Chapter 27: Time to Go Home

Now that he once again had more than ten thousand yuan at his disposal, Lu Kun felt much more at ease, and with renewed confidence, bought up another large batch of sand ginger.

The courtyard and rooms Lu Kun rented in the city were now almost entirely filled with sand ginger. After a quick calculation, he realized that over this period, he'd already acquired close to a hundred thousand jin of it!

Liu Liping’s sole daily task was to watch over the sand ginger stored in the city; aside from that, she barely had anything else to do.

...

Family-planning work in the county had essentially ground to a halt. After all, when lives were at stake, the issue became as messy as mud-stained trousers—one way or another, there was no denying the mess.

The farmers typically kept their heads down, tending their fields without seeking trouble, but when pushed too far, they certainly weren’t afraid to fight back. Ever since the mother of the deceased had raised a ruckus at the county government gate, some officials had finally been dispatched to investigate, though results were slow to materialize.

Having lost her son, the grieving mother had grown fearless—she took the matter straight to the Fengyang Municipal Party Committee and Government.

The forced family-planning campaign in Gui A County was now officially suspended under orders from higher authorities. The family-planning teams stationed in various towns and villages were being recalled one by one for interviews and questioning.

Who would ultimately be the scapegoat for this debacle was of no concern to Lu Kun—he couldn't be bothered to care.

...

Once he’d confirmed that the family-planning teams had finally withdrawn, Shitou returned to find Lu Kun.

Ping’an Town.

On the street by the vegetable market.

The weather had turned cooler lately, but Shitou still dressed exactly as before: a white vest yellowed with age, blue shorts, and a pair of battered wooden clogs he'd worn for years. Exaggerated cords of muscle stood out starkly on his body.

If not for the perpetual silly grin on his face, anyone would have thought he was some gangster.

Lu Kun could never figure out where Shitou’s formidable muscles came from—he’d never seen him actually work out.

Growing up, whenever the two of them got into fights with the other village boys, Shitou was always the first to charge in and lay out the lot of them. By the time Lu Kun reacted, all that was left for him was to clean up the stragglers.

The brick Lu Kun always kept on hand for emergencies had never yet had its day.

“Hey, good-looking, long time no see!” Shitou greeted him in his usual irreverent manner. The words were friendly, but coming from his mouth, they were almost comical.

Especially with that face of his—grinning wide like a sunflower, capable of ruining the most solemn atmosphere.

“What’s the situation in the village these days? Are Dayar and Er’yar doing alright?” Lu Kun tossed him a bottle of water.

“This for you?” Shitou asked, but before Lu Kun could answer, he’d already twisted off the cap and was guzzling it down.

“Dayar and Er’yar are both just fine. You know me—there’s a chance I’ll dote on them even more than on my own future daughters.”

Shitou plopped down next to Lu Kun.

Hearing that the girls were well and nothing untoward had happened at home, Lu Kun finally relaxed.

As for Shitou’s latter comment, Lu Kun simply tuned it out.

“So, when are you planning to go back?” Shitou prodded Lu Kun’s hand lightly with the bottle.

“If nothing comes up, I might head back tonight. I should let their mother know,” Lu Kun answered after a moment’s thought.

“Then stay at my place tonight! Let’s have a few drinks, just the two of us! I’ll get everything ready!” Shitou’s face lit up, his right hand thumping Lu Kun’s shoulder several times.

“I really can’t. It wouldn’t do to come home after so long and not even stay in my own house,” Lu Kun grimaced.

Lu Kun could hold his liquor well—three or four jin of rice wine wouldn’t faze him. But Shitou was a complete anomaly, never getting drunk no matter how much he drank—he was notorious as “the one who can’t be drunk.”

Anyone drinking with him would inevitably end up passed out on the floor.

Lu Kun, as Shitou’s childhood companion, did get special treatment. While others collapsed on the ground, Lu Kun at least got to sleep in a bed.

Still, recalling the splitting headaches that followed every time, Lu Kun couldn’t help but shudder.

“How come? Now you’re driving a walking tractor and you don’t recognize your own brother anymore?” Shitou laughed at his own joke.

Lu Kun shot him a look—figure it out yourself.

“I’ll drink with you tomorrow night instead. Tonight, I need to spend time with the girls—I haven’t seen those two little rascals in days, and I miss them terribly.” As Lu Kun spoke, he found himself already picturing their reunion, unable to hide the smile at his lips.

“Alright, then. But you owe me that drink—you better not back out.” Shitou punched Lu Kun lightly on the back, making it resound with a dull thud.

Shitou usually spent his days catching up on sleep, with nothing else pressing. After joking around with Lu Kun for over half an hour, he went off to help look after the girls.

Mostly, he needed to keep an eye on Er’yar, that wild child, to make sure she didn’t get into any new mischief.

Lu Kun had no concerns about Dayar. Though only seven, she was mature beyond her years—a model child who needed no supervision. After school, she went straight to her homework, and once finished, helped with household chores. She was the textbook “other people’s child” parents always admired.

After nearly twenty days away from his daughters, Lu Kun missed them terribly.

With business winding down, he packed up his stall and drove the last load of sand ginger to the city.

After lunch, he took Liu Liping to the county’s general market for a stroll.

He wanted to buy a few new outfits for each of the three women at home.

Liu Liping had followed him through thick and thin all these years and endured much hardship—it was only right he bought her something nice.

At first, he’d considered buying other presents for his daughters, but Liu Liping objected to anything frivolous. New clothes for the girls, however, made her genuinely happy.

They spent the afternoon picking out clothes from various street stalls, haggling with vendors until dusk.

Liu Liping couldn’t return to the village with Lu Kun—the courtyard was packed with sand ginger, and it wouldn’t do to leave it unattended.

With the last rays of sunset, Lu Kun drove his walking tractor toward Ping’an Village.

The envious looks from passersby made him feel as if he weren’t driving a tractor, but a Ferrari supercar; his spirits soared.

Even the black smoke billowing from the engine and the constant sputtering noises became somehow bearable.

Fortunately, he reached the village after dark; otherwise, he might have caused quite a stir.