Chapter 2: Living under someone else's roof

Ningyang is located in a remote area and has preserved ancient funeral customs and habits. The etiquette and rituals are very cumbersome. Lu Fan could only fulfill his filial duty by not missing a single custom, no matter how much money it cost, as he could never make up for the regrets of life.

His mother's funeral ended, and the siblings thanked the fellow villagers. After the noise subsided, the courtyard was left in a mess.

The deceased are gone, and the living must go on. Watching Lu Yao sobbing while cleaning the courtyard, Lu Fan walked over, hugged his sister in his arms with a pained heart, and whispered, "Yaoyao, Brother will take good care of you!"

Lu Yao sobbed uncontrollably, "Brother... Mom is gone, what should we do..."

"It's okay, even if the sky falls, Brother is here!"

"Brother, I want Mom, I miss Dad..."

Lu Fan hugged his sister tightly, swearing in his heart that he would take good care of her for their parents and not let her suffer any grievances!

After a while, Du Wenlong, Yang Minghao, and a few other childhood friends returned to help clean up the mess. Lu Fan was very grateful and worked alongside them.

"Xiaoyi, how much money can you make stealing oil in a day?"

Su Xiaoyi said without reservation, "It's hard labor, it depends on how much strength you have. When there's a crackdown, you have to stop. I can make 100 yuan a night."

Seeing Lu Fan looking thoughtful, Su Xiaoyi asked again, "Brother Fan, you aren't thinking of dropping out of school, are you?"

Lu Fan nodded and said, "There's no point in this schooling. I don't think I can get into university, and even if I did, where would the tuition come from?"

Xia Li leaned over and said, "Brother Fan, I heard from Chouchou that your grades were very good when you were in the first year of high school?"

Lu Fan sighed and said, "I can't focus on studying. The county high school only sends a few students to undergraduate programs each year. I estimate I can get into a junior college at best. We have no power or money, and I won't find a good job in the future. I don't want to take that detour; I won't waste the money. Xia Li, how much can you make at the construction site?"

"Five a day. We brothers all think you'll have a bright future. We'll find a way to scrape together the tuition."

Lu Fan shook his head; they were all earning hard-earned money, and none of it was easy.

Du Wenlong heard Lu Fan's words and immediately leaned in, saying, "Brother Fan, if you drop out, I won't study either, so my mom doesn't have to work so hard. From childhood to now, we've been like a bundle of chopsticks—never sold separately."

As for Chouchou, Lu Fan didn't intend to persuade him. He was a loser in the bottom three, while he himself at least had an advantage in liberal arts.

After dark, his second uncle and second aunt came to help Lu Fan calculate the funeral expenses. As a result, the little savings the family had were not enough, and they were even in debt by over a thousand yuan.

His second uncle said generously, "Xiao Fan, you don't need to worry about this thousand-plus yuan; your second uncle has already paid it. Your parents are gone, and you and Yaoyao are still young, and even eating is a problem. My house has an empty cave dwelling, and your second aunt has already tidied it up. You two siblings move over and live there!"

Lu Fan felt the warmth. He knew what a thousand-plus yuan meant to rural people, and most importantly, his second uncle could take the initiative to look after his siblings. This kindness was unforgettable.

Three days later, on New Year's Eve, the siblings packed their bedding and, with extreme reluctance and lingering attachment, went to their second uncle's house.

Both cousins were in junior high school. The third brother, Lu Linhu, and Lu Yao were in the same class, and the second brother, Lu Linxuan, was in the second year of junior high.

The Lu family had few members in the village, and the siblings had been very close since childhood. The younger brothers enthusiastically helped tidy up the beds, allowing Lu Fan and his sister to experience warmth in the details of a strange room.

The New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous, but there wasn't a hint of laughter; it was eaten with bitterness.

Lu Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks after just a few bites, tears streaming down her face. Lu Fan pulled his sister back to their room.

Lu Yao sobbed in a low voice, "Brother, I don't want to go to school anymore. I'm a girl. I'll work in the village and won't hold you back. You can't drop out!"

Lu Fan said with a pained heart, "Yaoyao, there are 360 trades, and every trade has its master. Studying is not the only way out. Someone has to carry this family. You must believe in Brother. No matter what I do, I won't do poorly. You study with peace of mind and get into a good university to report the good news to Mom and Dad!"

"Brother... I miss Mom and Dad. Tomorrow, let's take some food to them."

"Okay, Brother will go with you!"

Facing the predicament before him, the image of Teacher Wang Hongtao flashed through Lu Fan's mind, but it was fleeting.

In the dead of night, Lu Fan was woken up by the urge to urinate and went to the outhouse quietly.

