Chapter 137 Extra Chapter 1: I'm Definitely Going to Be Over Thirty...
Lu Xiang, carrying his schoolbag, waved to the kids behind him. As soon as he stepped into the house, he saw his older brother kneeling in the living room, and he paused for a moment.
"The second young master is back?" Zhang Ma asked as she came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands.
Lu Xiang said with a straight face, "I'm not some young master. Aunt Zhang, you should call me Lu Xiang, or Comrade Lu Xiang."
With a soft chuckle, Da Mao emerged from behind, gnawing on a large bone: "Hey, Comrade Lu Xiang's back. Didn't you organize any fights at school today?"
Lu Xiang's face darkened, and she retorted in a low voice, "I didn't."
He ran over to Da Mao and asked, "Brother Da Mao, what did my brother do wrong?"
Lu Zhan glared at him, kneeling upright: "It's none of your business, don't try to be clever again."
Da Mao wiped his greasy hands on his clothes and then brought up Lu Xiang: "Our little comrade Lu Xiang is really a worrywart. Don't meddle in adult matters."
Lu Xiang screamed, and Zhang Ma got anxious. She scolded her son, "Don't scare him. Xiang-ge'er is still young. You need to know your limits."
Lu Xiang wanted to argue that he wasn't scared; he was disgusted by Da Mao's oily hands, as there were definitely handprints on his clothes.
Da Mao probably sensed his disgust and deliberately wiped his hands on him.
"You think you can fight a war like this? How can things be clean on the battlefield? What if they send you to ambush someone next to a latrine!"
Lu Xiang looked disgusted. Who would choose to fight next to a latrine? Did they think he was a three-year-old?
He kept a straight face and said, "If the organization needs me, I will definitely be able to overcome it!"
The child's expression, as if he were bravely facing execution, amused everyone.
The study door opened, and Shen Rong walked out with red eyes. She glanced at Lu Xiang, then looked at Lu Zhan and sighed deeply.
She asked Zhang Ma, "Is the food ready?"
Aunt Zhang nodded with a smile: "We're just waiting for dinner to be served."
"Then let's eat early today." Lu Lin smiled and gestured for Lu Zhan to get up as he passed by.
Lu Zhan pretended not to see it and cautiously glanced at Shen Rong.
Shen Rong: "You're all grown up now, I can't control you anymore. You've always been headstrong, and so have you and your father!"
Lu Lin touched his nose and winked at his youngest son, asking him to help coax him.
Lu Xiang pulled out the certificate of merit that the teacher had given her today from her schoolbag and handed it to Shen Rong like a treasure: "Mom, look, I've improved in my studies. This time, Shengli didn't do as well as me. He's worried that Second Uncle will beat him when he comes back, so he wants to come to my house to hide for a few days."
Normally, upon hearing this, Shen Rong would ask him in detail about his studies and inquire about Lu Shengli with concern. But today, she was in low spirits and simply patted his head.
Zhang Ma and Da Mao brought out all the dishes, which were exceptionally plentiful.
Aunt Zhang looked at Chen Rong: "It's almost time to eat..."
Shen Rong glanced at it and said indifferently, "Get up. It's not like I'm the one who made you kneel."
At this point, she became a little aggrieved, her eyes welling up with tears: "You're making me sound like I'm being unreasonable. You've acted first and informed me later, without even discussing it with me. You should have notified me when things were settled. Is this home or a hotel?!"
"You should let me know if you're not staying at the hotel and check out!"
Lu Zhan touched his stiff knees and said in a low voice, "I was just afraid you would worry."
Upon hearing this, Shen Rong was furious and slammed her hand on the table: "Now I don't have to worry anymore!"
Lu Zhan scratched the back of his head and turned to look at his father for help.
Lu Lin coughed lightly, picked up some ribs and put them in her bowl: "Alright, I'll talk to him later, don't take it to heart. I'll deal with this brat. This is your favorite food."
Shen Rong was not appeased and turned to glare at him: "You and him look exactly alike, they really are father and son."
Lu Lin sighed: "My situation is different. I was assigned a mission by my superiors, and military orders are absolute. He was acting on his own."
At this critical moment, he had no choice but to sacrifice a pawn to save the king; his son was on his own. Lu Lin glanced apologetically at Lu Zhan.
Lu Zhan's eyes widened. His father was so disloyal, abandoning his comrades at a crucial moment.
