Chapter 8 Heartache

Mrs. Lu quickly poured most of the cold vegetables into the bowl. Although she didn’t think they tasted very good, she had to take more if her man liked them!

She took several more steamed buns and then accompanied Big Brother Lu back to his room to eat.

As soon as they left, the frown on Old Man Lu’s brows became even more serious, and Fang Dihua’s eyebrows drooped visibly.

Panpan and Tiantian were very sensitive little babies. They immediately noticed something was wrong. “Grandma, Grandpa, why don’t you eat? Do you think my mother’s cooking is not good enough?”

Old Man Lu choked up in his throat and quickly put a chopstick of cold vegetables into his mouth. It was refreshing and slightly sour, and it was really appetizing. He forced a smile: “Delicious!”

He took chopsticks for the two children and let them eat.

Tiantian saw Panpan trying to take some food, so she immediately held him down and said, "Grandpa, you eat, we've already eaten with mom."

Fang Dihua took a bite and it was indeed better than what the third daughter-in-law used to cook, but she was not very happy, but felt heavy instead.

The taste of the dishes is limited, and it won't get better suddenly. The third daughter-in-law's cooking is delicious, so she seems to be in a good mood, maybe she really has two hearts.

Well, if you can't keep her, then you can't keep her, it would be better for her to go out early.

But she and the old man didn't want to admit that their son was gone, so they couldn't let her go out for the time being.

Lu Ping and Lu An came over and called Tiantian and Panpan to go out to touch the cicada monkeys, because now was the time when they came out from the ground and climbed up the trees.

Adults and children must go there in the summer nights, no matter how much. After returning, soak it in salt water, and when you have enough, you can fry it with oil. If you don't want to burn it, you can also eat it. After all, it's all meat and it tastes good.

It's not easy to eat meat at this time. You can only eat pork a few times a year. Cicada monkeys, grasshoppers, and bean worms are the delicacies of children.

Brother Lu came in after washing clothes. A kerosene lamp with a bean-sized flame was hung on the door frame of the east room, which could illuminate several rooms. There

were two chopsticks of cold vegetables left for him on the table, as well as a plate of pickled vegetables and toon sprouts.

Brother Lu sat down and ate without saying a word. He ate six nests of meat before stopping.

Father Lu: "Second brother, eat more and eat until you are full."

The second and third brothers have had big appetites since they were young, and they are not picky eaters. They eat the pig food made by their sister-in-law with relish.

Second brother Lu said in a low voice with a bass sound, "Dad, I'm full."

He knew that his parents were upset because of his third brother's matter, and he was also very upset. He wanted to comfort the two elders, but he always felt that something was blocking his mouth and made him embarrassed to speak.

Country people are not good at expressing their feelings. Not only do they not express love, but sometimes they can't express comfort either. Over and over again, they just say, "You want to let it go, what's wrong with you, it's better not to comfort you." Second

brother Lu is especially bad at expressing himself. He has something to say but can't say it. He is embarrassed, feels corny and ashamed, and taps his toes on the ground.

He also agreed with his parents that they would not hold a funeral without seeing the body, and he always felt that his third brother might come back one day.

He sat for a long time, wanting to say something to comfort his parents, but in the end he could not say anything, so he just sat there silently.

Fang Dihua: "Go home when you are full."

Don't waste oil sitting here.

There are only two kilograms of kerosene a year, and I can't bear to waste it casually.

Second brother Lu stood up, wanted to say something but stopped, and then left silently. He was tall and the door was low. He forgot to look down because he was thinking about something, and bumped into it with a "bang".

Father Lu sighed, "Be careful."

Fang Dihua scolded him, "You fool, you hit your head on your own door."

She usually wouldn't scold him, but she was in a bad mood recently. She said that it would be fine as long as her son's body was not found, but she was suppressed in grief. The grief turned into anger. She always felt that God was blind. How could my third son die when I am so old and I am still alive? It's

really unreasonable!

The old couple didn't go out to cool off. They felt cold in their hearts. They just went to bed with mosquito nets on.

They couldn't sleep. Since the news of Lu Shaotang came back, the old couple couldn't sleep for nights, and often fell asleep at dawn.

Just after falling asleep, I seemed to see San'er coming back, or I dreamed that San'er was covered in blood and cried out for his parents.

The old couple was so distressed.

I heard that the children came back and seemed to have touched more than a dozen cicadas and monkeys. They also said that Honghong was scared of touching a snake and cried bitterly, but Huzi ran into a deep ditch on the side of the road and was beaten by the adults.

I heard Lin Shu taking the two children to wash their feet. The daughter-in-law had a sweet voice and was very good at coaxing children. Her voice was relaxed and relaxed, unlike the mosquito humming before, and she didn't dare to speak loudly. Now her voice was even smiling.

Father Lu thought about what the second daughter-in-law said about the third child's family being possessed by ghosts, and he couldn't help but think more.

This old man is superstitious, not to mention that he lived through the war years and has seen so much that he can't help but believe. Even the educated and cultured old man Lu is like this.

