Hearing that Jiaxin wanted to hire an English tutor, Big Sister-in-law Lu worried her health couldn’t handle it. As a nurse, she knew well that someone in Jiaxin’s condition needed to rest properly and avoid overexertion.
Jiaxin explained with a smile, “The intensity of senior year studies would be too much for my body right now, but just studying English alone won’t tire me out. Besides, I have nothing to do at home all day and it gets so boring, studying English with someone both improves my skills and keeps me from being bored. Two birds, one stone.”
Lu Jiaguang asked, puzzled, “I remember your English was quite good, you scored over eighty on the last mock exam.”
Only someone who truly cared about you would remember even your individual subject scores on a mock exam. Jiaxin explained, “I usually scored in the seventies on English, and did a bit better on the last mock exam with an eighty-one. My biggest losses were in listening and writing, if I strengthen those two weak areas, scoring above eighty-five in the future shouldn’t be a problem.”
Lu Jiaguang was delighted, with his sister’s attitude toward learning, once her health recovered and she retook the exam next year, even a top-tier university wouldn’t be out of reach.
Just as they were talking, Liao Xiangmei walked in carrying a bag of things.
The moment Lu Hongjun saw her, he thought of Fan Yinuo and said, his face darkening, “Where’s Fan Yinuo? Jiaxin’s been back almost a week now, why hasn’t he come to apologize to her yet?”
Liao Xiangmei’s expression paused, but before she could respond, Jiaxin spoke up first. “Dad, today is my housewarming feast. I’d like everyone to come here happy and leave happy too.”
At first Jiaxin had planned to cut ties with Liao Xiangmei entirely, but after their interactions, she’d realized the woman genuinely did care for the original owner. Weighing it all, she’d decided to maintain contact for now, though things could never go back to the closeness they’d had before.
Liao Xiangmei had brought honeydew melon, peaches, chocolate, and many other things, all foods the original owner had loved. On top of that, she’d also brought a jadeite phoenix-head dangling hairpin as a housewarming gift.
The jadeite hairpin’s body gleamed a lustrous green, and the phoenix’s beak held a string of green jadeite beads, each one round, smooth, and translucent.
There wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t love jewelry, and Ma Lili couldn’t help admiring it. “It’s so beautiful, Auntie Liao, where did you buy this?”
A wistful look crossed Liao Xiangmei’s eyes. “This hairpin was a gift from your third aunt when I got married. I know Jiaxin loves jadeite and jade just like her mother did, this is exactly the right gift for her.”
She’d originally planned to give this to Jiaxin once she and her son had married, but with that hope now dashed, looking at the hairpin only brought her pain, giving it to Jiaxin now felt like the right thing to do.
The moment Jiaxin saw the hairpin, she fell in love with it. She’d initially thought it too valuable to accept, but hearing it had been a gift from her mother, she didn’t hesitate. “Thank you, Auntie Liao.”
Liao Xiangmei looked at Lu Hongjun and said, “Old Lu, Xiaoxia told me that along with this hairpin came a necklace, one with a hundred and eight beads. Do you happen to know where that jadeite necklace is now?”
Lu Hongjun said he had no idea.
Liao Xiangmei didn’t believe this and pressed him. “As her husband, how could you possibly not know where Xiaoxia’s jewelry went? Lu Hongjun, don’t tell me you gave it all to Ding Jing? Those were Xiaoxia’s keepsakes, they belong to Jiaxin.”
Lu Hongjun said, his expression complicated, “She arranged for this house without telling me either, if Jiaxin hadn’t spoken up about it herself, I’d still be completely in the dark about it.”
As her husband, he’d known perfectly well how much the original owner’s mother had loved jadeite and jade, and that she’d secretly acquired quite a bit of jewelry. But he had no understanding of or interest in such things, and since the spending hadn’t been excessive, he’d never interfered. Everyone has their own hobbies, he himself collected stamps.
Liao Xiangmei didn’t believe him and scoffed. “That was because Xiaoxia was worried that if you remarried, your new wife would treat Jiaxin badly, which is why she prepared this house for her. And as it turns out, her worries were entirely justified.”
