A middle-aged man who smoked and drank heavily had a greasy, unpleasant smell.

His nylon clothes didn’t breathe and trapped sweat, making him smell even worse under the sun.

The odor from his leather shoes and nylon socks was as awful as rotten fish.

What’s worse, he didn’t like to bathe!

The biological weapon’s offensive power was directly doubled!!!

The original body was quite sensitive to smells, and while others might not notice the stench, she could smell it, and it made her want to gag.

Lu Shaocai didn’t realize how unpleasant he was.

Instead, he smirked with his yellowed, cigarette-stained teeth, and said, “Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, you’re home? Oh, it seems the sisters-in-law are having a quarrel. Why so angry?”

Though Sister Lu Er was furious, she didn’t want Lu Shaocai to enjoy the show.

She was aware of the distinction between how she behaved inside versus outside.

Normally, she smiled and said that her mother-in-law had a bad temper, the eldest sister-in-law was foolish, and the third sister-in-law had a small temper, while she herself was a gentle and considerate daughter-in-law.

Sister Lu Er smiled, “Big Brother, you’re here. What brings you over?”

Lin Shu ignored Lu Shaocai and directly turned to go inside the house.

Lu Shaocai: “Hey, why isn’t the Third Sister-in-law giving me a good face? Did I offend her?”

Fang Dihua, irritated, said, “She’s upset and doesn’t want to see anyone. What do you need today?”

She glanced at the pot and picked up a bun to eat.

Lu Shaocai thought of asking for some food too, but seeing the black, sticky buns, he immediately lost his appetite.

He joked, “Which foolish woman made this food?”

Fang Dihua ignored him and poured herself a whole belly of water… bitter water.

The eldest family made terrible food again!

Fang Dihua glared at Sister Lu Er.

She shot Second Sister-in-law Lu a look, thinking how lazy she was.

Even though the food was so awful, she wouldn’t bother cooking.

Second Sister-in-law Lu felt quite aggrieved.

She could be tough in front of Lin Shu, but she dared not be so with Fang Dihua.

Not only because Fang Dihua was fierce and authoritative, but also because she was almost a head taller, making most people afraid to cross her.

Fang Dihua glanced at Lu Shaocai and told Second Sister-in-law Lu, “Pour some water for your older brother.”

Second Sister-in-law Lu poured a big bowl of the bitter water used to steam the cornbread for Lu Shaocai.

Lu Shaocai looked at the dark yellow water and hesitated to drink it, fearing it might be toxic. “Second Aunt, I want to discuss Shaotang’s matter with you.”

Fang Dihua said, “Nephew, first drink some water. You’ve come from far away, so have some water and eat a bit before talking.”

She didn’t say anything more and continued eating.

Lu Shaocai reluctantly took a sip of the water, which tasted like dishwater.

He almost vomited but swallowed it to avoid upsetting Fang Dihua.

He wanted to talk about hosting Lu Shaotang’s memorial service, which required various items like paper offerings, wreaths, candles, and food for the guests.

All this would need money, which he hoped Fang Dihua would provide.

He and Zhao Meifeng had it all planned out.

The funeral would cost between 200 and 300 yuan, and they expected to pocket 150 to 200 yuan.

They would also collect gift money.

In the end, they could make around 300 to 400 yuan.

Additionally, there would be compensation from the county or commune, which would likely be sent to the production team first.

He planned to collect it personally and give a little to the second family, keeping the rest for himself.

His plan was quite elaborate.

Unfortunately for him, Fang Dihua wasn’t easy to deceive.

She was very wary of Lu Shaocai and guessed what he was after as soon as she saw him.

“Nephew, drink the water, don’t be polite. Though I’m poor and have no fancy food, there’s plenty of water,” Fang Dihua said while eating a bitter piece of cornbread. “Not drinking is like not giving Second Aunt face.”

“If it weren’t for my third son’s situation, I’d make sure you couldn’t get up from the bed today!”

She gritted her teeth and took another large sip of the bitter water, forcing the cornbread down.

She prayed silently to the gods, fearing she might lose her temper and hurt Lu Shaocai, which would be bad for her son’s karma.

“Drink up!”

Lu Shaocai, driven by his selfish calculations, had no choice but to drink a sip.

“Ugh…” He turned and ran out.

Lu Shaocai had never experienced hardship.

As a child, he was taken care of by his grandfather and second uncle at home and didn’t have to do any farm work.

