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Chapter 61: Abacus
Chapter 61: Abacus
The sky was barely light when Lu Jiaxin woke up. As soon as she got out of bed, she found her great-aunt already busy in the kitchen. It was from Xiao Qiu that she learned her great-aunt had gotten up before five in the morning to make pancakes for her to take on her journey.
After washing up, Lu Jiaxin stepped into the kitchen, but before her feet could even settle on the ground, Lu Ersao shooed her out, "It's too smoky in here; go wait in the room."
A while later, her great-aunt brought over a bowl of lamb dumplings and placed them before her, "Eat up, so you'll have the energy for the journey."
Lu Jiaxin felt a twinge of guilt as she said, "Aunt, I've caused you so much trouble these past few days. You must be exhausted."
Her great-aunt gently patted her shoulder and chided, "You silly child, what are you saying? Your great-uncle and I are just happy that you thought of us and made the long trip here. Come back during your next break, and I'll make more lamb dumplings for you."
"Okay," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Although she agreed, she knew she wouldn't be able to make the trip again anytime soon. The bus ride had been uncomfortable enough, and she had no desire to endure that again.
As Lu Jiaxin packed her things, Lu Jiajie and Lu Erbo arrived. She didn't go out to see them, and whether Lu Wangzhen went with them or not was up to Lu Jiajie.
Seeing that Lu Erbo and his wife were wearing new clothes, Lu Dabbo asked, "Second brother, where are you two off to as guests today?" In the countryside, people only dressed up like that when visiting others; they wouldn't wear new clothes to work in the fields.
Lu Erbo's wife, Lu Ersao, cheerfully replied, "We only visited once when Jiajie got married and once when Qiangqiang was born. Jiajie has been saying he's busy with work these past two years and hasn't come back. We don't even know what our grandchildren look like. We're taking this opportunity to go and see them."
Lu Dabbo's expression changed slightly, but since it was reasonable for the couple to want to visit their grandchildren, he had no grounds to object.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxin didn't say anything further. No one could stop the grandparents from visiting their grandchildren if they wanted to. However, some things needed to be made clear to avoid any unpleasantness later on. "Fifth brother, fifth sister-in-law, life is tough for you in the city. Where will second uncle and second aunt stay when they're in the city?"
If it had been her great-uncle and great-aunt, she would have offered for them to stay with her. But she didn't feel the same about her second uncle and aunt, who had tried to scheme against her. She usually kept her distance from people like that.
Without a moment's thought, Lu Ersao said, "Jiaxin, your place is so big. We'll stay with you for a few days first."
Lu Jiaxin refused outright, "My brother already told me that I'm not allowed to rent out the place or let outsiders stay there."
Lu Erbo, displeased, said, "I'm your second uncle, family. How can you call me an outsider?"
Lu Jiaxin didn't respond and instead looked at Lu Jiajie.
After what happened yesterday, Lu Jiajie hadn't even considered letting his parents stay with Lu Jiaxin, "Dad, Mom, that place is quite far from my in-laws' house. I'll book a room at the guesthouse near the compound so that it's convenient for you to visit Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng."
Lu Jiaxin gave him a meaningful look. She knew that not discussing this with his wife first would likely cause chaos when they returned to the city, but she also knew it was a family matter and that she shouldn't interfere. Getting involved in such matters would only cause her trouble.
Lu Dabbo made the final decision, "Second brother, second sister-in-law, if you don't want to stay at the guesthouse, you can stay with Hong Jun or Jia Guang. That house of Jiaxin's is part of her dowry, given to her by my third sister-in-law. No one is allowed to have any ideas about it, or I'll turn against you."
Lu Erbo had been dominated by Lu Dabbo his entire life, and he didn't dare to refute him now.
Her great-aunt had prepared two bags of things for Lu Jiaxin, including snacks, local produce, and specialties. Lu Jiaxin couldn't refuse and had to load them onto the cart.
Lu Jiajie also had a lot of things to bring this time, filling up the cart. Midway through the journey, Lu Jiajie wanted to take a break and relieve Zhao Dajun, but he was pulled aside by Lu Ersao.
Lu Jiaxin lowered her eyelids. With the second uncle and aunt's personalities, it was a wonder the four children hadn't turned out worse, and it was all thanks to her great-uncle and great-aunt.
Lu Dabbo didn't bother with them and waited until they reached the bus station before pulling Lu Jiaxin aside and asking, "Jiaxin, are you sure you want to support Zaohua through high school? You have to know that once you agree, you can't go back on your word, or Zaohua might not be able to take such a blow."
Giving someone hope and then shattering it could be devastating for someone with a fragile psyche.
Lu Jiaxin affirmed, "Great-uncle, I'm confident in myself, and I hope you can believe in me, too."
She dared not guarantee that she would make a lot of money, as she didn't have any capital at the moment. But she was confident that she could earn enough to live comfortably within a year.
"Alright," Lu Dabbo said, "When I get back, I'll talk to Zaohua's mother and make sure she agrees to let Zaohua return to school."
Lu Jiaxin didn't understand why her great-uncle had changed his mind without even making a phone call, but she was glad for it. "Great-uncle, Xiao Qiu is still young. I think she should learn a skill. With a skill, she'll have a better standing in her husband's family when she marries."
Her philosophy was to treat others with sincerity if they treated her with sincerity. But if they tried to scheme against her, she would keep her distance.
Lu Dabbo felt that his previous words had made an impact, and he happily agreed to make arrangements for all the children to learn a skill when he returned.
Having learned her lesson the hard way on the trip over, Lu Jiaxin was wiser this time. She chose a window seat on the bus. This time, she was lucky; none of the passengers brought chickens or ducks, and although she still felt carsick, she didn't vomit.
When they arrived, Lu Ersao saw Lu Jiaxin sitting on her luggage, her face pale, and said, "Jiaxin, you're just too pampered. If you went to the fields a few more times, you wouldn't turn so pale from a bus ride."
Lu Jiaxin already felt terrible from the carsickness, and being lectured on top of that irritated her. But this was a public place, and arguing would only cause a scene. She wasn't one to endure such treatment, so she said to Lu Jiajie, "Fifth brother, I feel terrible. I'm going to go to the hospital to get some medicine for carsickness. I might not make it back to the city today, so you should head back to work. Go ahead with second uncle and aunt."
Lu Jiajie didn't agree.
Lu Jiaxin pointed to Zhao Dajun, "Fifth brother, with Zhao Dajun here, what are you worried about?"
Lu Jiajie still hesitated, not wanting to leave her. But this decision was met with strong opposition from Lu Erbo and Lu Ersao. Staying here would mean spending money on food and accommodation, and they were too stingy for that.
Lu Jiaxin had decided to stay behind for a day precisely to get away from Lu Erbo and his wife, and if Lu Jiajie didn't leave, her plan would be ruined, "Fifth brother, you've taken too many days off this year. If you don't go back now, you might get your pay docked."
In the end, with Zhao Dajun there, Lu Jiajie left with his parents' urging.
Without having to travel with Lu Erbo and his wife, Lu Jiaxin no longer felt carsick or nauseous, "Let's go get something to eat, and then we'll head back to the city."
Seeing her like this, Zhao Dajun asked, "Were you pretending earlier?"
Lu Jiaxin gave him a sideways glance, "You try pretending, then."
She had long seen that Zhao Dajun was old-fashioned in his thinking, but she had chosen to ignore it, hoping that he would protect her.
(End of Chapter)
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