Chapter 16: Poverty and Diseases Are Difficult to Treat
"cough cough cough cough"

"You are Xiao Si, right? Come in quickly and let uncle have a good look. In the blink of an eye, even you have found a wife."

From inside the house came the sound of Uncle Lu Yang coughing violently, and the voice of someone calling Lu Yang to come in quickly.

Lu Yang lifted the door curtain.

Sure enough, the uncle was lying on the bed, with bruises under his eyes and a sallow face. When he saw Lu Yang come in, he just sat up his upper body.

He propped his back with a pillow and leaned against the head of the bed, breathing heavily.

Perhaps he was trying too hard, his sallow face turned red and he coughed twice vigorously.

The eldest aunt sat a little far away from the eldest uncle, leaning against the window with her head down, looking like she was dozing off, watching the medicine jar gurgling on the stove in front of her. When she saw Lu Yang lifting the door curtain, she just glanced over with her small eyes slanted, pretending not to see him. But when she saw that Lu Yang was holding a lot of good things in his hands, including wine and food, she immediately stood up in a hurry, with a smile on her face, "Oh, it's the fourth child, you bought a lot of things, are you going back to visit your parents?"

Only when a married daughter returns to her parents' home for the first time is it called a return visit. This is a mockery of Lu Yang being a live-in son-in-law.

Lu Yang was thick-skinned and not angry.

His aunt has always been so vicious, she can make trouble even if she is unreasonable. What's more, it was Lu Yang who was wrong first this time. Since he was not treated as a son-in-law, he should invite these two direct uncles and aunts to sit in the hall, and let the bride and groom serve them tea together.

But now they haven't had any tea or banquet. At first, it was because their eldest nephew was going to be a son-in-law and marry into the family, and they were too embarrassed to go. But later the situation changed, and Lu Yang didn't invite them!

Lu Yang put his things down and said with a smile: "Aunt is still blaming me. I came here today just to keep you company and to visit uncle."

This aunt can cause trouble whenever she opens her mouth. It’s right not to invite her.

Seeing that he had given in, the aunt lost interest in finding fault. In addition, she discovered that among the things Lu Yang brought, there was a bottle of good wine and half a bag of candy. She also heard just now that the little girl outside had stolen some of them. She immediately smiled happily. With these, their family would be able to satisfy their cravings for at least half a month.

Otherwise, she would have sweet potato rice and sweet potato porridge every day, and at most add a little bit of broken rice. She hasn't had meat for several months, and even her fat body can't stand it.

"No, those bastards are coming back soon. I need to eat some candy first."

There were originally nine people in Uncle Lu Yang's family.

My second cousin Lu Chunhua got married, and last year I married a younger sister-in-law.

There are still nine people.

But the family assets have been drained out, and now those who are queuing up to find a wife include Lu Yang's third brother Lu Youyi, fourth brother Lu Youli, fifth brother Lu Youzhi, and sixth brother Lu Youxin. They are still young and can wait a few more years, but third brother Lu Youyi and fourth brother Lu Youli can no longer wait.

Especially the third brother Lu Youyi, who is already 25 years old this year. He was a tough guy in his early years and supported half of Lu Yang's uncle's family. Before his other brothers came of age, it was him and his eldest brother Lu Youren who supported the family of nine.

But a few years ago, during a dispute over water between the two villages of Shangxiahuai, a real fight broke out and homemade guns were used, resulting in several people from both villages being seriously injured. Lu Yang's second cousin Lu Youyi was one of them. He broke one leg on the spot and still limps to this day.

From then on, I became depressed.

The fourth brother Lu Youli is the same age as Lu Yang, only two months younger than Lu Yang. Now that he sees that even his cousin Lu Yang, who is still an orphan, has already married, how can he not be anxious?
The labor force in this family who can work in the fields and earn money is trying every possible way to save money to marry a wife. As a mother, you not only do not support him, but also want him to have good meals every day. Don't you deserve a slap in the face?
I dare not spend, not even a penny.

The former tyranny and wanton reproduction have finally led to the current disastrous consequences.

Fortunately, in Lu Yang's opinion, although these cousins ​​are actively saving money to marry wives to the point of being a little obsessed, they still don't save money for their father to buy medicine. Isn't the money still being burned on the stove?
I saw my aunt cheating on me.

Lu Yang didn't point it out to her. He moved a stool and sat in front of the bed, observing his uncle's expression.

Not so good.

But the bruises under his eyes and the sallow complexion were probably caused by hunger. After all, even a normal person would not be able to stand not eating meat for a long time, let alone a patient with emphysema who had been bedridden for a long time. This disease is very difficult to cure, especially in this era, but theoretically, it would not kill the patient in the short term.

But in Lu Yang's memory, his uncle died of this disease in the first month of 1990, which means it has been less than two years since then.

Lu Yang felt a little regretful.

He should have gone to cut two pounds of meat instead of just thinking about buying wine. Judging from his uncle's condition, he couldn't drink.

Lu Yang looked at his uncle carefully.

In fact, his uncle Lu Dapiezi was also looking at him carefully. Looking at this nephew who had grown into a tall and strong man, Lu Dapiezi couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.

I have never taken care of this nephew for a single day.

But this nephew grew up tenaciously on his own. Without relying on himself, he got married and continued the family line of his younger brother's family.

My brother, am I doing my best to repay your underground spirit?
Thinking of my younger brother.

That gambler was so drunk that he drowned himself. It’s better for him to be dead. Otherwise, if he were alive now, he would probably become a burden to his family like me.

"Uncle, are you feeling better?"

Lu Yang greeted.

"Same old, cough cough, I can't die, but life is very hard. Yang Yazi, are you here today to take back the house your father left for you?"

Lu Dapiezi was already mentally prepared.

He had no intention of denying his nephew the houses. Besides, these houses were divided between the two brothers by the old man. He also found the current old branch secretary to be the guarantor and wrote it down in black and white on paper, in triplicate. Even now, there should still be stubs left in the village brigade headquarters.

How to blame?
Not only would a quarrel be embarrassing, but it might also cut off the relationship between relatives who were about to become wealthy.

But even though it may be unintentional, the reality is very complicated.

At that time, Lu Yang became Yin's apprentice and learned carpentry. Then he moved into Yin's house, and the house he left behind became empty. However, if an old house with earthen bricks and green tiles like this was not inhabited for many years and had no vitality, and if the roof leaked, it would collapse within two years if there was a strong wind or rain.

His uncle had many children, and Lu Yang knew that he would marry into the family as a son-in-law, so he simply gave the house left by his father to his uncle's brothers and younger brothers to live in. On the one hand, they could look after the house and keep a memory in case it collapsed; on the other hand, they were cousins ​​after all, so it would be better to give it to his own family than to let it be empty.

The situation is so complicated now.

There are nine people in Uncle Lu Yang's family. There are five rooms here. One main room cannot be moved and can only be used to store sundries; one room is for the old couple to live in; one kitchen is separated into half and a small bed is placed in it. This is Xiao Xiahua's nest. Before her second cousin got married, she and her lived in this nest; one room is for her eldest cousin Lu Youren and his newlywed couple; the last room is where Lu Youyi, Lu Youli, Lu Youzhi, Lu Youxin, and several brothers, both adults and not yet adults, live.

Just right.

But if Lu Yang brings back a new wife.

Then some of them will have no place to live and will have to sleep in the mountains and wilderness.

really
"Are you crazy, old man? What nonsense are you talking about? What house? There is no house. Where is there a house?"

I saw my aunt jump high.

She even spat out the candy in her mouth before she could chew it up and swallow it in her haste.

(End of this chapter)