Chapter 66: The Objective
Chapter 66: The Objective
That evening, the four of them stayed in the newly purchased mansion.
Gu Wenfeng, avoiding Zhao Dajun, spoke to Lu Jiaxin, "I only took a two-month leave. When the time is up, I have to go back."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "It hasn't even been half a month yet, so there's no rush."
While she said there was no rush, Lu Jiaxin was thinking that they must find the secret passage as soon as possible. That way, she could get Gu Wenfeng to accompany them to Pengcheng. Not only was this older brother capable and tight-lipped, but he also had a wide network of connections. Having him along could prove to be extremely useful.
The next day, Lu Jiaxin and Xue Mao went out to buy kitchen utensils, while Gu Wenfeng and Zhao Dajun went to purchase tools for repairing the house.
With the relaxation of policies, items like agricultural products, pots, and pans could now be purchased with money, in addition to electronic goods such as color TVs and refrigerators. Lu Jiaxin felt that the timing of her arrival was just right; had she come a few years earlier, the atmosphere would have been oppressively restrictive.
Xue Mao was nervous each time he went out shopping with Lu Jiaxin, feeling that money seemed to be as light as paper to her: "Sister, we can't buy any more. We won't be able to carry it all back."
They could have actually spent money to hire someone to help transport the items home, but Lu Jiaxin didn't want to be that high-profile, so she refrained from buying more.
After the siblings returned to the mansion with their purchases, they found that the windows and doors of the room Lu Jiaxin was staying in had been repaired, and the windows were even pasted over with newspaper.
Zhao Dajun said, "Miss Lu, your health is not good, and you can't afford to catch a cold. So, Brother Feng and I took care of repairing your room first."
While Zhao Dajun's work ethic was commendable, the differences in their values made it clear that it would be better for them to part ways sooner rather than later. Otherwise, there would undoubtedly be unpleasantness down the road.
For dinner, Xue Mao did the cooking, with Zhao Dajun helping to build the fire. Meanwhile, Lu Jiaxin and Gu Wenfeng speculated about where the entrance to the secret passage might be.
Lu Jiaxin said, "Brother Gu, I think there are two most likely places for the entrance to the secret passage: one is the study, and the other is the master bedroom. So now we need to figure out which of these six rooms is the study and which is the bedroom."
The more detailed the information they had, the better. That way, they could analyze it and extract useful insights that would help them avoid detours. Having a clear target to dig towards would save time, energy, and money.
Seeing her excitement, Gu Wenfeng couldn't help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm, "Miss Lu, are you so sure that there are treasures in this mansion? What if the information is false, and there's nothing here at all?"
Lu Jiaxin didn't argue but merely smiled and said, "If it's false, then I guess I'll just have to blame my bad luck. But you'll have to endure the trouble of accompanying me on this wild goose chase."
Gu Wenfeng didn't say anything more.
That night, as Lu Jiaxin lay in bed, she pondered where the entrance to the secret passage might be hidden. Her first thought went to the three kang beds, suspecting that the entrance could be hidden beneath them, keeping it both covert and secure. However, this was just her initial hunch, and she would need more information to validate her theory.
As they were busy with their tasks, Lu Jiaxin's second uncle and aunt, along with Lu Jiajie, arrived in Si Jiu City. When Ma Lili saw her in-laws, she was both surprised and angry that Lu Jiajie hadn't informed her about their visit beforehand. But despite her inner dissatisfaction, she still smiled and welcomed them into the house.
Upon seeing the two of them enter, Ma Lili's mother, who was retired and at home, immediately frowned. Their previous interactions had not been pleasant: "Why are you here?"
Although the matter of adopting a child had created a rift between mother and daughter, she believed that her daughter wouldn't hide such a significant event from her. So, the truth was clear—her daughter had been kept in the dark about their visit.
Even though the second aunt felt uncomfortable, she maintained a neutral expression since they were guests in the Ma family's home.
The second uncle said, "Don't blame Lili. We came because we heard that Jiaxin moved out of the house, and we wanted to check on her."
Ma Lili looked at the two of them in surprise. When had they become so concerned about Jiaxin?
Ma Lili's mother heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She had initially thought that the couple had come regarding the matter of adopting a daughter-in-law. Although it was Ma family's business, she had had enough of Lu Er Bomu's tendency to stir up trouble where it wasn't needed.
Following Lu Erbo's lead, she said, "It's truly unreasonable to favor your later wife and another family's child at the expense of your own daughter."
Er Bomu felt like she had found a like-minded companion, and together with Ma's mother, they denounced Lu Hongjun and Ding Jing. With a common target for their criticism, the dinner was pleasant despite its simplicity.
After the meal, Lu Erbo and his wife, mindful of the late hour, took their leave. As they exited the residential compound, the elderly couple made their way toward the bus stop.
Ma Lili quickly pointed in the opposite direction, saying, "Dad, Mom, the guesthouse is over there."
Lu Er Bomu waved off the suggestion. "Why would we stay at a guesthouse? Jiaxin has such a big house, and there's more than enough room for the two of us."
Ma Lili, who was planning to buy a house, wanted to save every penny she could. Hearing that they wanted to stay at Jiaxin's place pleased her, as it would save on accommodation expenses.
Before she could say anything, however, Lu Jiajie spoke up. "Dad, Mom, I already told you that the keys are with my older brother. We won't be able to get in even if we go there now."
Ma Lili's heart sank. Why would he say the keys were with his older brother when they were actually with her? Knowing her husband well after six years of marriage, she smiled and asked, "Jiajie, didn't Xin Xin come back with you?"
Lu Jiajie shook his head. "No, she wanted to wait for Xue Mao to come back together. I had to get back to work, so I came back first."
Ma Lili feigned anger. "How could you come back alone? Everyone was so worried last time, and if something unexpected happens again, how are we going to explain it to San Shu?"
Lu Jiajie reassured her, "Don't worry, she has people protecting her. No one dares to lay a finger on her. I already called San Shu about this before boarding the train."
After saying this, he had a thought. "Dad, Mom, I'll go to the nearby convenience store to call my older brother and see if he's home. If he is, I'll have him send the keys over directly, saving me a trip."
Ma Lili seized the opportunity to join him, and as they crossed the street, she lowered her voice and asked, "What's going on? Aren't the keys with me?"
Lu Jiajie let out a bitter laugh. "On our way back, I told them about Jiaxin's big house until I was blue in the face. As soon as they heard about it, they asked me to bring Lu Wang to Si Jiu City, saying that if we couldn't find a place to stay, we could live with Jiaxin. Even if we couldn't find work, it would be good for us to get out and see the world. But Jiaxin disagreed, and we ended up arguing about it."
There was more to it, but on their way back to Si Jiu City, his parents had suggested that living with Ma's family was not a long-term solution. With Lu Jiaxin's large house, their entire family of four could move in and live together. He had refused, but it was clear that his parents hadn't given up on the idea.
Ma Lili's face darkened. It was embarrassing enough for them to argue with their 15-year-old niece, and now they wanted to move in while she was away? "Are they trying to pull a fast one and move in while she's not here?"
Lu Jiajie quickly assured her that he wouldn't take them there.
Ma Lili was fuming. "If they really move in, what's the difference between them and robbers?"
Lu Jiajie's face fell. "I'll call San Shu and my older brother first and arrange for them to stay at a guesthouse tonight. San Shu and my older brother will probably come to see them later, and we can figure out the next steps then."
(End of Chapter)
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