When Sister Huang and Sister Li saw the looks on their husbands’ faces, their hearts skipped a beat.
Sister Huang quickly said, “Manager Li, I just talk too much. I was only joking earlier—please don’t take it to heart!”
Sister Li also hurried to add, “Manager Li, it was just casual chatter. I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Huang Fugui and Li Tiezhu both shot their wives a glare, frightening them into taking a step back.
“Manager Li, don’t lower yourself to argue with women,” Huang Fugui said with a smile, quickly changing the topic.
“This must be your nephew, right? Quite a handsome young man!”
Li Tiezhu chimed in, “Manager Li, your nephew brings good fortune! As soon as he arrived, you caught three big fish!”
“He’s not just a nephew—he’s a lucky star, a God of Wealth!”
Sure enough, Li Jianguo’s attention shifted, and he proudly said, “Of course! My nephew is naturally my lucky star!”
“Ping’an, come. Get to know them. From now on, just call them Uncle Zhang, Uncle Huang, and Uncle Li.”
Lu Ping’an quickly smiled and greeted them, “Alright, Second Uncle. Hello, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Huang, Uncle Li. My name is Lu Ping’an. You can just call me Ping’an.”
Zhang Dacheng, Huang Fugui, and Li Tiezhu nodded with smiles. They had a good impression of the tall, thin young man.
“Dad, Mom said to come back for dinner!”
At that moment, Li Lingyi ran over and called from a short distance away.
“Alright, daughter, I’m coming!”
Li Jianguo replied cheerfully.
Turning to the others, he said, “Brothers, I’ll head back first!”
Without waiting for a reply, he hurried toward home, a bright smile on his face.
Lu Ping’an followed behind with a grin. It seemed Second Uncle had really gained face today!
Their house was at the far end of the courtyard. As they passed another household, a little girl about seven or eight stood at the door.
“Uncle Li!” she called sweetly.
“Little Jing, back from school? Are your grandparents home?” Li Jianguo asked warmly.
“Grandma’s cooking, and Grandpa’s weaving bamboo baskets!”
As she answered, her eyes couldn’t help drifting to the wooden bucket in Lu Ping’an’s hand, where three fish were still flopping about—thanks to the spiritual spring water, they were lively.
Just then, an elderly man around sixty stepped out.
“Grandpa!” the girl called, running to his side.
Li Jianguo immediately reached into the bucket, took out a fish, and handed it to him.
“Uncle Dong, we had good luck today and caught a few fish. Take one back and nourish Little Jing.”
“She’s so thin and sallow—it makes people’s hearts ache.”
Uncle Dong waved his hands repeatedly. “Xiao Li, no, no, I can’t accept that!”
“We’re old, but we can still manage to feed ourselves.”
“You worked hard to catch these—keep them.”
He kept pushing the fish back.
Li Jianguo smiled. “Uncle Dong, don’t refuse. I won’t let you take it for free. My family needs a vegetable basket.”
“If you feel bad about it, make one for us when you have time.”
Uncle Dong hesitated.
Seeing him waver, Li Jianguo quickly placed the fish in his hands and hurried home.
Uncle Dong looked at the fish, then at his thin granddaughter Dong Jing, and sighed.
“Child, remember Uncle Li’s kindness.”
“Your grandma and I are old—we probably won’t be able to repay him.”
“When you grow up, don’t forget this favor.”
Dong Jing nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll remember.”
Lu Ping’an overheard everything and felt a surge of curiosity.
“Second Uncle, does Uncle Dong have no other family?”
Li Lingyi also perked up her ears.
Li Jianguo sighed. “Uncle Dong originally had two sons. One died on the Korean battlefield twenty years ago.”
“The other was a university professor. Later he was criticized as a ‘stinking intellectual’ and sent to the northwest with his wife. Both died of illness.”
“That little girl, Dong Jing, has been raised by the two elders since she was small.”
“Without her, the old couple would probably have lost the will to live.”
“But for two elderly people raising a granddaughter, it’s hard to even eat their fill.”
“Since I moved here, I’ve often helped them. They survive on Uncle Dong weaving baskets and the old lady mending shoe soles.”
“These times are really hard for them.”
Hearing this, Lu Ping’an’s heart grew heavy—and he felt even more admiration for his uncle.
Truthfully, his uncle’s own life hadn’t been easy in recent years. It had only begun improving this year.
Yet even so, he still helped others. That wasn’t easy.
“Second Uncle, I’ll learn from you in the future,” Lu Ping’an said sincerely.
Li Lingyi added, “Dad, I want to learn from you too!”
She had known her father often helped the Dong family, but not the full story until today.
Li Jianguo burst into hearty laughter, deeply pleased.
Second Aunt Zhang Huimei was already waiting at the door.
“How was it? Impressive, right? This carp weighs over three jin!”
Li Jianguo immediately began boasting.
Zhang Huimei laughed. “Impressive, impressive! My man is the best!”
In truth, she suspected the fish likely had something to do with Lu Ping’an.
But she was a smart woman—she knew to give her husband face. That was what men wanted most.
Li Jianguo laughed heartily, feeling happier than ever.
Lu Ping’an’s father wasn’t eating there that night; he had gone to his temporary lodging provided by the factory.
It was only for living, not ownership. Perhaps after becoming a permanent worker, he might qualify for housing.
At dinner, Second Uncle vividly described how he had caught the fish.
Lu Ping’an cooperated fully, saying he hadn’t even touched the fishing rod and had just watched all afternoon.
Second Aunt half-believed it.
But Li Lingyi believed it completely, praising her father several times.
Second Uncle’s vanity was satisfied to the fullest.