Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 34 - 33: Worshiping Mrs. Lu

Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Worshiping Mrs. Lu

Lu Jiajie brought over a basket filled with paper money and candles and, after placing everything neatly, he handed the envelope to Lu Jiaxin.

Lu Jiaxin didn’t take it.

Lu Jiajie said, “Here’s three hundred yuan. Xinxin, didn’t you say before that you wanted to buy leather shoes? With this money, you can go buy them tomorrow.”

Lu Jiaxin didn’t take it and said with an indifferent expression, “Fifth Brother, I know you mean well, but I won’t take another cent from him from now on.”

One must maintain a certain stance, otherwise, given how selfish and self-serving Lu Hongjun is, if he sees her relent for three hundred yuan, he would treat her with the same attitude as before.

“Xinxin…”

...

Lu Jiaxin didn’t want to hear what he had to say next. Waving her hand, she said, “Ding Jing and Zhao Siyi almost took my life and destroyed my future, and he didn’t even hold them accountable. Fifth Brother, to be honest with you, I had already thought about severing ties with him on the day I returned to the Forty-nine City, but I gave him another chance out of regard for the fact that he gave birth to me and raised me. But you’ve seen what he’s done. He’s simply not worthy.”

Lu Jiajie sighed, “Xinxin, I understand how you feel. But if you really become stubborn with Third Uncle, you’ll only be making things easier for that mother and daughter.”

Lu Jiaxin said, “Fifth Brother, I know for sure that he has saved up quite a bit of money. If the price is to tolerate the venomous mother and daughter flouncing around in front of me every day, then I’d rather not have it.”

“Real men don’t eat meals from their parents’ home, and real women don’t wear clothes provided by their parents when they marry. Without his money, I believe I can still live a comfortable life in the future.”

Lu Jiajie didn’t try to persuade her anymore. His sister was still angry, and continuing to persuade her would be like fanning the flames; it would be better to wait until she cooled down and then talk to her properly!

Alas, his own head was filled with lawsuits.

Lu Jiajie didn’t want to go back and decided to stay in the alleyway house overnight. As there was a need for good nutrition, the food here was excellent. In the evening, Xue Mao cooked three dishes and one soup: braised fish, stir-fried green beans with chili, clear stir-fried water spinach, and rib and kelp soup, and half a pot of rice was cooked.

One bowl of rice was enough for Lu Jiaxin, but Lu Jiajie and Xue Mao were big eaters. The four dishes and a pressure cooker full of rice were polished off by them.

Lu Jiajie burped contentedly and said, “Jiaxin, it’s always more comfortable at your place.”

His sweet mouth and ability to mingle easily and lay aside his pride meant that he had a good few years at the Ma family. However, after Ma Lili was sterilized, Father Ma’s attitude towards him wasn’t as favorable as before, but it was still within the bounds of tolerance. It all changed when Big Sister Ma had a sudden inspiration, and Father Ma began to show displeasure towards him.

Lu Jiaxin asked, “Brother, is your wife still not yielding?”

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Lu Jiajie said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, “She agreed to move out. But she doesn’t like the idea of renting and wants to buy a house. Jiaxin, speaking of which, I owe it to you.”

He had also quietly calculated the family’s savings before and thought that the most they could save up was fifteen to sixteen hundred yuan. Although both he and his wife worked, they had to contribute to living expenses every month and occasionally buy something for the household. On top of that, they had to raise two children, which was a considerable expense.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxin immediately said, “Brother, it’s best to buy a house next to the school. That way, it will be convenient for Qiangqiang and Xiao Feng to go to school later.”

It gets bitterly cold in the Forty-nine City during the winter, and it would be tough to cycle to the school every day if it’s too far. Adults might endure it, but children with weaker constitutions might not be able to take it.

Lu Jiajie slapped his forehead, wondering why he’d forgotten about this. He planned to call Lu Hongjun about it the next day.

