Chapter 71 Pure Retribution

At that moment, he was so moved that he cried, thinking that his suffering had finally come to an end and he could finally have a home.

Back then, nobody wanted to talk to him.

He had resigned himself to his fate and was prepared to live alone until he died.

Every day I sit on the doorstep basking in the sun, watching other people's homes bustling with activity, while my own kitchen remains cold and deserted.

He thought this was how his life would be, all alone, and that no one would even know if he died.

But Li Fangfang's appearance was like a ray of light shining into his gloomy life.

He thought this was a great blessing, that God had taken pity on him and given him a home, a son, and a wife.

He was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night, fantasizing about the days to come.

The son got married, and the grandchildren surrounded him; it was a lively and joyous occasion.

The longer the days went by, the more he felt something was wrong.

Lu Weidong doesn't look like him, his personality is different, and even the way he walks has the air of a stranger.

People in the village started whispering that Jianguo's eyebrows and eyes resembled those of Wang Laosan next door.

He didn't believe it at first.

But as time went on and I heard it more often, I started to feel uneasy.

He began to pay attention to Li Fangfang's every move and discovered that her favoritism towards Jianguo far exceeded that towards herself.

She had a plan from the very beginning.

She didn't come to save him; she came to give her son a legitimate status and someone to rely on.

What she valued was the land owned by the Lu family, the meager relief they received, and the opportunity to give Lu Weidong a proper surname on his household registration.

The more he thought about it, the more he hated it, and the more he felt pain.

But confined to bed, all he could do was grit his teeth and swallow his bitterness.

"What are you yelling about!"

Li Fangfang felt a little guilty, but now was not the time to argue.

She knew he wasn't entirely lying, but the most important thing right now was to save Lu Weidong.

Even if it costs us our lives, we must rescue them.

She had to get out quickly and find Lu Zhonghe and Lu Zhongping for help; saving Jianguo was the most important thing.

Lu Zhonghe is strong, and Lu Zhongping is quick-witted; only the two of them can help.

As she thought about it, she rushed toward the door.

The door was blocked by the cabinet and couldn't be opened at all.

She grabbed the edge of the cabinet with both hands and pulled back with all her might, but the cabinet did not budge.

Her finger was pricked by a splinter, and blood seeped out, but she was completely unaware.

She was so anxious that she stamped her feet, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and kept muttering to herself.

"No, we have to hurry, or it will be too late!"

I was terrified last night, but I don't know where I got the strength, but I managed to move the cabinet by myself.

She was terrified when she heard Lu Daqiang fall off the bed.

My mind went blank; all I could think about was escaping.

She pounced on it like a madwoman, gritting her teeth, and slowly pushed the cabinet, which was taller than her, against the wall.

But that was the power fueled by fear.

The fear remains, but the strength is gone.

It's urgent now.

But after not sleeping all night, and being older, I felt weak and listless all over.

She leaned against the wall, panting, her legs weak and her knees trembling.

She glanced around the room, then immediately turned around, pushed open the window, and started shouting outside.

The old wooden window creaked open as she pushed it open abruptly.

A cold wind blew in, ruffling her hair.

She desperately poked her head out and screamed with all her might.

"Zhonghe! Zhongping! Get up! Your mom's going to chop your dad up!"

"Zhonghe! Zhongping! Come out quickly! Someone's been killed!"

She shouted it over and over again until her voice was almost hoarse.

But the village remained deathly silent, with only a few chickens clucking in the distance.

She shouted at the top of her lungs, but it was quiet outside and no one paid any attention.

Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and no smoke was coming out of the chimneys.

The whole village seemed to be still asleep.

Her heart sank lower and lower, and cold sweat trickled down her back.

She didn't know how Lu Weidong was doing now, whether he was already...

She dared not think any further.

Lu Zhongshun, however, changed his clothes and came over, standing by the window looking around.

He was wearing a faded blue cotton shirt, his hair was messy, and he was holding half a cold steamed bun in his hand.

He peeked into the room, then looked at Li Fangfang, and shouted impatiently, "Grandma! What's wrong with you now?"

Li Fangfang was so angry that she almost couldn't catch her breath.

Her chest heaved violently, her face flushed red, and the veins on her forehead throbbed.

"You little brat! What do you know? If your mom really kills your dad, then with that murder, you won't even have a father anymore! What's the point of your studies? What's the point of eating? Go get your two brothers! Save them! It'll be too late if you're too late!"

Lu Zhongshun pursed his lips, his face full of indifference.

He shrugged and replied lazily, "Grandma, my mom would never kill anyone. My dad chased her with a knife several times, making a huge commotion in the yard, but he never actually hit her. It was just to scare people. I'm not going to call for help. You can call for help yourself!"

He knew very well that if he really went to call his brothers now...

He might get a beating from Shen Cuifen before he even reaches the door.

When she gets angry, she even dares to chase and beat her father, let alone her youngest son.

Besides, Shen Cuifen never hesitates to take action.

Just two days ago, he even beat Lu Weidong with a broom, making him run all over the yard.

He didn't want to get beaten up for no reason, so it was safer for him to stay away.

"Besides, how many times has my dad hit my mom? How many times has he made her cry? This time, let her vent her anger and let off some steam so that the family can have peace in the future! If we don't let her vent, she'll get seriously ill sooner or later."

Lu Zhongshun shook his head as he spoke.

"If you were really that ruthless, Lu Weidong would have been dead last time you used scissors. But what happened? He just got a scratch, pretended to be in bed for two days, and he's still as lively as ever."

After Lu Zhongshun finished speaking, he didn't bother to explain any further and turned to run to the kitchen.

He walked quickly, afraid that Li Fangfang would stop him and nag again.

As soon as he rushed into the kitchen, he grabbed a cold steamed bun from the stove and started biting into it, not caring whether it was dusty or not.

The steamed bun was dry and stuck in his throat, but he didn't care. He just wanted to finish eating quickly so he could go to school.

He couldn't be bothered to waste time chatting idly with Li Fangfang.

If he dawdles any longer, he'll be late for school, and the teacher will punish him by making him stand in the corner.

I might even have to write a self-criticism or copy texts from the textbook.

He hates these things the most, and would rather slip away and have some peace and quiet.

Li Fangfang was so angry that her lips trembled, and her face turned pale and then red.

She stared at Lu Zhongshun's retreating figure, her teeth itching with hatred, her voice trembling with tears.

"You ungrateful little brat! I've raised you for nothing!"

After uttering a curse, she took a breath, then forced herself to rush to the window and continued calling her son's name.

"Jianguo! Jianguo! Where have you been? Come out now! Your wife is back with a knife! Someone's been killed!"

But both of his sons were hard of hearing.

Despite the commotion in the courtyard, no one responded.

Lu Guizhen, who was in the kitchen, heard the noise and was chopping vegetables when she suddenly realized that the knife was gone.

She paused for a moment, looked up and around, and her heart sank.