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After visiting Uncle Lu's home, they went to the home of Lu Aiguo's second uncle. As usual, they were warmly welcomed by the second uncle of the Lu Family and his wife. Lu Aiguo had been closer to his second uncle and aunt since childhood, so entering their home, he seemed more at ease.
Lu Aiguo's second uncle had one son and two daughters, in order: the eldest daughter Lu Aijiao, the second daughter Lu Aimei, and the youngest son Lu Aibing.
Both Lu Aijiao and Lu Aimei had married into other villages and had done well for themselves. Lu Aijiao had given birth to a son who was only four years old this year; Lu Aimei had a set of dragon-phoenix twins, a boy and a girl, who hadn't even turned one yet. Neither of them came back today.
The rest of the group, Xia Yuan and Lu Yun, still recognized everyone at the gathering.
Lu Aibing's wife was named Zhang Cai, and the two had been married for only half a year, with no children yet. However, Lu Yun knew that Zhang Cai would eventually have two boys, but that would be several years in the future. After many years of marriage without conceiving, just as they were losing hope and considering to adopt a child, Zhang Cai became pregnant.
It was said that she originally carried triplets, but sadly, the youngest sister was too weak when born and ultimately did not survive.
At the second uncle's house, nobody even opened the lotus leaves wrapped around the meat buns, so no one inquired about their origin. Naturally, Lu Aiguo wouldn't voluntarily say much about it.
However, the second aunt did serve up sweet soup with eggs, two in each bowl. As per custom, the three of them only drank the soup and did not touch the eggs. After the second aunt urged them once and heard Lu Aiguo agree that they were too full to eat more, she didn't press further to insist they finish the eggs.
The second aunt was so understanding that Xia Yuan instantly felt much more relaxed and less tense. The second aunt seemed to take quite a liking to her, chattering away for a while and also spoke highly of Lu Yun.
This was actually a misunderstanding. All because Lu Aiguo was accustomed to not observing formalities or pleasantries when visiting the homes of his uncles. The second aunt concluded that since they did not eat the eggs served, they must have had breakfast at home and already eaten at the eldest uncle's house, probably too full to eat more at this point.
In local customs, newlyweds visiting close relatives typically bring some gifts, and in return, the relatives usually serve a bowl of sweet soup as a tradition.
If the family is well-off or wishes to show special regard for the young couple, they usually add poached eggs to the soup. The exact number of eggs is not set in stone, but typically two eggs are considered sufficient.
So if the couple has many close relatives, inevitably the young couple might struggle to finish so many eggs by the end, and will end up just sipping some soup as a gesture.
Seeing that the three of them only drank the soup, neither the second uncle nor the second aunt made further comment. With the older generation keeping silent, the younger one, Lu Aibing, and the relatively new daughter-in-law, Zhang Cai, were even less likely to speak up.
During the visit at the second uncle's, Lu Aiguo, Xia Yuan, and Lu Yun stayed a bit longer, mainly to inquire about the procedure for Lu Yun to change her surname.
The process for changing a surname wasn't complicated; all that was needed was a certificate from the village and marriage and household registration booklets. However, due to a moment of neglect by Xia Yuan after registering her marriage with Lu Aiguo, Xia Yuan and Lu Yun's household registration booklets had been stolen by Chen Juxiang. Fortunately, the marriage certificate had been kept by Lu Aiguo and was not lost at the same time.
Now, trying to get the household registration booklets back from Chen Juxiang would be exceedingly difficult, and they knew it would likely cost them a lot.
The second uncle evidently understood this situation, so after pondering for a moment, he asked Lu Aiguo to leave his household registration booklet and marriage certificate with him. As for Xia Yuan and Lu Yun's booklets, they would be treated as lost and the village would issue a statement. They would then take it to the police station to file a record, so if the Su Family ever tried to use their household registration to cause trouble, they would not be afraid.
The second uncle had served as the brigade secretary for more than twenty years. He had extensive connections and was very thoughtful. He had acquaintances at the police station, and with his involvement, it would be easier to reissue the household registration booklets and change Lu Yun's surname. So, he took it upon himself to handle the matter, promising to find time the next day to run to the township and get everything sorted.
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Lu Aiguo didn't stand on ceremony with Second Uncle at all, and just like that, a big problem for him and Xia Yuan was solved, which made them both very happy.
After leaving Second Uncle's house, Xia Yuan asked Lu Aiguo, "So we don't need to go to the township today?"
"Let's go up the mountain. I've never been up there before. We can catch rabbits and wild chickens to eat,"
Lu Yun immediately suggested, actually wanting to take the opportunity to bring her parents to a "secret base".
August was the season for picking goji berries, and she knew of a secluded little hollow in the mountains, where not only did a fresh patch of goji berries grow, but more importantly, there was a hot spring pool.
In her previous life, it had been Zhang Cai's twin sons, Lu Jinke and Lu Jinhao—who hadn't been born yet at the time—who had taken her there. It was also their secret base. The place remained undiscovered by the villagers of Yushu Village for the next twenty or so years.
Later, she bought the mountain and built a manor there, enclosing the hot spring pool within the grounds, though she actually didn't stay there many days a year. The manor was always open to the Lu family. In her will, she specifically left that place to the younger generation of the Lu family.
Thinking of Lu Jinke and Lu Jinhao, Lu Yun showed a nostalgic look in her eyes—they were probably the members of the Lu family she knew best.
In her previous life, she had been particularly fond of this pair of brothers who closely resembled her father. Eventually, she had taken them under her wing for special training and later sent them abroad for their studies. After graduating, both stayed at the headquarters of Lu Group. Thankfully, both brothers made her proud. She was deeply pleased watching them grow up step by step.
"Okay, once we've finished visiting relatives, Dad will take you up the mountain to have a look around. But I have to get Shitou to come with us. Otherwise, I'm afraid I can't look after the two of you by myself,"
Lu Aiguo readily agreed to Lu Yun's suggestion. Although the number of wild animals had decreased in the mountains in recent years, if they were lucky, they could still find some. He and Shitou often went into the mountains and knew the place as well as their own backyard.
"I will take you two to a special place later," Lu Aiguo suddenly spoke in a lowered voice, his tone laced with mystery, "Except for me and Shitou, no one else knows about it. You'll definitely love it when you see it."
"What kind of place is so mysterious?" Xia Yuan asked, smiling as she nudged Lu Aiguo.
"Heh heh, you'll find out when we get there. Actually, it's also a place Shitou and I just discovered," Lu Aiguo said with a secretive smile, refusing to reveal it immediately, which only heightened Xia Yuan's curiosity.
Lu Yun watched them, a thought occurring to her.
She immediately felt as if ten thousand steamed buns had flown over her head. Could it be she was right in her assumption? Were the "secret base" from her previous life and the secret place Jinke and Jinhao knew actually the ones their father had told them about?
Well, it certainly seemed possible. Otherwise, how could such a secret spot remain undiscovered by all the villagers of Yushu Village and only found by two children? Thinking about it that way, it only made sense.
Lu Yun laughed at herself. In her previous life, she really hadn't asked the brothers how they had discovered that secret base, and it was normal for them to keep it to themselves, out of concern that it might reopen old wounds in her memory.