Reborn In 1983: Starting With Reclaiming My Birthright Chapter 41: Spreading His Wings - Novel Cool

Chapter 41: Spreading His Wings

Chapter 41: Spreading His Wings

Malily returned with a net bag full of items, but before she could even step through the door, she heard Madam Ma's curses ringing through the house. Furious, she pushed open the door and snapped at her, "Are you so bitter that you can't bear to see this family live in peace? You're determined to drive a wedge between me and my husband and ruin our marriage!"

Madam Ma, believing that she had caught Jiajie Lu in a compromising position, coldly huffed, "So, you dare to brazenly wear clothes bought for you by another woman under this roof? I'm trying to stand up for you, and yet you turn it around and blame me? If you continue to be mistreated, it's your own fault, so don't come crying to us afterward."

Noticing that Jiajie was wearing unfamiliar clothes, Malily refrained from losing her temper, crying, or shouting. Instead, she simply asked, her face grim, "Where did you get those clothes?"

The couple had always shared a loving relationship, and Jiajie was affectionate towards their two children. Most importantly, he didn't have a single penny to his name. What could anyone possibly want from him? Was it because he was poor, or because he rarely bathed, or perhaps his stinky feet?

Jiajie explained the origin of the clothes, "The clothes were on the bed; they must have been bought for me by Xin Xin."

Madam Ma scoffed at the clothes he was wearing, "Are you going to come up with such pathetic excuses? Xin Xin is still so young; how would she know what kind of clothes to buy for you?"

Jiajie replied disdainfully, "Just because your children aren't smart enough, doesn't mean our Xin Xin isn't. Not only is she intelligent and a good student, but she also has great taste. Many parents at the school even asked where the clothes she bought for Qiang Qiang and Xiao Feng came from."

Hearing the boastful tone in his voice, Malily felt both annoyed and amused, "Xin Xin hasn't even started working yet. It's one thing for her to buy clothes for Qiang Qiang and Xiao Feng, but it's quite another for her to buy you clothes. How could you accept that?"

Jiajie smiled, "Although she doesn't have a job, she has plenty of spending money. Buying a couple of clothes isn't a problem."

Malily felt helpless; he truly had no sense of boundaries.

Seeing her sister's lack of pursuit, Madam Ma mocked, "You actually believe such a flimsy excuse? Are you that gullible, little sister?"

Jiajie's anger flared up once more, and he lowered his voice, "Didn't you say that your husband was innocent? Fine, I'll go find the man she's having an affair with tomorrow morning. If he gets his arms and legs broken, don't come crying to me."

Madam Ma stared at him in disbelief.

Fearing that the situation would spiral out of control, Malily quickly pulled Jiajie downstairs to a secluded corner, where she whispered, "Jiajie Lu, have you lost your mind? If he really gets beaten up, Madam Ma will definitely blame you."

Yan Fang had been involved in an ambiguous relationship with his female disciple years ago, and knowing his character, it wouldn't be surprising if he was involved with another woman now. However, Malily didn't want her husband to get entangled in this mess.

Jiajie said, "I can't stay here any longer. I've already asked a friend to help me look for a place, and we'll move as soon as we buy it. I won't be coming back here for a few days; I'll stay at Xin Xin's place."

Malily's eyes welled up with tears.

Jiajie felt a twinge of guilt, but thinking of the shameless Madam Ma and his biased in-laws, he steeled his heart and said, "Let's take the kids to stay at Xin Xin's place for the weekend. There's a big park next to Guangming Road, so we can take the kids there to play."

Xin Xin's apartment was filled with valuable items, and if people knew that no one was home, thieves would surely break in. All the appliances and furniture were newly purchased, and the loss would be significant if anything went missing. By staying there, he could also help keep an eye on the place.

Understanding his reluctance to endure the situation any longer, Malily asked, "Won't it be inconvenient for all of us to stay at Xin Xin's place?"

Jiajie smiled, "What's inconvenient about that? Xin Xin isn't petty; it'll be fine if we stay there for a couple of days."

However, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. I'll take the two kids to the park to play later."

Every weekend, Ma's entire family came over for dinner. The couple never contributed to the household expenses, and they always came empty-handed. They wouldn't even bother to pick up a fallen broom. While he could overlook all that, what he couldn't tolerate was their habit of stirring up trouble and creating discord with their cryptic remarks. If things continued like this, he might even resort to violence.

Malily recalled her earlier promise to take the children to the park, a promise she had yet to fulfill due to her busy schedule. "We have to ask Xin Xin first. We can only go if she agrees."

"Okay, I'll go ask her."

To avoid any unnecessary complications, the two brothers decided to temporarily keep their knowledge of Lu Jiaxin's departure from Si Jiucheng a secret from those outside the family. However, Lu Jiajie didn't intend to hide this from Malily, as gossip tended to spread quickly among the locals. He feared that someone might overhear and start spreading rumors.

That night, Lu Jiajie was working the night shift and slept at the place on Guangming Road after his shift ended. He was in the midst of a deep sleep when loud banging on the door startled him awake. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he opened the door to find Lu Hongjun, his face dark with anger. "Third Uncle, what are you doing here?" he asked, yawning.

Lu Hongjun was infuriated by his nephew's nonchalant attitude and slammed the door shut. "How dare you hide it from me that Jiaxin went to the ancient capital!" he scolded. "Now that your wings have hardened, you no longer put me in your eyes."

Lu Jiajie felt wronged. "As soon as I saw the note, I called you, but your phone was off. After discussing it with Big Brother, I went to find Su Heming to understand the situation."

In truth, he hadn't called Lu Hongjun at all the previous day, and he was only saying this to avoid being scolded further. If it weren't for his own failures as a father, Jiaxin wouldn't have felt the need to hide her plans from them.

Lu Hongjun had gone to court the previous day and then gone out for a drink with his superior. As he had been drinking, he went straight to bed when he got home. It was only in the morning that he received Lu Jiaguang's call and learned that his daughter had gone to the ancient capital. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "Where's Su Heming? Take me to see him."

Lu Jiajie replied regretfully, "Su Heming went to Pengcheng yesterday. I found him just as he was about to leave. But Third Uncle, rest assured, the two people accompanying Jiaxin are chosen by Madam Xie, and they are very capable. They will be able to protect her."

Lu Hongjun grew even angrier, feeling that Lu Jiaxin's actions were a direct insult to him. "You don't live here, so you didn't even know that she was going to the ancient capital?"

Lu Jiajie's face fell. "If I had known, I would have stopped her with Big Brother. But she didn't say a word about it to me."

After a pause, he added, "And I'm sure she's hiding it from Moe as well. That silly boy can't keep secrets."

It seemed that his little sister had not only developed a strong sense of independence but had also learned to be more discreet. In the past, she used to wear her heart on her sleeve. Although he was the older brother, there were times when she made him feel like the younger one.

Suppressing his anger, Lu Hongjun said, "Take leave and go to the ancient capital to find them."

Lu Jiajie disliked working; he found it boring. The prospect of a long-distance trip, however, was appealing. "Third Uncle, Jiaxin said that person is very familiar with our Lu family's situation. She's probably investigating in Feng County."

The ancient capital was vast; how was he supposed to find someone there? It would be better to just go back to his hometown and wait. It had been over two years since he last visited, and he missed his father and granduncle. This time, Third Uncle would be paying for his travel expenses and tickets, which was quite a good deal.

Finding his nephew's suggestion reasonable, Lu Hongjun nodded. "Then go back to your hometown and wait for her. I'll have Jiaguang buy your ticket right now."

(End of Chapter)

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