"This time you go, but leave Da Mao behind. Zhang Ma just arranged a marriage for him!"
Da Mao was engrossed in eating when he heard this and immediately shook his head: "No, I have to go."
If he doesn't go, what will they do? "Commander..." He was about to cry. In this family quarrel, how come he was the one who ended up getting hurt?
Lu Lin was also in a dilemma. Of Zhang Ma's two sons, only Da Mao was left. Now that the world was finally at peace, Zhang Ma was thinking of taking her son back to the countryside to farm.
She had told him this story many times, and Lu Lin had heard it too. A few days ago, she even said that she had found him a nice girl in the countryside, and that she had come this time to take her son back to get married.
Seeing that Lu Lin remained silent, Da Mao looked at his mother and pleaded, "Mom, didn't we agree that I would go back to get married as soon as I returned from North Korea?"
Aunt Zhang bit her lip, staring only at the rice in her bowl.
Da Mao hardened his heart and knelt down with a thud.
Zhang's mother immediately pulled her son away, her voice trembling with tears, saying, "Your brother is gone. It's not like we're fighting the Japanese anymore. It's okay if you don't go. What does Korea have to do with us? Guns and cannons don't discriminate on the battlefield. It's not worth it for us to risk our lives for them. Why don't you listen to your mother and come home? You're almost thirty years old. People your age in the village are already having grandchildren, and you haven't even found a wife yet. If your brother were still here, I would have let you have your way, but now you're the only son left."
Da Mao knelt motionless: "Mom, you're wrong. We're risking our lives for ourselves. If I don't go, nobody else will, and the next fight will be on our own land, and then it will be my children's turn to risk their lives..."
Zhang Ma covered her mouth and burst into tears, pounding his shoulder heavily with her hand: "I shouldn't have let you go to school in the first place..." Now she can't argue with him anymore.
Da Mao tried to say something, but Lu Lin made the final decision: "Da Mao doesn't need to go this time. I'll make the arrangements. You don't meet the requirements anyway." He's the only one left in the Zhang family now, so it's only right that he stays.
Da Mao's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "How am I not in line? Commander, are you trying to make me a deserter, a coward? What kind of soldier am I then? You might as well just send me back to farming!"
"How dare you speak to your husband like that?" Zhang Ma slapped her son hard.
Aunt Zhang wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Forget it, let him be. With his personality, he'll probably be even more upset if we don't let him go. But I have one condition."
She looked at Da Mao, who was beaming with joy: "Mom, you said, as long as you let me go, I'll agree to a thousand things."
Aunt Zhang: "Alright, you can go back to the village and get married first. You can stay as long as you want!"
Da Mao's smile froze. He helplessly spread his hands, wanting to be angry but unable to: "Mom, what are you saying? I'm going to the battlefield, and you want me to go back and get married? Isn't that putting people in a difficult position?"
Aunt Zhang didn't like hearing this, and went up to give her another beating: "You're perfectly fine, how did you end up hurting her? I discussed it with her family and encouraged her, the girl's parents agreed, and the girl is willing too. She just needs to take a few days off to go back and get married. It won't interfere with your business, sir... is that alright?"
Zhang Ma looked at Lu Lin.
Lu Lin nodded: "Of course."
But Da Mao refused to do it no matter what. Shen Rong said, "Anyway, you have a few days off. Da Mao should go back and visit first. If there's anything, discuss it properly. Don't get angry so easily. Your mother is only thinking of you. If you're so stubborn, they'll be hurt too. Don't think that no one understands you or that elders will only hinder your progress. You can decide your own affairs with just a word."
Da Mao remained silent after hearing this, and Lu Zhan, standing to the side, didn't even dare to lift his head.
He heard that he was going to fight in Korea and was afraid that his parents would not allow him to go. He feared that his father would use his connections to stop him, so he found a way to sign up first and then inform his parents later.
Thinking that once things were settled, even if Mom was angry, Dad could plead for her, who knew that Dad's troops would be sent to North Korea.
This was truly a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead. If he hadn't gone to all that trouble, he could have done what his father did and claimed it was a mission.
He sighed deeply and tried to appease his mother by putting food on her plate: "Mom, please eat. I know I was wrong."
Shen Rong glared at him: "And what about you?"
Lu Zhan's hair stood on end. He blamed himself for misinterpreting things and thinking he was going to be arranged to get married. He immediately said, "I will definitely not get married until I am over thirty."