When he returned, he vaguely heard his second uncle and second aunt arguing, seemingly about him, so he walked closer to eavesdrop for a few sentences.

"Lu Bin, don't you know what kind of person I am? I didn't say I wouldn't look after Xiao Fan and Yaoyao, but don't you know how much we have? Do you have the ability to support four students? If Xiao Fan goes to university, do you know how much money it will cost? And Yaoyao is only in the first year of junior high. Are you going to ignore your own sons?"

He only heard his second uncle say angrily, "If I don't look after their siblings, I'll be pointed at by people's spines! Big brother helped us a lot while he was alive, have you forgotten? Your bride price money was all scraped together by big brother!"

"Lu Bin, I'm not a heartless person. We rely on scratching a living from the land. We really can't afford for four children to go to school. You decide for yourself, anyway, my two sons must go to school!"

"Sigh, money, money, money, to hell with the bastard!"

Returning to the cave dwelling, seeing his sister sobbing from time to time in her sleep, Lu Fan made a firm decision: this schooling might as well be given up!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, they ate dumplings, "changing the year and meeting the children," which symbolizes attracting wealth and treasure, joy and reunion, and good luck.

Before the dumplings were even in the pot, Zhou Zhengbang came to the door and formally proposed to dissolve the previous joking "betrothal since birth," using a bunch of excuses—that it was a new era, it was unreasonable and illegal, and that they should abandon old ideas.

Lu Fan had no objection to this and straightforwardly expressed his agreement. Although his second uncle was a bit annoyed, he didn't fall out with Zhou Zhengbang.

When seeing the guests off, Lu Fan saw Zhou Tianhui standing anxiously at the door.

From then on, the fate was broken, and each would be well!

Watching Lu Fan turn and leave, Zhou Tianhui really wanted to say loudly: Brother Fan, you underestimated my determination!

Being "rejected" cast another shadow over this broken home. His second uncle cursed Zhou Zhengbang for a whole day.

He cursed him for having dog eyes that looked down on people, for being ungrateful. Back then, the two families' "betrothal since birth" was just a joke; it was Zhou Zhengbang who insisted on setting it, wasn't it because he saw his big brother eating from the public pot? The 1,000 yuan back then was real money; could it be compared to one thousand yuan now?

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, his father's old friend Yang Ye returned to the village and came to his second uncle's house to visit Lu Fan and his sister at the first opportunity, expressing deep condolences for his mother's passing, saying he was really too busy a few days ago and couldn't rush back in time to pay his respects.

For this "big official" in the city, Lu Fan was very grateful. He came to their house almost every year, providing help in times of need. His father was gone, but Uncle Yang's tea hadn't gone cold. He was the Deputy Director of the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

His second uncle seized the opportunity and said to Yang Ye, "Brother Yang, these two children are pitiful! I heard people say that there are still people 'taking over shifts' in the county. Can you think of a way to let Xiao Fan take over his father's shift, so he can have a place to settle down in the future?"

Yang Ye thought for a while and said, "This system has basically been abolished, except for special circumstances. And I'm not very familiar with the leaders in Ningyang; handling such things requires special connections. Isn't Xiao Fan in high school? I think he still needs to go to university."

Lu Fan said firmly, "Uncle Yang, I don't want to go to school anymore. I can't focus on studying, and I want to make money!"

"Sigh, child, schooling is the best way out. If you have difficulties, Uncle can help you."

"Uncle Yang, I will never forget your kindness in this life, but I really can't study anymore. I'll go out to work in the spring."

Yang Ye considered it and said, "Xiao Fan, I know you've been sensible since you were a child. If you really don't want to study, wait for my news. I'll see if I can find you a job in my unit, start as a temporary worker, and see if there are any opportunities for recruitment later."

His second uncle was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Xiao Fan, why don't you thank your Uncle Yang? This is a huge favor; maybe you really can eat from the public pot."

Lu Fan thanked him sincerely, "Uncle Yang, great kindness cannot be expressed in words. No matter what I do, it won't be enough to repay you. In the future, if there is anything I can do, just say the word. I won't even frown if I have to go through fire and water!"

"Xiao Fan, I grew up with your father, classmates for more than ten years. Don't be so formal with Uncle. Sigh, you are a man, you must be brave and take good care of your sister to comfort the spirits of your parents in heaven!"

At this very moment, the other party's willingness to help him made Lu Fan very grateful.

His second uncle and second aunt breathed a sigh of relief. If Xiao Fan could have a job, it would solve a big problem. Even if it was a temporary worker, it was still eating from the public pot, and maybe one day there would be an opportunity to become a regular. That was a great opportunity and a great fortune! ===== CHAPTER 3 =====