Chapter 44: The Reason

Chapter 44: The Reason

Lu Jiaguang asked when she would be returning home, or if she wasn't planning to come back at all.

While finding treasures in the ancient capital was her primary goal, it was equally important to find the human traffickers and avenge her past self. However, the timing of her return needed to be discussed with Gu Wenfeng and the others.

Lu Jiaguang said, "Third Uncle knows that you will be returning to your hometown. He asked Jiajie to come and find you, and he arrived home last night."

Lu Jiaxin scoffed and said, "After his daughter went missing, he simply instructed others to look for her while he continues working as if nothing happened. Big Brother, do you really think I'm his biological daughter?"

All the so-called "doting on his daughter" talk was fake. In Lu Hongjun's eyes, power and his comfortable life with a beautiful woman by his side took precedence over his daughter.

Lu Jiaguang was taken aback by her question and quickly changed the subject. "Xin Xin, not only are these human traffickers cunning, but they're also vicious and ruthless. Don't try to take them on by yourself. Hurry back."

Lu Jiaxin wasn't going to listen to him. "Big Brother, call the Hongguang Brigade and tell Fifth Brother that I've been delayed and won't be returning home so soon."

"Then when do you plan on going back to your hometown?"

"I will definitely be going back to Feng County. I'll go back in a few days," she said.

"Will he be alright by himself?"

"Of course not. We'll leave someone behind to take care of him."

Lu Jiaguang thought this arrangement was pretty good. "Call me before you head back, and I'll ask Jiajie to pick you up."

After hanging up, Lu Jiaxin returned to the rented house and called Gu Wenfeng inside to discuss her trip to Feng County.

Gu Wenfeng said, "Let Da Jun accompany you back, and I'll stay here. Rest assured, I'll have bought the house by the time you return."

Since the matter was quite complex, he was worried that Zhao Da Jun might not be able to handle it, so it was better for him to stay and take care of it himself. As for the human traffickers, they could report it to the police once they were back in Feng County, and with so many men in the Lu family, they would be able to protect her.

Lu Jiaxin looked at him and asked, "Brother Gu, are you hiding something from me?"

At first, she hadn't thought much of it, but now she felt that something was amiss. Someone like Gu Wenfeng, who was helping her with buying a house and treasure hunting, wouldn't refuse as long as the price was reasonable. However, Sun Xun was a gambling addict who neglected his family. His wife, Liu Xun, struggled to make ends meet with their six children, yet Gu Wenfeng was unusually eager to help them. This didn't seem right.

"What do you mean?"

Lu Jiaxin said, "Sun Xun is a gambling addict who doesn't care about his family. If I buy his house, he'll definitely use the money to continue gambling. By then, his wife and six children will be left with nowhere to live. With your personality, you should be opposing this plan."

Gu Wenfeng countered, "Knowing that Liu Xun and the six children might end up on the streets if they lose their house, why are you still buying it?"

Lu Jiaxin thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. "I won't let them become homeless. After we deal with Sun Xun, I'll give her some money to buy another house. I'll also suggest that she starts a stall; it's a profitable business that can support the six children."

She intended to handle these matters after returning from her hometown, which was why she hadn't mentioned it to Gu Wenfeng.

Gu Wenfeng was surprised by her plan. He fell silent for a moment before saying, "Sun Xun owes more than 900 yuan. He plans to sell the twins to pay off his gambling debts."

Lu Jiaxin was astonished. She knew that gambling addicts had no bottom line, but she hadn't expected him to be so despicable as to sell his own children to settle his debts. "Brother Gu, you didn't tell me about this before."

Gu Wenfeng explained, "I was afraid that telling you would scare you. Miss Lu, he's willing to sell his own children to pay off his gambling debts now. Next time, he might sell off the other children, and eventually, he could even sell his wife. Such a scumbag doesn't deserve to live."

However, it wasn't worth getting their hands dirty for someone like him. So, he planned to let the creditors pressure Sun Xun into selling the house, and then, with the government's focus on maintaining law and order, he would ensure Sun Xun ended up in prison.

Sun Xun owed gambling debts to many people outside. If he was caught before paying off his debts, Liu Xun, being a weak woman, wouldn't be able to keep the house. In that case, the house would surely be sold at a low price, so it was better to sell it to Lu Jiaxin, at least to get some money out of it. He hadn't intended to tell Lu Jiaxin about these plans, but he hadn't expected her to be so perceptive.

Lu Jiaxin frowned and asked, "What about Liu Xun's family? Why do they allow Sun Xun to treat her like this?"

"The Sun family has a bad background, and no girl from the city would willingly marry into it. So, Sun's father asked someone to find a bride for him in the countryside. Liu Xun is from the mountains, dirt poor, and her three brothers couldn't even afford to marry. To get their son married, Liu Xun's parents sold her to the Sun family."