Lu Lin shook his head; his son was getting dumber as he grew older.
Shen Rong: "Who asked you about your marriage? I'm asking you if you know what you did wrong."
Lu Zhan breathed a sigh of relief; so that's what it was.
“I was wrong. I should have come back and discussed it with my parents first. I shouldn’t have acted first and informed them later just to avoid trouble.”
Shen Rong slapped his arm: "So you think your mother is a nuisance, huh!"
Lu Zhan covered his arm, too afraid to make a sound.
Lu Xiang seized the opportunity to interject: "Are we really going to fight in Korea?"
He felt a little regretful, lamenting that he had missed it again.
Seeing her youngest son like this, Shen Rong had another headache: "You better behave yourself and study your books properly. All you do is talk about war. What's so good about war?"
Lu Xiang was scolded but dared not utter a sound. Lu Zhan winked at him, "Good brother."
The matter was settled. Lu Lin and his son were to head to the front lines in Korea in ten days. Zhang Ma took her son back to her hometown, and the family of three returned seven days later.
Zhang Ma said, "The wedding has been canceled. His father and I discussed it, and Da Mao's words make sense. We'll wait until he comes back from the battlefield. The girl will still be waiting, and Da Mao can't let her down. If she gets married, there's no rush. Anyway, he's already so old, so it's not a big deal to delay it for another year or two."
Zhang Ma wiped away tears as she picked vegetables.
Seeing Shen Rong looking at her with concern, Zhang Ma forced a smile and snatched the cabbage from Shen Rong's hand: "This is not how you pick cabbage. If you make it this big, it won't absorb the flavor well, and Xiang Ge'er won't like it."
"It's a new society now, how come you still can't even learn how to pick vegetables?"
Shen Rong tossed the cabbage aside: "Isn't it all about eating? As long as it's cooked and edible, who cares about its size?" She teased Zhang Ma, "You know about the new society now, and you're still eagerly coming back to be our maid."
Aunt Zhang laughed: "I'm just worried that our Xiang-ge'er isn't eating well. I don't have anything to do in the countryside. He can take care of the few acres of land at home. I'll go back to help during the busy farming season. You're out early and back late every day. Xiang-ge'er is really growing, so he can't go hungry."
Shen Rong was somewhat disappointed: "So it wasn't because you couldn't bear to part with me."
“That’s true.” Zhang Ma laughed after saying that, and sighed, “In the blink of an eye, the children have grown so much. When my eldest son was born, we were still in Bincheng. Now he can go to the battlefield with his master.”
“I heard that North Korea is just as cold as Bincheng!” Zhang Ma muttered.
Lu Xiang ran into the kitchen: "Mom, my second uncle and the others are here."
"Madam, please go quickly, I can manage."
As soon as Shen Rong stepped out of the kitchen, Lu Zhao ran over happily: "Auntie!"
“How old are you? Still clinging to your aunt? Aren’t you ashamed?” Jiang Yufen walked over, leading her son.
When Lu Shengli saw Lu Zhan waving, he immediately let go of his mother's hand and ran away.
Jiang Yufen was about to call him when Shen Rong stopped her: "Forget it, boys can't stay still. They'll probably sneak off to their older brother's room again. Let them be."
She smiled and said to Lu You, "Your older brother is in the study. Go find him there."
Lu Yougang had just returned from his hometown and had many things to say to Lu Lin, so he went to the study with a smile.
Shen Rong brewed coffee to serve Jiang Yufen.
"Good coffee is hard to come by these days," Jiang Yufen remarked with emotion.
Shen Rong knew what she was talking about, and just smiled.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of coffee in Hong Kong, you won't go without it."
Jiang Yufen doesn't actually love coffee at all; it's Shen Rong who does.
"Sister-in-law, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Are you really not coming to Hong Kong with us? Once you've made a decision, your brother will definitely listen to you."
Shen Rong lowered her head to smell the aroma of coffee, then shook her head: "I'm not going. I heard there are always typhoons there, and I don't like it."
"It's not for that reason," Jiang Yufen sighed. "When Tianyou went back to his hometown this time, he already distributed all the land as you and my elder brother instructed, and he has basically handed over all the family's assets that were due to be handed over."
With no elders left in the Lu family, Lu Lin was able to make decisions on these matters much faster than expected.
