New ink fragrance in old times

The early morning sun lazily sprinkled on the Lin family's courtyard, and the mottled shadows of the trees and the golden corn piles intertwined to create a busy picture.

The air is filled with the sweetness of freshly-cracked corn and the unique freshness of the morning. The occasional crowing of roosters adds a bit of tranquility and vitality to the countryside.

Old Mrs. Lin's voice, like the morning bell and evening drum, penetrated the thin morning mist and echoed in every corner of the Lin family courtyard, with a certain unquestionable majesty.

"You lazy bastards! Look, it's already late in the day, and you still haven't gotten up to work. I really spoil you!" She said as she slammed the door hard, as if to wake up all the sleeping souls.

Lin Mo woke up from his dream, rubbing his eyes that seemed still clinging to dreams, and slowly walked out of the room. In the yard, everyone in the Lin family was busy tidying up, sweat on their faces.

Lin Sizhe, the oldest of the younger generation in the Lin family, got up in a hurry, half-drowsy and dressed, at the urging of the old lady, and walked out of the room with reluctance written all over his face.

The young Lin Sinan was so frightened by this sudden "morning wake-up service" that tears welled up in his eyes and his soft sobs echoed in the courtyard.

"Why are you crying? You're such a grown-up and still shedding tears. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?" Old Mrs. Lin's voice rang out again, even more sternly than before, scaring the two children in the house who were not fully awake yet and woke up, and they started crying.

When Shen and Lu heard their children crying, they put down their work and hurried back to the house to comfort their children.

For a moment, the Lin family yard was suddenly filled with all kinds of complicated sounds - cursing, crying, and comforting sounds. It was very lively.

At the same time, two little girls, Xing'er and Hua'er, dressed in simple cloth clothes and with a few wild flowers simply inserted in their buns, brought out the meal they had cooked early in the morning. Seeing this, Han went to clear the table and help set the table.

Lin Mo sat at the table, gently shaking the porridge in his hands, creating delicate ripples. He picked up the bowl and sipped it, his eyes roaming over the gathered Lin family members, as if exploring a mystery.

His brows were sometimes slightly furrowed, sometimes relaxed, and he was obviously trying to match the person in front of him with the information he heard on the donkey cart yesterday.

The two girls sitting on his left were easy to guess. The older one was Xing'er and the younger one was Hua'er. They were his uncle's children.

Then, his eyes fell on the child sitting opposite him, who was about his age - he should be Shilang from his uncle's family.

The one holding the baby and coaxing him softly should be my third aunt, and the other woman eating should be my eldest aunt.

Lin Mo looked at the other two children who were almost one year old. He couldn't tell which one was from his uncle's family and which one was from his younger uncle's family.

Old Mrs. Lin slammed the table so hard that even the dust on it seemed to jump up. Her voice was filled with a hint of anger and severity: "Just eat your meal properly, what are you looking at?" As she spoke, an anger that could not be ignored spread in the small hall, making everyone present shudder.

She turned and went to the kitchen, and swiftly took out the boiled eggs from the steaming pot. Each egg exuded an attractive luster, which was a rare tonic for farmers.

She distributed them one by one, and with each person she gave, the reluctance in her eyes deepened, but her hands moved without hesitation.

Old Master Lin took the egg, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. The three brothers Lin Xueqin, Lin Xuejin and Lin Xuebao took it silently with a bit of surprise in their habit.

When it was the children's turn, Mrs. Lin split the egg in half, giving each of them half. Lin Sizhe, Lin Siheng, and Lin Sinan, their little faces filled with innocent smiles, carefully accepted the half egg as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

The three daughters-in-law each received half an egg. They smiled at each other, with tenderness and gratitude in their eyes.

When it was Lin Mo's turn, Mrs. Lin's hand trembled slightly, but she finally took out an egg and handed it to him.

Xing'er and Hua'er stared at the last egg in the basket, drooling. Old Mrs. Lin rolled her eyes at them and said, "A bunch of shallow-minded people."

Old Mrs. Lin peeled the last egg, gently broke it open, and divided it into three portions, one for herself, one for Xing'er, and one for Hua'er.

There was not only surprise and gratitude in Xing'er and Hua'er's eyes, but also a warmth of being valued and respected.

Xing'er thought to herself that when eggs were cooked at home, they were always given to grandpa, father, second uncle, and younger uncle. Occasionally, they would be cooked for her younger brothers. She and Hua'er rarely got to eat this precious thing.

She secretly vowed that she would be filial to her grandmother in the future.

Old Mrs. Lin's complicated gaze fell on the children who were wolfing down eggs, and she cursed, "Damn you, a bunch of debt collectors, I've never done anything wrong to you in the past." Her fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the empty basket, and a trace of imperceptible regret flashed in her eyes.

These eggs were saved bit by bit by her frugal life, and she originally planned to take them to the market to exchange for some silver.

Mrs. Lin felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest, making her feel suffocated. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart, but the heartache and helplessness surged over her like a tide, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, but it seemed that only this could slightly ease the unspeakable pain.

Deep down in her heart, Old Mrs. Lin couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards her second son's wife.

If she hadn't been careless and hadn't kept an eye on Lin Mo, causing that kind of trouble, the family wouldn't have had to spend so much money. Thinking of this, Mrs. Lin frowned.

However, this complaint was soon replaced by deeper worries. There was a lot of work to do in the fields, and then there was the Lin Mo incident. If someone else in the family suddenly had a headache or fever, the family would collapse.

Old Mrs. Lin finally hardened her heart and took out those precious eggs with tears in her eyes and cooked them for everyone to nourish their bodies.

The sun slowly spread over the Lin family's yard. Everyone in the Lin family quickly finished their breakfast. The adults picked up their farm tools and went to work in the fields, leaving Xing'er and Hua'er to look after the house.

Lin Mo swallowed the last mouthful of medicine bitterly, his brows furrowed, as if the bitterness of the medicine was engraved on his face.

He sat stiffly on the simple wooden bench, waiting for the Lin family to ask him something, such as who he was to them, whether he had any impression, or if he remembered anything today, but no one asked him.

He watched everyone leave. As the door closed, the last figure disappeared from his sight. Only silence remained in the room. He had prepared many words, but he didn't say a word.