“Sure 4.8 yuan in total. Go pay for it!”
Shen Wei knew Lu Cheng all too well especially the current him. Poor, yet fond of pretending to be generous.
Today, she was going to teach him a lesson.
Lu Cheng froze.
Shen Wei didn’t seem like a vain woman so why would she actually let him pay?
“Why should my Brother Acheng pay for you?” Liu Qingqing stepped in at once, sneering. “If you don’t have money, why order so much meat? I think you’re just greedy!”
“Comrade Lu’s ‘little sweetheart,’” Shen Wei said calmly, looking at her, “get this straight it was your Brother Acheng who said he’d pay for me. Now he’s just standing there. What, no money in his pocket but still trying to act generous? What a poser.”
The onlookers nearby began whispering.
“I think so too! This man already has a ‘little sweetheart,’ yet he insists on treating another woman to a meal. Is he trying to play both sides?”
Lu Cheng was a man who prided himself on his principles. Hearing such accusations, he grew so angry that he turned and left the state-run restaurant without another word.
Seeing this, Liu Qingqing lost her appetite as well. She immediately took out her insulated lunchbox, packed up the noodles, and hurried after Lu Cheng to the Lu family home.
The Lu family’s two small rooms housed six people in total Lu’s father, mother, grandfather, and his younger siblings.
When Liu Qingqing arrived, she heard Lu’s mother coughing again.
She stepped forward considerately and patted her back. Lu Cheng crouched down. “Mom, are you alright?”
After catching her breath, Lu’s mother looked at them and sighed. “Xiaocheng, go check in the kitchen if the potatoes are done roasting. I want to say a few words to Qingqing.”
Lu Cheng could more or less guess what his mother wanted to say. He nodded and turned to leave.
“Qingqing,” Lu’s mother said, patting her hand, “you’re a good girl. It’s just that my Xiaocheng doesn’t have the fortune for you.”
“In life, everything comes down to fate. You and Xiaocheng are not meant to be,” she said, tears streaming down her face. Though her heart ached, she knew she had to be clear. “This family of ours you and Xiaocheng can’t carry it together. You’re a smart girl, you understand what I mean. From now on, don’t come to our house anymore, and don’t see Xiaocheng again.”
Liu Qingqing left the Lu household in tears.
Lu Cheng saw her, but he didn’t go after her. He only leaned against the wall in pain, his eyes slowly reddening.
“Xiaocheng, tomorrow I’ll go speak to Yu Li again. We’ll prepare a 200-yuan bride price and settle your marriage with that Shen family girl.”
Lu Cheng nodded.
Night gradually fell.
When Shen Wei returned home, she saw Fu Xiao waiting at the door.
“Well… my dad asked me to bring you something,” Fu Xiao said. Usually stern and unsmiling, as the youngest commander in the army, he was known for his strict leadership.
But worried that the young girl might feel uneasy, he had even practiced smiling in front of a mirror at home.
Only after smiling did he realize it was already dark Shen Wei might not even be able to see it.
“Oh,” Shen Wei said, noticing the lunchbox in his hand. She took out her key and opened the door. “Then come in.”
“Alright.”
Fu Xiao followed her inside, standing a bit stiffly by the table, like he was on guard duty.
Shen Wei lit a candle. Seeing him like that, she found it oddly amusing and couldn’t help but laugh. “Just put it on the table.”
“Okay.” Fu Xiao quickly placed the lunchbox down. “They’re dumplings. Eat them while they’re hot.”
Shen Wei was already quite full, but she didn’t want to waste Uncle Fu’s kindness. So she took out a pair of chopsticks, opened the container, and started eating.
“Aunt Tian’s dumplings are really delicious.”
They were filled with pickled cabbage and pork though their shape looked a bit odd.
Fu Xiao felt a surge of joy.
He had made those dumplings himself.
“Mm.”
After eating a few dumplings, Shen Wei really couldn’t eat any more. She poured the remaining dumplings from the insulated container into a bowl. “I already ate outside today. I’ll save these for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Fu Xiao pressed his lips together slightly. Could it be that the dumplings he made didn’t taste good?
Was she only eating them out of politeness?
Shen Wei, on the other hand, found it a bit strange why wasn’t Fu Xiao leaving yet?
The reason Fu Xiao hadn’t left was that he wanted to confirm Shen Wei’s feelings about Lu Cheng. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully.
“Well… my dad asked me to ask you do you and Lu Cheng still have any possibility of being together?”
Uncle Fu was really quite concerned. Shen Wei felt a bit awkward discussing this topic alone in a room with him, but she still answered, “No possibility.”
Only then did Fu Xiao finally feel relieved.
He reminded her, “Lu Cheng is currently telling others that he plans to marry you. If you don’t have that intention, you should be more careful in the future.”
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll head back first,” Fu Xiao said, somewhat reluctant to leave.
He turned and walked out. Shen Wei suddenly remembered he had forgotten his lunchbox and called out, “Fu Xiao! Wait! You forgot your container.”
“Oh.” Fu Xiao turned back. The girl jogged over to him, and there seemed to be a faint fragrance in the air.
His throat tightened slightly. As he reached out to take the container, his hand accidentally brushed against Shen Wei’s.
Her hand carried a slight coolness from the autumn night, smooth like jade.
“Sorry.”
Shen Wei knew he was a gentleman. In her previous life, he had saved her and Lu Cheng from danger several times, never asking for anything in return.
Sometimes she even wondered how Fu Xiao could be friends with someone like Lu Cheng.
“It’s okay. Be careful on your way back,” Shen Wei reminded him.
“Alright.” Fu Xiao didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he said, “Go back inside and lock the door first. I’ll leave after that.”
Shen Wei nodded, went back inside, and locked the door, feeling a warmth in her heart.
Fu Xiao gave her the feeling of a reliable older brother. If only he were her real brother.
But having lived a second life, Shen Wei knew that the only person one could truly rely on in this lifetime was oneself.
She lay down on the soft bedding and had a good night’s sleep.
Early the next morning, Shen Wei reheated the dumplings Fu Xiao had brought the night before, ate them, and went out.
She was going to the newspaper office to publish a notice cutting ties. From now on, she would have nothing to do with Shen Jianguo’s family.
At the same time, Lu Cheng’s mother went to the Shen household again.
Seeing that half of the Shen family’s wall had collapsed, she felt that things were already halfway settled.
“Sister Lu, you’re here?” Yu Li was cooking, her face smudged with soot.
Ever since Shen Wei started cooking at the age of ten, Yu Li hadn’t cooked for many years and was now somewhat unfamiliar with using the earthen stove.
Lu Cheng’s mother warmly took her hand. “I came to talk to you about something.”
“I quite like your niece,” she said, stuffing 200 yuan into Yu Li’s hand. “This is the bride price. Let’s just settle the marriage within the year.”
Yu Li was indeed tempted by the money, but things had already turned so sour between them and Shen Wei. How could Shen Wei possibly listen to her anymore?
“No, that ungrateful girl is a white-eyed wolf. We raised her all those years, and now she wants to cut ties with us. We wouldn’t dare interfere in her affairs anymore.”
Lu Cheng’s mother forcefully pushed the money into her hand. “You raised her since she was little you’re no less than her real mother. Since ancient times, marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. If you tell her to marry, she has to marry. And if she refuses… we can always think of some way.”