Calling it a marriage was just to make it sound better. In reality, Liu Xun's parents had sold her to the Sun family, and as a result, she had no status in the family. Fortunately, before Sun's father passed away, he registered Liu Xun's household registration in their family, ensuring that the six children were born with urban household registrations and entitled to commodity grain rations. Otherwise, they would have starved to death by now.

Lu Jiaxin sighed and took out a bag of money from the room, placing it on the table. "Brother Gu, there's 17,000 yuan here. Take the money for the house directly from this bag."

"It's better for you to keep such a large sum of money yourself."

"I'm going back to my hometown, and I might get pickpocketed if I carry it with me."

There were many pickpockets on the road these days, and it wasn't safe to carry such a large sum of money. This area, being a residential neighborhood, had good security, and with Gu Wenfeng's martial arts skills, any thief who dared to break in would be dealt with swiftly.

Gu Wenfeng couldn't help but laugh. "Miss Lu, I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

"You overestimate me. I'm afraid of hardship, tiredness, and poverty," Lu Jiaxin admitted.

After discussing the matter, Lu Jiaxin went to the department store the next day to buy some things and then made another trip to the market.

She spent over a hundred yuan, but there were still many things she needed to purchase. However, thinking about having to squeeze onto a bus, she ultimately gave up.

There was no direct transportation from the ancient capital to Feng County yet. They would have to take a bus to the district first and then transfer to another bus to the county seat. Fortunately, they had bought their tickets in advance, so Lu Jiaxin arrived at the station on time.

The two found the flatbed truck, but when they boarded, they discovered that their seats had been taken by a young couple. Lu Jiaxin spoke politely, "Big Brother, Big Sister, these are our seats."

The man pretended not to hear, but the woman boldly declared, "Do you know the rules? Whoever comes first gets the seat."

Seeing her arrogant and unreasonable attitude, Lu Jiaxin coldly humphed and said to Zhao Da Jun, "Brother Zhao, drag them off the truck."

It was a good thing they had Zhao Da Jun, who was tall and burly, with them. If she had been alone, she might not have gotten her seats back.

Zhao Da Jun glared at the man and said, "These are our seats. Get up."

The man immediately cowered and stood up when he saw Zhao Da Jun's glaring eyes, which were as big as copper bells. The woman still wanted to stubbornly cling to the seat, but Zhao Da Jun kept staring at her, and finally, she gave up the seat.

Zhao Da Jun let Lu Jiaxin sit down and then gave his seat to an elderly lady. The young woman was furious but dared not scold Zhao Da Jun and Lu Jiaxin. Instead, she could only vent her anger by berating the man beside her for being useless.

As they exited the train station, Lu Jiaxin noticed that the aisles of the vehicle were packed with standing passengers. Despite this, the driver still stopped whenever someone flagged the train.

A young girl carrying a baby boarded, followed by an older woman with two large bags.

Lu Jiaxin stood up and offered her seat to the young girl, who seemed quite young and was holding a baby, which could be dangerous.

The older woman was extremely grateful. She untied one of the bags and reached inside to retrieve two pomegranates, offering them to Lu Jiaxin. When Lu Jiaxin refused, the woman insisted, saying, "These are from my parents' garden. They're not worth much, but please take them and enjoy them!"

Fruits were a daily necessity for Lu Jiaxin, but due to the limited transportation options, many were not easily accessible. She was delighted by the bright red pomegranates and asked, "Are both of your bags filled with pomegranates?"

The woman laughed and shook her head. "No, one bag has pomegranates, and the other has peanuts and sweet potatoes. They're all from my parents' garden."

She then insisted on giving the two pomegranates to Lu Jiaxin.

Lu Jiaxin peeled one of the pomegranates, revealing the deep red arils inside. She popped a few into her mouth and praised the woman, saying, "These pomegranates are delicious! They have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness."

The older woman beamed with joy upon hearing Lu Jiaxin's compliment.

The young girl chimed in, her voice crisp and lively, "My grandparents took great care of these pomegranates. Everyone who's tried them has praised them."

Intrigued, Lu Jiaxin asked, "Are these pomegranates for sale? If so, I'd like to buy some."

"There's no need to buy them; they're not worth much. If you like them, I can share some with you."

Lu Jiaxin didn't want to take advantage of the woman's kindness. "If you're willing to sell them, I'll buy some. If not, I won't take them for free."

Upon hearing this, the young girl tugged on the older woman's sleeve and said, "Mother, we have plenty, and we won't be able to finish them all anyway. This sister likes them, so let's sell some to her."

The woman hesitated for a moment before asking, "How much would you like to buy?"

"Can I have half?"

Before the woman could respond, the girl's eyes lit up. "Sister, if you like them, we can sell them to you at a discount. My grandparents usually sell them for two mao per pound, and this bag has over 50 pounds. You can have it for eight yuan."

