Who Stole My Eggs?

Xie Zuo laid down with his arms on his pillow, “By the way, they say you were a monk before becoming a deity. Why didn’t you become a Buddha instead?”

“Well…” Shi Yuan said shamefully, “Monks believe that all the desires must be empty. But I’ve never let go of my obsession with money. Maybe that’s the reason.”

“Pfft—” Xie Zuo laughed out loud.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Shi Yuan laid down next to Xie Zuo. After a while, he tried to explain, “Actually, Huo Yao knows he wrongly blamed you and feels very embarrassed… That’s just the way he is…”

Xie Zuo covered Shi Yuan’s mouth, “Stop talking, go to sleep.”

.

Huo Yao stood outside the door, watching Shi Yuan apologize. Xie Zuo’s attitude immediately improved, and later, the two even talked. The two young things slept with their heads close to each other.

Huo Yao stood there for a long time and silently returned to the kitchen.

.

Shi Yuan kept his promise and got up early the next morning, dragging Xie Zuo and Huo Yao to visit Lu Xiaopang’s sesame cake shop, boldly offering to treat them to for meal.

Xie Zuo still didn’t talk to Huo Yao, but he sensed something odd about him. Huo Yao seemed to hesitate to speak several times, knowing that he had nothing pleasant to say. It was either about not being allowed to do something or doing something wrong.

A group of people gathered in front of Lu Xiaopang’s shop, not to buy sesame cakes, but to watch the commotion.

Shi Yuan, being short, couldn’t see what was happening. He jumped around like a rabbit. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? What happened to Lu Xiaopang’s family?”

Xie Zuo, seeing his anxiety, gave him a shove, lifted him onto his shoulders, and stepped on a stone. “Look, I don’t understand what’s wrong.”

Shi Yuan took a closer look. There was a stretcher in front of the sesame cake shop with a dying man lying on it. Seeing the man’s appearance, Shi Yuan exclaimed, “That’s Xiaopang’s father, Lu Laosan. How did he end up like this?”

Xie Zuo noticed the man’s condition, “This man is as thin as a bamboo pole, don’t look like Lu Xiaopang’s biological father.”

“He is his biological father, and Lu Xiaopang looks like his mother! Didn’t this man find a rich widow to live in the city? Why is he back?” Shi Yuan stretched his neck, “Isn’t he afraid Aunt Lu will beat him to death with a rolling pin?”

Nearby villagers chimed in, “This is retribution! Lu Laosan abandoned his wife and son to go to the city for a wealthy life but didn’t find happiness. I heard he has some incurable disease. When the pretty widow saw he was dying, she sent him back with two people.”

In this village, there were no secrets; anyone could learn about anything by just walking around.

Xie Zuo listened to the villagers’ gossip with great interest and nodded as he listened, “Lu Xiaopang’s father is really something.”

.

Originally, Lu Xiaopang had a happy family. Aunt Lu and Lu Laosan ran a prosperous sesame cake shop together. As Lu Xiaopang grew up, Aunt Lu had some savings, urging Lu Laosan to go to the city to find a way to send Lu Xiaopang to a serious private school.

In the city, Lu Laosan was dazzled by the food, drink, and fun, falling in love with a pretty widow. He gave the widow all the money intended for Xiaopang’s future. Not stopping there, Lu Laosan returned home in the middle of the night to steal Aunt Lu’s hidden money. A fight ensued, leading to a complete divorce between Lu Laosan and the tough Aunt Lu. He left with harsh words spoken, without wanting his son and vowed not to pester them again.

The villagers sighed, “You can’t have a bad conscience. Lu Laosan has been like this for less than two years. God has eyes!”

No one sympathized with Lu Laosan.

When Aunt Lu found him lying in front of her shop today, she felt angry and unlucky. She called on the villagers to help and wanted to wrap Lu Laosan in a mat, ready to throw him into the ravine.

Such a treacherous and heartless man, one more glance at him would stain her eyes!

However, Lu Laosan rushed forward, crying, reluctant to let his father being carried away, “No, no, no, he is sick and about to die. We have to find someone to treat him. How can we just throw him out?”

Aunt Lu sullenly pulled him away, “You recognize him as your father, but he doesn’t recognize you as his son! Have you forgotten how he abandoned us?”

Lu Xiaopang sobbed, “I just feel distressed and reluctant to let go…”

In Lu Xiaopang’s young mind, he still remembered how his father loved him.

Lu Laosan was speechless, and when he saw that his son still remembered him, he shed tears of regret, making a sound of “Ahhh” in his throat. Unfortunately, no one could hear clearly what he was saying.

“Not willing?” Aunt Lu slapped Lu Xiaopang twice on the buttocks. “You are willing to bear it when I suffer! You unfilial son!”

Lu Xiaopang cried even harder.

At this time, Huo Yao pushed through the crowd, walked over, and saved Lu Xiaopang from his mother’s hands. “Send Lu Laosan to me, and I will see if it can be cured.”

Huo Yao’s suggestion resonated with the villagers. Two big men hurriedly lifted the stretcher and sent it to the small courtyard.

Aunt Lu still couldn’t contain her hatred and kicked the stretcher twice. “Bah, bad luck!”

Lu Laosan was carried into Huo Yao’s small courtyard. The two big men put him down and left. He turned his pleading eyes to Huo Yao, but Huo Yao didn’t care and just let him hang out in the yard.