lu Dasao took out a plate of pickled vegetables for dinner.
In the main room, Lu Dasao asked Fang Dihua to sit down, and the old couple drank a cup of wine each.
When taking the bottle, Fang Dihua frowned, "How did the wine go down so quickly?"
Old Man Lu took a look, "It must be those."
Fang Dihua: "That can't be. I went out at noon and took a look and it was still in the middle of the words 'Lao Baigan'. How come it's at the bottom now?"
Old Man Lu said: "It must be the eldest brother's who stole it and gave it to the eldest brother. No one else."
Fang Dihua: "The eldest brother's... shit."
Old Man Lu whispered: "Forget it, it's not for others, it's better than stealing it back to her mother's house." As
soon as the bottle was taken out, he found out the clue, so he deliberately didn't give it to the eldest brother.
Fang Dihua didn't say anything. From this point of view, the third brother's family is better.
The old couple was talking in a low voice when they quarreled next door to the east.
Zhao Meifeng was really angry. Not only did she control the food and drink of her relatives, but she also had to take it when they left.
Not only are there things to eat and things to take, but she also has to scold her for being stingy!
"His sister-in-law, come on, stop picking and searching. Won't you get stinky if you can't finish all these chickens and ducks? We'll take them back and help you eat them."
"Yes, yes, our fourth brother didn't come, so I took the chicken and duck back for him to eat."
"We too..."
Zhao Meifeng: "I have to return these to them. They're two yuan each. If you take them away, give them the money."
"Oh, we're relatives, why are you being so stingy?"
"That's right, they asked us to come all the way here, but we took leave and didn't go to work, so we delayed our work points. What's wrong with you giving us some gifts in return?"
Zhao Meifeng had realized how she was trying to squeeze Lin Shu, and it all backfired on her.
It hurt her so much.
After the relatives left in a shouting manner,
the house was in a mess. The vegetable garden was in a mess, half of the chickens and ducks were taken away, and some of the eggs were taken away. The house was even more messy, and it was dirty everywhere, and she had to clean it up.
Now she doesn't even have a daughter-in-law to use!
The old men didn't help when the oil bottle fell, and she had to do it all by herself!
Her eldest son Lu Changfu urged her, "Mom, ask me, the third aunt, to help."
Zhao Meifeng heard it and thought it was right. She made a move and piled the chicken and duck bones left by the guests in the basin, intending to ask Lin Shu to come and eat them.
She climbed up the wall with the ladder and shouted, "Old Third's, Old Third's."
Fang Dihua was annoyed, "Put the child to sleep!"
Zhao Meifeng was very angry when Fang Dihua was so impolite. He snorted and went back to complain to Lu Shaocai.
Lu Shaocai was still upset. He
was really in trouble today.
He didn't curry favor with the leader, and his family lost a lot of money.
He spent a full hundred!!!
A hundred, a family of five or six people, two strong laborers can't earn it, at least three or four strong laborers can earn a hundred dividends.
He felt heartache and pain, and he really stamped his feet and beat his chest repeatedly, but he still couldn't get rid of his anger.
Zhao Meifeng rushed over and hugged him to persuade him, "Dad, don't feel bad, write a letter to the capital quickly."
Lu Shaocai: "That bitch will definitely stop Dad and won't give in."
Zhao Meifeng: "Just say that Second Uncle is sick because of Third Son, and no matter how much money is spent, he can't be cured, so he has to be hospitalized." Lu Changfu:
"Yes, that's right, write that, and I also need money to marry a wife."
The family hurried to stop the loss and thought of ways to extort money from their grandfather.
Lu Shaocai was still angry, and said with gritted teeth: "Second uncle is too much, he doesn't share a penny!"
He turned his head to look, "Do you have any chicken and duck meat left? Send them some. Why don't you give them half of the money?"
Zhao Meifeng: "What can your aunt and uncle leave for you? They eat up all the cooked ones and take some of the raw ones too."
She wanted to scold them for sweeping away everything like locusts, but she was afraid that Lu Shaocai would lose face.
Lu Shaocai said angrily, "These dogs who never get enough of taking advantage, never let them come again!"
If he hadn't thought that he would make a fortune from Lu Shaotang's funeral, he would never have invited them to dinner. He hadn't invited them to his home for a meal in all these years since he came back.
These locusts finally got the chance and took advantage of him, which really pissed him off.
He never thought that this would be how his uncle treated when his family came back that year.
Lu Shaocai said that he was sick when he got angry. Humph, he didn't go to work, the brigade had no accountant, and the accounts were not clear, so he didn't see who was anxious.
He wanted to wait until the brigade was in chaos, and then the brigade leader would invite him.
He complained to Old Man Lu and Fang Dihua again, saying how much he had worried about his third brother, but they didn't appreciate it and even made trouble for him.
Well, he had a good idea.
The next morning, Lin Shu was awakened by Zhao Meifeng in the east.
Before the alarm rooster in the village crowed, Zhao Meifeng shouted, "His father, his father, what's wrong with you, are you okay? Changfu, Changfu, what's wrong with your father, hurry up, call a doctor."
Old Man Lu and Fang Dihua were also awakened.
The old couple lay still, calming down their pounding heartbeats caused by being awakened.
Old Man Lu: "Hua'er, how are your eyes?"
He supervised Fang Dihua to wash her eyes, apply eye ointment, take medicine, and acupuncture points for her.
Fang Dihua: "You know what, it really works. It seems that the combination of Chinese and Western medicine is really effective."
