The pastoral life of the grass tribe chief

(Half of the previous chapter was revised; those who have followed this far should reread it to connect the context.)

……

Lu Lide did not explain.

"Have you paid off your debts?"

Seeing his composed expression, a thought flashed through Lu Lixing's mind.

"It's paid off."

His calm tone, however, stirred up a storm in front of everyone.

"Who did you borrow money from at exorbitant interest rates?"

Lu Ligen found it hard to accept.

His son also had a lot of debt.

As long as Lu Jichao, that spendthrift son, serves as a negative example, his son's presence will be less noticeable.

If Lu Jichao pays off his debts, his son will become the laughingstock of the surrounding area.

His status as a father naturally became a joke.

"The money Yao received in advance from his classmate for the fish."

Lu Lide didn't have as many ulterior motives as him.

Lu Ligen felt the strange looks directed at him from those around him, and suddenly wanted to slap himself for asking people how much money they had donated.

Now look what happened, they've shot themselves in the foot.

Live it!

As the ancestral worship ceremony came to an end, the open space in front of the ancestral hall was filled with countless firecrackers, leaving no gaps.

Rich people all buy the 10,000-shot version.

Lu Yao, Lu Chong, Lu Yang, and Lu Changping all bought 5,000 rounds each, which is neither the best nor the worst.

After sending off the gods, everyone packed up the offerings they had brought, and went home in small groups, chatting and laughing.

The young people stayed behind to set off firecrackers.

The sound of firecrackers was deafening.

This brought the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year to a climax.

After returning from the ancestral worship ceremony, Lu Yao took a bath and changed into a set of clean clothes that he rarely wore.

He hasn't bought new clothes for Chinese New Year since he started junior high school. The money his parents and siblings would have used to buy him new clothes was all spent on books.

He has never been particular about his clothing. He only recognizes the logos of very famous clothes, shoes and socks. He can't tell the difference between other brands. He only wore a suit twice, when he was a groomsman at Lu Jiming and Zhang Lin's weddings.

He and Lu Changping went to other uncles' houses for tea and chat. Around 4 p.m., his nephew called to urge them to have dinner.

We had our New Year's Eve reunion dinner at my older brother's house.

Being the youngest in the family and unmarried has its advantages. At least during the Lunar New Year, I can travel around freely. My older brother and sister-in-law will cook for me, and when they call to urge me to come home, there will be a sumptuous meal waiting for me.

Lu Chong is different; he's the only one who can cook at home, and he starts working at three or four in the morning.

When Lu Yao returned home, there were two tables set up in the living room.

The father and his two older brothers sat at one table, while the rest of the people squeezed into another table to eat hot pot.

The tradition of eating hot pot during Chinese New Year was not prevalent in the past; it has only become popular in recent years.

The older generation in my family doesn't like hot pot, but young people love it.

People nowadays have plenty of food, and the dishes for family reunion dinners are almost the same every year, which makes people lose their appetite.

One year, Lu Yao hosted a hot pot dinner. His mother, two sisters-in-law, and six nephews and nieces all fell in love with hot pot and would eat it whenever the weather got a little cold.

Apart from the hot pot broth, all the other vegetables and meats are the freshest they are available that day.

On Lunar New Year's Eve, many villages have people slaughtering pigs, cattle, and sheep on the spot. The head of the household will notify the villagers in advance in the village group chat about the time and place of the slaughter.

The price is cheaper than in specialty stores and supermarkets, and it's fresh and delicious. It's quickly sold out, and if you wait too long, you'll only smell the stench of manure.

There are more vegetables in the fields than we can eat, so we throw the slightly older ones into the pond to feed the fish.

Lu Yao didn't join in the fun; the four of them, father and sons, sat at one table.

All four members of the family, father and sons, drink alcohol.

As he got older, Lu Lide rarely drank alcohol, only having a little on important occasions.

Lu Jichao has the worst alcohol tolerance, about the same as Lu Chong.

Lu Jiqun has a slightly better alcohol tolerance.

Lu Yao's drinking capacity was forced out of him by Li Yunbo and Zhang Wei, so it goes without saying now.

The father and his three sons did not drink excessively, enjoying a small amount of alcohol for pleasure.

After all, relatives and friends will be coming over for tea and a chat in the evening, and it would be inappropriate for the man in the family to be drunk as a representative.

