For the past few days, Lin Shu had been going to the brigade office to handle the accounts during the day and returning home early to prepare meals.

Her accounting was both fast and accurate, making Lu Shaocai look like an incompetent fool.

Whenever she came to handle the accounts, whether she was clicking the abacus or doing calculations quietly with a pencil, Lu Shaocai felt like a heavy burden was pressing down on him.

He sighed in relief whenever she left for home.

Damn it, a little widow causing him such pressure made him very angry.

He always wanted to find an opportunity to teach Lin Shu a lesson.

Unfortunately, Lin Shu only dealt with the accounts and completely ignored him.

She didn’t meddle in other affairs, so he couldn’t find a chance to get back at her.

On the fifteenth of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Lin Shu didn’t go to the accounting room today; she stayed home to prepare for the festival.

The pomegranates and pears at home were ready to eat.

Unlike peaches and apricots, these fruits don’t spoil quickly if left on the tree; they can be eaten gradually without going bad in a short time.

The colder weather and fewer birds meant there weren’t as many stealing the fruits.

A few days ago, Fang Dihua had picked some pomegranates, pears, apples, and dates.

However, due to the harvest, there wasn’t time for the daughters-in-law to visit their own families to deliver them.

Instead, she had Lu Erge borrow a bicycle to deliver them to relatives in the evening.

There were six or seven families to visit, mostly close relatives who frequently gave gifts in return.

Relatives need to keep in touch to maintain their closeness.

Besides relatives, they also had to deliver to close family members, the brigade secretary, the brigade leader, and the production team leader.

Fang Dihua personally delivered to her daughter’s home. She wanted to see if Xu Mother had mistreated Lu Hehuan and Xu Xiaoyou.

She was worried that Lu Hehuan might be exhausted from participating in the harvest while pregnant, so she asked secretly.

Lu Hehuan said she wasn’t pregnant.

She didn’t bother asking if Xu Shihua treated her daughter well.

Whether she was treated well or not was a matter between the young couple; she would be overstepping if she interfered.

She delivered the fruits around noon, expecting Xu Shihua to be at home.

The Xu family had a bicycle, and since only Xu Shihua and Lu Hehuan were participating in the harvest, they didn’t need to eat in the field.

Xu Shihua should have been home for lunch.

But, to her surprise, her son-in-law was hiding away while she delivered the fruits?

Ha, really!

Fang Shihua brought a basket with five or six large pomegranates, six or seven pears, and six or seven apples, with dates filling the gaps.

These fruits grew on trees, and everyone was used to eating them in rotation.

Fang Shihua didn’t mind how much her daughter ate.

Even if her daughter didn’t get much, she still had to deliver them.

Xu Xiaoyou carried the basket into the room and filled it with hawthorn berries, walnuts, chestnuts, taro, and other items, then struggled to drag it out.

Originally, Fang Dihua was a bit displeased, but upon seeing the basket of items, she suddenly felt at ease.

Xu Xiaoyou is a thoughtful girl.

Could it be that she attended lessons with the Immortal Ma just like the third daughter-in-law?

The little girl wasn’t so fortunate; she had no classes to attend.

Ignoring Xu’s mother’s sullen face, Fang Dihua spoke a few words to Xu Xiaoyou and her daughter, then happily left with the basket of goodies.

Lu Hehuan chased after her to give her a dollar, but Fang Dihua refused, saying, “Do I really need your dollar? You should buy something tasty for yourself.”

After returning home, Fang Dihua praised Xu Xiaoyou for being considerate to Lin Shu, saying, “If only my little niece was as thoughtful.”

Lin Shu replied, “Everyone shows their thoughtfulness in different ways. She will understand in time.”

Other families send good things to their maternal families during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but even though her family has rare items, she can’t send them to her maternal family.

Lu Hehuan isn’t unfilial, but doesn’t she feel distressed?

Doesn’t she complain to Xu Shihua about her feelings of distress?

Xu Shihua, used to being coddled by her, cannot handle such complaints.

This inevitably leads to conflicts.

With more conflicts, even the most deeply-in-love heart will show cracks.

As long as there’s a crack, won’t the water in that heart start leaking out?

Tian Tian and Pan Pan were peeling pomegranate seeds from a plate.

They wanted to make necklaces and earrings for their mother and grandparents.

Since they heard their grandmother and mother say their father would come back for the New Year, they began looking forward to it.

Hearing from their grandmother that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reunion and that Grandpa would definitely come back made them hope that their father would also come back for the reunion.

They dressed neatly every day, washed their little faces and hands clean, and carried around a photo of Lu Shaotang, looking at it repeatedly, ten to twenty times a day, checking the South Road.

Lin Shu, fearing their constant disappointment, said that on this Mid-Autumn Festival, she wanted to wear pomegranate earrings and asked the kids to help her put them on.