He couldn't help but wonder if San'er's soul had returned? He couldn't bear to leave his wife and children, so he attached himself to his wife

? That wouldn't be possible, wouldn't it harm people?

He couldn't think of it, San'er was not dead, how could his soul come back?

Maybe the daughter-in-law has come to terms with it and will remarry in the future, so she is not sad anymore.

Lin Shu heard someone crying in her sleep. She thought it was the child having a nightmare, and she reached out and patted the brother and sister in a half-asleep state.

The brother and sister were sleeping soundly and didn't make any sound.

Lin Shu woke up with a start!

What sound?

The crying was not loud, and you couldn't hear it clearly if you didn't listen carefully. It was low and seemed to be suppressed by something, with occasional sobs.

Is it... Fang Dihua crying?

Lin Shu: "???"

She didn't expect that Fang Dihua, who was tall and strong and looked fierce and tough, would cry so suppressed and aggrieved.

When the news of Lu Shaotang came back, Fang Dihua sat there for a long time, and finally said "I won't believe it until I see the body", and then shouted at everyone in the family to do what they should do.

Lin Shu thought she firmly believed that Lu Shaotang was fine, but she was also afraid, but she hid her sadness in her heart so that no one could see it, and only cried secretly in the middle of the night.

It is especially touching when a person who has always been strong suddenly reveals a soft side.

Alas, pitiful parents in the world.

Fang Dihua was a person who plowed the fields, worked, cleared rivers and ponds, and dug canals just like the men. When she was repairing the canal, her foot was hit by a stone. Her face was pale with blood and flesh, but she gritted her teeth and didn't cry out in pain.

She could endure the physical pain, but she couldn't endure the pain of the soul.

In the darkness, accompanied by Fang Dihua's suppressed sobs, Father Lu also whispered to comfort her, his voice was hoarse and low with tears.

Lin Shu fell asleep again listening to the old couple's mumbling.

The next day, Lin Shu woke up early in the morning, not because of the heat, but because the light was too bright.

Yesterday, she complained that the windows of this house were small and the light was insufficient, so the house was dark in broad daylight.

Now she complained that there were no curtains, and the light was bright in the morning, making her unable to sleep.

Lin Shu folded up the mosquito nets for the children, dressed them, and went to the fields to make breakfast.

She looked over and saw that her parents-in-law were not at home. They must have gotten up early to work on their private plots as they did in the past. People in the village would work on their private plots before and after work. There

were no entertainment activities at this time, so they would go to bed at around nine o'clock in the evening and wake up at five in the morning.

Especially the elderly who are older than they are, they get up even earlier.

But the old couple did not sleep very late last night. Could their bodies handle getting up so early? Second

brother Lu did not go to the private plot today. He got up early in the morning to repair the vegetable patch in the yard.

He was also sad that his third brother was gone, but he could not say anything, so he just worked hard, thinking that doing more for the third brother's wife would be considered doing something for his third brother.

Second Sister-in-law Lu was so angry, why are you so diligent when she said you were tending the vegetable patch, but I asked you to help my mother's family with fertilizer, but you refused!

"Dad Cuicui, I sprained my foot, come and help me." She was leaning on the window and groaning. Second

Brother Lu went into the room to take a look, and found that it was not sprained at all, so he turned around and went to dig the ground again. Second Sister-in-law Lu

was so angry that she wanted to hit Lin Shu!

She grabbed the sleeping girl's thigh and made Lu Cuicui scream.

Second Sister-in-law Lu raised her eyebrows and threatened in a low voice: "Hold it back! How dare you embarrass me!"

Lu Cuicui pouted, turned over with tears in her eyes and sobbed silently.

When Lin Shu was cooking, Tiantian and Panpan also woke up, and the siblings could dress themselves.

There are many mosquitoes in the countryside, so they always wear long trousers.

It is not easy for them to stretch their trousers with short arms and legs, so the siblings help each other.

The younger brother helps the older sister to put on her clothes first, and then the older sister helps the younger brother.

After they are dressed, they climb down from the kang, put on their straw sandals, and run out to wash their hands and faces.

At this time, Fang Dihua and a few others also came back from their private plots.

Lin Shu had just finished cooking. She stole a glance at Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu. Both of them had swollen eyes, especially the mother-in-law's.

The father-in-law still looked unhappy, but Fang Dihua was the same as usual, with a stern face and no emotion.

They also brought back a load of fertilizer made from silt, as well as some vegetable seedlings and seeds.

Generally, the first crop of vegetables should be planted around the Qingming Festival, and they are eaten now. However, the temperature is high now, so the leafy vegetables can be eaten in 20 days.

Finally, more vegetables can be planted!

Lin Shu's heart, which was originally heavy because of her parents-in-law crying in the middle of the night, suddenly became relieved. She went to see what vegetables there were. Wow

, there are so many tomato seedlings, which is what she wanted!

There are also peppers!

There are also sword beans, autumn lentils, long beans, etc.