Chapter 6: All Assembled
Chapter 6: All Assembled
Lu Hongjun pulled Ding Jing back to his room. As soon as they entered, he asked, "Where did Xin Xin keep her passbook and the valuables in the house?"
Ding Jing opened the rosewood box by the bedside and began taking things out as she explained, "There have been a lot of people coming and going recently, so I put things away for fear that someone might take them."
She was well aware that as long as Lu Jiaxin was alive, they wouldn't be able to touch the money in the passbook or these valuables. Not to mention Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie; even Old Lu wouldn't agree to it. That little brat had some big shots backing her up.
Placing the items on the dressing table, Ding Jing hinted, "Old Lu, Jiaxin seems like a changed person this time she's back..."
Before she could finish, Lu Hongjun interrupted, "Jiaxin has been through so much hardship outside. You should be more understanding of her irritable and angry temperament."
Ding Jing almost vomited blood. Lu Jiaxin had ruined her and Si Yi's reputations, and now he expected her to be understanding? If she could, she would love to get rid of that little bitch.
Seeing him leave the room with the box, a glint flashed in Ding Jing's eyes.
Lu Jiaxin eagerly searched through the box until she found the passbook. Seeing the amount of 5,400 yuan, she finally felt relieved.
Lu Hongjun eyed the several woven bags placed on the bed, and his heart skipped a beat. "Xin Xin, what are you doing?"
Lu Jiaxin, while putting the passbook into her canvas shoulder bag, replied, "I know you have a lot of questions, but once Big Brother and Fifth Brother arrive, I'll tell you all about it without hiding anything."
Lu Hongjun felt suffocated seeing her like this. He would rather have his daughter throw tantrums or argue with him like before instead of seeing her so cold and distant.
Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie soon arrived.
Looking at Lu Jiaxin's dark, thin, and pale face, Lu Jiaguang couldn't bear to scold her. He lowered his voice and said, "Xin Xin, it's quite chaotic outside these days. If you want to go out for some fresh air later, tell Big Brother, and I'll have Lu An accompany you."
Lu An was his second son, currently in high school, but performing poorly with no hopes of getting into college. However, he was tall and had received some training, so he could protect Lu Jiaxin without any issues.
Lu Jiajie chimed in, "Xin Xin, it's not a big deal to fail an exam. Look at me; I didn't go to college, and I'm doing just fine now."
Lu Hongjun had two older brothers and a younger sister. Lu Jiaguang, the eldest son of his eldest brother, now worked for the Railway Bureau. His sister, Lu Chunhua, had married an officer who later left the military and took up a civilian job.
After helping his eldest brother and sister, he couldn't neglect his second brother's family. However, the first two sons of his second brother were good-for-nothings. It wasn't until Lu Jiajie graduated from high school that Lu Hongjun arranged for him to work at the shoe factory in Si Jiucheng. Two years later, he became a regular employee, and with their help, he found a wife.
Lu Jiajie's wife, Ma Lilli, came from a family with two daughters. Thanks to their good family background, they lived with the Ma family after the wedding. Out of gratitude toward Lu Hongjun and his wife, they also took good care of Lu Jiaxin, their cousin-in-law.
Instead of blaming her right away, they chose to consider her feelings first, and Lu Jiaxin felt that these two brothers were pretty decent. It was just a pity that Lu Hongjun, as a father, was too much of a scumbag.
Lu Hongjun brought in a plate of cut watermelon and placed it on the table, smiling as he invited everyone to eat. "Jia Guang, Jia Jie, don't just stand there. Come and have some watermelon."
Ding Jing stayed in the room and didn't come out. Seeing the items that had been in her hands now being given away, she felt a pain in her heart.
The August heat was unbearable, and Lu Jiajie, who had ridden his bicycle over, was drenched in sweat. He didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up a piece of watermelon to eat.
Lu Jiaguang had no appetite. He looked at Xue Mao and asked, "Who is this young man?"
Lu Jiaxin introduced Xue Mao's identity and then said, "Big Brother, I know you have a lot of questions for me, but let's wait for Aunt Liao to come, and I'll tell you everything together."
A glimmer of doubt flashed through Lu Jiaguang's mind. In the past, whenever his sister mentioned Mrs. Liao, she would call her 'Godmother' affectionately. But now, she referred to her as 'Aunt Liao' instead. Was it a slip of the tongue, or was it related to her running away from home?
Thinking of this, Lu Jiaguang said with compassion, "If you encounter any grievances in the future, tell Big Brother about it. Don't bear it alone."
Although everyone said that Jiaxin had run away from home because of her failure in the college entrance examination, he didn't believe it. Although the departure of his third aunt had dealt a heavy blow to Jiaxin, causing her temper to worsen, his sister still had a sense of propriety in her actions. He felt that there must be something fishy going on.
Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, "Big Brother, don't worry. If anyone bullies me in the future, I will definitely tell you and Fifth Brother."
Lu Jiaguang's heart ached as he saw her being so well-behaved. It seemed that she had gone through a lot of hardships during this month away from home, which had brought about such a significant change in her.
Soon, Liao Xiangmei arrived. Xue Mao didn't want to go out, so Lu Jiaxin told him that he could stay in the room and continue packing things.
Lu Jiaxin knew that he was feeling timid, so she smiled and said, "It's okay. Just stand next to me later, and if anyone asks you anything, just pretend you don't understand."
It was the early days of reform and opening up, and many people were taking advantage of this wind of change to soar. She didn't dream of flying to the heavens; she just wanted to do business, make a lot of money, and then enjoy her life after achieving financial freedom.
Doing business would undoubtedly require helpers, and she intended to cultivate Xue Mao into her right-hand man. However, Xue Mao was illiterate and felt inferior due to his experiences, so it would take time and effort to turn him into a capable assistant.
"Okay," Xue Mao replied.
When Liao Xiangmei saw Lu Jiaxin, she opened her arms to hug her, but Lu Jiaxin dodged her.
This confirmed Lu Jiaguang's suspicions even more—his sister's running away from home was indeed related to Fan Yinuo. However, since he didn't know the full story yet, he remained silent.
Liao Xiangmei was initially startled but quickly recovered. "Xin Xin, where have you been? You know, we've been so worried about you this past month."
Lu Jiaxin fixed her gaze on her and asked, "When I disappeared, did Fan Yinuo say anything?"
She wanted to confirm if Liao Xiangmei knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Si Yi's affair.
Liao Xiangmei's expression changed slightly, and she evaded the question by saying, "He was very worried and looked for you everywhere. He even asked your junior high and high school classmates, but they didn't know where you had gone either."
From this reaction, Lu Jiaxin could deduce that Liao Xiangmei already knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Si Yi's relationship. Apparently, she hadn't told the Lu family about it. It made sense; if the Lu family knew that Fan Yinuo was the culprit behind the original body's disappearance, they would undoubtedly hate him to the core.
It was only natural for her to prioritize her own son, Fan Yinuo, over her adopted daughter, the original body. Nonetheless, Lu Jiaxin felt sad for the original body.
(End of Chapter)
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