Reborn in 1982, the prodigal son returns

After being verbally attacked by my mother.

The injured Lin Nuo decided to go to his elder brother's house. It was time to take his elder brother, Da Wu, into the mountains. When they arrived, they found the gate ajar. He pushed the gate open and went in. The kitchen was cold and empty, and no one was there.

Lin Nuo was wondering when the neighbor aunt peeked out from next door:

"Nuozi, are you looking for your older brother? He took your sister-in-law back to her parents' home early this morning, saying there was something going on there."

Lin Nuo nodded, didn't think much of it, and turned to leave.

My sister-in-law's father seems to be in poor health; he only passed away a few years ago.

By then, the family should have enough money, so we won't have to borrow money for the funeral like we did in my previous life.

After leaving his elder brother's house, Lin Nuo walked towards Xiahe Village. He thought to himself that walking every day was good for his health, but it was still too tiring. Especially for someone like him, the nights were also quite exhausting, and he had to be careful to protect his back and legs.

To do this, you'll need to buy a horse-drawn carriage or a tractor. But those things are expensive, so you'll have to save up for a while and take your time.

Thinking this, Lin Nuo had already arrived at the gate of Zhou Laoshuan's neighbor's yard.

In the courtyard, Qi Dawu was carefully helping Zhou Xiaoyu walk from their small courtyard to Zhou Laoshuan's courtyard, preparing to have breakfast. Zhou Xiaoyu was wearing the red cotton-padded jacket, her hair was neatly combed, and she was clutching a floral headscarf in her hand, the one Qi Dawu had bought from the department store.

Her eyesight was poor, so Qi Dawu helped her walk slowly, little by little.

Seeing this, Lin Nuo couldn't hold back anymore. Zhou Xiaoyu's eyes weren't this bad before; she could pick up food by herself, and now she had trouble walking.

This young couple really knows how to have fun.

Lin Nuo just watched.

Qi Dawu looked up and saw Lin Nuo's ambiguous smile. His face flushed instantly, as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Brother Nuozi, what brings you here?"

Lin Nuo leaned against the doorframe, grinning:

"What, isn't the groom welcoming you?"

Qi Dawu's face turned even redder, red all the way to the roots of his neck, and he stammered, unable to speak. Zhou Xiaoyu smiled silently beside him.

Old Zhou's wife peeked out from the kitchen, saw Lin Nuo, and her face lit up with a smile:

"Nuozi's here? Come in and eat! It's just cooked!"

Lin Nuo didn't refuse and followed him into the main room.

When Zhou Laoshuan saw Lin Nuo arrive, a smile appeared on his lips.

Sunlight streamed through the paper window, falling on her face and illuminating her profile.

She heard footsteps, looked up, saw Lin Nuo, and her face immediately turned red.

Lin Nuo chuckled. He knew perfectly well why she was blushing; he had indeed gone a bit too far last night.

Without saying much, Lin Nuo put the wine jar into the cellar, dusted off his hands, and was about to go inside to talk to Su Wanqing when the courtyard gate was pushed open.

"Second Uncle! Second Uncle!"

Pingzi and Anzi ran in, both with tears on their faces.

Lin Nuo's heart tightened, and she squatted down: "What's wrong?"

Were these two children being bullied?

"Dad and...uncle...got into a fight."

Anzi spoke first, her voice trembling with tears, her words broken and fragmented:

"Today I went to my maternal grandma's house... During dinner, my uncle drank too much... He said that the people on my paternal grandma's side of the family aren't very capable... He even said that they aren't very capable... He even said that they aren't very capable..."

She couldn't continue, and Hirako chimed in from the side, her little face tense, like a little adult:

"My uncle said that you, Second Uncle, are a good-for-nothing and don't deserve Second Aunt. He also said it's a pity that Second Aunt is so beautiful, it's a waste that she married you. When Dad heard this, he immediately overturned the table and started hitting my uncle. Many people tried to stop him, but they couldn't."

Lin Nuo was stunned.

His heart softened. His older brother was usually a man of few words, working quietly and never uttering a sound even when wronged, but when it came to his younger brother, he was truly capable of taking action.

He stood up, asked Su Wanqing to watch the two children first, and then put on his cotton-padded coat and went out.

My sister-in-law's younger brother, Shan Jun, was a bad person in his past life. He's good for nothing and looks down on everyone.

They deserved to be hit.

When Lin Nuo arrived at her elder brother's house, Lin Jiang was squatting in the yard chopping firewood.

Lin Nuo went inside but didn't see his sister-in-law.

He squatted down next to his older brother and asked:

"What happened? Weren't you two supposed to be visiting your sister-in-law's parents' home? Why are you fighting?"