The woman gave her daughter a sharp look, then smiled at Lu Jiaxin. "Don't listen to this child. Five yuan is more than enough."

At home, they usually sold them for one mao per pound, and during times of bumper crops, they couldn't even get that price. Selling them to Lu Jiaxin for twice the price would be taking advantage of her.

The young girl lowered her head, remaining silent.

Lu Jiaxin laughed and reached into her pocket, counting out eight yuan, which she then handed to the woman. When the woman tried to return some of the money, Lu Jiaxin explained, "The prices are different here compared to back home. In a place like Si Jiucheng, such high-quality pomegranates would sell for five mao per pound."

The woman insisted on returning three yuan to Lu Jiaxin. "Si Jiucheng is Si Jiucheng, and I won't charge you more than what we usually sell for. I don't want to cheat you. If you insist on giving me eight yuan, then I won't sell them to you at all."

Lu Jiaxin had no choice but to accept. She then reached into her bag and grabbed a handful of candies, offering them to the young girl. "Here, take these candies, sister."

A flash of desire appeared in the girl's eyes, but she quickly looked at the older woman beside her.

The woman declined, feeling uncomfortable about accepting such expensive candies. "Sister, these candies are so expensive. How could we take them from you?"

Lu Jiaxin placed the candies in the young girl's pocket. "It's fine. Let the children have them if they like them. Your pomegranates are delicious, and you could easily sell them in the provincial capital! At two mao per pound, I'm sure many people would buy them."

The woman shook her head. "Someone from our village tried selling pomegranates in the provincial capital not long ago, but they said no one wanted them, and they had to throw them away."

Lu Jiaxin found that hard to believe. After thinking for a moment, she said, "What others say may not be reliable. Perhaps the person who told you that was worried that too many people would rush to the provincial capital to sell pomegranates, and then they wouldn't be able to sell their own. You won't know the truth until you try it for yourself."

"If you can't sell them at the market, you can always try selling them at the residential compounds of large factories. Good products will always find buyers."

The woman replied earnestly, "It was my cousin and his wife who told me, and they wouldn't lie to us."

Lu Jiaxin smiled but didn't pursue the topic further. Greed could drive people to do terrible things, and even close relatives might deceive each other for profit.

An hour later, the train arrived at the district. Zhao Da Jun disembarked, carrying the luggage in one hand and the bag of pomegranates in the other. The bag, which weighed over 50 pounds, seemed light as a feather in his strong grip, drawing curious glances from those around him.

Lu Jiaxin had thought the train from the provincial capital to the district was crowded, but when she boarded the vehicle bound for Feng County, she realized how naive she had been. Some passengers had brought chickens and ducks, and the vehicle was so packed that there wasn't even room to stand. The combination of body odor, foot odor, and the smell of chicken and duck droppings created an overwhelming stench.

It wasn't long before Lu Jiaxin started feeling nauseous. Fortunately, she had brought a bag with her, so she didn't end up soiling another passenger.

She vomited up everything she had eaten at noon, and after she was done, she felt weak and dizzy. However, her subconscious mind took over, and she held onto the canvas bag tightly. Zhao Da Jun stood by her side, and no one dared to make a move on her bag.

By the time they reached their stop, Lu Jiaxin's legs felt like jelly, and she could barely stand. Zhao Da Jun had to support her as she disembarked. Once outside, she vomited again, this time bringing up bile.

Seeing her pale face, Zhao Da Jun couldn't help but comment, "If you can't handle traveling by train, why did you insist on coming to catch the human traffickers yourself?"

With her weak constitution, she wouldn't be able to catch them even if she saw them.

Lu Jiaxin felt exhausted and replied weakly, "Let's find a guesthouse for the night, and we'll head back to Lu's village tomorrow morning."

In her current state, she wouldn't be able to make the return journey.

After leaving the station, they asked for directions and learned that the guesthouse was within walking distance. However, there were no tricycles available to hire, so they had to walk.

On their way to the guesthouse, they passed by the post office, and Lu Jiaxin suddenly remembered something. "I called my eldest brother yesterday, and he said he would ask my fifth brother to come and pick me up. If we go straight to the guesthouse, my fifth brother won't know where to find me, and he'll be worried sick."

"If your fifth brother was supposed to pick you up, we would have seen him at the station. He probably had something come up," Zhao Da Jun replied.

Lu Jiaxin was feeling tired, so she sat down on her luggage and said, "Go back to the station and look for him. If you don't find him, just forget about it."

It was pointless to keep searching if they couldn't find him after going back.

Zhao Da Jun refused. Lu Jiaxin had been abducted before, and when they left, Gu Wen Feng had repeatedly instructed him never to let Lu Jiaxin out of his sight. If anything happened to her, not only would his job be on the line, but Gu Wen Feng and his cousin would also be implicated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end