Chapter 130: Fox Fur
Chapter 130: Fox Fur
Lu Jiaxin and Su Hongying didn't chat for long as they had visitors. As they stepped out, they heard a silvery laughter echoing up the stairs.
Descending the stairs, Lu Jiaxin caught sight of a young woman wearing a long-sleeved blue dress. The girl had an oval face, skin as pale as moonlight, and a slender figure, though she was rather petite.
Su Hongying wore a polite smile as she made the introductions: "Xin Xin, this is Chen Qingqing. Qingqing, this is Jiaxin."
The way Su Hongying phrased the introduction immediately clued Lu Jiaxin in on the fact that she didn't like Chen Qingqing; otherwise, she would have included some background information.
Chen Qingqing asked, "Lu Jiaxin? Are you Xiaoxia's daughter?"
"How do you know that?" Lu Jiaxin asked in return.
Chen Qingqing smiled and replied, "Everyone in our family knows that Xiaoxia saved Yi Chen."
That was a strange way to address someone.
Lu Jiaxin sized her up and asked bluntly, "Sister, you don't look much older than me. Shouldn't you be calling my mom 'Auntie'?"
As a half-grown child, Lu Jiaxin's words lacked consideration.
Chen Qingqing's expression froze for a moment, but she soon smiled and said, "I'm about the same age as your mother."
Lu Jiaxin exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, you look like you're in your early twenties. How can you be the same age as my mom? Unless you're already in your thirties and just look young because of good skincare. If that's the case, I hope Auntie can teach me her skincare secrets."
It was obvious that she was in her early twenties, and calling Lu Jiaxin's mother "sister" hinted at ulterior motives.
The smile on Chen Qingqing's face froze once more, but she quickly recovered and said sweetly, "Jiaxin, today is Tuesday. Don't you have school?"
Lu Jiaxin shook her head. "I almost lost my life because of my stepmother. I'm still recuperating. Sigh, I asked my father to stand up for me, but he didn't believe me and even took that evil woman's side. There's some truth to the old saying, 'A stepmother brings a stepfather.'"
Chen Qingqing's expression turned slightly unnatural, but she quickly said, "Jiaxin, you shouldn't judge all stepmothers based on a few bad ones. There are evil stepmothers, but there are also good ones."
Alright, Lu Jiaxin now understood why this woman wasn't well-liked. Su Hongying was unwell, but this woman was already eyeing her position as Mrs. Xie. It was disgusting.
Lu Jiaxin snorted and deliberately raised her voice, "Believing that a stepmother is a good person is like believing a pig can climb a tree."
Su Hongying saw the unpleasant look on Chen Qingqing's face and a genuine smile appeared on her own. This girl was indeed smart. However, Su Hongying had her concerns and didn't want Lu Jiaxin to continue, so she said, "Jiaxin, didn't you say you had classes? You shouldn't keep your teacher waiting."
Lu Jiaxin didn't approve of Chen Qingqing's behavior and spoke up about it, but she knew that she couldn't get involved in the Xie family's matters. "Then I'll be going. Take care of yourself, Aunt Su."
On the tenth day of the new year, Lu Jiajie returned with Xiao Qiu and the two children. They had called ahead, so Xie Mao went to the station to pick them up.
Lu Jiaxin was reading in the house when she heard Xiao Qiu's loud voice as she put on her thick woolen coat and went out. As she reached the door, she happened to see Chen Sheng struggling to carry a huge package. From his labored steps, she could tell that the package was very heavy.
Soon after, Xiao Qiu walked in, carrying a large bamboo basket and holding a package, followed by Xie Mao, whose hands were also full with packages of considerable weight.
Lu Jiaxin invited Chen Sheng to come in and sit down for a cup of tea, but he declined, saying that he had things to do at home and left after putting down the package.
Seeing this, Lu Jiaxin asked Xie Mao to stop him and then gave him a bag of apples and oranges, saying, "Thank you for going to the station to pick them up during the holiday season.
