Rebirth 78: Hunting for Treasure in the Mountains, Spoiling My Wife and Daughter to the Heavens

If a child cries every day, bad luck is coming to that family every day.

Whose son-in-law can't be a son?

The whole day was filled with laughter and joy.

Neighbors visiting, children from all over the street.

They all gathered together.

On New Year's Eve, we make dumplings using only the finest cabbage and pork.

There wasn't a TV at home, but the radio had a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

It gave everyone a vivid image in their minds.

Li Xiuhe remained quiet for a long time, which was unusual for her.

I sat quietly in the corner, recalling past scenes in my mind, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Sis, let's go for a walk in the square."

Li Xiulian put on a woolen coat and sat down next to Li Xiuhe.

"Huh? Now?"

"Yes, just like when we were kids. You would buy me delicious food, and I would follow you around like a puppy, no matter how hard I tried to chase you away." Li Xiulian leaned affectionately on her shoulder.

"I remember when I was little, you all disliked me a lot, saying I was ugly and that taking me out would embarrass you. So every time we went out, you would paint my face all over with white powder."

Another time, I had a severe appendicitis attack, and my stomach was hurting so badly, you still had to put on makeup before taking me to the hospital.

Although they were saying things that were full of disdain.

But the girls are very happy.

"Haha, you still remember this? As compensation, I'll go buy you some delicious food again today." The two sisters laughed and then cried.

Li Xiuhe has been married for seven years, and they haven't spent the Lunar New Year together in those seven years.

The Spring Festival celebrations in the county are quite extensive.

Even late at night, there were still many young men and women wandering around outside.

The square is a gathering place for everyone, and throughout the night, many vendors took advantage of the New Year holiday to earn some hard-earned money.

"Wei Guo, aren't you going out for a stroll?"

Wu Guifen was knitting sweaters for the two children while listening to stories on the radio.

In Northeast China, it is a custom to keep the lights on during the Spring Festival.

The two little ones were tired from playing, and despite the noise in the house, they slept very soundly.

"I won't go, Mom. Let the two sisters go play. I'll stay home and keep you company."

"You've put your heart into it too."

Wu Guifen liked Lu Weiguo more and more the more she looked at him.

The reason I treated Lu Weiguo so well before was simply because he was a good comrade from a family of poor peasants.

Although he has made mistakes, he has not changed his true nature.

These days, I care more about the girl and her family than about my own.

What more could you ask for in a son-in-law like this?

"What's the big deal? They're all children, it's all the same. Are there any local customs for tomorrow?"

In rural areas, many families visit their ancestors' graves on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

I don't know if they have it here.

"If possible, let's go pay respects to our ancestors at their graves as a family."

Li Guangrong lay half-reclined on the kang (a heated brick bed), hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

In the past, he and his wife would spend the Lunar New Year at home on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

He had no sons, and he was too ashamed to visit his ancestors' graves.

It's not that they necessarily want a son, but they're afraid their ancestors will say that the Li family line has ended.

But this year is different, even though the child is still a member of the Lu family.

He was already very satisfied that he could come here for the Chinese New Year.

"Get lost, you old codger! What are you doing going to that place during the New Year? Wouldn't it be better to just stay home and keep quiet!"

"Mom, go ahead. The children are too young, so let's not let them go. I'll go with Dad tomorrow morning!"

. . . .

New Year's Day.

As soon as the rooster crowed, firecrackers were set off sporadically throughout the county.

The children got up much earlier than usual.

She didn't stay in bed; she got dressed and dragged her third aunt out to buy some delicious food.

That's all the child has in mind.

Lu Weiguo didn't stop him and went to play with Lu Jiacheng.

Li Xiulian was still asleep, clinging to Lu Jiahuan, and Lu Weiguo didn't wake her up.

Since there was nothing else to do, Li Xiulian could sleep more peacefully at her hometown.

Li Guangrong went to the morning market early and bought a lot of pastries and liquor for the grave-sweeping ceremony.

When I opened the door, a blast of cold white air rushed in from outside, covering the windowpane covered with a thin layer of fog.

Before long, a ray of morning light shone through, and the thin mist gradually dissipated, leaving only specks of frost, like stars in the night sky, twinkling with colorful light.

Lu Weiguo saw that Li Guangrong could no longer contain himself.

He casually stuffed two dumplings into his hand and then went out with his father-in-law.

Li Guangrong made thorough preparations and attached great importance to this grave visit, providing steamed buns, dumplings, liquor, and pig's head meat.

There was also a bag full of yellow paper.

"Dad, is there anything else you need? My family always burns paper money when we visit the graves," Lu Weiguo asked.

"It's best to fold the gold ingots yourself. If we burn the ones folded by others, they won't reach our ancestors. We didn't prepare any this year, we'll wait until the year after next."

Lu Weiguo nodded.

We walked through the streets and alleys, heading towards the back of the mountain.

At that time, there were no fixed burial grounds in Northeast China.

That is, the burial grounds of later generations.

Basically, they would find a place with good feng shui on the mountain, tie a red rope to a tree, and make a circle around it.

The area can't be too big, after all, this land isn't even mine.

Try to reserve your own grave site without disturbing other cemeteries.

After leaving the county town, the two walked for another twenty minutes.

Li Guangrong met many acquaintances along the way.

When I saw this old man, he was actually leading a male to visit a grave on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Everyone assumed that this was a child he had secretly conceived outside of their marriage.

"My son-in-law, my youngest son-in-law, spent Chinese New Year at my house this year. He'll come every two years from now on. He says that since we're both parents, we're all his mother."

"Oh dear, young people, I don't understand what they're saying, but it's all about filial piety."

"You have no idea, I didn't prepare anything this year, it was all done by my son-in-law. He only got half a carcass of pork, you know, my wife and I can't possibly finish it all."

No matter what I say, he won't listen. Ugh.

"And then there's my little grandson, who calls me grandpa. You know what's going on, he just can't seem to get over it."

Li Guangrong finally managed to get a chance to shine.

They were incredibly good at speaking Cantonese the whole way.

She was embarrassed by Lu Weiguo's praise.

The others just smiled and remained silent.

Li Guangrong's words were three parts truth and seven parts falsehood.

They just kept saying auspicious things.

They just didn't expect that Li Guangrong was telling the truth this time.

Offering sacrifices and burning paper money.

Li Guangrong muttered to himself.

There was a large bottle of liquor; the ancestor drank half of it, and he drank the other half.

He got drunk before even getting off the mountain.

Lu Weiguo understood that his father-in-law was genuinely happy.

The older generation all want to leave an heir for their family.

But he had four daughters in a row.

As Lu Weiguo was helping his father-in-law down the mountain, he suddenly said, "Dad, Xiulian and I want to have another child, can we have the surname Li?"

"Luggage? We didn't bring any luggage, we left it all for the ancestors! Oh dear!" Li Guangrong suddenly slapped his thigh: "I forgot to get a steamed bun for the two kids. The ancestors ate it all, and the kids ate it all..."

"What did you say! Your surname is Li!!!"

"Yes, Dad." Lu Weiguo smiled. "It doesn't matter what surname I have, they're all my children."