Chapter 695: Looking Forward
Chapter 695: Looking Forward
Before he knew it, it was already the end of November. Lu Hongjun and his family had already prepared their wedding outfits. Lu Jiajie really wanted to attend, and after much hesitation, he finally called Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiajie asked cautiously, "Jiaxin, I would like to attend your wedding next month. Would that be alright?"
This time, Lu Jiaxin did not refuse. "If you want to come, then come. However, many important guests will be at my wedding, so make sure you learn some etiquette beforehand."
Lu Hongjun and Lu Da-so had also learned some etiquette before their trip to Hong Kong last year. They didn't need to be experts, but they had to know the basics, or they would become a laughingstock.
Lu Jiajie happily agreed.
Lu Jiaxin asked, "I heard from Da-so that your new wife treats Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng very well."
Lu Jiajie was very pleased with Yao Hongmei. "A few days ago, when Xiaofeng was sick, she took her to the hospital and even took leave from work to take care of her. Before the weather turned cold, she had already prepared winter clothes for the two children, and in the evenings, she tutors them with their homework. Qiangqiang even ranked sixth in his last exam—he's never been in the top ten before."
This time, upon returning home, he noticed that Qiangqiang had a more cheerful demeanor and seemed more outgoing than before. Seeing the positive changes in his son, he knew that this time, he had chosen the right person.
Lu Jiaxin hummed in acknowledgment. "Then, treat her well."
"I will," Lu Jiajie replied.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiajie felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. He stepped out and instructed Chen Da-niang, whom he had hired to do the laundry and cooking, "Prepare a few more side dishes for dinner tonight."
With Aunt Chen handling the household chores, Yao Hongmei only needed to focus on taking care of the two children. Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng were very sensible, having gone through so much, so they didn't require much effort to manage.
After giving his instructions, Lu Jiajie went to find Lu Hongjun. After being cared for over this period, Lu Hongjun's health had improved significantly, and he was now in a similar condition to his peers, able to occasionally enjoy a drink or two without issue.
The two families lived quite close to each other, so it only took Lu Jiajie about six or seven minutes to walk there. As he pushed open the door and was about to call out to his third uncle, he saw Zhao Siyi sobbing and begging Lu Hongjun.
Lu Jiajie stood where he was and watched her performance with great interest.
Zhao Siying cried, "Dad, Fan Yinuo wants a divorce. Dad, I don't want a divorce. Please help me."
It was one of Ding Jing's conditions for divorce that Fan Yinuo marry Zhao Siying. To ensure a smooth divorce, he had sought out Fan Yinuo's father and Liao Xiangmei, and soon after, Zhao Siying and Fan Yinuo were married. However, because Zhao Siying had used underhanded means to enter the Fan family, Liao Xiangmei did not hold a wedding for them. Instead, she simply rented them a house and washed her hands of the matter.
Lu Hongjun took two steps back. "I'm not your father, and I can't help you."
Lu Jiajie spoke bluntly, "Third Uncle, why are you being so polite with her? Ah Qiao, get her out of here with a broom."
Ah Qiao was someone Lu Hongjun had personally hired. He might not be the brightest, but he had plenty of strength, and he would always follow Lu Hongjun's instructions to the letter. Lu Hongjun currently needed someone who would listen to him, so he kept Ah Qiao by his side despite Lu JiaGuang's objections. It was less about needing care and more about having companionship.
Ah Qiao remained still and simply looked at Lu Hongjun. In this house, he only took orders from Lu Hongjun, as his mother had repeatedly instructed him to do, and he treated her words like a sacred edict.
Zhao Siying knelt on the ground and wept bitterly. "Dad, Fifth Uncle, I can't get a divorce. If I do, my little Chen will have no father. I can't let my child grow up without a father."
Lu Jiajie scoffed. "These past few years, you've only cared about your own happiness. You gave birth to the child and then left him to your mother-in-law, never once taking care of him. Where do you get the face to cry and complain about your child not having a father? I say it's a blessing for the child to be away from an evil mother like you."
Zhao Siying was quite clever. She knew that if she let Fan Yinuo go, she wouldn't find another man who was a better match. So, six months after their marriage, she became pregnant. This time, the child was born within the confines of their marriage, and it was a son. They even named him Fan Chen.
Unfortunately, despite having a son, the Fan family and Liao Xiangmei still treated her coldly. Fan Yinuo had been a university student, and he could have had a bright future ahead of him. However, because of Zhao Siying's tarnishing of his reputation, he could not stay in Sijiu City after graduation and could only be assigned to work in a steel factory in Huizhou Province. If Fan's father had been willing to pull some strings, he could have gotten a position in a national unit. But given Fan Yinuo's situation, a political career was out of the question. However, with their support, he could still have a promising future in a company.
Fan's father had put a lot of thought into this arrangement. Fan Yinuo took his work seriously, but it was all for naught. Whenever he spoke to a young female colleague, Zhao Siying would create a fuss and make a scene. Not long ago, when she saw Fan Yinuo interacting with a beautiful female officer from the propaganda department, she went to the factory and accused the woman of seducing a married man. That female officer was only interacting with Fan Yinuo for work-related matters, and Zhao Siying's accusations caused her to faint from the humiliation.
The female officer had a fierce grandmother. Upon hearing Zhao Siying's slanderous words about her granddaughter, she came to teach Zhao Siying a lesson. She pulled out handfuls of Zhao Siying's hair and scratched her face. Before leaving, she warned that if Zhao Siying dared to bully her granddaughter again, she would make sure her head 'blossomed,' implying a far more severe injury.
Fan Yinuo had been on track for a promotion by the end of the year, but this incident ruined his chances. And with the rumor of spreading false gossip about the female officer, the other young female colleagues in the factory now avoided him like the plague. This was still a minor issue, but the constant petty obstacles and sabotages became unbearable. After enduring it for half a year, he could no longer take it and resigned, moving to Pengcheng and eventually finding a job at a foreign trade company through a friend's introduction.
Naturally, Zhao Siying wouldn't let Fan Yinuo, her long-term meal ticket, get away. She followed him to Pengcheng. Liao Xiangmei hated her deeply but was even more afraid that her grandson would be influenced by her poor behavior, so she used a method to take custody of the child and raise him herself.
After their marriage, Zhao Siying continued to create trouble, and Fan Yinuo's feelings for her had long since dissipated. He had endured it for various reasons before, but now that he was in a private company without those concerns, he brought up the topic of divorce. Zhao Siying didn't want a divorce, but she never expected Fan Yinuo to cut off her financial support by going abroad to work.
Fan Yinuo had made it clear that if she agreed to a divorce, he would compensate her financially. If she refused, then they would remain in a stalemate. Unable to find Fan Yinuo, Zhao Siying resorted to using their son to threaten his parents. However, she didn't anticipate that her son would dislike her and refuse to follow her, even going so far as to call her a bad person.
In the face of Zhao Siying's pleas, Lu Hongjun remained calm and said, "I'm relying on my daughter to support me now, and I don't have the ability to meddle in your affairs. Please leave, and don't come back again."
When she still refused to leave, Lu Hongjun instructed Ah Qiao to drag her out.
After the sound of crying and shouting faded away, Lu Jiajie said, "Third Uncle, if Jiaxin hadn't been lucky enough to survive that incident, that venomous mother-daughter pair would have succeeded. Can you imagine what your situation would be like now?"
Lu Hongjun had no intention of dwelling on the past. It was better to look forward.
(End of Chapter)
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