Lu Hongjun pulled Ding Jing back to their room, and the moment they were inside asked, “Where are Xinxin’s bankbook and the valuables from her room?”
Ding Jing opened the rosewood box by the bed and took the items out while explaining, “There’ve been so many people coming and going these past few days, I was afraid something might get taken, so I put it all away for safekeeping.”
She knew perfectly well that as long as Lu Jiaxin was alive, she’d never get her hands on that money or those things. Never mind that Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie wouldn’t allow it, even old Lu himself wouldn’t agree. That wretched girl clearly had powerful people backing her.
Setting everything down on the dressing table, Ding Jing said, with an implication in her tone, “Old Lu, Jiaxin seems like a completely different person since she came back…”
Before she could finish, Lu Hongjun cut her off. “She’s suffered so much out there, you need to be more understanding if her temper’s gotten sharper and quicker to flare.”
Ding Jing nearly choked on her own blood. Lu Jiaxin had ruined her and Siyi’s reputations, and now she was supposed to be understanding? If she could, she’d love nothing more than to see that little wretch dead.
Watching him carry the box out, a flicker of something dark crossed Ding Jing’s eyes.
Lu Jiaxin dug the bankbook out of the box and couldn’t wait to open it. Seeing the balance of 5,400 yuan, she felt instantly at ease.
Lu Hongjun looked at the several woven bags sitting on the bed and felt a jolt in his chest. “Xinxin, what is all this?”
Lu Jiaxin, tucking the bankbook into her canvas bag, said, “I know you have a lot of questions. Once Big Brother and Fifth Brother get here, I’ll tell you everything, word for word.”
Watching her like this made Lu Hongjun’s chest tighten with unease. He’d rather see his daughter lose her temper or argue with him the way she used to than watch her act this cold and distant.
Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie soon arrived.
Looking at Lu Jiaxin, thin and dark-skinned with a pale face, Lu Jiaguang couldn’t bring himself to scold her, and said instead in a lowered voice, “Xinxin, things are a bit chaotic out there right now. If you want to go out to clear your head in the future, tell your big brother, I’ll have Lu An go with you.”
Lu An was his second son, currently in high school, with grades so poor that university was out of reach. But he was tall and had trained a bit, so he’d have no trouble protecting Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiajie chimed in too. “Xinxin, it’s just one exam. Doing badly on it isn’t the end of the world. Look at me, I never went to college either, and I’m doing just fine.”
Lu Hongjun had two older brothers and a younger sister. His eldest brother’s firstborn son was Lu Jiaguang, who now worked at the railway bureau, his younger sister Lu Chunhua had married an army officer, who later transferred to a civilian post and also landed a government job.
Having helped his eldest brother and his sister, he couldn’t very well leave his second brother’s family without help either. It was just that his second brother’s first two sons hadn’t amounted to much, and it wasn’t until Lu Jiajie finished high school that Lu’s father arranged for him to work at a shoe factory in the capital. Two years later he became a full employee, and with the couple’s help he’d also found a wife.
Lu Jiajie’s wife, Ma Lili, was one of only two daughters in her family, and since her family’s circumstances were good, the couple lived at the Ma family home after marriage. Grateful to Lu Hongjun and the original owner’s mother, Lu Jiajie also looked after his little cousin Lu Jiaxin very well.
Rather than jumping straight to criticism, these two cousins had thought to tend to her feelings first, and Lu Jiaxin found them both quite decent. What a pity that Lu Hongjun, her father, was such a disappointment by comparison.
Lu Hongjun brought over a plate of cut watermelon and set it on the table, calling out cheerfully to the group, “Jiaguang, Jiajie, don’t just stand there, come have some watermelon.”
Ding Jing stayed in the room and didn’t come out, having to give back what she’d already gotten her hands on made her chest ache.
The August heat was unbearable, and Lu Jiajie, having ridden his bike over, was drenched in sweat. Without standing on ceremony, he picked up a piece of watermelon and started eating.
Lu Jiaguang had no appetite. He looked at Xue Mao and asked, “And this young man is?”
Lu Jiaxin introduced Xue Mao’s identity, then said, “Big Brother, I know you have a lot of questions for me. Let’s wait until Auntie Liao arrives so I only have to explain it once.”
A flicker of confusion crossed Lu Jiaguang’s mind. His sister used to always call Mrs. Liao “godmother,” and always spoke of her with real warmth, but now she’d switched to calling her “Auntie Liao.” Was it just a slip of the tongue, or did it have something to do with why she’d run away from home?
Thinking about this, Lu Jiaguang said with pity, “If you’re ever wronged again, tell your big brother, don’t just bear it silently on your own.”
Everyone said Jiaxin had run away from home because she’d failed her exam, but he didn’t believe it. Although their third aunt’s death had hit Jiaxin hard and soured her temper, his sister still had a sense of proportion in how she handled things. He suspected there was something strange going on underneath all this.
Lu Jiaxin nodded. “Don’t worry, Big Brother. If anyone bullies me again, I’ll be sure to tell you and Fifth Brother.”
Seeing her so obedient, Lu Jiaguang felt a pang of tenderness for her. It seemed she must have suffered a great deal out there this past month or so, otherwise there was no explaining such a big change.
Liao Xiangmei soon arrived. Xue Mao didn’t want to go out and told Lu Jiaxin he’d stay in the room and keep packing.
Sensing his nervousness, Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “It’s fine, just stand next to me later. If anyone asks you anything, just pretend you don’t understand.”
This was the early period of reform and opening-up, and plenty of people had ridden this wave to soar upward. She had no ambition to soar to great heights, she just wanted to go into business, make a lot of money, and once she’d achieved financial freedom, enjoy life properly.
In her past life she’d studied until twenty-five, worked for six years, and then been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Many people had urged her to have surgery, but in the end she’d chosen conservative treatment. In her final moments, her greatest regret was never having founded her own clothing brand, or fulfilled her childhood dream of traveling the world. This lifetime, she was determined to fulfill her past life’s dreams and leave no regrets behind.
Running a business would certainly require help, and she planned to groom Xue Mao into her right hand. The trouble was that Xue Mao was currently illiterate, and his own hardships had left him quite lacking in confidence, turning him into a capable assistant would take time and effort.
“Okay.”
The moment Liao Xiangmei saw Lu Jiaxin, she opened her arms to embrace her, only for Lu Jiaxin to step aside.
This only made Lu Jiaguang more convinced that his sister’s running away had something to do with Fan Yinuo. But since he still didn’t know the full story, he kept quiet.
Liao Xiangmei froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. “Xinxin, Xinxin, where did you go? Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been this past month?”
Lu Jiaxin stared at her and asked, “While I was missing, did Fan Yinuo say anything?”
She needed to determine whether Liao Xiangmei already knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Siyi.
Liao Xiangmei’s expression froze for a moment, then she deflected with a vague answer. “He was very worried, and went looking for you everywhere. He asked around among your middle school and high school classmates, but none of them knew where you’d gone either.”
That reaction was enough for Lu Jiaxin to conclude that she already knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Siyi. Clearly, she hadn’t told the Lu family about it. Understandable, really, if the Lu family found out Fan Yinuo was the root cause of the original owner’s disappearance, they’d hate him for it.
Compared to a goddaughter like the original owner, naturally her own biological son Fan Yinuo mattered more to her, that was only human nature, nothing to blame her for. Still, Lu Jiaxin felt a pang of sorrow on the original owner’s behalf.