Chapter 254: Crossing the Line
Chapter 254: Crossing the Line
The chicken soup contained chicken wings, Lu Jiaxin's favorite, and there were two of them in the bowl. Since the oil had been skimmed off, they weren't greasy, and the aroma made her stomach growl even louder.
Lu Jiaxin said to Gu Wenfeng, "Brother Feng, why don't you have some chicken soup to fill your stomach?"
Gu Wenfeng quickly refused, indicating that he wasn't hungry.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "How can you not be hungry? Don't be shy. Go ahead and eat. After that, you can head home to your wife and child."
Seeing his hesitation, she added, "Don't worry, I'm not going out today. My second and eldest brothers will be coming over later. With so many of us around, there's nothing to worry about."
Under the heavens and in this city, except for special reasons, the security in Si Jiu City had always been excellent, and the police station was just a stone's throw away, so there was no need to fret.
Gu Wenfeng indeed missed his wife and child and nodded, saying, "I'll come by tomorrow morning."
Lu Jiaxin wanted to give him a couple of days off, but Xiao Xiao had gone back to her hometown for some matters, and he wouldn't feel at ease leaving her alone, so he said, "I won't get up that early. Just come by at nine."
"Okay," Gu Wenfeng agreed.
He ate some chicken and then left with the things he had bought for his wife and child. It had been more than half a year since he last saw them, and he missed them dearly.
Lu Jiaxin ate the chicken wings slowly, savoring each bite.
Sitting across from her, Xiao Qiu said, "Little Aunt, we've deposited a year's rent and the profits from the clothing store into your bank account. I've put the account book in your room. You can take it out whenever you have time."
Lu Jiaxin nodded and asked, "How's business at the clothing store?"
Xiao Qiu's face lit up as she replied, "The clothes in our store are all supplied by Fifth Uncle from Yangcheng. They're of good quality and very fashionable, so many customers keep coming back. From Monday to Saturday, we make about 300 to 400 yuan a day, and on Sundays, we can make up to 700 to 1,000 yuan or even more."
With the current profit margins in the clothing business, they were looking at a monthly profit of around 5,000 yuan. However, Xiao Qiu only owned 30% of the shares, which meant she earned about 1,500 yuan per month.
Lu Jiaxin thought the profit was decent and said, "Xiao Qiu, I haven't managed the store at all this year, and I don't plan to invest in it anymore. From now on, you can run this store yourself!"
Xiao Qiu could now handle the business on her own, but she was reluctant to take full ownership, "How can I do that? Little Aunt, you were the one who started this clothing store. If I take it all, what kind of person would that make me?"
Lu Jiaxin replied, "If you don't want it, I'll sell it. I came back this time to share the good news with Mom. Unless there's something important, I won't be coming back again."
Xiao Qiu exclaimed in surprise, "You're not coming back for Qingming either?"
Lu Jiaxin shook her head, "I'll find a piece of auspicious land in Hong Kong, and once everything is settled there, I'll move Mom's grave."
If the grave was moved, there would be no reason to return for Qingming.
Xiao Qiu panicked at the thought, "But if you move Third Aunt's grave, what about Third Uncle? Won't he be alone then?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled at her concern but didn't explain. Even if Lu Hongjun disagreed, what could he do? She was the only child, and no one could stop her from moving the grave if that was what she wanted.
Noticing her silence, Xiao Qiu became anxious. If her little aunt never returned after moving Third Aunt's grave, it meant they would never see each other again.
Changing the subject, Lu Jiaxin asked, "How's Zao Hua doing in school? She'll be taking the college entrance exam next year. Is she confident about getting into university?"
When it came to Zao Hua, Xiao Qiu was both envious and admiring, "She definitely can. She ranked first in the county during last year's final exams. She said it was all thanks to the tape recorder and cassettes you sent, which greatly improved her English."
With the sudden inclusion of English as one of the main subjects, rural students were at a disadvantage because they had never been exposed to the language before.
Many high schools in the city center lacked competent English teachers, and the situation was even worse in the county. With just this one subject, the rural students were already at a significant disadvantage, losing many points.
Xiao Qiu said, "Little Aunt, Zao Hua's English has improved rapidly. With her permission, the English teacher plays English tapes during morning study hall for half an hour every day so that the classmates can follow along."
"As long as it doesn't affect her," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Xiao Qiu shook her head to indicate that it wouldn't be a problem. "Zao Hua said that as long as she can improve her grades a bit more, her homeroom teacher said she could apply to universities in Si Jiu City."
Speaking of which, she remembered something. "Little Aunt, what major are you studying? Zao Hua asked me to ask so that she can study the same major as you later."
"I'm studying finance. My major may not be suitable for her. Tell her to choose a major that she likes and to ask her teachers if she doesn't understand. Don't blindly follow others."
Xiao Qiu agreed to convey the message but hesitated before telling her the truth about Zao Hua's situation. "Little Aunt, Zao Hua had a huge fight with her mother, and she's not going home anymore."
"Is her mother still forcing her to marry?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
Xiao Qiu said with some bewilderment, "That family saw how well Zao Hua was doing in school, so they found a job for Zao Hua's older brother, You Liang. After working for three months, they said that if Zao Hua marries their son, not only will You Liang get a permanent position, but they'll also give a bride price of 600 yuan, which can all be kept by their family. If she refuses, then You Liang has to go back to farming. Can you guess what happened next? Her mother agreed."
"And then?" Lu Jiaxin probed.
Xiao Qiu angrily continued, "Zao Hua went home, and her mother drugged her food. Then, they let that simpleton into her room, intending to force her to marry him. Fortunately, Man Cang, who had gone back to her grandmother's house, returned home after fighting with her cousin and managed to save Zao Hua in time."
Lu Jiaxin lowered her head in silence. In Zao Hua's mother's heart, her son was precious, but her daughter was merely a commodity, a tradable good.
Xiao Qiu continued, "Man Cang was worried that her mother might not give up, so she sought help from Grandpa and Grandma. When they found out, Second Aunt brought Zao Hua to our house. Zao Hua was still unconscious at the time and didn't wake up until the next day."
If things had gone as planned, Zao Hua would have had no choice but to marry him even if she didn't want to. Otherwise, the gossip and rumors would have been enough to drown her. She had narrowly escaped a disastrous fate.
Lu Jiaxin asked, "Wasn't that simpleton's family punished?"
Xiao Qiu sighed. "Grandpa wanted to report it to the police, but Grandma stopped him. She said that if this matter got out, people would look at Zao Hua differently, and she wouldn't be able to stay in school."
"Is that how it ended?" Lu Jiaxin inquired.
Xiao Qiu shook her head. "No. Zao Hua went to find the simpleton's grandfather and demanded that they give You Liang a permanent position within a week. Otherwise, she would report the incident to the police and claim that the simpleton had rped her. In such cases, the woman has to be examined for evidence, and it would also implicate the simpleton's grandfather."
"That family agreed when they saw how determined Zao Hua was. After this incident, Zao Hua told Mu Gen's wife that she had repaid her life debt and her chastity debt to them. From now on, she doesn't owe them anything."
"Little Aunt, Zao Hua said she wants to go to Si Jiu City. After the college entrance exam next year, she'll come here. Even if she can't study, she'll find a way to support herself."
Lu Jiaxin felt that the girl was quite resilient and was willing to help her again. "The intensity of studying in the last year of high school is high, so she needs to strengthen her nutrition or her body won't be able to take it. Give her 500 yuan for each of the last two semesters."
After the college entrance exam, she would let Zao Hua fend for herself. With her resilience, she would be fine.
(End of Chapter)
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