bookbashuk Chapter 465 Years ago
Chapter 465 Years ago
It’s New Year’s Eve and the weather is fine.
Maybe it wasn't particularly sunny, there were thick white clouds in the sky, blocking the sun, making it seem a bit cool.
Before dawn today, the Lu family members were busy.
The adults were busy with burning incense and worshiping gods, while the children were busy playing. They were neither here nor there and were assigned to go wherever there was a shortage of manpower.
Lu You was assigned the task of looking after the children, and his cousin-in-law Chen Yuning was with him.
The two of them were sitting on a small wooden chair with a backrest. In front of them was a 1.2-meter-high guardrail with soft cushions inside. Two children, one big and one small, were playing around.
The older one is Lu Jingshu, who is oblivious to what is happening outside and is completely immersed in her building blocks.
The younger one is called Lu Yanxin, which means the new generation that continues the Lu family bloodline. He is the son of Chen Yuning and Lu Chun, and the eldest nephew of Lu You.
Now he is just over one year old, with lotus root arms and legs like Michelin tires, and is round and plump. He can't speak well at the moment and can only utter simple syllables, and walks unsteadily.
He did not play with Lu Jingshu, but was clumsily fiddling with an educational toy called an intelligence box, which basically consisted of matching wooden blocks of different colors and shapes with the holes on the box one by one, and then stuffing them in.
As soon as she bought the toy home, Lu Jingshu couldn't wait to play with it, but she lost interest in less than half an hour.
After all, Lu Jingshu is already three years old, and matching ordinary shapes and colors is not challenging for her.
There was a big black pig lying next to the fence.
Its ears drooped, its eyes were dull, and the corners of its mouth drooped. It looked extremely aggrieved, as if it had been taught a lesson.
This is true.
Earlier, Lingxuzi was clinging to the guardrail, wagging his tail rapidly, as if he was about to jump in and play with the two children.
Chen Yuning unceremoniously rewarded Lingxuzi with two big slaps and gave him a death order that if he dared to jump in, he would have to add a dish of salt-baked crispy dog to the New Year's Eve dinner tonight.
Chen Yuning was not afraid that Lingxuzi would bite someone. Lingxuzi was raised by her, and she knew his personality very well.
Chen Yuning was afraid that Lingxuzi would be stressed by the child. Lu Jingshu was easy to deal with, a three-year-old child had basic self-control ability, but Lu Yanxin was only a little over one year old, his nervous system was underdeveloped, and he really didn't know how to use any strength he could.
Seeing Lingxuzi's aggrieved look, Lu You couldn't bear it, so he stretched out his hand to rub the dog's head and comforted him, "It's okay, Lingxuzi, don't be sad. When your little master is a few months older, you can play with him."
Lingxuzi seemed to understand Lu You's words of comfort. He whimpered twice, and his tail, which had been listless, began to swing again.
Lu You indulged himself in Lingxuzi's fluffy hair, then turned his gaze to Lu Yanxin.
His eldest nephew is a generation smaller than Lu Jingshu, but just as cute.
With eyes like black grapes, a face like a peach, a small mouth that can hardly close, and babbling baby talk, everyone in the family loves him.
Of course, the premise is that you don't do anything weird.
"Cousin, I have a few questions for you."
Chen Yuning was staring at her son in a daze, and Lu You's question brought her back to her senses.
"Don't call me cousin, it sounds old."
"What are you calling?"
"Just shout as you did before."
"Okay, Sister Yu Ning."
Chen Yuning raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Well, what's your problem? I'd like to state in advance that I don't know anything about studying, and I've returned everything to the school."
"Sister Yu Ning, how can you say that? I'm still asking you for help with your study problems, but you don't even think about what university you go to and what university I go to."
"You boy!"
Chen Yuning was immediately shocked and raised his hand to slap him.
Lu You bent sideways and dodged it easily.
"Why didn't I know you had such a sharp tongue before?" Chen Yuning said unhappily.
Lu You picked up the small wooden chair and moved a few steps to the side, escaping from Chen Yuning's attack range, and said calmly: "The past is the past, and the present is the present."
