Unable to refuse their earnest hospitality, and noticing that Lu Chuyu's expression was turning somewhat serious, the Lu family members, fearing she might be displeased, accepted the gifts with grateful looks on their faces.
They could also tell that this niece (cousin/sister) was someone who meant what she said and wouldn't be swayed.
"Niece, our town isn't well-off. If you invest in building a factory here and it doesn't turn a profit, I'm worried—if you really want to invest, from what I heard you say to the commune cadres, wouldn't the Special Economic Zone be a better place for development? You don't need to do this for the family…"
Before Lu Changgui could finish, Lu Chuyu smiled and interrupted, "Uncle, I understand what you're getting at. Although my father's and grandmother's families are prominent, my mother is Chinese. In their eyes, my bloodline isn't pure, so I've never been fully accepted by the family. Over the years, it's just been my mother and me depending on each other. My father provided material support, but beyond that, it's hard for me to get much more. In comparison, with China's current preferential policies toward foreign investment, I'll have better opportunities for development here.
During all these years in America, my mother and I experienced the hardships of drifting in a foreign land. Returning to China was also my mother's dying wish. Although the Special Economic Zone has a better environment, the waters are deep and there are plenty of big fish there.
Tens of thousands or even millions of dollars thrown in wouldn't necessarily make much of a splash. It's better to choose my hometown. After all, I genuinely lack experience, and the support my father can give me is limited—I need to save it for critical moments."
Lu Changgui nodded. "As long as you have a plan in mind, that's what matters. If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word. I'll do everything in my power."
Lu Chuyu was fairly satisfied with how the Lu family had conducted themselves so far, and naturally she wouldn't be stingy. She would try to lift them up—this would settle the karmic debt of using the original body.
But people's hearts change easily, and human nature is complex, so she wouldn't fully trust the Lu family either. She'd take things one step at a time. As for herself, Lu Chuyu had great confidence.
She could lift the Lu family up, and she could also knock them back down into the mud. What kind of life they'd have—that would be for the Lu family to choose for themselves. In any case, she wouldn't give a second chance.
"Of course I need your help, Uncle. Once the instant food factory is built, the position of factory director will be handed to you."
"How could that work? I'm just a farmer now—how could I possibly be a factory director?" Lu Changgui quickly waved his hands in refusal.
Lu Chuyu looked at Lu Changgui. It was as if changing his name had changed his fate.
According to the original body's mother, Lu Changgui—no, it should be Lu Jinchuan—was a refined young gentleman well-versed in literature, who had started managing the family business in his teens. But now, what she saw was a country man crushed by life. Aside from his still-handsome features, there was no trace of the young master left.
"Uncle, you've been Lu Changgui for decades and forgotten that you were once the eldest young master of the Lu family—Lu Jinchuan. I believe my mother wouldn't deceive me. Your abilities are just hidden beneath the thick calluses on your hands. The Lu family still needs you to hold it up. I trust you won't disappoint me."
Lu Changgui instinctively gripped Shi Cuixia's hand standing beside him. All these years, it was this woman who had held him up. Yes—he had almost forgotten that his name was Lu Jinchuan.
His lips trembled slightly. "Uncle will work hard to learn, work hard to do well."
Lu Chuyu nodded with satisfaction and continued, "I'll also make arrangements for my older cousin and his wife, as well as my older and younger female cousins. Oh, and regarding my older cousin's situation, I heard a bit about it from Comrade Zhang. There were outsiders in the house just now—would it be convenient for me to go see her now?"
"Yes, of course. Baoxi, take your sister into the inner room," Shi Cuixia said hurriedly.
Looking at Lu Baozhen's pale face, sunken cheeks, and the dark bruises on her arms exposed outside the thin blanket, Lu Chuyu furrowed her brows.
Lu Baozhen's physical condition was even worse than she had expected. No wonder she never left the room. Seeing that she had already fallen asleep, Lu Chuyu stopped Lu Baoxi from waking her and left the room.
"Given my older cousin's current condition, is it alright for her to recover at home? Should I contact someone to take her to a city hospital for a thorough examination? She's so young—it would be a real loss if she's left with lasting health problems."
Shi Cuixia sighed, her voice somewhat choked as she explained to Lu Chuyu, "The injuries on her body are all superficial wounds. The main issue is that she's worn down her constitution over the years—that needs to be nourished slowly. Doctor Zheng at the town health clinic has real skill. His ancestors served in the imperial palace, and his medical abilities are solid. Even during the worst of the Four Olds campaign, no one dared touch him. He's prescribed a formula—with proper care, she can recover. It's just that she'll suffer in the meantime."
Traditional Chinese medicine was profound and extensive—Lu Chuyu deeply agreed with this and nodded.
"That's good then. It's getting late, so I'll be going now. I'll be staying at the town guesthouse for the next few days. If anything comes up at home, come find me."
Lu Changgui swallowed the words inviting Lu Chuyu to stay at the house. A bed made of bricks and wooden planks—his niece couldn't endure such hardship. With reluctance showing on his face, he saw Lu Chuyu off.
After Lu Chuyu left, Shi Cuixia called Lu Baohua, Lu Baoxi, and Liu Jinfeng over to help organize the welcome gifts Lu Chuyu had brought for the Lu family.
Shi Cuixia couldn't bear to leave the four brand-new bicycles out in the courtyard, so she had them pushed directly into the main hall. Along with the various gifts in large and small bundles, the entire main hall now had no room left to even set foot.