Lin Jiang's hands didn't stop moving; the axe fell again with a "crack".

He muttered three words in a low voice:

"He has a foul mouth."

Lin Nuo didn't ask any more questions. Judging from his older brother's appearance, there were no injuries on his face or blood on his hands, so he didn't seem to have suffered any loss.

My older brother is the kind of person who doesn't want to talk, and can't say anything.

It was almost dark when my sister-in-law returned. Her eyes were red, clearly from crying. When she saw Lin Nuo, she paused, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but didn't, and simply lowered her head and went inside.

Lin Nuo winked at Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang remained squatting there, motionless, like a tree stump firmly rooted to the ground. Lin Nuo winked again, and only then did he reluctantly stand up, brush the sawdust off his knees, and go inside.

The sound of hushed conversation came from inside the house. It was hard to make out what they were saying, but the voices were quiet, and the fight had stopped.

My older brother is the kind of person who just can't seem to get angry with his family.

If we can chat, it means everything is fine.

Lin Nuo stood in the courtyard and called out into the house:

"Sister-in-law, Wanqing and I will come over for dinner tomorrow night. Pingzi and Anzi will be sleeping at their parents' house tonight."

After a moment of silence in the room, the eldest sister-in-law's voice came through, nasal in tone:

"……Why."

The family had dinner together that evening. Lin Weiguo and Zhao Xiuying heard about their older brother's assault. Lin Weiguo's face darkened, and he muttered in a low voice:

"So be it. Someone who talks a big game deserves to be hit."

Zhao Xiuying sighed and put a piece of meat in Pingzi and Anzi's bowls respectively:

"Alright, alright, let's eat."

After dinner, Lin Nuo wanted to take Pingzi and Anzi to Lin Weiguo's room. However, Pingzi clung to Su Wanqing's leg and wouldn't let go.

"Second Aunt, I want to sleep with you tonight."

Lin Nuo picked him up:

"No. Second Aunt wants to sleep with Second Uncle."

Pingzi's mouth tightened:

Why?

Lin Nuo remained unfazed:

"Because my second uncle is afraid of the dark."

Hirako paused for a moment, her little face filled with confusion, while Anko pulled her younger brother's hand and walked outside:

"Let's go, let's go find Grandpa to sleep."

Anzi is still sensible; she truly deserves to be called the older sister.

After the two children left, Lin Nuo came out of Lin Weiguo's house and pushed open the door of the east room with great anticipation.

Su Wanqing sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), pretending to hold the calligraphy book in her hand, her ears turning red.

He was clearly very nervous.

Lin Nuo walked over and sat down next to her. It felt like he had cornered a little rabbit.

He didn't speak, he just stared at her. Su Wanqing felt uncomfortable under his gaze, her head lowered further and lower, her ears growing redder and redder.

Lin Nuo leaned closer, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice low and tinged with a mischievous smile:

"Teacher Su, do you know what kind of wine that jar of wine is?"

Su Wanqing pretended not to hear and turned her head to one side. She drew circles on the cover of the calligraphy book with her finger.

Lin Nuo persisted, moving even closer, his breath hot and ticklish against her ear.

"Three-whip wine".

Su Wanqing's eyes widened slightly, and she bit her lip without making a sound.

Lin Nuo smiled, his tone relaxed, with a hint of smugness:

"I didn't drink it. No, I don't need to drink it."

Su Wanqing finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Her face flushed, she bit her lip and muttered a curse under her breath:

"……shameless."

Lin Nuo chuckled, reached out and pulled her into his arms, then casually blew out the kerosene lamp on the table.

The flame on the wick shrank into a ball of blue light, flickered twice, and then went out.

Lin Nuo woke up just as dawn was breaking. Su Wanqing was still asleep, her face buried in the pillow, breathing softly and slowly, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned in a gentle smile.

He quietly put on his clothes, walked into the yard, and glanced in the direction of his sister-in-law's house.

My brother hit someone, will that kid Shan Jun let it go? My sister-in-law is caught in the middle, she's definitely in a difficult position.

However, Lin Nuo was not afraid. Dan Jun was the kind of person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When he encountered someone like his older brother who would fight without hesitation, he would back down.

He squatted against the wall, took out his notebook, and went through the methods taught by Zhang the foreman in his mind.

Once the herbs are dried, go find Cheng Youtian and see what price the merchant from the south can offer.

He tucked the notebook into his coat, stood up, and stretched. He was going to see the old foreman today.

And that jar of Three-Whip Wine… Lin Nuo’s lips curled up slightly. Oh well, let’s put it in the cellar first, just in case.