Shen Rong nodded: "That's good."
Jiang Yufen asked her, "Doesn't your sister-in-law feel any regret at all?" Such a large sum of money, just giving it up like that? Your sister-in-law is used to spending money lavishly, can she really get used to it in the future?
If she went to Hong Kong, she would still have Lu You's factory to support her. The Shen family had a bank in Hong Kong, and they had invested in many industries there. She could still live the life of a young lady.
Shen Rong smiled, seemingly unconcerned: "Three out of the four of us in the family have salaries, that's enough for us."
Seeing that Jiang Yufen was about to speak, Shen Rong quickly pulled her hand: "I know what you mean. It's just that different times require different ways of living. My life is already better than many people's. The difficulties are only temporary. In the future, things will get better and better."
“I won’t go to Hong Kong. I can’t be so selfish. Whether it’s Lu Lin, Xiao Ming, or Lu Xiang, they all have lofty ideals, and they can only realize them here.”
She patted Jiang Yufen's hand and said, "You can go now, but don't forget to write to me."
Jiang Yufen lowered her head, her eyes red-rimmed: "But I can't bear to part with my sister-in-law."
With a sigh, Shen Rong realized there was nothing that could be done; it would be better for the Lu family to go to Hong Kong.
"One day, our family will be reunited."
Jiang Yufen wiped away her tears: "I don't know how my little sister and the others are doing. Tianyou said that when we go to Hong Kong, he will ask someone to find out how they are doing. If possible, he will bring them to Hong Kong."
Shen Rong nodded: "I also sent a telegram to my elder brother, asking his friend to help keep an eye on things as well."
But now the two sides have completely lost contact, and we don't know when we will hear from them again. It's really worrying!
The family had a reunion dinner, the last time both families were together, but the children didn't care.
Soon, Lu Lin and his son will be heading north. Shen Rong has prepared a lot of things, including many cotton-padded coats, which Lu Zhan finds troublesome.
"Mom, the army provides uniforms, so you don't need to bring these!"
Shen Rong glared at him: "You'll need it. Have your dad get it for you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright then!"
"Be careful, be cautious on the battlefield, and come back safe and sound." Shen Rong couldn't help but shed tears, and Lu Zhan felt embarrassed.
"Mom, it's okay, I'll be back soon. Wait for my good news, I'll definitely come back with my medals."
Lu Lin finished arranging things and came over, kicking Lu Zhan: "Get on the train, we're waiting for you!"
Lu Zhan put on his hat and was about to run when Lu Xiang hugged her brother tightly: "Big brother, when I grow up a little, I'll come and help you too."
Lu Zhan laughed and kicked his butt: "You brat, don't talk nonsense." He didn't want to fight such a long war; this kid was only twelve years old!
Lu Shengli came over to encourage his cousin: "Big brother, we'll celebrate your victory when you come back, and I'll pay for the drinks." He should be able to drink by then, right?
Lu Zhan patted his two younger brothers' heads and gave them a sharp tap on the forehead: "Behave yourselves at home, or see how I deal with you when I get back."
Lu Lin was giving instructions to Lu You over there: "Once you get there, you'll be on your own. Take good care of the children and your younger siblings. Write back if anything happens. But Shen Jiashi is there too, so you can keep an eye on each other."
Lu You nodded: "Big brother, be careful on the battlefield."
After finishing their business, the couple said goodbye. Lu You and his wife left with their child, making room for them.
Lu Lin reached out, and Shen Rong rushed over, hugging his waist tightly: "You must come back alive."
"Don't worry, he will definitely do it. Stay home and take good care of yourself. The second one is more thoughtful and harder to manage than the first one was. You'll have to put in extra effort."
Shen Rong chuckled: "How can you talk about your son like that?"
"I'm giving you a heads-up now, so if he gets into trouble while I'm not home, just write it down and I'll deal with him when I get back."
"We've been fighting wars for the past few years. Once this war is over, I'll be able to relax. Then we can find a place to retire and enjoy our grandchildren, okay?" Lu Lin began to paint a rosy picture for her.
Shen Rong wiped her tears on his clothes: "Your son won't get married until he's thirty. If you want to have a grandson, you'll have to wait a long time!"
Mentioning his eldest son, Lu Lin sneered, "You think you can talk about him? Just you wait, he might surprise you!"
The couple talked a lot, mostly about everyday things, and soon the time was up.
