Chapter 009 Family -- Distant Memories

Supporting my grandmother to take her seat, Lu Xiancheng directly sat down beside her. According to the customs of my hometown, the seat opposite is second only to the main seat and is reserved for my father and uncle, making it the third most important position facing the host. Currently, I am seated in the lowest position.

Zhang Caixia then said, "Alright, alright, everyone is here, let's go inside and eat!"

The last three counties have lifted themselves out of poverty, and the province, city, and county have all received commendations. The province only needs to contribute one-third of the original poverty alleviation funds as patent fees to collect taxes from the three wealthy areas, resulting in a significant profit.

Shout twice

Lu Xiancheng chatted with his father while occasionally glancing at the various pedestrians on the road around them

The little girl put down her bowl, reached out, and pinched Lu Xiangcheng's face, while using the chopsticks in her other hand to poke him lightly, murmuring, "That's not right!"

The main gate is quite large, allowing small trucks to pass through without any issues. Generally, during daily activities, everyone uses the small door and does not open the large gate. Of course, there are hardly any vehicles coming in and out of the house now; only bicycles are going in and out, making it unnecessary to open the large gate.

The car was handed over to his father and pushed into the courtyard. Lu Xiancheng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, gazing at the old house before him, taking a good look at it. It is worth noting that this old house was sold in 2003, and since the sale, Lu Xiancheng had not returned.

Grandma has nothing to feel embarrassed about; before waiting for her grandson to embrace her, she has already taken him into her arms herself

However, this land is quite strange; the grain is not well cultivated, yet the grass of these little Japanese is truly lush and tall, remarkably good

Grandmother stood under the eaves in the yard, looking at herself with a face full of affection. Mother and Aunt were both wearing aprons, seemingly just having come out of the kitchen. Uncle Er, dressed in a police uniform, stood at the door of the main room, holding a cigarette, and lifted his foot to come towards the kitchen

"Mother, Aunt" Lu Xiancheng opened his arms and embraced his mother and aunt.

The province has now become like a mouse in a bellows, caught in a squeeze from both sides. The Japanese hold patents for the forage, and the country is now emphasizing the respect for patents and inventions. It is certainly no longer feasible to continue playing tricks as before. However, this also involves the financial interests of the people from the three counties; who would dare to leave these individuals without a way to survive? This situation is even more critical; if not handled properly, it will not just be an economic issue but a political one. However, this also involves the financial interests of the people from the three counties; who would dare to leave these individuals without a way to survive? This situation is even more critical; if not handled properly, it will not just be an economic issue but a political one

The county had no choice but to report to the city. Upon hearing this, the city was also at a loss, and had no option but to escalate the matter to the province. The province, upon hearing it, was left with nothing but a blank stare.

On a八仙桌 in the main hall, there were more than ten plates of various sizes filled with dishes. The entire table was abundant with fish and meat, chicken and duck, truly a feast.

As I approached the door, I gently patted the little girl's head, and upon entering, I looked up to see the cheerful crowd in the courtyard

The provincial government has indeed agreed, but they are not foolish. The contract is signed by the county, and the funds cannot be directly disbursed from the province to the Japanese; rather, they will flow from the province to the city and then to the county. With so many levels involved, it will essentially become part of the poverty alleviation funds. If the Japanese want to retrieve this money from the hands of the bureaucrats in the county, the difficulty is evident.

In impoverished counties, the appearance of poverty is inevitable; one can occasionally see a few individuals clad in patched clothing on the streets, either riding old bicycles or driving carts. The animals pulling the carts are either scruffy donkeys or mules, and occasionally there are a couple of horses that look no different from donkeys.

When two rights conflict, one should choose the lesser one. In comparison, Japanese merchants are relatively easier to deal with; after all, it is just a contract. Our Jiangnan is a top-tier province in terms of tax revenue, so we can just compensate according to what is written in the contract. As for the farmers who have planted grass, we will also pay the patent usage fee!

Lu Xiancheng had no authority over this matter; after finishing with his uncle, he went straight to his grandmother.

This concerns the livelihoods of farmers in three impoverished counties. Who would dare to say that the grass from the fields should be forcibly collected for the Japanese? Do you really think that the rascals from these three impoverished counties are just playing around? Do you think that those who are so poor that their homes are bare have the audacity to gather in front of the provincial committee to unfurl banners?

This sudden realization truly came to Lu Xiancheng.

