NOVPUB
Chapter 383: 373
Shen Yunfang was busy and delighted in the Capital, but Li Hongjun back in his hometown was not so happy.
After seeing his wife and child onto the train, he also bought a ticket and returned to his hometown. After a bumpy journey, he finally arrived home the next afternoon.
"Mom, I’m back. How’s dad?" Li Hongjun pushed the door and entered the Shen Family courtyard, where he saw his mother sitting at the doorway, snapping green beans. He walked into the yard and closed the door behind him.
Just as he walked into the village, several people had already greeted him, and some even asked about military conscription. He couldn’t help with that, so it was better not to give people an opportunity to ask; otherwise, his refusal to help would certainly offend someone.
Though he wasn’t afraid of offending people, it was an unnecessary issue, and it would be best to avoid it if possible.
Qiu Shuping looked up at her second son standing straight in the courtyard and snorted through her nose, "Back, are you? I almost went blind waiting for you to come home. It wasn’t easy." In fact, she had guessed her second son would be home in these few days, so she had been waiting for him.
Li Hongjun frowned, disliking his mother’s unwarranted sarcasm, "It seems my younger brother came back earlier than me. He’s inside taking care of dad, isn’t he? I’ll go take a look."
"What’s it got to do with your brother? He’s still in school, why would he come back?" Qiu Shuping asked, puzzled.
Li Hongjun just looked at her without speaking.
Qiu Shuping finally realized there was something improper about her words, coughed twice, and said again, "This time, it’s not that your brother didn’t want to come back. Your dad said your brother lives far away, and it’s troublesome for him to make a trip, not to mention a waste of money, so he didn’t let him come back. Besides, your father and I visited your brother not long ago. Your dad doesn’t worry about your brother; he’s been waiting for you."
"Dad’s in the house, right? I’ll go take a look at him." Li Hongjun didn’t want to argue over these things and went straight to his parent’s room to see how his father’s injury was.
"Sure, go and see him quickly. Your dad has been looking forward to your return these days; he even calls your name in his sleep." As Qiu Shuping spoke, she started wiping away tears, but seeing her son walk past her expressionlessly, she felt a bit angry. However, looking at the leather bag in his hand, her expression brightened again, "Here, give me your luggage. I’ll carry it into the house for you."
Li Hongjun didn’t argue with his mother over the bag; if she wanted to carry it, let her carry it. He took large strides toward his parent’s room.
Upon entering, he saw the old man Li lying on the kang, wearing only his undershorts, with his left calf wrapped in gauze, which was no longer white.
"Dad, how are you?" Li Hongjun hurried a few steps closer to the edge of the kang.
"Hey, Hongjun, you’re back?" Old Li mumbled as he heard someone calling and, opening his eyes, saw his second son had returned. He quickly propped himself up with his hands, smiling warmly at his son. "Didn’t I tell you not to come back? It’s nothing serious with me; just lying in bed for ten days or so will do."
Upon hearing this, Li Hongjun immediately knew he had been tricked into coming back. "Dad, isn’t your leg broken?" On the phone, his older brother had said that Dad’s leg was broken and the doctor mentioned that given Old Li’s age, his leg might not recover too well.
"No, it’s just that I stumbled carelessly and hit my leg on a shovel. It looked bloody and terrible, but it’s really nothing serious." Old Li was still very optimistic, but having his son come back made him even happier. "Did you take time off to come back? Did Yunfang and the kids come back with you?" He remembered that his daughter-in-law had had another child, and he hadn’t seen him yet; it was always on his mind.
Li Hongjun’s tight tension eased upon hearing that his father was not severely injured. Although he was annoyed at being deceived into returning, he was also happy to know his father’s injuries weren’t serious.
"Oh my goodness, don’t listen to your dad’s nonsense. At that time, his entire leg was dripping with blood; it scared us to death, afraid something might happen to him." Qiu Shuping came in from the other room and heard Old Li downplaying the severity of his leg injury. She hurriedly added this bit, knowing her second son could be stubborn. If he felt tricked and got upset, it would be a whole problem.
The grandfather and grandson on the kang glanced at her, then, in tacit agreement, pretended she didn’t exist and continued their chat.
"Yunfang actually wanted to come back with the kids to see you, but her school term is starting soon. We wouldn’t have enough time for the back-and-forth travel, so I told her not to come. Besides, her coming back wouldn’t make much difference; she wouldn’t be able to decide on anything. It’s better to have her look after the children at home," explained Li Hongjun.
Old Li nodded, "Right, right, right, no need for her to come back. It’s nothing serious with me. Why waste the travel expenses for nothing?" Old Li genuinely thought this; he had disagreed when they spent money to visit their younger son before. It seemed like such a waste to spend all that money on the trip when they could just wait for the kids to come home during the holidays. Yet, his wife had nagged at him for days and, in a daze, he had gone along. However, seeing the travel costs and the money spent on hotels and meals made him genuinely regretful and pained. It would take him so long to earn back that much money. "Hey, by the way, in your letter, you wrote that Yunfang had been admitted to university—that’s true, right?" He knew his second son wouldn’t lie to them, but he and his wife just couldn’t believe it, hence he asked again to make absolutely sure.
"Yes, she got in. It’s almost time for the semester to start; that’s why she didn’t come back," Li Hongjun said, voice steady and proud that his wife had been admitted to university.
"Good, good, good, that’s wonderful! Our family has another university student! Come New Year’s, I’ll have to pay my respects properly. Our Li family’s ancestors must be puffing out smoke in delight," said Old Li, delighted to hear his daughter-in-law was truly a university student. The joy made it seem like there wasn’t a trace of an injured man in him.
"You just stay put. You don’t even know what kind of university she’s attending, so what are you excited about?" Qiu Shuping didn’t have a high opinion of Shen Yunfang and was displeased that she could go to university just like her youngest son did. Humph, with the Shen Family’s poor state, how could they produce a university student? She refused to believe it. Even if Shen Yunfang was now attending university, she firmly believed it couldn’t be anything worthwhile. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
Li Hongjun glanced at his mother and then turned back to Old Li and said, "Dad, Yunfang was admitted to the Agricultural University..."
"You see, I told you so. What good is an agricultural university? After graduating, isn’t she going to work in the fields anyway? Not like our Hongqi, now that’s someone who’s learning real skills. Once he graduates, he will be a real talent," Qiu Shuping interrupted Li Hongjun before he could finish, eager to belittle others. In her eyes, no one could outshine her younger son.
Li Hongjun stopped talking. Whatever his mother thought, it seemed unnecessary now to mention that Yunfang’s university was in the Capital.