"Alright, tell me your problem." Chen Yuning crossed his arms across his chest, a hint of anger still lingering in his tone.
Lu You glanced at Lu Yanxin and asked, "Does it hurt a lot when a girl gives birth?"
Chen Yuning was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lu You with strange eyes. This question was somewhat beyond her expectations.
"Which girl did you get pregnant again?"
Lu You frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "Don't put the blame on me! What do you mean by again? Have I ever gotten anyone pregnant before?"
"That's because you didn't take any safety measures and let Wanwan get pregnant!" Chen Yuning pointed at Lu You with a confident expression.
When people are extremely speechless, they often let out a sigh, and Lu You is one of them.
"Alas." Lu You was too lazy to talk nonsense with Chen Yuning and said, "Don't guess. I know better than anyone what can be done and what cannot be done. I will take all the necessary measures before getting the marriage certificate."
"Since no one is pregnant, what's the point of asking this question?"
"It's a rainy day preparation."
Chen Yuning believed it for the time being and said, "It's impossible to have a painless delivery, after all, such a big thing has to come out of the stomach. As for how painful it is and how long it lasts, it depends on the individual's physical condition, prenatal care, and medical treatment. From my personal experience, it was actually not that bad. Although it was painful, it was still within my acceptable range, and it was even much lighter than I expected."
"Level 10 pain is also within your acceptable range? Sister Yuning, are you the legendary pain tolerance king?" Lu You said in shock.
"I can tell at a glance that you didn't listen carefully. Didn't I just say that labor pain is not a fixed value. It will be affected by various factors, such as physical fitness, psychological condition, fetal size, etc.
Xinxin was small, weighing only a little over five and a half kilograms when she was born. I have a good physique, and Xinxin was in the right fetal position. The delivery process was very smooth. My water broke at twelve o'clock in the evening, and the baby was born at around one o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't suffer for too long.
But the most important thing is the labor analgesia. Once the needle is inserted into the lumbar spine and the anesthetic is injected, the effect is immediate and the pain goes away instantly. Anyway, before I officially gave birth, I was in the mood to watch TV series and drink two bowls of chicken soup. "
Lu You listened carefully and asked, "What is labor analgesia?"
Chen Yuning smiled and replied, "Aren't you a top student at Capital University? Isn't it difficult to search for such a simple question online?"
Lu You remained silent. The boomerang of my childhood finally flew back into my hands.
Chen Yuning continued, "To be honest, if you really want to plan ahead, you should be most concerned about prenatal care and postpartum recovery, not how painful it is during childbirth. Even if it hurts so much that you explode, what else can you, a man, do except stand by and worry? Wipe the sweat? There are nurses to wipe the sweat, so you are not needed."
Lu You scratched his head in frustration and said, "I can't even empathize with you?"
Chen Yuning sneered and said mercilessly: "Do you have the conditions to empathize with me?"
Lu You stopped talking again.
Chen Yuning softened his tone and continued, "You should do what you are supposed to do. You are a boy and cannot give birth to a child for a girl. It doesn't make much sense to ask how painful childbirth is. Moreover, with current medical conditions, the risk and pain of childbirth have been reduced a lot.
You just need to do a good job of prenatal care, provide good pregnancy conditions, accompany the mother, actively provide rehabilitation support after delivery, and help share the pressure of raising a child. The rest is left to the hospital and the mother. "
Lu You nodded, indicating that he understood.
"What exactly should be done?"
"You can ask your cousin. Although he is a little out of tune, as a husband and a father, he is definitely an excellent one. Or you can ask your dad. Judging from the situation of your mom and Xiaoshu, he should be doing a good job."
Lu You didn't even think about it and decisively chose to refuse.
"It's okay to ask my cousin, but not my dad."
When Lu You thought about having an in-depth heart-to-heart communication with Lu Jianyan, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of shame in his heart, and his toes wished they could tear his slippers apart.
Chen Yuning didn't delve into the reasons. After all, it was someone else's family affair, and relatives should keep a distance from each other.
"By the way, have you and Wanwan discussed whether or not you want to have children in the future?"
