Chapter 8: Her or Me, Never Both
Chapter 8: Her or Me, Never Both
Lu Jia Guang was sharp-witted and immediately picked up on something amiss. "Jia Xin, you mentioned that the human trafficker could accurately call out Uncle's and my names. How did she know that?"
Lu Jia Xin shook her head. "I only said that my ancestral home was in Feng County. That old woman asked if my father was Lu Hong Jun from the Si Jiu City Department Store, and she also mentioned that Uncle Lu Tie Jun had been the village chief for over twenty years, and that everyone in the area knew he liked to throw his weight around."
"Then what's her name? Where is she from?" Lu Jia Guang inquired further.
Lu Jia Xin replied with another shake of her head, "She didn't give her name, she just cried to me about how her daughter-in-law was evil and her son couldn't stand her. She also warned me about evil stepmothers and told me to be cautious. Since she knew so much about our family, I didn't doubt her."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jia Guang felt that the matter was more intricate than it seemed. "What are the names of her son and daughter-in-law? And where do they work?"
"I don't know," Lu Jia Xin admitted. "She didn't say."
"Didn't she at least mention which city her son works in?" Lu Jia Guang pressed further.
Lu Jia Xin shook her head once more. "No, she didn't say anything about that either."
In truth, the old woman's son did work in Jinshi, but she had deliberately withheld his name and the factory he worked at, as she had her own ulterior motives.
The more Lu Jia Guang heard, the more convinced he became that the old woman had come prepared. But what could a young girl like Jia Xin have done to offend someone? Why would they go to such lengths to harm her? He had initially suspected that Ding Jing had set this up, and now he was certain.
Ding Jing realized that Lu Jia Guang's suspicions were falling on her, and although she had no way to prove her innocence, she reacted swiftly. She raised her hand and swore, "If Jia Xin's kidnapping has anything to do with me, may I die with my intestines ruptured and my stomach split open, and may Si Yi live a life of poverty and die alone."
Lu Hong Jun held her hand and said, "Jing'er, I believe that you have nothing to do with this matter."
Lu Jia Guang remained silent. He didn't believe in oaths; he only believed in evidence. If he could find proof, he would send her to jail.
Lu Jia Jie, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation, turned away in disgust and asked Jia Xin, "Why didn't you call me or big brother after you escaped? We've been worried sick these past few days."
Jia Xin explained, "I had amnesia and didn't even know my own name. I had no way to contact you."
Lu Jia Guang was heartbroken. If his late sister could see this, he didn't know how heartbroken she would be.
Jia Jie asked, "So, how have you been surviving this past month?"
"I was unconscious for three days before I woke up," Jia Xin replied. "Since I didn't have any money to go to the hospital, I had to tough it out. There were too many mosquitoes in the shack, and I couldn't even sleep properly..."
Jia Jie was stunned. "A shack? Why were you living in a shack?"
Jia Xin explained, "Xue Mao's parents passed away three years ago, and his brother and sister-in-law, who took over all the family property, claimed that he was adopted and drove him out of the village. He wandered to the ancient capital, going hungry most days. He slept under bridges at night until he met an old friend of his father's, who gave him the shack. During those few days, he spent all the money he earned from odd jobs on me, going hungry himself."
In reality, her days in the ancient capital weren't as miserable as she made them sound. The old woman wasn't a professional human trafficker, and after thinking she had died, only took her watch and left the jade pendant. That pendant was made of mutton-fat jade, and after she woke up, she asked Xue Mao to sell it for eighty yuan.
With the money, she immediately went to the hospital for a check-up and medicine, and then she rented a room. It took her over a week to recover. Once she felt better, she started selling snacks with Xue Mao. The reason she made her story sound so pitiful was to make the Lu brothers even more disgusted with Ding Jing and her daughter.
Lu Jia Guang was incredibly grateful to Xue Mao. Saving someone was one thing, but taking care of someone who had lost their memory was another challenge altogether, especially when he himself was struggling to get by. "Little brother, thank you for saving our Jia Xin. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. We will do our best to fulfill your requests."
"Big brother, I'll repay this lifesaving grace myself," Jia Xin asserted.
Lu Jia Guang felt that his sister had matured and become more responsible after this incident, but he didn't agree with her statement. "You're a student; your priority right now is to study hard. As for Xue Mao, I'll discuss with your father, and we'll make sure to compensate him properly."
Lu Hong Jun finally spoke up. "That's right, Jia Xin. There's only a week or so left until school starts. You should start preparing."
Jia Xin deliberately added, "If I have to repeat a year and then someone feeds me something dodgy before the exam again, making me sick and wasting another year of hard work..."
Lu Jia Guang stood up abruptly. "Jia Xin, what are you saying? You were sick during the exam?"
Ding Jing, tears streaming down her face, interjected, "Lu Jia Xin, I know you've never liked me, but you can't just make up stories to slander me."
With tears still flowing, she grabbed Lu Hong Jun's arm. "Husband, we all ate the same breakfast that day. If there was really something wrong with the food, all of us would have had stomach problems, not just her."
As Jia Xin looked at her, crying so pitifully, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
Lu Hong Jun pulled her into his embrace and comforted her. "I believe you. Jia Xin, we all ate the same food that day. Your stomachache must have been a coincidence."
However, Jia Xin was merciless in her response. "They say that where there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. It looks like that old saying is true after all. Big brother, I refuse to live under the same roof as this venomous pair. I was lucky to escape this time, but I might not be so fortunate next time."
Ding Jing pushed Lu Hong Jun away, wiped her tears, and put on a show of strength. "Husband, if this family can't accommodate Si Yi and me, then we'll leave."
Lu Hong Jun immediately grabbed her arm and said, "You're my wife, and Si Yi is my daughter. This is your home. Where else would you go?"
Jia Xin, her expression cold, looked at her father. "Dad, it's her or me. Choose."
Lu Hong Jun felt that his daughter was being unreasonable and spoke with a hint of anger in his voice. "Jia Xin, what nonsense are you spouting? We're a family, and a family lives together."
Jia Xin didn't hold back. "Bullshit family. Zhao Si Yi seduced my fiance, and this venomous woman drugged me before my exam so I couldn't get into university. Even that human trafficker might have been sent by her. Lu Hong Jun, either they leave today, or I will."
Lu Jia Guang also felt that his sister couldn't continue living with this mother-daughter pair, or else one day, she might lose her life. However, before expressing his opinion, he wanted to see what his father would choose.
Lu Jia Jie, who had no say in the matter since he was living with his mother-in-law, remained silent.
Naturally, Lu Hong Jun didn't want to choose. He couldn't bear to send away either his wife or his biological daughter.
Lu Jia Guang saw his father's hesitation and understood his choice. He was choosing his second wife and stepdaughter over his biological daughter. Disappointment, heartbreak, and confusion filled him, and he wondered why his once astute and decisive uncle had become like this. Could it really be because of his lust?
Seeing her father's indecision, Jia Xin also lost her patience for further discussion. She called out to Xue Mao and headed back to the room to pack her things.
(End of Chapter)
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