Chapter 492: Not Everyone Will Be Grateful
Chapter 492: Not Everyone Will Be Grateful
Lu Jiaxin returned to Si Jiu City and went straight to visit Gu Show Xiu after arriving home. There was no one in the courtyard, and when she asked around, she was directed to the back garden. Upon arriving, she found Gu Show Xiu in a foul mood, lashing out and refusing to let anyone near her. Mei Gu tried to calm her down gently, and only then was Lu Jiaxin allowed to approach.
Lu Jiaxin called out to Gu Show Xiu, addressing her as "Auntie," but Gu Show Xiu merely glanced at her and turned away, ignoring her.
Mei Gu was startled by Lu Jiaxin's presence and exclaimed, "Miss Lu, when did you arrive?"
"I just got here. Let's take Auntie back to her room first," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Gu Show Xiu was now residing in the fourth courtyard. This courtyard had been empty, but due to her dementia, she had taken a liking to it and moved in.
However, when Lu Jiaxin attempted to enter the courtyard, Gu Show Xiu blocked her path, eyeing her with suspicion. Lu Jiaxin understood that look—it meant she wasn't welcome.
Feeling helpless, Lu Jiaxin said to Mei Gu, "I'll head back to the front courtyard. Come find me later."
"Yes, Miss Lu," Mei Gu replied.
Lu Jiaxin then called Lu Jia Guang and informed him of her return to Si Jiu City. "I just got home," she added. "Any news about Fifth Brother?" she asked.
At the mention of this, Lu Jia Guang's voice turned grave. "No. I've asked around, but there's no word," he said heavily.
Lu Jiaxin frowned. "The people I asked said the goods he took were well-received by the foreigners. He exchanged the money he made for purple gold and fur, which he brought back to China," she explained.
Lu Jia Guang had heard of fur, but this was the first time he had heard of purple gold.
"I'll keep asking around," Lu Jiaxin assured him. "I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
Lu Jia Guang sighed. "Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng'er ask about their father every day. I don't know what to tell them anymore," he said, his voice filled with worry.
"Has the Ma family been causing any trouble?" Lu Jiaxin asked, referring to their in-laws.
Lu Jia Guang's voice turned cold. "Some rumor reached their ears that Jiajie is dead, and they came demanding to take the children back with them. I sent them away and warned them not to dare show their faces here again," he said angrily.
Their intentions were clear—they didn't truly care about the children but were after the house and money Jiajie had left behind. This entire family disgusted him, and he regretted ever letting Jiajie marry into their clan.
"Jiaxin, I'll come by after work," Lu Jia Guang said.
"Brother, you don't have to come over. I'm going to visit Dad this afternoon, and I'll drop by to see you and Sister-in-law later," Lu Jiaxin said.
Lu Jia Guang shared that Lu Hong Jun was now able to get out of bed and walk around, but he couldn't move as swiftly as before. "Jiaxin, have dinner at my place tonight," he invited.
"Alright. By the way, don't tell Second Brother's family that I'm back," Lu Jiaxin requested.
After hanging up, Lu Jiaxin called Su Hongying to inform her of her return to Si Jiu City and her plan to visit the next day. This trip was specifically for the mountain hike, and she wasn't sure when she'd be back, so she hadn't notified anyone in advance.
Su Hongying laughed and said, "He Yuan called me yesterday and mentioned that you were traveling. I thought you had gone abroad, but it turns out you're back here."
She assumed that since Lu Jiaxin's mother's grave had been moved, she wouldn't return. But then she figured that it was probably because of Ms. Gu's presence that Lu Jiaxin had come back.
Su Hongying was curious about Lu Jiaxin's decision to go traveling, as it was usually the time for school. She didn't want to ask directly, so she planned to call He Ming later to inquire.
Lu Jiaxin explained, "Aunt Su, you know about my close encounter with kidnappers during the summer vacation. Now, I'm cautious about letting people know my exact whereabouts."
A while later, Mei Gu joined Lu Jiaxin and filled her in on Gu Show Xiu's condition over the past few days. Thanks to their focus on nutrition, Gu Show Xiu's physical health was stable, but her mental state was still cloudy, and she often threw tantrums.
Lu Jiaxin suggested, "Mei Gu, I want to take Aunt Gu back to Hongcheng. What do you think?"
Sighing, Mei Gu replied, "Let's go back. Last month, Hong Gu twisted her ankle and couldn't take care of the old lady. I happened to have a cold and a fever, and when Auntie soiled her pants, that caretaker didn't do anything. It was only because of Zi Yang's discovery that the caretaker was replaced."
Upon learning of this, Lu Jiaxin dismissed the caretaker. Unexpectedly, the dismissed caretaker started shouting that she had no right to fire her, and after being driven out, she even brought several men to their door to demand payment. The reason they dared to be so brazen was that they knew Miss Gu's family in Hongcheng had no one in charge.
"I'll be taking the flight the day after tomorrow. You pack your bags, and let's go together," Lu Jiaxin said.
Hearing about the flight, Mei Gu hesitated, "I'm worried that Auntie will create a fuss on the plane and affect the other passengers."
"It's alright," Lu Jiaxin assured her. "If there's a problem, we can always charter a private plane."
Mei Gu was taken aback by Lu Jiaxin's casual mention of chartering a plane and realized that she must be earning even more money now. This was a good thing, as Miss Gu's increased earnings would mean a better life for Auntie. After a moment's thought, Mei Gu said, "Miss Gu, there's no need to charter a plane. It's too expensive. Before we board the plane, I'll give Auntie a cup of calming medicine."
"Won't that be bad for her health?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
"It's just one time, and it won't have much of an impact," Mei Gu reassured her.
Lu Jiaxin instructed Mei Gu to make the necessary arrangements, and then she headed to Gu Wenfeng's house, bringing along only Yan Yijun, Li Qing, and Wang Lin.
Although Wang Lin's injuries had been severe, he had fully recovered after two months, thanks to his youth and robust health, as well as excellent medical care.
When they arrived at Gu Wenfeng's house, the door was ajar.
Just as Wang Lin was about to knock, they heard a woman's voice from inside, tinged with anger and sorrow: "I don't mind you wanting to support your comrades and repay the country. But you donated all that money without even consulting me, not considering that we have elders and children at home. Now my father needs surgery, and I can't even afford the medical expenses. What am I supposed to do?"
Towards the end, her voice broke as she started to cry.
Gritting his teeth, Gu Wenfeng said, "I'll borrow the money."
His wife, Tian Jinhua, wiped away her tears and said, "It's several thousand yuan. Where can we borrow that kind of money? Who would lend us that much?"
Gu Wenfeng's breath grew weak as he said, "I'll borrow it from Jiaxin. After the Chinese New Year, I'll go back to work, and we can repay the loan from my salary. Don't worry, I'll only work for a year to train a batch of people, and then I won't go back."
After a moment of silence, Tian Jinhua said, "Then continue working for another year. But from now on, you must give me your entire salary. You can't support those people anymore."
As she spoke about this matter, her anger resurfaced: "It was you who said they were having a hard time and couldn't make ends meet, so I didn't stop you from helping them. But look at the kind of people you're helping? When we had difficulties and didn't send money for two months, they sent a telegram demanding money, and when we couldn't give any, they even cursed at us."
Hearing these words, Lu Jiaxin sighed inwardly. Not everyone would be grateful for the help they received. Some would complain that it wasn't enough, and others, like Gu Wenfeng's wife had mentioned, would curse you if you stopped providing support.
(End of Chapter)
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