Chapter 24: Get Out
Chapter 24: Get Out
Ding Jing truly never expected Lu Jiaxin to resort to physical violence. Regardless of the reason, as her elder, it was unacceptable for her to lay a hand on her, and she would undoubtedly face criticism for it. Sobbing, she clung to Lu Hongjun, pleading, "Old Lu, I've lost all face."
The rest of the Lu family nearly retched witnessing her theatrics.
Lu Jiaxin wouldn't tolerate such antics and shouted back, "If you don't want to live, then go ahead and die! Hang yourself, bang your head against the wall, drown yourself in the river, or even swallow gold if you must. Rest assured, once you're dead, I'll make sure your funeral is a grand and lively affair, giving you a spectacular send-off."
Lu Hongjun, furious, demanded, "Lu Jiaxin, do you know what you're saying?"
Ding Jing's usual routine of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide was only something Lu Hongjun would fall for. Lu Jiaxin swiftly strode to the corner and picked up a wooden stick as thick as a baby's arm.
Upon seeing her ready to strike, Ding Jing scurried behind Lu Hongjun, trembling in fear.
Lu Hongjun blocked Lu Jiaxin's path, saying, "She's your stepmother and your elder. How can you raise a hand against her?"
Lu Jiajie made a move to step forward, but Lu Jiaguang held him back. Seeing the conflict escalate, the two sisters-in-law called their children inside and kept them from coming out. With the two brothers present, Jiaxin wouldn't be wronged.
Lu Jiaxin, her eyes red with anger, declared, "Lu Hongjun, you have the right to decide who lives in the compound house. It's your decision, and I won't interfere. But this is the house my mother left me, and I won't let that despicable woman set foot in it, not even half a step."
Noticing how badly Ding Jing was shaking, Lu Hongjun's face turned stern as he shouted, "Jia Guang, Jia Jie, quickly stop her!"
Lu Jiaguang said, "Uncle San, I think Jiaxin is in the right. She's the one who dirtied this place."
Ding Jing's face contorted in anger.
Lu Jiaxin was not the original owner of this body. Out of respect for her father, she had always been tolerant, but now she lashed out, "Lu Hongjun, get out of my way! You and that woman, get out!"
Lu Jiaguang frowned but ultimately remained silent.
Lu Hongjun couldn't believe his ears. "What... what did you say?"
Lu Jiaxin, facing him squarely, shouted at the top of her lungs, "I said, get out of here, both of you!"
He could tolerate her temper tantrums in private, but to be publicly humiliated and treated as if he didn't exist in front of so many people was too much for Li Hongjun. "Lu Jiaxin, have you lost your mind? I'm your father! How dare you speak to me like that?"
Lu Jiaxin scoffed, "That mother-daughter pair nearly got me killed, and you're going to act like nothing happened? Dad, Lu Hongjun, are you even worthy?"
Previously, she had wanted to go into business and might have needed his help, so she had been willing to play along. But now, Lu Hongjun had crossed her bottom line, and she would rather sever all ties than let herself be wronged.
Lu Hongjun was so enraged that he raised his hand to strike Lu Jiaxin, but before his hand could fall, Lu Jiaguang intercepted him. Trying to push Jiaguang aside, he roared, "Get out of my way! I'm teaching her a lesson today, or else she'll get out of control."
Though Lu Jiaguang also felt that Lu Jiaxin was being too impulsive, he knew this wasn't the time to say it. "Uncle San, Jiaxin is now a grown woman. If she's done something wrong, talk to her calmly. How can you resort to violence?"
Lu Hongjun had been injured on the battlefield years ago, which affected his fertility. The initial examination results indicated a minuscule probability of having children, so when Lu Mu became pregnant seven years after their marriage, he was overjoyed. After the birth of their child, he cherished her deeply, holding her in the palm of his hand and keeping her close to his heart. In comparison, Lu Mu was the stricter parent.
Before her passing, Lu Mu had begged Liao Xiangmei and Lu Jiaguang to look after their daughter. While everyone understood her maternal concern, they unanimously believed that Lu Hongjun could take good care of their child, as she was their only daughter. However, less than a year after Lu Mu's death, Lu Hongjun remarried, and his attitude towards his daughter changed drastically. Lu Jiaguang had tried to reason with him several times, but to no avail. Now that his sister was standing up for herself, he naturally wanted to protect her.
With the facade of harmony shattered, Lu Jiaxin left no room for reconciliation. "Teach me a lesson? What gives you the right to do that? Before Mom passed away, she begged you not to remarry before my college entrance exam, and you promised her. But you broke that promise in less than a year."
"When Mom was alive, everyone praised me for being smart, cute, and well-behaved. But within two years of that woman's arrival, I became known as lazy, gluttonous, and bad-tempered. And yet, they still weren't satisfied. One of them seduced Fan Yinuo, disrupting my exam preparations, while the other spiked my food with drugs. They did all this to ruin me."
"Lu Hongjun, if you had kept your promise to Mom and not remarried before my exam, I would have definitely gotten into a prestigious university by now, and my future would have been bright. But look at me now? Living alone here, forced to drink that bitter herbal soup every day, and with no clear path forward."