Zhang Caixia pushed her son away with force and casually patted him on the shoulder, saying, "This child, how did he learn this after just going out for a while? It's making it hard for me to breathe."

The entire room was filled with the flesh and blood relatives of Lu Xiancheng. Such scenes had long since vanished in his previous life, but now they reappeared before Lu Xiancheng once again. In his heart, Lu Xiancheng had already expressed his gratitude to the heavens and deities countless times.

The prosperity of my hometown is due to the shift from growing food crops to cultivating grass, which in this context refers not to traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, but to a type of forage grass developed by the Japanese

When waiting for the Japanese to come and collect the grass, these old farmers simply stopped working, saying, "If you take away the grass, what will my livestock eat"

Upon hearing this, everyone hurried into the main hall

The girl is sixteen years old this year, two years younger than Lu Xiancheng. The two have lived in the same courtyard and have practically grown up together, often engaging in playful fights. In the past, Lu Xiancheng, being immature, often bullied his younger sister. However, they are family, and after a brief period of crying and fussing, the siblings would quickly reconcile.

Now the old farmers feel that this grass is not really theirs either; even if it grows well, it will still be given to the little devils. Seeing the grass grow so beautifully and then giving it to the little devils is truly distressing. After thinking it over, some people began to use the remaining poverty alleviation funds to raise a few sheep and cattle, considering it a side business

Lu Xiancheng said: "It is truly hard work. Our school is different from others; the instructors are all top students from military academies. We only have one afternoon of rest time each week, which is barely enough to wash our clothes, let alone dry them. We have to wear them until they dry on our bodies..." While discussing the military training, he extended his chopsticks to pick a piece of chicken for his sister's bowl.

Under the watchful gaze of Lu Muzhi, who was pouting, Grandma gently patted Lu Xiancheng's head four or five times before saying: "Oh dear, this is not going to university at all; it’s simply a form of suffering. Look at how sunburned my little grandson is. You see, he hasn’t even eaten well; the child has lost weight..."

How did the hometown become prosperous in the previous life? Lu Xiancheng pondered.

When it comes to being unreasonable, there is no need for further discussion; the people below do not have such elaborate considerations

Just as Lu Xiancheng was about to exclaim, a light and crisp female voice came from the courtyard. Soon, a head popped out from the gate, making faces at Lu Xiancheng with exaggerated expressions.

Lu Muzhi, with a look of confusion, picked up the bowl and while shoveling rice into her mouth, kept glancing at Lu Xiancheng with her eyes rolling around.

Later, Lao Lu heard that the Japanese had found several pieces of land in South America and the United States with similar climates to continue cultivating their own grass. Although this type of grass in the country no longer requires patent fees, unfortunately, such an expensive product cannot be sold internationally, as they still hold the patents.

This is Lu Xiancheng's sister, to be precise, his cousin, Lu Muzhi

Of course, in Lao Lu's view, his sister is the most beautiful, surpassing any movie star.

This is the custom of the old home

In order to encourage farmers to cultivate on a large scale in the first year, it was promised that planting grass would yield more profit than growing food crops. To motivate the farmers, unified purchase contracts were signed with each household. Furthermore, the county was urged to allocate special funds for support. As a result, these veteran farmers shifted from growing food crops in their own fields to planting grass for the Japanese.

It is important to note that my sister will be going to the capital for university and eventually settling there, which means that the siblings may not see each other for several years

Lu Xiangcheng gently supported his grandmother's arm. Every time the elderly lady spoke, she would pat her grandson's hand. Regardless of what she said, Lu Xiangcheng, as her grandson, wore a look of pure enjoyment. As for what his grandmother was nagging about, since it was all trivial matters, he completely forgot.

The Du family has a traditional square-shaped face. Although Sun Lu Mu Zhi inherited the five features from her aunt, this face still closely resembles that of the old Lu family. This gives Lu Mu Zhi a somewhat masculine quality by nature. It is not to say that Lu Mu Zhi is unattractive, but rather that this young lady has a slightly androgynous appearance.

The Japanese are quite upset now; we cannot behave like this. Everyone has a contract! The Japanese took the contract to the county, and the county is at a loss. Do not be fooled by the fact that these farmers usually seem subdued; when it comes to money, especially their own money, they can do anything. This is something that the township officials understand, and surely the county officials do as well.

How to talk to grandmother

Having nearly finished contemplating this matter, Lu Xiancheng had already arrived at his doorstep on his bicycle

Neither of the two had ever seen such a demeanor from Lu Xiancheng, leaving them momentarily stunned, and now they were firmly embraced by their son and nephew

Everyone has their own seat, and it has long been a habit for the family to sit wherever they should. Once seated, some pour the wine while others serve the rice, and soon the table becomes lively.