Lu You hesitated for a while and replied, "We haven't discussed it publicly, but from what I know about her, at least she doesn't reject it."
"It's fine if you don't object. If you really don't want to have a baby, let's not talk to your parents first. You have to consider how to withstand the pressure from your grandparents. These two old people don't tolerate DINKs. Just like two years ago, when I just got the marriage certificate, they kept urging me to have a baby. I was so annoyed."
Lu You looked up at the ceiling and put himself into the birthing scene.
As a result, he couldn't think of an effective solution.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore! Things will work out when the time comes. There's still a lot of time. We can talk about it later."
Perhaps he was tired of playing with the toys. While the two were talking, Lu Yanxin stood up with the help of the guardrail, staggered to Chen Yuning, and stretched out a pair of chubby little hands from the gap in the guardrail.
"Me~me, hug~"
Lingxuzi, who was originally lying on the ground, also stood up, sticking out his tongue and trying to move forward.
Chen Yuning froze it in place with a look, then walked forward and picked up Lu Yanxin.
"Hey dear, are you hungry?"
"Yeah!"
"Come on, mommy will take you to drink NeiNei."
Lingxuzi also followed the mother and son, and in a blink of an eye, only the two siblings were left in the room.
Lu You turned around and looked at Lu Jingshu, and Lu Jingshu happened to look over at him as well, and their eyes met.
"Brother, I want to drink NeiNei too."
"Drink your head."
"My brother is a bully!"
……
Ten o'clock in the morning.
After all preparations for the worship were completed, the Lu family set out together and drove to the ancestral temple in the neighboring Lu Village.
Many years ago, the Lu family also settled in Lu Village. Later, when they became rich, they moved out.
The separation of time and space has caused the younger generations on both sides to lose contact, but the connection with the older generation still exists. For example, the fish pond, pig farm, orchard, etc. contracted by grandpa are all in the village, which has also increased the average income of the entire village.
After going around the winding mountain road and passing through farmland, the group arrived at the temple after wandering for seven or eight minutes.
Lu You took out his Bluetooth headphones and put them on, turned on the noise reduction function, then pushed the door and got out of the car, taking Lu Jingshu with him.
The temple was already very lively at this time, with people coming in and out, explosions happening one after another, and a strong smell of sulfur in the air.
Lu You frowned and fanned his nose, but it was useless. The smell of sulfur would not go away, so he could only endure it.
Lu Jingshu also pinched her nose and complained, "Brother, it stinks!"
"You need to be clear, my brother doesn't stink at all."
Led by the grandfather, the Lu family members crossed the threshold one after another and entered the ancestral temple.
Lu Jingshu wasn't paying enough attention and tripped. Fortunately, Lu You helped her up and she didn't fall.
"Brother, why is there a wooden board at the door?"
"This piece of wood is called a threshold. In the old days, the upper class used it to show that they were different from others. Now it is mostly used to keep out water and rats."
“What are the upper class people?”
"Don't take them too seriously, they are just a bunch of ordinary people who think they are superior to others."
"Is my brother a member of the upper class?"
"I don't think I am."
"Then neither am I."
Walking through the front door, you will see the patio and the entire interior of the temple.
In the center of the distance is naturally the main hall, where several gods and Buddhas sit.
Lu You doesn't understand religion. Apart from the Bodhisattva Guanyin with male and female appearance, he doesn't recognize any of the others.
In front of the main hall is an open platform, and below the platform is a patio. In the patio are two square bronze incense burners and two pagoda-style incense stoves, all of which are filled with incense.
Grandpa led everyone to the platform. After entering the main hall, several adults began to bring out the tributes in an orderly manner and placed them on the altar.
At this time, elderly people with white hair came over one after another to say hello to Grandpa, and the one who received the most greetings was Lu Yanxin.
"This is your great-grandson? What's his name?"
"Lu Yanxin, Yan means continuation, Xin means passing on the torch."
"Look at the big eyes, the small nose, and the round face. It's so cute! How many months old is it? Can it walk?"
"In the early twelve months, I will go a little bit."