Old Man Lu smiled and said, "The third daughter-in-law is filial to you, so the money is not wasted, right?"
Last night before going to bed, she muttered to him, saying that the third daughter-in-law is amazing, and is more thrifty than her when she goes out. She knows how to spend money and talk back to people, and she can also flatter and please the doctor, and give him whatever he wants .
Tsk tsk, her mouth is like someone who has been blessed in a Bodhisattva temple or brewed honey in a beehive.
Old Man Lu felt that the old woman was showing off rather than complaining.
Fang Dihua: "The money is not wasted, but it's a bit expensive. I wish it was two yuan."
Father Lu: "It's okay. Can't I be a barefoot doctor now? Let's earn the money. Doctor Yan told me to make comfrey paste, Baohe pills, and cough syrup first. If they sell well, I might get a bonus." Doctor Yan
also told him gossip, saying that many doctors in the hospital sell special medicines privately, and some doctors open small clinics. In addition to treating patients, they can even perform surgeries, especially...private surgeries such as abortion.
Abortion surgery makes a lot of money, several times higher than the salary of an office job.
Father Lu guessed that this was a disguised way for Doctor Yan to say that he also sells medicine privately or prescribes medicine for people, but he is a Chinese medicine doctor and is not so weird, so he won't perform abortions.
Father Lu didn't care about these things. He was also very strict. He just let it go after hearing them.
Next door, Lu Shaocai and Zhao Meifeng were acting. He called them for a long time but Father Lu didn't come over to check on them.
Lu Shaocai: "It seems that he really doesn't take me seriously."
Was Second Uncle upset with him because of the memorial service?
No, it was definitely not this. He must have hated him since he became the accountant of the brigade. But before, because the third child relied on his father to become a military officer, Second Uncle couldn't get angry. Now that the third child is gone, Second Uncle has no scruples.
Haha, blood is thicker than water, it's just a lie.
He asked his son to ask for leave, and then he lay at home with peace of mind, and asked Zhao Meifeng to stew chicken and duck for him.
Let the team be in chaos.
After breakfast, Old Man Lu continued to go to work with his two sons.
The men and women were not in the same area. The men followed the production team leader to a farther plot, and the women were closer to the village.
Big Brother Lu drank two cups of wine last night, and now his complexion was rosy and in high spirits, looking like a bridegroom.
Old Man Lu couldn't bear to watch, so he put his hands behind his back, lowered his eyes, and hurried on. Second
Brother Lu carried the hoes for three people and followed Old Man Lu obediently.
When passing behind, a well-dressed woman smiled at Big Brother Lu, "Go to work."
Big Brother Lu was in a good mood and smiled as well.
After walking a few steps, Father Lu suddenly turned his head and looked at him, his eyes solemn, "What's the point of showing your big teeth? Who smiles with others? Is it your turn to smile?"
Brother Lu complained, "Dad, when people greet us, we can't have a sullen face."
Is it okay to have a sullen face like you when meeting everyone except my mother?
Father Lu: "You have a wife, why are you smiling with other women? If I see you again, I will break your legs."
Brother Lu made a face at Brother Lu, and then deliberately limped.
"Hey, Brother Lu, what's wrong?" The captain came over smoking a cigarette.
Father Lu: "This bastard is so annoying, how come you have time to come here?"
The team leader: "I'm looking for you. Has the tomb been repaired?"
Father Lu: "Thanks to you, it's been repaired. My child's mother and I are relieved."
The team leader also knew Father Lu's attitude towards Lu Shaotang, so he didn't say anything to express his condolences, but just said: "The accountant is sick." Father
Lu: "I heard the doctor being called this morning, but I was in a hurry to go to work and didn't go to see him."
The team leader: "The team has a lot of accounts, second brother, can you go over and sort them out? Just consider it as borrowing, and count the work points for the whole day, and give you an extra pound of soybeans, okay?"
Father Lu's accounting for one day can be equivalent to Lu Shaocai's ten days, and the team leader knows it very well.
The team leader also felt a little guilty about that matter. Lu Shaocai was just relying on his father to make trouble.
Even if Father Lu did not take the initiative to give him the accounting job, the brigade secretary and the captain had to talk to Father Lu in order to settle the matter and give Uncle Lu face.
To put it bluntly, they sacrificed Father Lu to shut Uncle Lu up so that he would not have to worry about his son going home without food.
Father Lu: "Thank you for your esteem. I will definitely help if you need me. Not to mention that my third son is a soldier, I also believe in Marxism-Leninism now. We must fight for communism, unite around the party and the people, and work hard."
The captain looked at him in surprise, "Second brother, you... are so good."
I always thought Father Lu had the temperament of a feudal old man, but now I think he has the temperament of an advanced representative of the new society and communism?
How did he change so much?
Was it because he was devastated by the death of Lu Shaotang?
Oh, this is really a mixed blessing.
Old man Lu asked his two sons to go to work, and he followed the team leader.
At this time, Lu Shaocai was still waiting at home,
"Is the team in chaos?"
"Did the team send someone to care about me?"
"Did the team send someone to consult me about the accounts?"
Zhao Meifeng: "No."
At this time, someone knocked on the back window, and Lao Changtou's voice came, "Nephew, this is incredible, I saw your second uncle was asked by the team leader to do the accounting."
What?
Lu Shaocai jumped to the ground, second uncle, you are really something, you specialize in prying into the corner of the nephew's wall? ! !