Tian Tian asked, “Grandma, when will my father come back?”

She asked this a hundred times a day.

Fang Dihua wasn’t annoyed, saying, “It will be for the New Year.”

Just then, the sound of Lu’s father greeting people could be heard from outside, full of energy.

Seeing this, their mood lifted.

The two children, like little swallows, flew out to greet him, “Grandpa, Grandpa!”

Old Lu returned with large and small bundles, smiling happily.

Fang Dihua helped him organize his things.

He brought back some ointment, a thick handwritten medical record book, a bag of buns, and several red and brown paper-wrapped gifts.

Mooncakes and a package of pear syrup candy.

Old Lu said that for the past few days, he had been working at the county hospital during the day and was invited by Dr. Yan to his home in the evenings.

The two had become close friends, discussing medical techniques and researching food together.

The pear syrup candy was something they had recreated based on their memories of its taste.

Fang Dihua casually handed the large bag of amber-colored candy to Panpan. “You keep it and share it with everyone.”

Panpan, being a little money-lover and miser, was liked by Fang Dihua to be in charge of keeping things from going to waste.

He had already started saving snacks for his father.

After lunch, Old Lu went to the medical office, and Fang Dihua went to deliver food to the fields.

Lin Shu was at home hanging chili peppers on the door frame to dry.

Zhou Weimin arrived with a clanging sound.

He was all smiles. “Lin Shu, today’s delivery is all for you.”

He started taking things out one by one.

Lin’s family had asked him to deliver a large grass carp weighing about five or six pounds, along with some clams that had been cleaned of river sand.

There was also a letter from Wei Ling, which had only two sentences wishing her a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

The envelope included five pounds of food coupons, five feet of cloth coupons, one pound of oil coupons, and two cans of milk powder coupons.

Lin Shu was a bit surprised by Wei Ling’s thoughtfulness and generosity.

It seemed that Wei Ling truly considered her a friend.

She planned to reciprocate with a gift when the opportunity arose

Zhou Weimin continued unpacking and surprisingly pulled out a remittance slip from Chen Yanming!

It was supposed to arrive around the 20th, but it was advanced this month, probably due to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Lin Shu glanced at it and saw that Lu Shaotang’s salary and allowances had increased again.

Originally a little over one hundred, it was now over one hundred twenty.

It was nice to have a man who earned well and didn’t come back to cause trouble!

She felt even more at ease.

Lin Shu was happy and beamed with joy, making Zhou Weimin feel a bit dizzy from the brightness.

He hurriedly said, “There’s more.”

He bent down and took out a square package from the grass-green bag on the back of his bicycle.

It was something Lin Shu was supposed to pick up from the post office, but since Zhou Weimin had a good relationship with her, he brought it directly.

Lin Shu was surprised. Who sent her a package?

She looked at it and saw that it was from Chen Yanming, sent from the capital?

What was Lu Shaotang up to?

Lin Shu invited Zhou Weimin to her home for a drink, a mooncake, and some snacks, and packed up a few pomegranates and a bunch of dates for him to take back.

When Tiantian and Panpan heard the postman’s bell, they had already rushed over and were now using small scissors to open the package.

At this time, the package was not wrapped in a plastic delivery bag but in a special cloth bag, and inside was a tin box!

“Wow!”

A deep blue, tall, square bucket!

The kids thought the bucket was very impressive.

They had never seen such a large bucket before; no one in the countryside had one, not even at their second aunt’s house!

The two children eagerly wanted to open it, but the lid was sealed tightly and wouldn’t budge.

They called Lin Shu for help.

Lin Shu tried to use a chisel to pry it open, but the kids were afraid it might scratch the paint, so they were reluctant.

In the end, Lin Shu used a wooden spatula and a towel to pry it open.

When the lid was finally removed, the children eagerly peered inside.

“Wow! Cookies!”

“Wow! A pencil case!”

“Wow! A tin toy car!”

“Wow! Pink gauze flowers!”

“Wow! Bunnies, one boy bunny and one girl bunny.”

…

Every time they pulled something out, the children exclaimed in amazement, having never seen anything like it before!

“This is from Dad!”

“Dad has been thinking about us.”

“Eh, why is there nothing for Mom?” The children were a bit puzzled, as everything was for them.

Lin Shu explained, “Mother, Grandpa and Grandma don’t lack anything, and sending things from the capital is too far and too expensive. It’s better to just send things for the little ones.”

Tian Tian said, “Let’s share these cookies with everyone and consider it as a gift for the whole family!”

The hairpin.

Tian Tian immediately took it out to give it to Lin Shu.

Lin Shu quickly put it on her, encouraging her to look in the mirror.

Pan Pan flattered, “It looks great, better than the girl in the picture!”