"Suck, suck, suck, suck, little darling, call me uncle for now?"
Lu Yanxin shrank his neck in fear and buried his head in Chen Yuning's arms, not daring to show his head.
"Oh, you're still shy! Come, let uncle hug you!"
Seeing this, Lu Jingshu quietly walked around behind Lu You and asked in a low voice: "Brother, can we go out and hide for a while?"
Lu You patted Lu Jingshu on the head and said with a smile: "You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. You have to face it eventually."
"Brother is so annoying!"
After fiddling with the small one, the old men shifted their attention to Lu You.
"Hey, pretty boy, do you remember who I am?"
"Hurry up and say hello to Second Uncle." Grandma reminded from the side.
Lu You maintained a formal smile and said, "Hello, Second Uncle."
"Young man, you are so handsome! Your grandfather said that you were admitted to Capital University, that's amazing!"
Lu You's expression remained calm, and he said calmly, "It's just so-so."
"You are still being modest! If the capital university is just average, then what are those of my family who worked so hard to get into the second-tier universities?"
"Everyone has different abilities. As long as you do your best and live up to your conscience, that's all."
These words made the old people feel very comfortable. Just ask, who doesn't like a talented and virtuous younger generation?
"Hey, I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in the capital. You've been studying there for a few months. Have you found a girlfriend yet? Do you want me to introduce you to some? They want big breasts and nice butts, and they're all hot!"
"Thank you, uncle. That's not necessary."
……
While Lu You was fighting fiercely with a group of old men, Tang Wan on the other side was like a stagnant pool of water, with no ripples at all.
"Ah - how boring!"
Tang Wan lay on the bed bored, talking to herself.
Tang Yixiong and Zhao Huijuan went back to their hometown to burn incense and worship gods, leaving only Tang Wan and Tang Jing at home.
Although the brother and sister are only three years apart in age, they have no common interests and cannot see eye to eye.
Tang Wan thought about finding something to do to kill time. Playing games, she had completed all the daily tasks of the mobile games she played. Watching TV series, the good ones were either already watched or not fully updated. She tried to chat with Lu You, but Lu You sent a message in advance, saying that he would be busy for a few hours and had no time to reply.
"How about finding a new second person to play with?"
The next second, Tang Wan gave up the idea.
"Oh, forget it. The current second-hand game has only a few ways to play, and the card drawing is so exciting."
Tang Wan turned over, bent her legs, and sandwiched the silk quilt in between.
"It seems that there is a domestic stand-alone game that is very popular recently. Want to buy it and play it?"
Thinking of her past experience of playing stand-alone games, Tang Wan rejected it again.
"I am not suitable for playing single-player games alone. My husband is not around, and no one helps me when I reach the red temperature."
"What should I do?"
Tang Wan racked her brains to think, and her legs rubbed against the quilt unconsciously.
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
Tang Wan stopped what she was doing, turned her head and looked at the door, impatiently saying, "What are you doing!"
"Come out and help."
"I'm busy! I don't have time."
"Stop talking nonsense and come out!"
"Why can't you do it yourself? Why do you have to ask me to go out?"
"Stick to the door."
Tang Wan sighed in her heart. She would rather lie in bed and get moldy than go out to work. Unfortunately, posting the door couplets was a task assigned by Zhao Huijuan, and she had no right to refuse.
"Wait two minutes, I'll be right there."
ten minutes later.
Tang Wan put on a down jacket, left the room and went to the living room.
"Where is the door?"
Tang Jing sat on the sofa, his eyes shifted from the phone screen to Tang Wan, and he said with a half-smile: "The gravity in your room is quite strong! Your two minutes are equivalent to my ten minutes. I'm afraid you have installed a small black hole."
"Stop talking nonsense and get to work!"
The brother and sister unpacked the Spring Festival couplets, spread them out with the back side facing out on the ground, then squatted down and put double-sided tape on them one by one.
The living room was quiet, with only the occasional cracking sound from tearing off the double-sided tape.
Tang Jing was trying to find a topic to break the silence, so he started by asking, "Do you remember what happened in junior high school?"
