Chapter 264: A Retirement Agreement
Chapter 264: A Retirement Agreement
When Lu Jiaxin saw Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie visiting together, she knew that Lu Hongjun had agreed to her terms. In fact, she would have preferred if Lu Hongjun had refused, so that she would have had a valid reason to wash her hands of the matter in the future.
Lu Jiaguang said, "Jiaxin, your third uncle has agreed to hand over everything he's been hiding."
Lu Jiaxin acknowledged with a sound of "hmph" and replied, "Second brother and sister-in-law just finished cooking. Let's eat first and discuss this afterward."
Lu Jiajie's face was filled with guilt as he said, "Jiaxin, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Ma's family and Lili to hold a grudge against you and say those things in front of the children."
If not for Jiaxin's help, he would still be working at the shoe factory. Even with the recent wage increase, he would only be making a hundred yuan a month, which wasn't enough for anything substantial.
Lu Jiaguang's face turned solemn.
Lu Jiaxin maintained her stance, "Your family matters are your own business. Don't bring them here and affect everyone's mood."
During the meal, Lu Jiajie's wife, noticing the heavy atmosphere, tried to lighten the mood by bringing up a casual topic, "Big brother, Ah-Shan called me yesterday. He said that Mother is willing to come to Four-Nine City."
Lu Jiaguang replied, "That's good. Otherwise, I would have had to take leave to go and fetch her myself."
"What happened to Grandmother?"
Lu Jiaguang explained, "She's been having occasional chest pains lately. The city hospital couldn't find anything wrong, but she insists on going to the provincial hospital. She believes the doctors in Four-Nine City are better than those in the province."
"Then she should come sooner for a check-up."
Since they were going to discuss serious matters, they refrained from drinking alcohol, and the meal was quickly finished. The siblings then proceeded to the study, leaving Lu Jiajie's wife and Xiao Qiu to clear the table.
Xiao Qiu offered to do it herself, "Mother, you should go and listen too. See how they plan to take care of Grandpa."
Lu Jiajie's wife replied, "This isn't about discussing your grandfather's retirement, it's about your great-uncle's retirement. What do I have to do with that? It's only because your great-uncle was heartless and hurt your aunt's feelings. Otherwise, he would have definitely moved to the coastal city to enjoy his retirement in a few years."
Xiao Qiu also sympathized with Lu Jiaxin and added, "Great-uncle has taken care of Zhao Siying for six years and spent a lot of money on her. He even helped her find a job. They should both take care of him in his old age."
Lu Jiajie's wife scoffed, "Your great-uncle is shrewder than anyone. How could we possibly expect Zhao Siying to take care of him? It would be good enough if she doesn't end up relying on him for support."
The four of them sat down, and Lu Jiaxin was the first to speak, "Big brother, where are his things?"
Lu Jiaguang realized that he had forgotten to ask, "Don't worry, now that he's agreed, he won't go back on his word."
Lu Jiajie coldly huffed, "If he dares to go back on his word, I will have nothing to do with him from now on. Let Zhao Siying take care of him until his dying day!"
Lu Jiazong remained silent, acting as a mere spectator.
Lu Jiaxin continued, "I can buy the house, but it must be registered under my name. Also, the house he currently lives in—with the housing reform, public housing can be converted to private ownership by paying a sum. That house must also be registered under my name."
Lu Jiajie immediately agreed, "Of course, it should be under your name. Third Uncle even plans to remarry. If the house remains under his name, some other woman will benefit from it."
Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiazong shared the same sentiment.
Seeing their agreement, Lu Jiaxin continued, "For his retirement, I'll give him 200 yuan per month. Additionally, I'll hire a maid to do his laundry and cooking, and I'll pay for the maid's salary."
Lu Jiazong felt that it was too much, "Jiaxin, it's enough for you to buy the house and hire a maid. Don't give him the retirement money. Your third uncle's pension is more than enough for him."
Lu Jiaguang also agreed, "You just need to cover the cost of hiring help and his medical expenses."
Retirement Support
Lu Jiajie meant the same. The more they gave, the more benefits others would reap.
Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, "If he gets sick and needs hospitalization in the future, it's fine to spend a little more on hiring a caregiver. You all have your own affairs to attend to, and it's not good to trouble you all the time."
Later on, she intended to hire a personal secretary to help with trivial matters. One good thing about Hong Kong was that as long as you had money, there would be people willing to help you handle such matters efficiently.
Lu Jiaguang didn't refuse, saying, "Then we'll hire someone when the time comes, but we should still take turns visiting, so the hired help doesn't get slack."
The last few times it was his turn, he had taken care of their father during the day while working at night, which had taken a toll on his health. Now that he was no longer young, he couldn't pull all-nighters like before. With hired help, they would only need to lend a hand occasionally, which wouldn't be as tiring.
Lu Jiazong thought it was a waste of money, but since Lu Jiaguang had agreed, he kept silent.
After discussing Lu Hongjun's retirement arrangements, Lu Jiaxin brought up the topic of relocating their mother's grave, "Before the next Qingming Festival, I will relocate Mom's grave."
Lu Jiaguang had remained silent after being rebuked earlier, and seeing his silence, the others followed suit. Since the eldest brother didn't object, they naturally wouldn't want to be the ones causing discord.
Suddenly, Lu Jiajie spoke up, "Big brother, second brother, Jiaxin, I want to divorce Mali li."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaguang scolded him, "What divorce? You're always busy outside, and the two children are being taken care of by Fifth Brother's wife. If you divorce, who will take care of the children?"
The thought of divorce had been brewing for a while, and every time they fought, he considered separating. However, the thought of their two children always stopped him. But now, he couldn't take it anymore. Lu Jiajie said with anguish, "Big brother, she picks a fight with me every few days, demanding that I hand over my money to her. Knowing her family's situation, how can I possibly do that? If I give it to her, it will end up in the hands of Yan Fang and his wife."
"But if I don't give her money, she makes a scene, accusing me of having an affair and spending money on other women. I could endure all that for the sake of our children. But she believes the instigation of her relatives, blaming everything on Jiaxin. They claim that if Jiaxin hadn't lent us the money, our marital harmony wouldn't have been affected. Despite being the root cause of our problems, they shift the blame to Jiaxin, even poisoning the children's minds against her."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "If she speaks ill of Jiaxin in front of the children now, who's to say she won't do the same about you, big brother, and second brother? Will she not drive a wedge between me and the children in the future?"
Lu Jiaxin scoffed, "It's not a possibility, it's a certainty. By turning the children against you and the Lu family, they will ensure the children's undivided loyalty to the Ma family."
It was often said that people would rather demolish a temple than break familial ties, but in the case of Mali li, it was better to cut ties as soon as possible!
Lu Jiaguang couldn't find any more arguments against the divorce and fell silent for a moment before asking, "Divorce isn't just something you say; how do you plan to arrange for the two children?"
"Qiangqiang will stay with me, and Xiaofeng with her."
Lu Jiaguang asked further, "If Qiangqiang stays with you, and you're busy with business, sometimes traveling for a month, who will take care of him?"
Lu Jiajie replied, "I plan to have Ale's aunt live with us. When I'm not around, she can help take care of Qiangqiang. Qiangqiang is also older now and can take care of himself."
Ale's aunt was a trustworthy person, and Lu Jiajie felt relieved to have her look after Qiangqiang.
While this arrangement seemed reasonable, Lu Jiaguang, being of an older generation, couldn't bring himself to agree to Lu Jiajie's divorce.
(End of Chapter)
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