Now it is good, as one family begins to learn from a thousand families. Within three months, all the land in these three counties that has been planted with grass will be raised with sheep, cattle, and other livestock by the old farmers

"Brother has become dark and foolish from the sun, standing at the door like a tall sorghum stalk," Lu Muzhi said with a smile to the people inside while looking at Lu Xiancheng.

Zhang Caixia and her aunt Li Fangbing are doing well, but when Lu Xiancheng embraced Lu Xinghua, Lu Xinghua's expression became somewhat remarkable

Uh! Lu Xiancheng can hardly remember this matter now, looking at this younger sister with a mindset of nearly fifty years old. Old Lu is unaware that he has already developed a certain affection for her akin to that of a father, after all, in his previous life, he was fifty years old and had not even had a child. Although his mindset is like this, Old Lu does not realize it; he is simply thinking that in this rebirth, he should cherish this younger sister a bit more.

Is military training difficult? Lu Muzhi was curious about everything in university, asking her brother beside her while picking at her food

Oh dear! Before she could finish her words, the little girl received a gentle slap on the forehead from her father

According to the memories of a past life, the younger sister's favorite was the meat on the chicken breast. Who would have thought that Lu Xiancheng's action not only stunned Lu Muzhi but also left the others at the table momentarily speechless

"You used to tease me by waving the chicken nuggets in front of me, and before I knew it, they disappeared into your mouth," Lu Muzhi replied while picking at her rice.

Who knows that this method of raising livestock, using this type of grass, requires very little concentrated feed, and after a month, even if only a tiny bit of concentrated feed is given, there is hardly any loss of condition; the nutritional value of the grass is exceptionally high

Although the Lu family dotes on Lu Xiangcheng, the brothers Lu Xingguo and Lu Xinghua generally maintain a semblance of authority. While it does not reach the extent of favoring grandchildren over their own children, they still possess a certain dignity when they adopt a serious demeanor

It is often said that the child who cries will receive milk

What happened

In fact, it is not just my younger sister; I feel that everyone in this room, including the bookish person Lu Xiangcheng, is someone I must cherish, for it is only when these people come together that we can call it one word: home

Lu Muzhi said softly while rubbing her head: "It was supposed to be like this!"

Lu Muzhi said at the interface: "Yes, Grandma, the school has really starved your 1.8-meter tall little grandson!"

Lu Xiancheng did not direct his attention to anyone else; he simply looked at the little girl he was scrutinizing and asked, "Why don't you like eating this anymore?"

From time to time, one can still see a pile of donkey and horse dung by the side of the road

Lu Xiancheng was both amused and exasperated by his sister's antics, and he reached out to swat her hand away, saying, "Just eat your meal quietly! What are you twisting me for when there's nothing else to do?"

The Japanese have indeed changed to demanding payments, coming to the county every year for money. Later, when the provincial authorities learned that the grass chosen by the Japanese was a unique local variety known as "wild donkey grass," which is a hybrid, the county then openly and brazenly refused to pay, engaging in their own underhanded dealings

Ha! Ha! Ha! Lu Muzhi pointed at her father, nearly doubling over with laughter: "Brother, hug Dad again, and by the way, give him a kiss. Dad's expression is just too wonderful."

A group of old farmers, when they started to play tricks, completely disregarded any matters related to contracts, showing the Japanese that they were as unyielding as a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water

It was around a certain year, perhaps at this time, Lu Xiancheng does not quite remember, but in any case, it was not too long ago. The cause was that the city received a Japanese investment group, and after their investigation, the Japanese believed that the climate here was suitable for growing a certain type of forage grass, prompting these farmers to stop planting food crops and instead cultivate the forage grass they brought with them

The appearance of the house is just as I remember it, with a large courtyard gate that only has a small door opened on the big gate. The entire gate is coated in bright red lacquer, and the gateposts on either side are wrapped in gray-white matte ceramic tiles. At the top, there is a traditional Chinese eave covered with red glazed tiles. This approach is also commonly used in the surrounding small courtyards, with everyone having similar styles.

Is brother back

Upon being embraced by his nephew, Lu Xinghua felt a bit embarrassed as he weighed his face in his hands. To mask this discomfort, Lu Xinghua touched the tip of his nose and said, "This child, this child!"