Tang Wan paused for a moment and replied indifferently, "If you don't know how to chat, don't force yourself to chat. It's bringing bad luck to me during the New Year."
"Uh..." Tang Jing was a little embarrassed by the retort, and forced an explanation: "I'm just worried that you will have sequelae."
"It's been so many years. Even if there are sequelae, they have been cured by my boyfriend."
"Do you like your boyfriend so much?"
"What else? Do I like you?"
"Some of your words are hurtful! After all, I am your brother!"
Tang Wan snorted and said disapprovingly, "It's just that I don't like it if I'm close to you."
After pasting the last small couplet, the two came outside the house, Tang Jing moved the bench, and Tang Wan took the couplets.
According to the custom of previous years, the two decided to post the couplets first.
Tang Jing stood on the bench, tore off the double-sided tape on the top of the first couplet, and pasted it on the traces of previous years.
Tang Wan was not idle either. She tore off the remaining double-sided tape and fixed the Spring Festival couplets completely.
The work of the lower couplet is almost the same as that of the upper couplet. The only difference is that the top of the lower couplet needs to be aligned with the upper couplet.
"Take a look, are they aligned?"
"It's a little low, move up."
"so?"
"It's too high. Go a little lower."
"Is it ready?"
"Hmm - personally, I feel it's not as good as it was at the beginning."
"Logan!!!"
It took them less than a quarter of a minute to finish the work.
Go back inside the house.
Tang Wan glanced at the time. It was almost eleven o'clock.
"How do we solve the lunch problem?"
Tang Jing thought for a moment and said, "Let's go out and eat. I'm too lazy to cook."
"Okay, I'll go change my clothes."
Soon, the two walked out of the community gate and headed towards the familiar food street.
Tang Wan put her hands in the pockets of her down jacket and asked, "What are we eating later?"
Tang Jing also took the same stance and replied, "I don't know, let's see if there are any shops open."
As I walked along, I saw that many shops had closed their doors, and there were fewer people on the sidewalks and cars on the motorways than usual. The whole city suddenly became quiet.
"Every Chinese New Year, Guangzhou turns into a ghost town. It's quite interesting," Tang Wan joked.
"There are so many migrant workers, millions of them leave, so it's normal for this town to become a ghost town."
“It feels like there are fewer people in our community.”
"No need to feel it, it's Tie Shao's."
Arrived at the food court.
The streets that are usually jam-packed with people now only have a few pedestrians, and very few stores are still open.
Seeing that there was a noodle shop open on the left, Tang Wan asked, "Would you like to eat noodles?"
"I don't care."
"Then eat noodles."
Enter the noodle shop.
The appropriate table distance, soft lighting, simple decoration and clean environment make people feel comfortable.
The two found a four-person seat against the wall and sat opposite each other.
Tang Jing took out his phone and scanned the order code, then asked as he scrolled across the screen, "What do you want to eat?"
Tang Wan took the paper menu next to her, glanced through it quickly, and said, "I'll have a bowl of beef brisket rice noodles, plus an additional portion of beef tripe."
"You like eating beef too much!"
"The first day you met me?"
After placing the order, the two of them looked around idly.
Tang Wan looked towards the kitchen behind a layer of transparent glass. There were two people inside, one old and one young. The old one was busy at the stove, while the young one was helping beside him. They worked in perfect harmony.
"Brother, tell me, why do you want to work outside instead of being at home with your family on New Year's Eve? Is your family less important than a few hundred overtime pay?"
"Let me correct you. New Year's Eve is not a legal holiday. It is black on the calendar and there is no overtime pay."
"I'll test it! I'll lose a lot!"
"Besides, not everyone likes to go home for the New Year. Some people's homes may seem beautiful, but in fact they are not as good as their own little nest outside."
"No place to stay?"
"more or less!"
Soon, the hot rice noodles and beef tripe were served on the table.
They both picked up their chopsticks.
"Why did you steal my brisket? The best piece at that?"
"What's wrong with the brother letting his sister go?"
"Now you know I'm your brother?" (End of this chapter)