Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 148 - 143 Insider

Chapter 148: Chapter 143 Insider

Lying in bed at night, Lu Aiguo was absolutely sleepless, his thoughts circling repeatedly around Uncle Lu’s words, the phrase "What others don’t have, why should you?" still sending chills down his spine.

His mind wandered from the traders in Haicheng, to people imitating his homemade fried potato chips, to the time he had told Shitou, his wife, and daughter that they had no roots in Haicheng...

His heart began to flutter with uncertainty, torn between giving up and not being willing to, between continuing and having no confidence... In this dazed state, he didn’t even know when he actually fell asleep.

In Haicheng, it was once again the evening study time for everyone. Xia Yuan, after checking the accounts and feeling somewhat restless, picked up the warm milk from the table, stood up, and took a seat at the middle table with a sigh.

Lu Yun put down her homework pen and also took a seat beside her.

They say the first three months and the last three months of a woman’s pregnancy are the most dangerous, and that her moods can be particularly unstable during that period. With dad away on business just at this time, these past few days she inevitably paid several times more attention to mom’s every move, and naturally, she came over to show concern upon hearing her sigh.

"Mom, are you thinking about dad?" Lu Yun also sat down at the table.

"Ah, who knows if they have arrived or not? Whether they had a smooth trip?" Xia Yuan did not deny it but sighed again, looking worried.

Shitou glanced over, closed his book, and came over to sit down, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry, they must have arrived by now."

Without a phone, it was just so inconvenient, messages couldn’t be passed on in a timely manner.

Lu Yun brought out two cups of milk, pushed one in front of Shitou, took out a plate of Black Forest cake and placed it in front of Xia Yuan, and put a plate of Oreos in front of both herself and Shitou.

"Exactly, mom, don’t worry. Dad and the others are three grown men, all strong and healthy. Even if they encounter any minor issues, it’s not a big deal, they will surely sort it out just fine." Lu Yun picked up a piece of Oreo, dipped it in milk, and put it in her mouth with a look of pure enjoyment.

"Is it really that delicious?" Xia Yuan, seeing how much Lu Yun was enjoying it, couldn’t help but reach for an Oreo from the plate in front of her, dipped it in milk just like her and took a bite, finding it unexpectedly smooth and pleasant. She then unceremoniously finished off the plate of cookies in front of Lu Yun in just a few bites.

"Is there any more?"

"Mom, you never used to eat these." Lu Yun stared in disbelief as she quickly placed another plate in front of her mother, and promptly squirreled away the Black Forest cake. Just in case mom finished off the cookies and set her sights on the cake as well.

"I don’t know why, but seeing you eat made me crave some too." Xia Yuan ate all the cookies in front of her in one go, then looked at Lu Yun apologetically.

"It’s fine, it actually tastes best with milk. It’s a pity you didn’t eat it before."

It’s quite normal for pregnant women to change their tastes, it was she who was making a fuss over nothing. Lu Yun took out several boxes of Oreo cookies, removed the paper box packaging, and neatly stacked the cookies in a tall fruit bowl. Since mom liked them, she put more out, so she wouldn’t have to reach for them when she was off to school or sleeping in her room, which would be inconvenient.

"After the New Year, aunt will be leaving, and I think it’s time for grandma to come." Lu Yun quickly glanced at Shitou, then at Xia Yuan. She thought that with mom being pregnant, grandma would definitely come to take care of her during the confinement. Some things should also be told to dad and mom by now.

"When did I become so delicate? It’s just your dad being overly nervous about nothing." Xia Yuan shook her head in disbelief. Since she learned of her pregnancy, she had given serious thought to how the confinement should be, so now she spoke with ease.

"With you all here, I’ll cook some confinement food in advance. Your dad can help by washing some diapers. There’s no need to trouble grandma to come all the way here to look after me. Your dad has owed too much to his elder brother and sister-in-law since he was young. He has mentioned to me several times in private that he probably will never be able to repay them in this lifetime. Even if we were to give them a lot of money in the future, it wouldn’t amount to much because you cannot measure human emotions with money."

Xia Yuan’s expression was very gentle, "You don’t know how hard your dad’s childhood was. When he was just a young teenager, your grandfather passed away, and your grandmother was rather temperamental. Normally, if one were to receive as much help as they did from their extended family, they’d be overjoyed. But she never appreciated it and didn’t want to show it in front of others. Instead, she would secretly wipe away tears and tell your dad to keep his distance from their household. She even refused to eat the food they brought and wouldn’t let your dad eat it either, preferring to throw it away rather than watch her own son go hungry. She always said that they had ulterior motives."

Xia Yuan sighed. Food was so valuable back then, and even now, some families can barely afford enough to eat.

Remembering how Aiguo described this with a forlorn, pained expression, she couldn’t help but wonder if her mother-in-law had been hit on the head by something. "What do you have to hold a grudge against, if not life-saving food? And Aiguo also said that back then, everyone’s households were struggling with food. The grains in his elder brother and sister-in-law’s home were very tight too; they were not much better off, and what little they had was saved from their own mouths with great difficulty."

Xia Yuan still shook her head, finding it impossible to understand, no matter how much she thought about it.

"Your dad couldn’t bear to see her upset and, not wanting to waste food, began to avoid going to their house too often. In his heart, he knew the truth. With just the two of them, mother and son, penniless and unable to feed themselves, what could his elder brother’s family possibly want from them? What was there to take advantage of? Even though his brother’s family from his father’s side treated him not too badly, they never showed the kind of generosity that his elder brother and sister-in-law did. It truly was a selfless kind of care. But after your grandfather passed away, your grandmother became a bit confused, and there was nothing that could be done about it."

"In the end, with no other option, your dad dropped out of middle school after only a semester to work at various jobs outside to fill the stomachs of the two of them. But do you have any idea how difficult it is for a child barely in his teens to find food?"

Could there really be such intrigue?

Lu Yun and Shitou looked at each other, both seeing the astonishment in each other’s eyes.

"When they learned your dad refused to go to school, your elder uncle and aunt came to the door several times, pleading earnestly with him not to be stubborn. They said they could take care of their food and clothing, and would even help pay for school fees. Seeing that no matter how they tried, your dad still wouldn’t relent, they convinced your grandmother to persuade him. She agreed to their faces but behind their backs, she said that your elder uncle and aunt were just showing them a little kindness now because they were expecting your dad to work like an ox or horse for them in return..."