Even with money, there was no way to buy it. If you wanted to buy from the team, you had to work for the team.

Fang Dihua suggested he take the bus to the county and come back on the bus in the evening.

Anyway, the hospital had said they would reimburse him.

Before he left, Lin Shu secretly slipped two boiled eggs and two steamed buns into Old Lu’s pocket.

Although the hospital said they would provide meals, Lin Shu was worried he might get hungry while traveling.

The elderly have less stamina and lower blood sugar in such times, so it’s best to carry some food to keep him going.

Just then, Zhao Meifeng happened to be coming back from ordering chickens and saw Old Lu boarding the bus.

She called out, “Uncle, where are you going?”

Old Lu replied, “To the county.”

Zhao Meifeng asked, “What for?”

Old Lu ignored her, pretending to be about to depart.

Zhao Meifeng hurried back home and told Lu Shaocai, “Your uncle went to the county. He must be going to invite the leaders.”

Lu Shaocai said, “That old man, lying to me about having a simple affair with no guests and no banquet.

Good thing I didn’t fall for it. I knew he was trying to play tricks, wanting to pocket the money himself.”

Zhao Meifeng said, “It’s alright. When the leaders come, we’ll invite them here. Once they’ve visited, we can move all the paper offerings and other things over.”

If Lu Shaocai refused to pay, the public funds would cover it. Lu Shaocai was determined to benefit from this.

Zhao Meifeng also planned to steal firewood from the second uncle’s wall, but she found that the previously high pile of firewood was… gone?

She quickly climbed a ladder to the wall and saw Lin Shu feeding the pigs in the southwest corner.

She called out, “Third branch’s family, where is the firewood pile?”

Lin Shu pretended not to hear.

Of course, she had had her sister-in-law Lu Da move it last night.

Now the space was clear, and she could dig a small fish pond in a few days.

Zhao Meifeng’s family didn’t have much firewood left, so she hurried her few young children out to gather some to avoid running out when the leaders came.

Of course, she also thought that she could just grab firewood from the second branch if needed.

Lin Shu listened to the busy sounds coming from the Lu Shaocai household and sneered.

This couple was truly greedy and foolish.

If it weren’t for the fact that Lu Shaotang followed his elder uncle into the army and had a promising future, how could her in-laws feel indebted and give Lu Shaocai the accountant’s job?

A favor is just a favor; you don’t owe a lifetime of repayment.

Besides the work, the second branch owed the first branch nothing.

Even with Lu Shaotang gone, Lu Shaocai still tried to use this situation to blackmail the second branch.

What could Old Lu and Fang Dihua do?

They were not clueless about the situation.

Forget about Lin Shu being busy at home.

Lu Shaocai was fixated on the fact that Old Man Lu had gone to the county to personally invite the leaders.

This only motivated him more.

He dressed up in a suit, trousers, and shiny shoes, with two Hero-brand pens in his pocket and a small white flower pinned to his arm.

He planned to greet the leaders at the southern village entrance precisely at ten o’clock.

He figured that since Old Man Lu left around six in the morning and the county committee only started work at eight, the leaders wouldn’t leave for the village until around nine after having a chat and tea.

The county had a small car and two old military jeeps.

Surely, there wouldn’t be enough space for all the leaders. Maybe some would have to ride bicycles?

They would probably arrive by ten or ten-thirty at the earliest.

He waited and waited, his eyes straining as he looked out, but by eleven o’clock, there were no signs of the county car or jeeps.

Instead, he was pelted with sand from passing tractors and trucks.

Old Man Lu didn’t go to the county committee? If not there, where else could he be?

Besides, Old Man Lu hadn’t returned yet, so he must still be on the road.

Perhaps the leaders were delayed because they had to prepare wreaths and banners.

They might arrive around noon, just in time for lunch, then proceed to the nursery for the burial.

But as the sun reached its peak and began to set, there was still no sign of the leaders.

Lu Shaocai was starving.

By now, Zhao Meifeng had already started preparing chickens and ducks at home, and the kids kept asking if the leaders had arrived yet.

By two in the afternoon, there was still no sign of the leaders or Old Man Lu.

Instead, the funeral goods store from the commune arrived, needing payment.

They had delivered the paper items to the nursery and needed to be paid.

A total of 18 yuan was due, with an additional 8 yuan.

Lu Shaocai panicked and rushed to the nursery.

He even imagined that Old Man Lu might be playing tricks, secretly bringing the leaders directly to the nursery from the north.

But at the nursery, he only found the employees from the funeral goods store, the elderly villagers, and children, who had come just to watch the commotion.

There was no entertainment in those days, so people enjoyed watching funerals and weddings.

Especially now, when everyone was poor and no one was extravagant, Lu Shaocai had bought so many paper items—paper boys, girls, big horses, and carts.

The onlookers were chatting and pointing, making a lot of noise.

“Lu Shaocai is impressive! I always thought he was stingy and clueless, but today he bought so many good things for his cousin.”

“That’s what family is for. Blood is thicker than water.”

Lu Shaocai was furious.

He first told the store employees that he would get the money from his second uncle and asked them to wait.

Then he quickly rode off to find Fang Dihua.