He enjoyed good food and had a comfortable life.

After the founding of the country, he followed his mother to the capital to join his father.

He was fortunate to witness the thriving times, lived in a spacious courtyard, and lacked for nothing, with a servant attending to their needs.

He really had never known hardship.

The tough, unappetizing food was something he couldn’t handle. He felt nauseated.

Unable to endure it any longer, Lu Shaocai covered his mouth and ran out.

Fang Dihua sneered, showing a look of contempt. “It’s true that my third son was supported by his uncle to join the army, but that’s because he had the ability to stand out. If he didn’t have the talent, neither his uncle nor even his father would have taken him into the military.”

“You’re your father’s biological son. Why didn’t your father get you a job in the city or arrange for you to join the army? It’s because you’re useless.”

Lu Shaocai’s father and Old Lu were half-brothers.

His uncle was eleven years older and had started working with their father from a young age.

The two brothers didn’t have much interaction.

However, Lu Shaocai’s father was smart and capable, earning money to support his elder brother’s career.

The Old Lu remembered and appreciated this, and Lu Shaocai’s father was naturally very understanding of his elder brother (Old Lu).

When Lu Shaocai’s uncle wasn’t home, Lu Shaocai’s father felt that the vacant house would fall into disrepair.

He wrote to Old Lu to discuss renting the courtyard to the production team, converting three rooms into a barefoot doctor’s clinic and four rooms for receiving visiting commune and county officials.

He negotiated a yearly rent of fifty yuan and sent the money accordingly.

After Lu Shaocai returned in the winter of 1965, Lu Shaocai’s father took great care of him, as he had watched him grow up and was grateful for the support of Old Lu had given his son.

Then he let Lu Shaotang, joined the army as to returned the favor.

However, Lu Shaocai and his wife were calculating.

They demanded the annual fifty yuan and were fortunate that Lu Shaocai’s father had kept the remittance slips, so they had nothing to argue about.

Lu Shaocai also claimed that since moving to the big courtyard, he hadn’t done any farm work and wasn’t used to it anymore.

He wanted to find a job.

He hoped Lu Shaocai’s father would find him a position in the city.

Fang Dihua refused, knowing that her husband would never use connections to find a job.

She said, “If your uncle had the ability, he would have found jobs for his sons long ago. And if Lu Shaocai could get a city job, his own father would have arranged it for him.”

If it wasn’t arranged, there must be a reason, even though they hadn’t said so directly.

Fang Dihua could guess.

Lu Shaocai and his wife, however, spent their days lamenting, acting as if their mother was dead, their father didn’t care, and their uncle didn’t love them.

He didn’t act tough but instead sat at the door of his second uncle’s house, crying and complaining with snot and tears: “Second Uncle…”

“Why does my father dislike me so much? He can send his nephew to join the army and give him a good future, but why not offer the same opportunity to his own son?

Uncle, do you think I’m particularly useless and hopeless? I can’t do anything right, and even my own father and uncle and aunt despise me…”

Seeing his grown nephew crying and wiping his tears, Old Man Lu was speechless.

He didn’t want to upset his brother or damage the harmony between father and son.

Moreover, it was understandable that the third son was benefiting from his uncle’s influence, so it was natural for his eldest nephew to feel unbalanced.

Old Man Lu couldn’t stand seeing him like this, so he offered him the job of the brigade accountant, and the brigade leaders agreed out of respect for Old Man Lu.

Lu Shaocai had studied for two years but was not really cut out for learning. His literacy and arithmetic were limited, and Old Man Lu had to teach him for a long time.

Even so, Lu Shaocai was ungrateful and wanted to stir up trouble and climb over his second uncle for personal gain.

Because in 1966, he wanted to settle accounts with Old Man Lu for being a “young master” in the past, which angered Fang Dihua, who wanted to hit him.

Later, when Lu Shaocai complained about not being allowed to offer sacrifices or do other things, Fang Dihua directly confronted him, “Did you dream about the eldest sister-in-law at night? Did she spit on you?”

In any case, Lu Shaocai had no brains and wanted to stir up trouble and take advantage.

He was stingy and had no real understanding of things.

Except for the Third Family, who had been deceived and instigated by Zhao Meifeng, no one took them seriously.

Fang Dihua dealt with her stomach casually and went to work with Second Sister Lu Er in the afternoon, asking Lin Shu to cook something nice for dinner.