Lu Hongjun had never approved of Fan Yinuo, and had even considered calling off the engagement once his daughter got into university, never expecting things to go awry midway. This only proved his instincts had been right, Fan Yinuo really was a lost cause not worth investing in. “Xiaoxia trusted you completely, but what did you do with that trust? Fan Yinuo and Zhao Siyi were secretly dating each other, and because of it Jiaxin went back to the old hometown alone. We were all worried sick searching for her everywhere, and you kept this hidden and never told us.”
“And another thing, you were the person Xiaoxia trusted most. I now have reason to suspect that Xiaoxia entrusted those items to your keeping, and you, driven by greed, are deliberately slandering me now so you can keep that jewelry collection for yourself.”
He wasn’t just throwing mud at Liao Xiangmei out of spite, he genuinely believed this about the jewelry. After all, his daughter had been engaged to Fan Yinuo, and once the two married, Liao Xiangmei would surely have given that jewelry to his daughter, to be passed down eventually to the Fan family’s future descendants.
Liao Xiangmei said, “Lu Hongjun, don’t spit venom like that. Those items may be beautiful, but they’re not particularly valuable, if I wanted jewelry, I could just go buy some at the Friendship Store or the antique market.”
Listening to the two of them argue, Jiaxin lowered her head. She suspected her mother hadn’t fully trusted Liao Xiangmei either, otherwise, why entrust Lu Jiaguang and his brothers, as well as Mrs. Xie, with looking after the original owner separately? Knowing not to put all her eggs in one basket, her mother clearly hadn’t given the jewelry to Liao Xiangmei either.
Seeing the two of them arguing, Lu Jiaguang stepped in. “Third Aunt entrusted the house to Mrs. Xie’s care, could the jewelry have been entrusted to her as well?”
Hearing this, everyone thought it made sense.
Jiaxin didn’t think her mother would have done that. In her mother’s heart, her daughter’s safe upbringing was the top priority, she’d never trouble the Xie family over something so minor. Still, where exactly was this jewelry, then?
Just then, Lu Jiajie’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “Someone come tend the fire, I can’t manage alone!”
Big Sister-in-law and Ma Lili hurried into the kitchen to help, while Lu Jiaguang stayed to talk with Lu Hongjun, shooting Jiaxin a look at the same time, signaling her to calm Liao Xiangmei down.
Catching the signal, Jiaxin immediately pulled Liao Xiangmei off to eat watermelon. However displeased she felt, today was her housewarming feast, she couldn’t let things blow up.
Having been unfairly dragged through the mud by Lu Hongjun, Liao Xiangmei’s mood was ruined, and after forcing a smile through a few more words with Jiaxin, she headed home.
Not long after she left, someone pushed the door open and walked in.
Seeing who it was, Jiaxin’s face darkened as she asked Lu Hongjun, “Did you invite her here?”
Lu Hongjun hadn’t invited Ding Jing, but having Jiaxin question him like this in front of so many people left him thoroughly embarrassed.
Ding Jing looked around the compound, a flash of envy and resentment crossing her eyes before quickly vanishing. She walked up to Lu Hongjun and said with a bright smile, “Jiaxin, I’m here to congratulate you. Starting your own household at such a young age, and living in such a big house too, you must be the only one in the whole capital.”
Last time, when Jiaxin had first returned to the capital, Ding Jing hadn’t been sure of Lu Hongjun’s stance and had held back somewhat. Now, she had no such reservations left.
Jiaxin picked up a basin of bloody water sitting on the ground and flung it straight at Ding Jing. If she hadn’t known the others would step in to stop her, she wouldn’t have bothered with water at all, she’d have grabbed the stick and beaten her outright.
The water slid down through Ding Jing’s hair and across her cheeks, and her floral summer dress soaked through, dripping onto the ground.
“Aah…!”
Catching the fishy stench on herself, Ding Jing screamed.
Watching Ding Jing’s soaked dress cling to her slender figure, Lu Hongjun hurriedly took off his shirt and draped it over her. But the shirt was too short, so he quickly called out to Ma Lili, standing at the kitchen door, to take off her apron and put it on Ding Jing instead.