bookandnovel Chapter 88 Fire
Chapter 88 Fire
The three siblings kept talking.
Lu Lin also told her about his experiences over the past year.
Hearing that Lu Lin had gone to work as a sparring partner in order to save his life, Lu Xiulan felt heartbroken.
Hearing that Lu Lin had entered the academy and had classmates and teachers, Lu Xiulan was overjoyed.
"Little Tiger, so you're saying you're a martial artist now?"
"Or is he a martial artist at the flesh-training level?"
Lu Xiulan's eyes widened.
She couldn't believe that the little kid with a runny nose who used to follow her around all day had become a formidable martial artist.
"Of course, eldest sister, second brother is really powerful. No one in the academy dares to mess with him."
"Huh? How can that be? Little Tiger, you need to maintain good relationships with your other classmates and not bully others, understand? These classmates will be your network of connections after you graduate."
"Some people are really wicked. They say one thing to your face and another behind your back. If you ask them to do something, they won't get it done. If you ask them to ruin something, they'll do it without fail."
"Did you hear that? When you go to the academy after school starts, make sure you get along well with your classmates. Don't think you're so great just because you've built muscle. There are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your reach."
Perhaps it was because Lu Xiulan had become a mother, but she spoke of Lu Lin with great eloquence.
In my memory, Lu Xiulan was a spirited and brave country girl who ran all over the mountains and fields every day and was the leader of the village children.
The number of children she beat to tears back then was countless, and now they're teaching Lu Lin to be kind to others.
"What? You bought meat, Xiulan?"
A burly man pushed open the door and walked in. Big Fish and Little Fish shouted "Dad!" and pounced on him.
The man picked up the two little ones and then saw Lu Lin and Shi Tou.
"Hey, Little Tiger, Little Stone, what brings you here!"
Brother-in-law Zhao Lei walked over, carrying an ever-present fishy smell, which immediately awakened Lu Lin's memories.
Zhao Lei is an honest and kind man. He leased seven or eight acres of fishponds in the village, which is how he met the older sister and later got married.
After getting married, whenever he had free time, he would bring food and drinks to Lu Lin's parents' home. When the old folks were alive, they really liked this son-in-law.
"Old Zhao, Little Tiger's become a warrior now."
Lu Xiulan started showing off.
Sure enough, Zhao Lei's surprised expression was seen.
"A martial artist? You mean one of those martial artists at the Thunder Martial Arts School who can smash a sandbag with a single punch?"
"Goodness, if word gets out, who in the surrounding villages would dare to bully me, Old Zhao? Hahaha."
Zhao Lei was also very happy for Lu Lin. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's not cook today. Let's eat out."
"Yuanbao Restaurant, it's my treat."
Zhao Lei was full of bravado, and Lu Xiulan couldn't stop him.
The family arrived at the restaurant, filled with laughter and joy.
Lu Lin paid the bill early.
This meal cost only five taels of silver, which was nothing to Lu Lin, but for his elder sister's family, it would be at least a month's income.
On New Year's Eve, the whole family makes dumplings and sets off firecrackers together.
Lu Lin bought new clothes for the whole family, including himself, from head to toe, which made Da Yu and Xiao Yu extremely happy.
Although Zhao Lei didn't say anything, a look of joy appeared on his face.
The older sister inwardly complained about Lu Lin's wasteful spending, but she couldn't show it on her face, after all, it was the Lunar New Year.
By the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere had faded considerably, and Zhao Lei's fish stall was back up and running.
Lu Lin knew that his stall was still rented, so he simply bought it for him. The total cost was only seventy taels of silver.
Lu Lin specifically instructed the clerks in charge of the property transfer to deliver the documents and certificates to Zhao Lei after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The day of parting is drawing ever closer.
On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The family ate glutinous rice balls.
"Little Tiger, Stone, you're going back to the academy after the New Year, right?"
Lu Xiulan asked the question knowing the answer already.
Lu Lin didn't reply. He knew that Lu Xiulan was reluctant to part with him and Shi Tou.
"Don't worry, big sister, we'll come back to see you when second brother takes his vacation."
"Second Brother gets a break every ten days. We won't go to Jinshan Prefecture anymore; we'll come to see Eldest Sister instead."
Lu Lin shook his head.
If he were alone, he could easily make the round trip in a day.
But carrying stones and riding a donkey cart, three days would be considered fast.
I can only come back to reunite with my eldest sister during times like Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
The next morning, Lu Lin took Shi Tou and left by car.
While Lu Xiulan was still reluctant to wipe away her tears, a messenger from the yamen arrived.
The couple was on edge.
"Gentlemen, this is the property deed for your fish shop."
"A fish shop? A property deed?"
Zhao Lei found it difficult to connect the two words together.
When Zhao Lei saw the familiar house number and his own name in the "All People" section, he was stunned.
"What's going on?"
"It was bought for you by your brother-in-law. Oh my, your brother-in-law is handsome and generous. Old Zhao, you have a bright future ahead of you."
The officer patted Zhao Lei on the shoulder and turned to leave.
The couple were left behind, gazing in the direction Lu Lin had left, their eyes filled with tears.
……
The academy is closed for quite a while during the Spring Festival.
Seeing the notice posted on the gate that the holiday would last until the 28th of the first lunar month, Lu Lin had no choice but to take Shi Tou back to Jinshan Prefecture.
As soon as we entered the city gate, we saw flames raging in the distance.
"Where is this fire?"
Lu Lin muttered something to himself, returned home, settled Shi Tou to sleep, and was just about to go to the yard to practice his skills when he was suddenly jolted.
"That seems to be the direction of the Chen family."
A bad feeling rose in Lu Lin's heart.
He carried the knife in one hand and strode out the door.
I rushed here.
The fire has been extinguished.
The Chen family mansion was reduced to ashes.
The surrounding area was full of neighbors carrying buckets to put out the fire.
"Fourth brother, second brother, are you alright?"
Lu Lin rushed toward the gate, but was stopped by the constables.
"This is my friend's house. Let me go in and take a look."
"Don't look anymore, they're all dead, burned to a crisp."
The bailiff calmly waved his hand.
"Let me see, please, just one look."
Lu Lin took out a silver ingot and handed it to the yamen runner.
The yamen runners accepted the money before letting Lu Lin in.
The front yard and the main hall were burned to ashes; there wasn't a single good spot left.
Go in again.
Inside the hall, where the Chen family usually ate their meals.
Several corpses lay scattered on the ground or on the table, a gruesome sight.
"Chen Hongzhi, Chen Hongming?"
Lu Lin dared not touch it.
The coroner from the yamen came over, collected the bodies one by one, and examined them.
"The deceased were the entire Chen family, and none of them escaped."
"Master Chen Dingkun, Madam Zheng, Steward Chen Tong, Guard Hu Sanshan, Eldest son Chen Hongyu, Second son Chen Hongming, Third son Chen Hongjie, Fourth son Chen Hongzhi, and several servants and servants."
"However, sir, I have discovered something strange."
"Chen Dingkun's eldest son, Chen Hongyu, appears to have died... about five months ago?"