Rebirth Counterattack with Space

Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Hidden Affairs

Chapter 20 -20 Hidden Affairs

In the main hall, Uncle Lu sat silently, smoking his pipe.

“All these years have passed, why can’t I recognize my own son?” Auntie Lu suddenly burst into tears like a dam had broken.

“…”

Uncle Lu was silent for a long time, his face twitched, “We had an agreement when we sent him away, why bring up these useless matters now? Things are fine as they are.”

“Was it really my wish at that time? You were so heartless, my firstborn son, you just gave him away.” Auntie Lu wiped her tears.

“What could we do in that situation at the time? Could I just watch my younger brother kneeling there and have the heart to say I wasn’t willing? My sister-in-law almost went mad… she almost threw herself into a well… That’s also a life, isn’t it? Now, apart from the child not calling us mom and dad, what’s missing?”

Uncle Lu let out a long sigh, suddenly his face was streaming with tears.

So many years have passed, and the scene from that year is still vivid in his mind, how could he just let go? That was his first son, the one he had after having two daughters, would he have given him away if there wasn’t a compelling reason? Even if it was to his own younger brother, it wouldn’t be right. But at that time, that situation…

“Aiguo is also married now, can’t we even tell him the truth?” Seeing Uncle Lu in tears, Auntie Lu’s heart ached, and her voice softened.

“What’s the point of telling him? Things are fine as they are. If we really told him, the child might hold a grudge and be even less willing to deal with us.” Uncle Lu shook his head and fiercely drew on his smoking pipe.

“…” Auntie Lu stood there in a daze, her gaze vacant.

At this moment, Aiguo, Xia Yuan, and Lu Yun, who were walking on the village path, had no idea about all this happening in the Lu Family’s second household.

Xia Yuan and Lu Yun listened as Aiguo proudly recounted all the kindness his second uncle and aunt had shown him since he was a child.

“…Back then, my second sister would pout when she saw me coming, she wasn’t happy. When she was unhappy, my second aunt doted on me even more. Once she even hid food away, not letting me eat, and my second aunt slapped her for that. I was young and didn’t understand, I just felt happy that my second aunt seemed to like me more. I would intentionally irritate my second sister, and both my second uncle and aunt would turn a blind eye. Heh.”

“So when you visit my second uncle’s home, don’t be reserved. If you’re too polite, my second aunt will be displeased. She has a good heart; she’s not just pretending to be nice to me. There are others in similar situations, but unlike her, not only are they not fearful that I’ll eat too much, they’re even worried I’ll be too polite to eat freely. Sometimes I really feel that she treats me better than my own mother does.”

Aiguo instructed further, “The less formal you are, the happier she’ll be. Anyway, I’ll definitely show more filial piety to her in the future, I won’t let her affection go in vain.”

“Don’t worry, I know what to do now,” Xia Yuan nodded.

So it turned out that Great Uncle and Great Aunt truly doted on Dad; no wonder that in her previous life when she returned to the village, the two elderly people were always lukewarm towards her. Even though she handed out quite a bit of money to the Lu Family’s descendants, she never saw the old couple particularly happy.

Lu Yun pondered thoughtfully. This second uncle and aunt of Dad’s were indeed good people, especially the second aunt, who deserved much respect. In her previous life, her one and only daughter-in-law had been childless for many years, yet she had never seen her acting like other irrational rural mothers-in-law who would curse in the streets or indirectly insult others by causing disturbances.

“Aiguo, are you taking your wife and daughter to visit relatives?” Someone coming towards them with a hoe on his shoulder greeted them with a smile.

The village had just implemented the household responsibility system not long ago, so now everyone was much freer with their time to work in the fields. The person in front them looked like he had just come back from the field.

“Yes, I brought Xia Yuan and Xiaoyun to recognize the house. Uncle Wen, have you eaten?” Lu Aiguo stood still and said with a smile to the man with rolled-up trouser legs, casually taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offering one to him.

The man known as Uncle Wen chuckled as he took the cigarette, didn’t light it up, but clipped it behind his ear instead, giving Xia Yuan a slight smile as a greeting. Xia Yuan smiled back. Although she had been in the village for many years, she hadn’t had much contact with people, and while she recognized this man’s face, they had never interacted before.

“I was just on my way to eat. You all hurry on, I won’t hold you up,” said Uncle Wen, waving his hand to bid farewell to Lu Aiguo.

“Alright then, let’s find time to sit down and have a drink and a chat another day,” Lu Aiguo nodded, and walked on with Xia Yuan and Lu Yun.

Along the way, the trio met several groups of people. For the men, Lu Aiguo gave cigarettes as usual, and for the women, he handed out a few candies. It was hot in the summer, so most people got up in the middle of the night to head to the fields, then came home mid-morning for a meal, only to go back to the fields in the evening.

When they arrived at the house of his cousin, Lu Hongzhen, her family still was having breakfast. She had five sons, and except for the youngest, who hadn’t moved out yet, the others had all started their own families.

Lu Aiguo’s cousin’s husband, Lin Run, greeted them with a smile as they came in, “Here you are, have you eaten? Care to join us for a bit more?”

“We’ve already eaten,” Lu Aiguo said, waving his hand while taking out the gifts. “We have other things to attend to soon. We’re just here to introduce them today so it’ll be easier to stop by in the future. We won’t stay long this visit.”

“Don’t rush off. At least wait until I’ve cooked up some sugary syrup eggs for you before you go,” Lu Hongzhen immediately stood up, unwilling to let them leave.

“Auntie, no need to cook, we really wouldn’t be able to eat it anyway. What kind of relationship do we have? Would I still be polite with you?” Lu Aiguo quickly stopped her.

Lu Hongzhen shook her head and laughed, “Ah, my memory, I forgot about that. Never mind, then. How is Xiaoyun doing now?”

“Nothing much. She’s been pretty normal since returning, but it’s certain that the foundation was damaged. She can only recover slowly with time,” Lu Aiguo replied, still clearly frustrated when he mentioned it.

“Go on if you have things to do. We’ll have time to talk more later. Things over there probably won’t calm down anytime soon. How’s the name-changing process going?”

Lu Aizhen shook her head, a look of helplessness on her face. Chen Juxiang had made a big embarrassment of herself, acting like she was willing to give up and call it quits, as if. It was just a matter of time before she stirred up more trouble. What a pity. Ah, but who could blame Aiguo for liking Xia Yuan? It didn’t bother the second cousin and his wife anymore, so why should she stick her nose into it?

“Xia Yuan and Xiaoyun’s household registration books were stolen, so we have to apply for new ones first, but Uncle Er said he would help us with it,” Lu Aiguo honestly explained.

“That’s good. Well, go on then. Xia Yuan, remember to bring Xiaoyun over to play more often,” Lu Aizhen nodded.

“Sure, Auntie, Uncle, fifth brother, and sister-in-law, we’ll be heading out then,” Xia Yuan also said her goodbyes, and Lu Aiguo led them both out.

“We’ve only Aunt Tian’s place left to go. Once we’re done, we’ll find Shitou and head up the mountain. Oh, and we’ll pass by Wu Tan’s house on the way; I’ll call him out to give him the buns,” Lu Aiguo mused, “Wife, are you and Xiaoyun feeling tired?”

“We didn’t do any work, just walked a few steps, how could I be tired?” Xia Yuan shook her head.

“I’m not tired either,” Lu Yun said, though she felt her feet were a bit sore. But she didn’t voice a complaint; they were about to climb a mountain. If she admitted to being tired now, would they even go up the mountain later?