He needed to get to the bottom of what his second uncle and aunt were up to!

Was this some kind of deliberate trick to make him lose money and face?

No way!

Fang Dihua was indeed working in the fields.

Unless absolutely necessary, she would not take a leave of absence.

It was the consensus among the members that unless it was a major issue, working in the fields to earn work points was a priority.

Lu Shaocai tossed aside his precious bicycle, which he had always treated with care but now was covered in a layer of dust, and ran toward the fields wearing his shiny but dusty big leather shoes, shouting, “Auntie, Auntie!”

Fang Dihua, not deaf, naturally heard him but continued to work in the fields without paying any attention.

She was well aware of the mess Lu Shaocai and his wife were making.

Their buying chickens, ducks, eggs, and fine noodles, causing a commotion in the village and even nearby villages, was not something the other members could ignore.

Fang Dihua merely coldly smiled and said it had nothing to do with her family and told everyone not to pay attention.

She had clearly told her husband that they would only be repairing the grave and would not cause any trouble for the government.

These two fools didn’t misunderstand; they just chose not to listen and took advantage of the fact that they were younger and could do as they pleased.

They were simply insatiable.

Her eldest brother had given the third son a job, and her husband Old Lu had given Lu Shaocai a job.

That should have balanced things out, right?

Besides, if the third son weren’t exceptional, his uncle wouldn’t have taken him on.

Anyone with a shred of shame would know it was balanced, but these two were insatiable.

They still wanted to profit from Shaotang’s death? Why don’t they just go to the sky?

It was a good thing the third son was fine.

If he had really been in trouble, Fang Dihua would have dealt with them severely.

Lu Shaocai rushed over.

A woman who was friendly with Fang Dihua accidentally jabbed him with a hoe.

Lu Shaocai yelped in pain, rolled around in the dirt, and, forgetting to curse, scrambled to get up and chase after Fang Dihua.

“Auntie, what’s going on?”

Fang Dihua replied, “What’s going on?”

Lu Shaocai, sweating and covered in mud, said urgently, “The memorial service for Shaotang! Where is my second uncle? What about the leaders from the county and the commune?”

Fang Dihua glared at him, her voice taking on a fierce tone, “I’ve told you and your second uncle repeatedly—no memorial service, no burden on the government!

Can’t you understand plain language?

If you don’t believe me, ask the village secretary and the team leader.

We always mean what we say and don’t change our minds.”

The women working around them, who dared not slack off, were all straining to listen and glancing sideways.

The team leader responsible for the women’s work ran over immediately, smiling, “Second Auntie, Accountant Lu, how about you two discuss this at the field’s edge?”

Lu Shaocai glared at him and snapped, “I’m talking to my aunt. You have no business interfering!”

The accountant, being the third-in-command of the brigade, had a lot of power over work points and ration distribution.

Lu Shaocai usually flaunted his authority around him.

The team leader, who had been snubbed by Lu Shaocai, awkwardly urged the women to get back to work, warning them not to slack off because the accountant was watching.

Lu Shaocai was in a frenzy, not just about the money but also about why the leaders hadn’t shown up.

This was a matter of his reputation and a stepping stone to a promotion at the commune!

“Aunt, isn’t it just modesty? Who takes that seriously? My third brother is a martyr; he sacrificed for the country. We should at least hold a memorial service. Surely, the county and commune leaders will come to pay their respects. How can we not even set up two tables?”

Fang Dihua ignored him.

Lu Shaocai persisted, “Aunt, what about Uncle then?”

Fang Dihua continued working, ignoring him.

Lu Shaocai sneered, “Aunt, are you deliberately scheming against me? Isn’t Uncle supposed to be in the county inviting people? What’s this all about?”

Fang Dihua replied, “Yes, yes, you’re right. I’m busy, so don’t waste my time.”

Lu Shaocai was furious. “Then the paper goods have arrived, and I need to pay for them. And the chickens, ducks, and fish have also been delivered. I need to pay for those too.”

He had asked around the village to find all the food, which had been quite a task.

Zhao Meifeng was exhausted from it all.

Fang Dihua looked at him with disdain. “Are you really this stupid or just malicious?

Your third brother has passed away, and you think your Uncle and I are in the mood to curry favor with leaders or host a feast? Do you think your third brother was being promoted?”

Unlike Old Man Lu, who would have been too embarrassed to argue with his nephew in front of others, Fang Dihua didn’t care.

She was straightforward and didn’t hesitate to scold anyone.

Lu Shaocai’s face turned red, then purple, and then black with anger. “Aunt, you, you…”

Fang Dihua interrupted, “Get out of here and don’t waste my time.”

Lu Shaocai demanded, “Aunt, you need to give me the money. I spent over a hundred yuan.”

Fang Dihua treated his demands as nonsense.

Lu Shaocai was furious.

He used to find it easy to handle his uncle and aunt, but now he felt powerless.

It seemed they thought that with Lu Shaotang dead, they didn’t owe him anything anymore.

He recalled how he had once cried and pleaded for a job when he returned from the capital, but now he couldn’t even sit down and talk things over with Fang Dihua in the field.

He was trying to play the victim because others were in a worse situation than he was.