Xiao Qiu insisted, "Uncle Chen, take this home for your children to enjoy."
Unable to refuse any longer, Chen Sheng accepted the offer.
After seeing their guests off, Lu Jiaxin looked at the abundance of items left behind and couldn't help but laugh. Teasingly, she said, "Xiao Qiu, did you empty your entire house?"
Xiao Qiu chuckled in response, "My grandparents and parents prepared even more than this, but we couldn't carry it all, so I only brought the things I knew you liked."
Among the items they brought was a fox fur, along with various mountain products and local specialties—all of which were Lu Jiaxin's favorites.
Lu Jiaxin picked up the fox fur and examined it. Finding no holes, she remarked, "How did you manage to bring this fur here? You should give it to Fifth Brother. With his connections, he can get a good price for it."
If one didn't know the value or had ill intentions, they might try to lowball the price, resulting in a significant loss.
With a bright smile, Xiao Qiu explained, "No, Little Aunt, this fur is for you. My mother knows you're afraid of the cold, and my uncle happened to catch a fox last year, so he kept the fur for us. Little Aunt, clothes made from this fox fur will keep you nice and warm."
Lu Jiaxin couldn't possibly accept such an expensive gift. "No, let Fifth Brother sell it. You can send me the money instead."
Xiao Qiu coiled her arm around Lu Jiaxin's, pleading, "Little Aunt, you've been so good to us, and my parents are incredibly grateful. Please accept this small token of our appreciation. If you don't, they'll scold me. Little Aunt, don't you want me to avoid getting scolded?"
Lu Jiaxin found the situation amusing. In an attempt to give the fox fur back, she even resorted to cajoling, "I'll accept the gift, but I insist on paying for it. Name your price, and I'll pay you right now."
Knowing her stubbornness, Xiao Qiu reluctantly quoted a price, "Sixty yuan."
"Sixty yuan? Are you trying to pull my leg?"
Xiao Qiu quickly assured her, "Little Aunt, if I'm lying to you, you can kick me out right now."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxin realized that they were offering her a 'family price'. This was also a heartfelt gift from her Second Sister-in-law, so she agreed to pay sixty yuan without haggling further.
Xiao Qiu suggested, "Little Aunt, let's steam a bowl of ham for lunch! My mother made it, and it's so fragrant that it'll make your mouth water."
Lu Jiaxin replied exuberantly, "Steaming just one bowl won't be enough. We should steam two bowls so that everyone can enjoy it together."
While Lu Jiaxin's home was filled with laughter and warmth, Lu Jiajie's house was shrouded in gloom. Knowing that he would be returning that day, Ma Lilli had specifically taken the afternoon off to wait for him at home.
Because they had brought a lot of luggage, Lu Jiajie had asked Ah Sheng and Ah Le to help with the pickup from the station. Ah Sheng had gone to Lu Jiaxin's place, so Ah Le assisted Lu Jiajie with carrying the luggage back to his house. As they entered the courtyard, they were met with Ma Lilli's sullen face, and Ah Le quickly took his leave after putting down the luggage.
Ma Lilli spat angrily, "Lu Jiajie, why have you returned? If you have the guts, don't come back at all!"
In the past, Lu Jiajie had felt that marrying Ma Lilli was beyond his station, so he had always acquiesced to her every demand. One could even say that he had been overly obedient. But now, he was no longer willing to indulge her every whim. "I bought this house at a high price, so why shouldn't I come back?"
Ma Lilli was left speechless by his retort.
Unconcerned with her anger, Lu Jiajie first settled the children by the fireplace to warm themselves, then proceeded to carry the rest of the luggage inside.
Seeing that he was blatantly ignoring her, Ma Lilli's temper flared up even more. "Lu Jiajie, do you want to end this marriage?"
Glancing at her, Lu Jiajie replied, "It's clear that you're the one who doesn't want to continue this marriage. Otherwise, which daughter-in-law, knowing that her husband's family is in debt, would go into debt herself just to help her own family?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
