A soft-waisted educated youth has sex with a loyal dog and a rough guy in the 1960s

Aside from saying she couldn't come back, Minmin only asked Lu Miao to pass on a message to her younger brother, Minrui:

—Study hard.

Lu Miao was momentarily stunned, but then felt a surge of relief.

Having developed a sense of boundaries, isn't this yet another step in Minmin's growth?
Lu Miao respected Minmin and didn't say much.

After telling Minmin to take good care of herself while she was away, he hung up the phone.

After briefly explaining the situation to Fu Jingyou, she then called her family in Jingbei.

It's Sunday today, so all the children are home.

With summer vacation approaching, Lu Miao originally intended to ask the children if they would like to return to their hometown during the holidays.

As a result, each of the kids was busier than the last.

Shi An was named a model student by the school, and next semester, according to the school's arrangements, he and several other students will go to the Affiliated High School of Kusaka University in Japan for a cultural exchange.

To minimize potential problems in negotiations, the school specially organized a small Japanese language class this summer, and Shi An will be taking intensive tutoring sessions with those children.

Mingyi and Mingxia also have arrangements.

The school organized a charity event to encourage children to use their ingenuity during the summer vacation to raise funds for the animals at the Beijing Zoo.

Only Bai Chuan was idle at home.

While Lu Miao was talking to the other children, Bai Chuan kept shouting from the side:

"Brother! Let me answer the phone! I want to talk to Mom! I want to go back to Grandpa's house, I want to go back!"

The brat is making a lot of noise.

Lu Miao could even picture him standing on tiptoe, jumping around trying to grab the phone.

Lu Miao laughed helplessly and had no choice but to let Mingxia hand the phone to Bai Chuan.

Bai Chuan has a lively personality and is very good at long phone conversations.

I miss my mom one minute, and my dad the next.

A little while later, he asked his parents if they missed him.

He talked on and on for more than ten minutes.

In the end, it was only after Lu Miao promised to arrange for him to go back to his grandfather's house in his hometown during the summer vacation that the naughty boy finally shut up and handed the phone to his grandmother.

Lu Miao always thought about the children in Beijing, but Tang Mei missed her the most.

As soon as she received her call, Tang Mei immediately asked about her health.

Lu Miao smiled as he held the microphone:

“I’m much better now, Auntie, don’t worry so much… We went to the hospital in Wuhan before, and the doctor said that once this course of medication is finished, the treatment will be over, and we expect to be able to come back within the year.”

Tang Mei said, "Don't only report good news and not bad news... It's good that things are getting better. If it's close to the end of the year, don't rush to come back. You can come back after spending the New Year with the elders. Don't always worry about this place. Everything is fine here."

"Okay, Auntie."

After chatting with Tang Mei for a while, Lu Miao asked about her father.

On the other end of the microphone, Tang Mei called out:
"Old Lu, Old Lu! Xiao Bao is calling you!"

After waiting for a while, her father didn't come to answer the phone. Instead, Tang Mei smiled and said:
"You know your dad's temper. He misses you all, but he never says it out loud... Alright, as long as you're all doing well, that's all that matters!"

Lu Miao chuckled and said "Mmm," then chatted casually for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Fu Jingyou helped her out of the post office and into the car.
"What did Dad and Auntie say?"

“Dad didn’t answer the phone. My aunt said the kids are all fine and told us not to worry. I was originally planning to have the kids come back for summer vacation to stay for a while, but they’re all so busy.”

"Ok?"

Fu Jingyou asked in confusion.

Lu Miao then explained the situation of the children to him, and before getting into the car, she said:
"Since Baichuan doesn't have any activities planned for the time being, the kid is making a big fuss, insisting on coming back."

Fu Jingyou said:

"Let's see later, and see if we can have Xiang Dong or someone else deliver it."

Lu Miao smiled and nodded:

"Ah."

Fu Jingyou then sought her opinion, saying:

"Shall we go to the department store to buy something before going back?"

"Okay." The car then headed towards the county's department store.

Lu Miao doesn't go out much.

With Fu Jingyou accompanying her this time, she took a closer look around.

Besides stocking up on household necessities, I also bought some things for Tian Guihua and her two children.

I also bought some extra brown sugar and other nutritional supplements that are in high demand in the village.

It's for Zhao Lanxiang.

Lu Miao has never visited Zhao Lanxiang, nor does he plan to.

Buying something as a token of appreciation is fine.

After these items were delivered to the He family, Lu Miao and Fu Jingyou never interfered in the matter between Brother He and Zhao Lanxiang again.

During this time, Tian Guihua asked someone in the village to deliver a message to He Erge.

He Erge bought brown sugar and pork and also came back to visit once.

Lu Miao also asked He Hongjin and Chen Guifen to take a few of the chickens back with them while He's second brother was away.

When He Erge later chatted with Lu Miao and the others, he heard that Zhao Lanxiang didn't have much time left and felt very sad.

But that's about it.

After all, birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws.

You can only follow it; no one can reverse it.

Let's talk about Zhao Lanxiang.

Zhao Lanxiang often felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her head, as if countless needles were pricking it.

She was only lucid for short periods, but during those few moments, she could still perceive everything happening around her.

For example, a sudden feeling of refreshment in the body.

The bed has been made clean.

And occasionally you can get brown sugar eggs, pork, and chicken soup...

The He family didn't say anything, but Zhao Lanxiang could always sense something from these changes.

As the saying goes, a dying man's words are often the best.

The same thing probably happened with Zhao Lanxiang.

In the past, Zhao Lanxiang and Brother He always quarreled.

Because Zhao Lanxiang was seriously ill, the relationship between her and Brother He had temporarily eased, and there was a rare moment of peace.

After lunch, Zhao Lanxiang lay on the bed and waved to Brother He, saying:
"Is Minmin back?"

Her voice was so faint that it could be drowned out by the sparse chirping of cicadas that only begins in early summer.

Brother He took her hand and said:

"Xiao Liu said his wife has already called Xiao Min..."

Brother He lowered his head listlessly and didn't say anything more.

Zhao Lanxiang's eyes became cloudy, and tears suddenly welled up in them. She understood the meaning behind Brother He's words.

Perhaps it's not because I'm busy.

That girl, she resents her!

A muffled sniffling sound came from inside the room.

After a while, Zhao Lanxiang asked again:

"Yao...where is your keenness?"

Brother He said, "We'll go play over there after dinner, and we'll come back for dinner later."

Zhao Lanxiang nodded knowingly.

Perhaps feeling that she wouldn't live much longer, Zhao Lanxiang's state of mind suddenly changed.

The things I was once attached to now seem meaningless, as they are things I could never have brought with me when I died.

Her eyes were half-closed, but she stared intently at the roof beam above her head, her hands still clasped together with Brother He's.
"We've been married for almost twenty years, haven't we? For those twenty years, we've fought from beginning to end, always arguing over the smallest things. It's been incredibly embarrassing, and people have had enough of our jokes..." (End of Chapter)