Cripple Uncle's face remained fierce, his eyes bulging as if about to pop out. "Who are your elder brother and sister-in-law? What are their names?"
Lu Yu was a little intimidated by Cripple Uncle's expression. Lu Yun put his arm around him, sheltering him, and explained to Cripple Uncle, "My elder brother is Lu Ye, and my sister-in-law is Bai Sheng. We are all from Hongshu Village, Tianshui Town, Tasha Commandery, Bian Province. We just came to the capital to do business this year."
So they were from a farming family.
Upon hearing this, the fierceness on Cripple Uncle's face gradually receded, but his eyes grew redder.
Could this be the cycle of heaven?
Because the little beggar resembled a certain old acquaintance, he had unintentionally saved the little beggar, who was then adopted by the Lu family. The Lu family bought this house in the capital, and then he was arranged to be in the house by the little beggar.
All of this was like the bizarre coincidences on a stage, as if something was predestined.
God, blind God, what the hell is this all about?!
Cripple Uncle felt an unbearable pain in his heart, which was once again cruelly stirred up.
He tilted his head back, looking at the lush old trees in the mansion, their dense branches reaching out as if silently meeting his gaze.
Wasn't everything over? Or was it just the beginning?
Lu Yun thought that Cripple Uncle was suddenly so angry perhaps because he heard their house was haunted and they hadn't told him in advance.
"Cripple Uncle, don't worry. We've been living here for over a month, and this house isn't haunted at all. Those rumors are completely unreliable."
Cripple Uncle's mouth opened and closed, and he asked in a defeated, weak voice, "How do we get in?"
Tianya said joyfully, "Through the dog hole, Cripple Uncle, we'll go through the dog hole!"
"Our dog hole is very big, and it's easy to get through," Lu Yu proudly explained.
"Then, let's go," Cripple Uncle said calmly. It was just a dog hole; what kind of hole hadn't he gone through over the years?
A short while later, everyone appeared in the small courtyard.
Cripple Uncle's gaze swept across the scene before him inch by inch, complex emotions gradually appearing in his eyes.
Fool Uncle was still sound asleep on a pile of dry grass.
Seeing this, Cripple Uncle immediately propped himself up with his hands, lifting his backside as he shuffled over. "Little brother! Wake up! Little brother!"
Tian Dou quickly explained, "Because we were afraid Fool Uncle would run around, we gave him a little bit of sleeping medicine. He'll wake up soon."
Cripple Uncle nodded, relieved.
Lu Yun said to Si Wa, "Everyone, hurry up and start tidying up. I see there's a bed in the room. Although it's covered in dust, it's very sturdy. It should be usable after cleaning."
The children immediately began clearing the杂物 from the two small rooms and throwing them into the courtyard. When they had cleared all the杂物 from the house and thrown them into the courtyard, Cripple Uncle stared at a dismantled small wooden horse on the ground, lost in thought for a long time.
After the杂物 were cleared, it was time for cleaning and scrubbing. Wu Wa spent the whole day and finally managed to tidy up the small courtyard.
Although there were no bedding, it was summer, and sleeping on a wooden bed was fine.
And... Lu Yun looked at Cripple Uncle and Fool Uncle. These two uncles were so dirty that they were almost unrecognizable.
Lu Yun planned to go buy them some change of clothes and large pieces of soap after school the next day, and then give them a good scrub.
They had accumulated rich experience in scrubbing in Hongshu Village, and they would definitely be able to scrub the two uncles clean enough to look like people.
The next day, San Gouzi took Wu Wa to Houde Academy. Uncle Ding also sent Ding Lei off.
Ding Lei carried a large parcel and, as usual, went to find his father's old acquaintances to leave the items in the parcel with them.
However, when Ding Lei arrived at the agreed-upon location, he couldn't find anyone. Fearing he would miss them, he waited there for the entire morning. Even after noon, the person he was supposed to meet had not arrived.
He carried the parcel back with him.
Uncle Ding's expression changed slightly when he saw his son returning so late with the parcel still bulging. He immediately stepped forward and asked, "What's going on? Why did you bring the things back?"
Ding Lei sighed, "I couldn't find anyone. I waited for a long time and they didn't show up, so I came back."
Uncle Ding let out a confused "hiss," narrowing his eyes slightly as he murmured, "Perhaps they went somewhere else and couldn't make it back for a while?"
Ding Lei touched his ear. "I don't know about that. Dad, who exactly are they? Why do you have to send them things every few days? Our family... is also poor."
Uncle Ding's expression suddenly turned stern. "Why are you asking, child? They are your father's old acquaintances. Although our family is poor, we can save a little food to help them. This is a virtuous deed. Just do as I taught you, and don't ask anything else!"
Seeing his father's usual intense reaction, Ding Lei nodded helplessly.
After school, Lu Yun and the other children went to buy bedding, basins, bathtubs, and change of clothes. As there were too many items, they had to take a carriage back.
When they reached the dog hole behind the mansion, Lu Yun climbed the courtyard wall and used a rope to hoist the items that couldn't pass through the dog hole over the wall.
On the first day, Cripple Uncle and Fool Uncle were doing well. Fool Uncle spent the whole day carving with a small carving knife, while Cripple Uncle slept soundly all day.
After placing the items in the small courtyard, Lu Yun and the other children hurried back for dinner.
Wu Wa wolfed down his rice. After finishing, he informed his sister-in-law that they would be playing in the mansion and then secretly ran back to the small courtyard.
Tonight, they were going to help the two uncles bathe.
The bathtub and soap were ready. Wu Wa rolled up his sleeves, his fists clenched, and approached the two uncles.
They would wash Fool Uncle first.
Fool Uncle was so happy to hear that he was going to strip naked and sit in the bathtub to wash that he clapped his hands repeatedly. He stripped himself bare right there in the small courtyard and jumped into the bathtub with a splash, sending half the water sloshing out.
Wu Wa put his hand to his forehead: It's okay, it's okay, Fool Uncle is a fool.
Wu Wa held Fool Uncle in the bathtub. Some poured water, some applied soap, and after rinsing off the soap, they vigorously scrubbed off the grime and dirt. After scrubbing off the grime and dirt, they applied soap again, scrubbed, rinsed, applied again, scrubbed, rinsed, applied again, scrubbed, and rinsed.
The five pairs of small hands worked together with full of energy, making San Gouzi, who was looking on with his head held high, want to join in.
After repeating this five or six times, they finally revealed Fool Uncle's original appearance.
Lu Yu, who was referred to as General Manure Commander, watched as basin after basin of fertile bathwater was poured away, making him wince. If this were in Hongshu Village, how much land would it fertilize?
Alas, he still couldn't forget his septic tank.
Although his long hair and beard covered his face, it could still be seen that Fool Uncle was very handsome.
Wearing clean clothes, Fool Uncle happily hopped, skipped, and sang in the small courtyard, "Embroidery needle, floral thread, embroider a purse for mother to see! Embroidery needle, floral thread, embroider a purse for mother to see!..."
Seeing Fool Uncle's happy demeanor, Wu Wa felt a sense of accomplishment.