Lu Da Sao stood on the same side as her husband. “Jiang Yue, you should try to persuade him too! Today’s trouble is all because of you. Look at this mess—what has it come to? Are you only satisfied when the Lu family is completely torn apart?”
Jiang Yue smiled. “What are you talking about, sister-in-law? I don’t understand a single word. Although I used to be easygoing, the current me dislikes being wronged the most. I won’t tolerate even the slightest bit. Whoever wrongs me, I’ll confront them—no exceptions. I haven’t wronged anyone, and I have a clear conscience!”
Lu Da Sao’s face turned ugly. “Listen to you. How can anyone live in this world without suffering some grievances? You’re just too… too much.” She couldn’t find the right words.
“I…” She was about to continue when a baby’s cry came from inside the room.
Lu Jingzhou squeezed her hand. “Go check on our daughter. I’ll handle the rest.”
Jiang Yue glanced at him, uncertain of his thoughts, but she truly didn’t want to face the Lu family any longer.
Zheng Xiaoliu thumped his chest. “Third Aunt, don’t worry! I’m here too!”
He ran to fetch a chair for Lu Jingzhou, then after a moment’s thought, brought one for Captain Lu as well.
Seeing this, Lu Lao Er realized they were settling in for a discussion and had no choice but to fetch several more chairs.
After everyone was seated, Lu Jingzhou spoke coldly without hesitation: “I don’t want a single cent of the money I sent back—consider it your retirement fund. I won’t take anything from this household either. I’ll leave with just my wife and child, taking nothing with us. From now on, don’t come to me for anything—birth, aging, sickness, or death. We’ll draw up a written agreement, and both sides will sign and fingerprint it!”
“What?”
“This won’t do.”
“Third Son, you…”
Lu Jingzhou continued decisively: “Both Elder Brother and Second Brother are married with families of their own. Why should I support you?”
Lu Laoda’s dark face flushed crimson. “Wh-what support? We don’t rely on you.”
Lu Lao Er stopped smiling, his face turning cold and silent.
Lu Jingzhou sneered. “If you don’t rely on me, why are you opposing the family division?”
Lu Laoda: “Isn’t that… isn’t that because Mother and Father are still here?”
Lu Jingzhou then turned to the elderly couple. “I have receipts for all the money I sent back. Do you want to see them? Should we calculate exactly how much I’ve sent over the years?”
Old Man Lu retorted angrily: “Go ahead and calculate! I’ll pay you back every cent, how about that!”
Nobody paid attention to his angry outburst.
Lu Lao Er suddenly said: “If we’re calculating, shouldn’t we start from when you were born? Oh wait, no—you were adopted. We can’t start from birth. Mother, when did you pick him up?”
“Second Son, shut up!” Mother Lu panicked. “Third Son, don’t listen to your second brother’s nonsense.”
Lu Lao Er refused to back down. “Mother, at this point, what’s there left to hide?”
Mother Lu slapped him. “Shut up! I told all of you when you were kids—your eldest brother was found by the river, you were fished out of a latrine. Every child hears such stories. Third Son is my own birth child! If you don’t believe me, ask Captain Lu.”
Captain Lu turned his face away. Although he was the same generation as Mother Lu, he was only about ten years older than Lu Jingzhou. When Lu Jingzhou was born, he was just a hungry brat struggling to get by—who paid attention to whether families were having their own babies or adopting?
Lu Jingzhou’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t care about any of this. “Whether I’m your biological child or not, how I grew up as a child—you may not remember, but I remember clearly. Over the years, I’ve repaid most of it already. I owe you nothing.”
Captain Lu, after all the team leader, surveyed the expressions of the Lu family and seemed to make up his mind. “Are you really sure about this?”
“I’m sure!”
Captain Lu said, “But Jiang Yue is still in confinement. Where can you take her?”
“Stay at my place!” Zheng Xiaoliu quickly raised his hand. “I live alone, and there’s plenty of space.”
Captain Lu rejected his suggestion. “Jiang Yue hasn’t finished her confinement. By custom, she shouldn’t be visiting others. Jingzhou, haven’t you considered taking her with you to the army base?”
His words reminded the Lu family of this possibility.
Jiang Yue, holding her daughter and leaning against the headboard, was also pondering the question.
Was it unwillingness, or inability?
“I need to go back and submit an application. It might take a few months.”
Others might believe this, but Jiang Yue didn’t. Could there be something fishy going on with him?
Captain Lu asked again, “How about this: find a temporary place to stay first. Once you’ve sorted things out, let her and the child join you at the army base. How long are you staying this time for your home visit?”
Lu Jingzhou replied, “It’s uncertain for now. I need to report to my superiors.”
Captain Lu grew curious again. “So what’s your rank in the army? Battalion commander or platoon leader?”
Lu Jingzhou suddenly turned serious. “Military secret. No comment!”
At these words, Captain Lu’s expression changed entirely. If he had antennas on his head, they would have all stood straight up.
People in this era were highly vigilant.
Setting aside gossip for now, seeing Lu Jingzhou’s resolute attitude, Captain Lu stopped dragging his feet. He called for the brigade accountant to draft a written agreement and press fingerprints.
Lu Laoda and Lu Lao Er certainly didn’t want to split up, but Old Man Lu was stubborn and insisted on proceeding, refusing to listen to anyone’s objections.
Once the fingerprints were pressed, he started driving them away.
“Go, go, get out of my house right now with her and the child! From now on, I don’t have a son like you. We’ll have nothing to do with each other for the rest of our lives!”
At this point, Mother Lu also dropped her pretense. “Since you said you’d leave with nothing, I have to keep an eye on you. That quilt, that pillow, that basin, and that thermos—none of them can be taken away.”
Captain Lu was stunned. “Old sister, this is too…”
Too harsh!
“He said it himself—leaving with nothing. I didn’t force him to say it. What does it have to do with me? Third Son, I’m giving you one last chance. If you admit your mistake, your father and I will let it go. Families shouldn’t hold grudges overnight!”
Old Man Lu roared, “Why waste your breath on him? Isn’t he tough? Isn’t he capable? Let’s see if he can reach the skies after splitting from this family!”
Jiang Yue walked out, fully dressed, with Little Bean Sprout in her arms wrapped snugly in a thick swaddling cloth.
“Don’t you two worry. With me here, our days will only get better and better. My daughter will grow up safe and sound, and she’ll surely achieve more than your precious grandson ever will.”
Lu Jingzhou looked at her, feeling a sudden warmth in his heart.
Lu Da Sao was displeased by these words and muttered under her breath, “What’s wrong with my Dabao? He’s chubby—that means he’s blessed. No matter what, he can carry on the Lu family line. That’s something your daughter can never compare to.”
Though she spoke softly, the courtyard was small, and everyone heard her.
Lu Jingzhou gave her a cold glance. “Sister-in-law, you’re spoiling the child too much. Be careful—a spoiled child won’t be filial. And how old is Dabao this year? Why hasn’t he started school yet? Do you want him to grow up illiterate?”
These words hit Lu Da Sao’s sore spot. Lu Dabao had indeed reached school age and had been enrolled for a few days last year. However, he couldn’t sit still, clamoring to go home. The teacher couldn’t control him—when disciplined too much, he would cry as if mourning his parents’ death with loud wails. Whenever he cried, Mother Lu would go to the school and make a scene, accusing them of bullying her grandson.
The school eventually lost patience and told them to wait a year before trying again next year.
They hoped that with another year of age, he might become more sensible.