In fact, during his seven years in the Forty-nine City, he had grown accustomed to turning to Lu Hongjun whenever there was a problem, and each time, Lu Hongjun would lend a helping hand. This time, with buying a house, he had informed Lu Hongjun right away.

It was the same for Lu Hongjun; if there was anything that needed to be done, he would instruct him to do it. For instance, when Lu Jiaxin moved house and held a banquet, it was he who busied himself inside and out.

After dinner, the three of them were in the yard, enjoying the coolness of the evening and chatting. Mostly, it was Lu Jiajie talking, while Lu Jiaxin and Xue Mao listened.

Lu Jiaxin actually knew that half of what he said was boasting, but she didn’t reveal it because she didn’t want to disrupt the pleasant atmosphere.

Time flies when you’re chatting; before they knew it, more than an hour had passed. It was Lu Jiaxin who mentioned that it was almost time to sleep, prompting the three of them to wash up and go to bed.

Visiting the grave required not only incense, candles, and paper money, but also offerings. Lu Jiaxin had already bought the fruit; all that was left was the rice and dishes. The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Lu Jiaxin and Xue Mao got up to prepare, while Lu Jiajie didn’t wake up until seven.

Stepping out of his room, he smelled the scent of meat. Standing at the kitchen doorway, Lu Jiajie poked his head in to see what was cooking and asked.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “I made cabbage and pork dumplings as well as three-filling dumplings. Fifth Brother, which would you like to eat? I’ll boil them for you right now.”

Lu Jiajie liked both: “Cook a lot, huh!”

After gobbling down a big bowl of dumplings, he couldn’t help but pat his belly. If he continued to stay, it wouldn’t be long before the weight he had lost recently would be gained back.

After checking everything one more time, Lu Jiaxin prepared to leave with Xue Mao. Seeing Lu Jiajie still in the yard, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, why aren’t you going to work yet?”

Lu Jiajie, smiling, said he had taken the day off, “You two are going out to the suburbs. What if you run into bad people? Let’s go, the sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll be back.”

Although Third Uncle had not said so, he knew that was the intention. But even if Hongjun had not hinted at it, he had planned to accompany Lu Jiaxin anyway. A few months ago, a young girl had been attacked on her way to her relatives’ place in the suburbs—in broad daylight, no less! Although public security had tightened and many were laying low, he couldn’t be at ease without going along.

Two and a half hours later, Lu Jiaxin stood in front of Mrs. Lu’s grave. For some reason, as she saw the photograph on the tombstone, her tears streamed out like a dam bursting forth.

Lu Jiajie placed the dumplings and a bowl of white meat in front of the grave, then took a white candle from the basket to light it, and lastly took out a bundle of incense.

Lu Jiaxin took the incense, knelt on the ground, and while crying, she kowtowed. After kowtowing, she inserted the incense in front of the grave, wiped her tears, and knelt to burn the paper money.

After Xue Mao had finished offering his incense, Lu Jiajie pulled him away. They didn’t go far, stopping around the corner.

Xue Mao, looking at Lu Jiaxin who was crying like a tearful figure, frowned and said, “Fifth Brother, why did you pull me away? Sister is still inside.”

Lu Jiajie spoke in a deep voice, “Xinxin was nearly killed by that mother and daughter duo, and Third Uncle didn’t support her. She has so much grievance in her heart, grievances that she can’t share with us, and now can only pour out to Third Aunt.”

Since their return, the girl had seemed dan and stern. Yet, he and his elder brother knew that, deep down, she was as bitter as Yellow Lotus. She was just like before, not one to complain, silently enduring all the pain alone.

Seeing Lu Jiajie and the others had walked away, and after looking around to make sure no one was there, Lu Jiaxin dried her tears and whispered in a voice that only she could hear, “Auntie, Sister Xin, rest assured, I will make sure that mother and daughter pair pay the price.”

Seeing her eyes swollen like peaches, Lu Jiajie handed her a handkerchief, “Don’t be upset, Third Aunt will watch over you from heaven.”

Lu Jiaxin, choking back tears, said, “I know, let’s go back!”