Her parents were university students in the 1980s, falling in love during their time there. Her father, however, had left his job to pursue business opportunities when she was in first grade, dissatisfied with his low salary, while her mother continued teaching.
Initially, their family life had been harmonious, despite occasional arguments. But as time went on, their differences became irreconcilable. One parent was focused on navigating the challenges of the business world and dealing with all sorts of people, while the other pursued a life of poetry and painting.
As the rift between them widened, they realized they could no longer live together, but she was still in junior high school at the time.
Lu Jiaxin watched as Lu Hongjun led Ding Jing out the door, his face as dark as a thundercloud. She turned to Lu Hongjun and said coldly, "Ding Jing, you've ruined my reputation, destroyed my future prospects, and nearly took my life. Now you come here to stir up trouble between my father and me, trying to turn us against each other. I've kept a record of all your misdeeds, and I promise that you and your daughter will pay for them, with interest."
Ding Jing's eyes widened at Lu Jiaxin's icy gaze, and she suddenly regretted coming here. She hadn't planned to, but her daughter had been crying incessantly at home. Thinking of how her daughter had suffered while Lu Jiaxin celebrated her housewarming, she couldn't help but feel indignant. If her own daughter couldn't live peacefully, she wouldn't let Lu Jiaxin off the hook either.
Lu Jiaguang stepped up beside Lu Jiaxin and said, "Uncle San, please take her away."
He understood that the rift between the two parties was irreconcilable, which is why he had agreed with Jiaxin's decision to move out. He never imagined that even after all their concessions, this venomous woman would still refuse to let it go.
Lu Hongjun knew that continuing this scene would only make him look worse, so he gritted his teeth and pulled Ding Jing away. As soon as they left, Lu Jiaxin shut the door behind them, leaving Lu Hongjun seething with anger.
With the unpleasant company gone, Lu Jiaxin's mood improved. She turned to Lu Jiajie, who was standing by the kitchen door, and asked, "Fifth Brother, do you smell something burning?"
Lu Jiajie rushed into the kitchen and found that the pot of soup they had been cooking had boiled dry, turning the meat black.
With so many dishes prepared, it wasn't a big deal to lose one, so Lu Jiajie cleaned the pot and began preparing another dish.
After the commotion, no one felt much like eating.
Once all the dishes were on the table, Lu Jiaxin poured herself a cup of wine and stood up to address Lu Jiaguang and his wife, as well as Lu Jiajie and his wife. "Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Without you, I might not have survived."
If it weren't for her brothers keeping a close eye on Ding Jing, she would have caused trouble long ago.
Wang Xiaojie's heart ached as she thought of how carefree Jiaxin had been when her mother was still alive. Now, she was being pushed to her limits. It was true what they said—a child without a mother was like a rootless weed. Thankfully, Jiaxin had become stronger and was now looking out for herself.
Lu Jiajie tried to smooth things over. "Jiaxin, Third Uncle is just temporarily blinded by that woman. Once he comes to his senses, everything will be fine."
In his opinion, anyone in Lu Hongjun's position might have done the same. That woman was simply too despicable.
Ma Lili thought Lu Jiaxin had been too impulsive. "Jiaxin, that woman is despicable, but by causing a scene with Third Uncle, you're only hurting yourself. Let it go this time, but don't do it again."
If Lu Hongjun was angered, he might cut off all support, which would only play into that venomous woman's hands.
Lu Jiaxin had no intention of enduring Lu Hongjun's mistreatment any longer. "Fifth Sister-in-law, I know you mean well, but you saw it yourself. I didn't start this; that toxic woman keeps using him to make my life miserable."
"Big Sister-in-law, Fifth Sister-in-law, please don't worry about me. Even if Lu Hongjun refuses to support me, I can always work with Xue Mao to earn a living."
Lu Jiaguang frowned. "Jiaxin, it's true that Third Uncle has been unfair, but he's still your father, and that can't be changed. Calling him by his name like that will only reflect poorly on you. If word gets out, people will call you unfilial, and your reputation will suffer."
Lu Jiaxin didn't want to argue about this any further. She knew that most people still believed that parents could do no wrong. "Big Brother, just tell him that he raised me for fifteen years. When he's old and immobile, I'll make sure someone takes care of him. Until then, I'd rather we don't interact at all. I won't be held responsible if he gets ill from anger."
Lu Jiaguang wanted to say something more, but the words caught in his throat.
Wang Xiaojie smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. The food is getting cold. Jiaxin, try some of these lion's head meatballs. I know they're your favorite."
"Thank you, Big Sister-in-law," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Despite Wang Xiaojie and Lu Jiajie's efforts to lighten the mood, the meal remained a somber affair. After they finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, the two brothers and their families took their leave.
As Lu Jiajie was leaving, he reminded them to lock the door securely. "I plan to come by tonight, but something might come up, so I can't guarantee it."
Lu Jiaxin understood his concern. "Don't worry, Brother. I won't go wandering around with Xue Mao."
With the recent crackdown on law and order, many people didn't realize the magnitude of the changes taking place. Those with a brain kept their heads down and stayed out of trouble, but there were still those who insisted on acting tough and causing trouble. Lu Jiaxin was worried about this, which is why she had been keeping Xue Mao from setting up his stall.
(End of Chapter)
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