After Lu Yao finished eating, he went to find Lu Chong for tea.

During the Lu family's Spring Festival, only the two brothers accompanied their parents for the reunion dinner.

Since graduating from technical school, Lu Jian has spent more Spring Festival away from home than at home.

The liveliest days in their family are their parents' birthdays and the second day of the Lunar New Year, when their daughters and sons-in-law bring their children back to their parents' home.

On New Year's Eve, there was a night watch and a second part of the program, so Lu Chong didn't dare to drink too much and only had half a cup.

The two drank tea while scrolling through their phones, chatting and grabbing red envelopes in various group chats.

Lu Yao would send red envelopes in his family group, his elementary school classmates' group, and the village group he created.

As for other groups, they occasionally pop up, then quickly disappear again.

After finishing his meal, Lu Jian threw down his chopsticks and disappeared without a trace.

Lu Lixing and his wife were each holding a mobile phone, exchanging New Year's greetings and chatting with their daughter and grandchildren.

The TV in the living room was playing the Spring Festival Gala, but no one was watching it; it was just used as background noise, making the house feel less deserted.

The sounds of fireworks and firecrackers, along with the excited screams of children, could be heard from outside from time to time.

"Let's go to the young lady's house for tea."

The Lu family always eats late, so the two of them probably went to find him for tea after they had finished eating.

Lu Changping's home is at the end of the village.

This used to be the outhouse of his family and uncles. At that time, Lu Changping was not yet married. He and his older brother made money by speculating in stocks and bought this outhouse and the adjacent fields. The four brothers built a five-story building.

He was on the fourth floor.

We renovated the place the year we got married, and I never imagined that we would rarely come back to live there afterward.

When the two arrived at his house, they had just finished their meal.

All four Lu brothers are married and have children, but the third brother is divorced and his son is awarded to him for custody.

The eldest brother and he each had two children, while the second and third brothers each had only one.

The parents complained that they hadn't had enough children and kept urging them to have a second or third child, but the sons remained unmoved.

"You two are both twenty-nine this year. You should hurry up and find a girlfriend, get married, and have children."

As soon as the two sat down, Lu Changping's mother started her usual tirade.

"Go upstairs."

It was the Lunar New Year, and Lu Changping didn't know what to say to his mother, so he turned and left.

"You little bastard, what's wrong with saying a few words? I just want things to be good for you..."

He heard Lu Changping's mother complaining behind him.

Go up to the fourth floor.

The spacious living room features a set of nanmu wood sofas, a television on the opposite wall, and a large round table in the dining area—that's all. The space is simple, bright, and comfortable.

Lu Changping's wife is tidying up the toys scattered on the floor.

As a wife, she is truly impeccable; a typical family-oriented woman.

Young people these days can't stand nagging, but mothers-in-law happen to be nagging people, which leads to many conflicts.

Two children sat in front of the TV, watching a video of 300 children's songs.

Here, I wish you and your brother to be clever, well-behaved, happy, and healthy.

Lu Yao took out two red envelopes with cute children carrying lanterns and placed them in the hands of the siblings.

"Quickly thank Uncle Yao and wish him a Happy New Year."

Lu Changping's wife brought out candy and then gave a lecture to their two children.

"Uncle Yao, Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!"

The two little ones imitated what they saw on TV, cupping their hands in congratulations.

"Good girl."

Lu Yao stroked the two little ones' hair and sat down on the sofa chair next to them.

"Ugh, the thought of having to go back to work on the second day of the Lunar New Year is making me anxious."

Lu Chong took out a lighter and cigarettes, offered one to Lu Changping, and kept one for himself.

"I wish I could have a job every day."

Lu Changping boiled water to make tea.

"You're different, you have two kids now."

Lu Chong wanted to take the ashtray, so Lu Yao moved it to him.

"Here, have the candy. Children shouldn't eat too much; it's bad for their teeth."

Lu Changping's wife said enthusiastically.

"My teeth are bad because I ate too much sugar when I was a child; I don't have many good teeth."

Lu Changping said.

When do you start work?

Lu Yao sent a 100-yuan red envelope to his family group chat for everyone to grab, and then put his phone on the coffee table.

Fireworks were going off outside again.

Then, dazzling fireworks illuminated the sky.

The two little ones ran to the balcony to watch the fireworks, occasionally letting out excited screams.