In front of the wall plastered with old newspapers stood a big green refrigerator—it looked awkward no matter how you looked at it. "His father, after the autumn harvest, let's renovate the house. Oh my, this is a whole crate of cigarettes. What's this? Isn't this the Moutai liquor they wouldn't even let anyone drink at the head table during the Feng family's event? Good heavens, there are two whole crates! This kid, how can he be so free with his hands."
Shi Cuixia chattered while organizing, her back aching from the work. She straightened up and looked at the sky outside, thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of Moutai, a carton of Zhonghua cigarettes, a box of tea leaves, and found a bag to put some candy in.
Finally, gritting her teeth, she also picked out a bolt of pink fabric with white stripes and said to Liu Jinfeng, "Feng'er, you've been busy helping us all day today. It's getting late—let Baohua ride you back on the bicycle. Take these with you."
If it weren't for the mountain of gifts piled up before her, Shi Cuixia really would have been reluctant to part with these things. These items alone would be more than enough not just for a matchmaking visit, but even for a betrothal gift.
But the Liu family was honorable—they hadn't said a word even after what happened with Baozhen. And from what she'd seen today, Liu Jinfeng was a hardworking girl. It was a good match, and she couldn't be too stingy. After all, their family was about to produce a factory director—the Lu family was no longer what it used to be.
"Auntie, how could I accept this? It's already embarrassing enough that Cousin gave me this watch. How could I take all these nice things?"
Though Liu Jinfeng's eyes were shining, she knew these gifts were far too valuable for a village, and she really couldn't take them.
"It's fine—if Mother gives them to you, just accept them. From now on, we're… we're all family." Lu Baohua's ears turned slightly red as he said this.
Liu Jinfeng's face flushed pink as well.
"Sister-in-law, just take them. My brother's right—from now on, we're all one family."
"Good girl, take them." Lu Changgui also chimed in.
Seeing that she really couldn't refuse, Liu Jinfeng blushed and nodded. "Thank you, Auntie, Uncle."
When she returned to the Liu home, Liu Jinfeng walked in with her back straight and placed the items on the table in the main hall. She raised her eyebrows and shot a somewhat smug look at her two sisters-in-law, then gave her parents a detailed account of everything that had happened when Lu Chuyu arrived at the Lu family's home that day.
"Father, Mother, you should have seen it—four cars drove into the village, so grand and impressive! It was one of those big Jiefang trucks loaded to the brim with gifts. A big refrigerator, a big color TV, and a sewing machine. Four bicycles alone, and the fabric—oh my heavens, stacked higher than the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative. Look at this bolt of cloth—it's a brand-new item from the city department store, you can't buy it anywhere in our town. Baohua's mother gave me a whole bolt outright, enough to make several outfits.
And this liquor—Moutai. These cigarettes are the finest Zhonghua—even the commune cadres can't afford to smoke these. These candies are rare fruit candies—the supply cooperative in our town doesn't have anything this good. But none of that matters—the most valuable thing is this."
Liu Jinfeng rolled up her sleeve and showed off the Patek Philippe 18K gold diamond-studded watch on her wrist to the assembled Liu family. When her eldest sister-in-law reached out to touch it, she quickly pulled away and shot her a dirty look. "You can't just touch this, Sister-in-law. Do you know how much this costs?"
"Isn't it just a watch? How expensive can it be? It can't be more than a bicycle."
Liu's eldest sister-in-law was genuinely annoyed. Ever since she'd married into the Liu family, she'd found this sister-in-law hard to stomach. She'd never seen a family spoil their daughter like this—wasn't she just a girl destined to be married off anyway?
She didn't have to do any work, just like a young miss from a landlord's family. She'd told her husband more than once that with the way his sister was, she'd suffer at her in-laws' hands after marriage. But her husband didn't seem to care, saying he was strong enough to go knock on doors to back his sister up.
When the Lu family had run into trouble, she'd planned to enjoy watching her sister-in-law's misfortune. Who could have imagined the Lu family would suddenly have an overseas relative pop up? The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
"You actually guessed right, Sister-in-law. Not just one bicycle—even ten bicycles can't compare to this. This one contains real gold, and these inside are diamonds. Diamonds are extremely expensive. And this is a famous brand—a foreign product. Cousin Baohua's cousin brought it back from America. You can't find this anywhere around here."
"It's that precious? Then you should take it off and store it properly, girl. If it gets scratched or bumped, wouldn't you be heartbroken?"
The moment Liu's mother heard it was worth more than ten bicycles, she grew anxious.
"Mother, a watch is meant to be worn. But when you get the chance, sew me a soft cotton cover, and I'll put it over the watch when I'm not wearing it."
If it really got scratched, she'd be devastated.
"Good, good, our Feng'er is truly blessed. Luckily you didn't listen to your mother—if we had called off the engagement with the Lu family, I would have regretted it to death."
"Feng, the Lu family is different now. You need to rein in your willful temper. Once you marry into their family, you must honor your in-laws and live a proper life." Father Liu also chimed in.
Liu Jinfeng nodded. She naturally understood these principles.
"What's there to be so pleased about? These are just material things—they don't feed you or clothe you. Even if you sold them all for money, how many years could it last? A watch being worth more than ten bicycles? Who are you trying to fool? And there's that sickly divorced one in the family. Besides, if the political winds shift one day, the Lu family would become class enemies, and then we'd be dragged down with them."
Eldest Sister-in-law Liu couldn't help but mutter under her breath.