Chapter 46: Uncle Lu (1)
Chapter 46: Uncle Lu (1)
The roads in the county were relatively flat, but once they left the town, the path became bumpy and uneven. Thankfully, the hay and bedding laid at the bottom of the cart cushioned most of the jostling for Lu Jiaxin.
It was a little past five o'clock, and the sun was beginning to set. Lu Jiaxin and Lu Jiajie chatted leisurely, the warm sunlight making her feel cozy and eventually lulling her to sleep.
Lu Jiajie asked Zhao Dajun to stop, and he took a bag hanging at the front of the bicycle, opened it, and took out a blanket to cover her.
Zhao Dajun asked in surprise, "You brought a blanket. Why didn't you tell her earlier?"
Lu Jiajie was stunned for a moment, then remembered what he had just said. He explained, "We siblings often joke like that. You don't have to take it to heart."
Zhao Dajun felt that they were spoiling Lu Jiaxin too much. "You're spoiling her. It's fine now that she's young, but when she grows up, this attitude won't be liked, and she'll have a hard time."
Lu Jiajie knew he meant well and patiently explained, "My sister Jiaxin is a bit spoiled, and she sometimes throws little temper tantrums, but she's kind-hearted and knows how to behave."
He didn't think it was a bad thing for a young lady to have a bit of an edge to her. His two older sisters, who tried to manage everything, had worn themselves out at a young age. As a result, their husbands were not only ungrateful but also complained that they were too rough and not gentle enough. Jiaxin, on the other hand, knew how to stand up for herself, even with her savior. Of course, he was yet to learn about something called the 'halo effect.'
Zhao Dajun frowned and said, "If you indulge her like this, aren't you afraid that her in-laws will dislike her after she's married?"
Lu Jiajie laughed, "My sister is beautiful and has money, a house, and capabilities. If the man dares to dislike her for being spoiled and temperamental, she won't like him either. We won't even need to say anything."
He felt that it was better for a young lady to have a bit of an edge so that she wouldn't be easily bullied. Like that time when this young lady seemed fierce but was actually a pushover, so she was bullied to death by the mother and daughter of the Ding family. But after experiencing life and death, she not only became stronger but also gained a more profound perspective on life. According to her eldest brother, this young lady had transformed and surpassed her peers.
Zhao Dajun didn't say anything more. He thought that such indulgence without guidance would only lead to regret later on.
Lu Jiaxin, still groggy, heard a baby crying and sat up startled. She opened her eyes and saw Lu Jiajie and asked sleepily, "Fifth Brother, is Qiangqiang crying?"
Lu Jiajie teased, "You're sleep talking. We're on our way back to Lu's village. Qiangqiang is in Si Jiu City!"
Lu Jiaxin yawned and asked, "Brother, how much longer until we get home?"
"We'll be there soon. You can keep sleeping, and we'll be there when you wake up."
Lu Jiaxin sat up and looked around. She noticed that both sides of the road were sloping, barren, and treeless. No wonder this place was prone to droughts.
"What are you looking for?"
"Brother, there are no trees here, just soil."
Lu Jiajie laughed, "Yellow earth hills, of course, there's soil. You asked me the same question five years ago. Why are you asking again?"
Lu Jiaxin was embarrassed. Although she had the original body's memories, if she didn't specifically recall them, many things were still forgotten.
Lu Jiajie didn't tease her further and said, "Jiaxin, after Great Uncle and the others learned that you had gone missing on your way back to your hometown, they mobilized all their friends and the entire Lu family village to look for you, but they couldn't find you. Great Uncle was so worried about you that he fell ill. This time, when they found out you were coming back alone again, Great Uncle and Great Aunt scolded me badly."
"If anyone should be scolded, it should be my father, not you."
Lu Jiajie spoke with glee, "Do you think Third Uncle didn't get an earful? After they found out you were lost, Uncle and Aunt took turns giving your father a piece of their minds over the phone. They even said that if they didn't bring you back, they would disown him as a brother."
"The last time you went missing, didn't Ding Jing come looking for you? Without a word, Aunt sent her away, and she had no choice but to stay at my place. But my mother wasn't as meticulous as Aunt, and Ding Jing returned to the guesthouse after staying for just a day. That day, Uncle gave Third Uncle a scolding over the phone."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Uncle and Aunt are the best."
In her memories, the elderly couple doted on the original body. This was partly due to Lu Mu's amiable nature and partly because the original body was beautiful and endearing.
Lu Jiajie pretended to grumble, "Uncle dotes on you the most. Knowing that you're safe, his illness will probably disappear soon. This time, I didn't dare tell them that I came to find you. It was only after I received Big Brother's call that I dared to let them know."
"So, I won't get scolded later?"
"No, Uncle will only scold me, Big Brother, and Third Uncle."
Lu Jiaxin grinned. However, Lu Hongjun deserved more scolding so that he would stop being infatuated and giving his wealth to that mother and daughter. Even if she didn't want it, he could give it to the Lu family! Aside from Second Uncle and Second Aunt, who were difficult to talk about, everyone else in the family was pretty decent. She quite liked this big family.
As they chatted and traveled, time passed quickly.
After talking too much, Lu Jiaxin's mouth felt dry, and after drinking some water, she asked, "Fifth Brother, how much longer until we arrive?"
Lu Jiajie pointed at a large tree in front of them and said with a smile, "Once we pass that big banyan tree, the village ahead will be ours. Don't worry, when we left, Aunt was already preparing a chicken for dinner."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jiajie suddenly shouted, "Uncle, why are you here?"
Lu Jiaxin had thought he was teasing her, but she didn't expect Lu Dabai and her second brother, Lu Jiazong, to actually come over. It turned out that Lu Dabai saw that it was getting dark, and they still weren't back, so he asked his second son to come and look for them.
As Lu Dabai approached, Lu Jiaxin could finally see the father and son clearly. Lu Dabai was of medium build, dressed in gray, with his back straight and his hair completely white. However, his eyes were sharp, and one could tell at a glance that he wasn't someone who could be easily fooled.
When Lu Dabai saw her sitting in the cart, he thought something was wrong and quickly walked over, asking her to lie back down. Then he turned and scolded Lu Jiajie, "If Xin'er is unwell, why didn't you take her to the hospital? She's already in her twenties, yet she's less sensible than our family dog, Huang."
Lu Jiaxin couldn't understand the local dialect, but thinking about what Lu Jiajie had just said, she couldn't help but grin.
Lu Jiajie had a bitter look on his face as he explained in Mandarin, "Uncle, Xin'er isn't sick. She just gets carsick, but she's fine now."
Lu Jiaxin also didn't want him to be scolded for no reason, so she quickly added, "Uncle, the smell in the car was too strong for me, and I felt nauseous. Fifth Brother saw how I was and was worried that I would throw up on the bicycle, so he specially borrowed this cart to pull me back."
Lu Jiajie felt that Lu Jiaxin was too considerate.
Lu Dabai pointed at Zhao Dajun and said in Mandarin with a strong local accent, "Then it should be this young man pulling you, not your brother."
It was only polite for the host to pull the cart himself, rather than have a guest pull his sister. However, this time, he didn't scold Lu Jiajie anymore, as he had also noticed that Lu Jiaxin was protecting her brother! He was happy about this.
(End of Chapter)
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