Chapter 241: A New Guardian
Chapter 241: A New Guardian
As soon as Ding Jingyi signed the papers, Lu Hongjun went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce. Holding the divorce certificate in his hand, he felt a mix of emotions. He had always imagined growing old with Ding Jingyi, but now their story had come to an unexpected end.
Upon seeing the divorce papers, Lu Jiaguang called Lu Jiaxin that very night. "The divorce is finalized. I accompanied San Shu to the Civil Affairs Bureau."
Hearing this news, Lu Jiaxin felt a sense of relief. One of her original self's wishes had now been fulfilled, and in just over three months, the other would be as well.
Lu Jiaguang asked, "Su Heyuan said you donated two million Hong Kong dollars to the mainland. Did you donate all the money you had?"
Lu Jiaxin replied, "This was Auntie's money. I didn't want it, so I donated it. Big Brother, I will keep my promise. After I start working, I will send him money for his living expenses every month."
Su Heyuan saw no need to hide the donation from the Lu family. Not telling Lu Jiajie was due to a lack of trust, but Lu Jiaguang was different.
Understanding her resentment, Lu Jiaguang smiled and said, "It's alright. San Shu has savings and a pension, and his medical expenses can be fully reimbursed."
As a retired cadre, Lu Hongjun's medical expenses would mostly be covered. However, if he required constant care and medication in his old age, the costs could add up.
Lu Jiaxin acknowledged with an 'en' and said, "Big Brother, I still need to review my studies, so I'll hang up if there's nothing else."
Lu Jiaguang had intended to tell her about Lu Jiajie but decided against it when he heard she needed to study. He resolved not to disturb her until after the college entrance exam.
On Saturday, Lu Jiaxin invited Yan Yihua and brought Su Heyuan to the Gu residence. With classes during the week, she could only spare time on the weekends.
Upon receiving her call, Gu Xiuxiu also invited Lawyer Bai. He felt that there was more to Lu Jiaxin's decision to change guardianship, but since Gu Xiuxiu didn't elaborate and it didn't involve inheritance issues, he didn't pry further.
With both parties' lawyers as witnesses, the matter was swiftly concluded. After signing the documents, Lu Jiaxin and her companions left, while Lawyer Bai stayed behind to discuss additional matters with Gu Xiuxiu in private.
Yan Yihua told Lu Jiaxin, "I will submit the application to the court on Monday."
"Do I need to go with you and Su Ge?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
"There's no need," Yan Yihua replied. "Since all three parties have agreed, and there's no dispute, I can handle it alone. It won't be necessary for you to appear in court."
Yan Yihua submitted the application, but there was a queue. Lu Jiaxin had expected some resistance from He Jia, but to her surprise, the application for guardianship change was approved within half a month without any response from them.
Although Lu Jiaxin found it strange, she didn't inquire further. With the change in guardianship settled, she felt relieved, even though she regretted not being able to change Gu Haifan's custody arrangement. Unfortunately, Gu Xiuxiu disagreed, and Gu Haifan wasn't keen on the idea either.
With the matter concluded, Su Heyuan smiled and said, "Now I'm officially your guardian. From now on, you can't call me Su Ge like before. You have to call me 'Ge,' just like He Ming."
"Ge..." Su Heyuan responded crisply.
In mid-March, Qian Xiaoxiao returned.
Seeing Qian Xiaoxiao, Lu Jiaxin was startled by her appearance. Her once round face had transformed into a slender one. "What happened to you? Is Master Qian not feeding you, starving you every day?"
Qian Xiaoxiao complained, "My grandfather's old ailment acted up, and the doctor instructed him not to smoke or drink. He disagreed, so I hid all his cigarettes and alcohol. He was so angry that he said he'd only stop if I stopped eating meat."
Lu Jiaxin found the situation between the grandfather and granddaughter amusing yet exasperating. "So, you haven't eaten meat this whole time?"
Qian Xiaoxiao rubbed her face and said glumly, "You bet! For a month and a half, I haven't touched any meat. Sister Xin, can I finally have my fill today?"
She had sacrificed too much for her grandfather's health.
Lu Jiaxin cruelly refused, "If you haven't eaten meat in a month and a half, you'll definitely have diarrhea if you eat too much now. Later, I'll have Auntie cook you some lean meat porridge and add some meat to the stir-fried dishes. Once your stomach gets used to it, I'll buy you roast chicken and goose to enjoy."
Roast chicken and goose were Qian Xiaoxiao's favorites, and she happily exclaimed to Lu Jiaxin, "You're the best, Sister Xin! My grandfather is a devil. He's the one who told me not to eat meat, and then he deliberately eats braised pork and fish soup in front of me, making me so angry. When he's bedridden later, I'll also eat roast chicken or braised pork next to him and make him drool."
Lu Jiaxin burst into laughter, finding the interplay between granddaughter and grandfather both amusing and exasperating.
After enjoying a bowl of three-freshness dumplings, Qian Xiaoxiao said with some regret, "Sister Xin, we sold our orchid for too little. If we had transported it to Chun City ourselves, we could have made at least three million."
Lu Jiaxin didn't feel the same regret. She replied, "Making a tenfold profit is more than enough. We shouldn't be too greedy; too much greed will lead to ruin."
Qian Xiaoxiao agreed with this sentiment. She continued, "I went back to my grandfather's hometown with him. When the villagers saw us dressed nicely, they started spreading rumors that we had struck it rich. Guess what happened next? The very next afternoon, my birth mother showed up at our door demanding money for her retirement. She's not even forty years old this year, what retirement money does she need? And in the countryside, daughters don't usually take care of their parents' retirement, especially not when she abandoned me after remarrying."
"What happened then?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
Qian Xiaoxiao scoffed, "I chased her away, of course. Later, my mother told me that her younger son has his heart set on a girl, but they can't afford the bride price. It's ridiculous! Why should I care about her son's inability to find a wife? She wants me to be a pushover and a fool, dreaming if she thinks that'll happen."
"Even for my own younger brother, I wouldn't care about his marriage. If he can't find a wife, it's his own fault for being useless, and it has nothing to do with me."
She had been raised by her grandfather, and it was her duty to take care of him in his old age. As for her father and stepmother, she would be filial, but their retirement was the responsibility of her siblings, not hers. Of course, her stepmother had also said that she only expected Qian Xiaoxiao to take care of herself and not worry about them.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Your grandfather is buying land and building a house in Peng City. He might need your care in the future, but he won't rely on you for his retirement."
Speaking of buying land and building a house, Qian Xiaoxiao shared, "I accidentally let it slip about the plan to buy land and build a house in Peng City. When my father found out, he wanted my grandfather to build a house for my younger brother in our hometown, but I scolded him harshly for that idea."
In fact, Qian Xiaoxiao's father had initially intended to do just that, but Lu Jiaxin had advised that the land and property in Peng City would become very valuable in the future. Given Lu Jiaxin's impressive foresight, it would be foolish not to heed her advice. However, Qian Xiaoxiao couldn't reveal the true reason to her son, so she resorted to scolding him instead.
Amused, Lu Jiaxin said, "If your grandfather weren't so old, I would have loved to keep him by my side."
Qian Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hands in disagreement. "The doctor said his body can't take any more strain. Now that he's recovered, he'll go to the ancient capital to help you with the store once the land deal is finalized."
Lu Jiaxin had never met Old Sun, but if he could go to Peng City, she wouldn't have to worry anymore.
(End of Chapter)
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