After Lu Lin left, there were letters coming back at first, but as the war intensified, there were no letters for several months. Shen Rong could only learn about their situation on the front lines through newspapers.
Whether they won or lost, the whole family was on edge. They didn't even have anything to worry about during the New Year. The family had a simple meal together, and the children set off a few strings of firecrackers.
In April, Lu You and his wife went to Hong Kong, and they never came back.
Lu Shengli refused, making a fuss about wanting to be his aunt's son and telling them to go by themselves, which left Jiang Yufen both amused and exasperated.
In the end, Lu Xiang stepped in to appease him. Afterwards, Shen Rong asked him what he had said, and Lu Shengli agreed to go.
Lu Xiang said, "I told him to go over and check it out for me first, and I'll go over next month too."
Isn't this a lie?
Lu Xiang raised an eyebrow, wondering if Lu Shengli was so easily fooled. "I told you that my uncle wrote a letter asking our family to come over too. I heard there are many good things in Hong Kong that I want to see. If you don't want to, I'm going to sneak over there. That way you'll definitely come looking for us, and then we won't come back. We'll wait for my dad and brother to finish the war and come back to find us. That way we'll stay in Hong Kong and not come back."
Shen Rong frowned and poked his head: "How can you just spout nonsense like that?" It was half true and half false, no wonder you fooled people.
Shen Jiashi wrote a letter, and Jiang Yufen also tried to persuade her to go with him many times, but Shen Rong did not agree. Lu Shengli knew all of this.
The only thing he didn't know was that Lu Xiang didn't want to go either.
Lu Xiang tilted her head: "That's called strategy. As long as the goal is achieved, that's all that matters."
Lu Shengli won't get beaten up, nor will he cause any chaos.
"Haven't you thought about how you're going to explain this to him later?"
Lu Xiang didn't care, counting on her fingers: "I'm afraid it will be many years before I see him again. Will he still remember me then?"
Sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing. I was too young back then to realize that all those years weren't just a simple sentence.
***
Three years later, Lu Xiang rushed into the house happily with a newspaper in hand.
"Mom, Dad and my brother are coming back..." But then Zhang Ma came out of the room, sighing.
Aunt Zhang stopped him: "Keep your voice down, let your mother rest for a while."
Lu Xiang's expression changed drastically: "What happened?"
Zhang Ma's face was also pale. She whispered, "Your father is injured and hasn't woken up yet." Fearing that something was wrong, she had notified the family.
"Where is my brother?" Lu Xiang's heart tightened.
"He's fine. We've already transferred him to take care of your dad."
Lu Xiang rolled up the newspaper and put it aside, saying softly, "I'm going in to see my mother."
He gently pushed open the door, and Shen Rong turned to look at him. Her eyes were red and swollen, with tears in them. When she saw him come in, she quickly wiped them away.
Why did school let out so early today?
Lu Xiang sat down close to his mother, who was now almost taller than her: "The college entrance exam is coming up in a few days, and we need to make room in the classroom. These past few days, the teachers have told us to study at home on our own."
Shen Rong nodded, then turned to ask him if he was hungry and asked Zhang Ma to make him something delicious.
Seeing her mother trying to be strong, Lu Xiang felt a little sorry for her: "Mom, don't worry, Dad will be fine. The war is over, and they will be back in a few days."
Shen Rong nodded, and finally couldn't help but hug her son and cry: "I know, it's okay, it will be okay. When they come back, our family can have a happy celebration. Your dad will be able to hold his grandson soon. He will be fine. He promised me."
Lu Xiang gently patted her mother's back and softly hummed in agreement.
My older brother wrote in a letter that he has a girlfriend, a brave battlefield nurse, and that they will be getting married after the war ends. He told my mother to start preparing early.
Actually, it was just to give my mother a heads-up, in case she might find him other marriage prospects, like Aunt Lin's second daughter, who is a bit fierce and my older brother doesn't like her, but my parents seem quite satisfied with her.
Shen Rong cried in front of her son. After she sobered up, she felt a little ashamed. Lu Xiang, however, felt it was nothing. He was a man now and it was his duty to take responsibility and protect his mother.
He ran around like an adult every day, inquiring about news from all sides, and getting close to every uncle and aunt he could.
They even went through the back door to prepare for a trip to North Korea. Fortunately, a week later, news finally came that Lu Lin had woken up.
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