Chapter 47: Old Man Lu (2)
Chapter 47: Old Man Lu (2)
Lu Jiaxin wanted to leave on her own, but Old Man Lu disagreed, insisting that she rest due to her frail state and even asking Lu Guangzong to bring Zhao Dajun along to escort her.
Old Man Lu said pitifully, "Xinxin, you've been wronged."
Lu Jiaxin intended to say she was fine, but tears started falling uncontrollably. After crying for a while, she said something different from what she had originally intended, "Uncle, my father only has eyes for that venomous pair of mother and daughter now, and he doesn't care about my well-being at all. I moved out because I was afraid they would harm me again, and I even transferred my household registration elsewhere."
"Uncle, if he doesn't want me, I don't want him either."
Old Man Lu's hand holding the pipe began to shake, "Jiaxin, was it that Ding woman and her daughter who caused your disappearance?"
Lu Jiaxin glanced at Lu Jiajie in surprise. She couldn't believe they hadn't informed their uncle about something so important. She wasn't going to cover for Lu Hongjun and told the truth, "I moved back to Si Jiu City the same day. The house was bought by my mother before she passed away. She was afraid that Dad would remarry and the new wife wouldn't accept me, but I never imagined that my mother's worries would come true so soon."
Old Man Lu was so furious he almost had a stroke. He turned to Lu Jiajie and said, "Old Five, why didn't you tell me about something so important? Instead, you told me that Xinxin was just feeling down because of her college entrance exam failure and wanted to come back to her hometown for a change of scenery."
Lu Jiajie felt a headache coming on. Old Man Lu had a fiery temper, and if he knew the truth, he would definitely go to Si Jiu City to confront Third Uncle. That was why they hadn't dared to tell him. This time, they knew they couldn't hide it anymore and were planning to find a suitable opportunity to break the news, but they hadn't expected to get drunk yesterday and then rush off to the county seat this morning, missing the chance again.
Lu Jiaxin said, "Uncle, it's not their fault. If you want to blame someone, blame my father for being infatuated and blind."
Old Man Lu calmed down and didn't try to defend Lu Hongjun, "I told your father that woman wasn't good news when I first met her, but he just wouldn't listen to me. Xinxin, you did the right thing by moving out. Otherwise, that venomous woman might have come up with more evil schemes to harm you. Since your father insists on shielding that mother-daughter pair, ignore him from now on. If you need anything, go to your eldest brother."
"I want to see what your father will do when he retires and loses his power and influence. And if that woman abandons him then, Xinxin, it's not your problem either. It's all his doing."
Lu Jiajie dared not utter a word.
Lu Jiaxin felt good to be the favored one for once. However, even though Old Man Lu said all this, she couldn't agree with him. After all, the Lu family still preferred well-behaved and filial children, "Uncle, if my father gets old or becomes bedridden and has no one to take care of him in the future, I will find someone to look after him."
She would never personally serve him by cleaning up his excrement and urine—she didn't have that kind of emotional attachment. However, she could hire someone to do it since Lu Hongjun had raised her original body and supported her education. And in the future, she wouldn't be short of money either.
Old Man Lu was actually testing her, and upon hearing this, he sighed inwardly. This child's heart had been hurt, "Finding someone to take care of him full-time will cost a lot of money. Xinxin, you must study hard and get a good job after college so you can afford it."
Lu Jiaxin thought Old Man Lu was amazing. He had a way with words, making her feel comforted and understood while also achieving his own goals, "Don't worry, Uncle. I will study hard."
Zhao Dajun really wanted to say that with the way this girl spent money like water, it would be a miracle if she could even support herself in the future, let alone have extra money to hire someone to take care of her elders.
Old Man Lu felt relieved and proud. Such an obedient and filial child—he couldn't understand how Third Uncle could be so blind.
Lu Jiajie quickly changed the subject to avoid getting scolded again later: "Xinxin, it's not easy to find human traffickers, so don't get your hopes up too high."
Old Man Lu had already known the purpose of Lu Jiaxin's visit this time, and he shared the same thoughts as Lu Jiajie.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxin reached into her luggage and pulled out a portrait, handing it to them. "Uncle, this is a sketch of the human trafficker."
"Uncle, she spoke with our local accent and even knew your name, Uncle Er, and my brothers. Not many people in Feng County know the names of everyone in our family. This person must have been keeping a close eye on us. I speculate that she's from Feng County."
Old Man Lu took the sketch and examined it with a look of astonishment. "Xinxin, are you sure this is the trafficker who abducted you?"
Lu Jiajie was also taken aback upon seeing the sketch, as he hadn't seen it back in Si Jiu City. "Xinxin, who drew this for you?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled and explained, "I drew it myself. After reporting the case to the police, I went back twice to ask about it, but there was no progress. I know that human traffickers are cunning, so I tried to sketch the person. If we have a portrait, it will be easier to find them."
Her mother was a university teacher who hoped to cultivate a multi-talented daughter. Unfortunately, Lu Jiaxin only excelled in calligraphy and painting; she had no talent for dancing, the guzheng, or the piano. Her mother wanted to nurture her into a painter, but Lu Jiaxin wasn't interested. Later, when her younger sister was born, her mother shifted her focus. Nonetheless, having a foundation in art proved beneficial for Lu Jiaxin's future studies in fashion design.
The original body started learning to paint at the age of five, as Lu's mother wanted her to develop a hobby. While the original body lacked talent, she loved painting and continued until her sophomore year of high school, when she had to stop due to academic pressure and a decline in grades. With the original body's skill level, she wouldn't have been able to create such a good sketch, but it was understandable if it was a result of exceptional circumstances bringing out a burst of unexpected talent.
Old Man Lu tightly gripped the sketch, feeling both surprised and delighted. "Xinxin, how similar does this sketch look to the trafficker?"
"I can't say it's exactly the same, but it's at least seven or eight out of ten. Uncle, I had someone make twenty copies, and they're all in my bag."
Zhao Dajun thought that she was quite clever, as she hadn't mentioned any of this before.
Previously, Old Man Lu had thought that finding the human trafficker would be impossible, but now his mindset had shifted. "Xinxin, don't worry. As long as she's from Feng County, I will definitely find her."
Lu Jiaxin provided another crucial piece of information. "Uncle, while that old woman was chatting with me, she kept praising her son. She said that her son had the ability to stay in the city, and he even married a city girl."
"Uncle, let's start by finding out if there's anyone from Feng County whose son went to college many years ago, got assigned to the north after graduation, and settled down there."
Unlike a few decades later, when people from a small county could be scattered all over the country, it was rare back then for a farmer's child to go to college, work in a big city, and put down roots there.
After listening to Lu Jiaxin's analysis, Old Man Lu's first reaction was to wonder why Lu Jiaxin wasn't a boy. If she had been, the Lu family would have surely risen to even greater heights. However, he quickly felt ashamed of his narrow-mindedness. In this day and age, men and women were equal, and women could achieve just as much. As long as they encouraged Xinxin to focus on her career and not revolve her life around her family after marriage, she could still become successful and support her family.
(End of Chapter)
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