Chapter 7: They Started Arguing

Perhaps sensing that the girl in front of him was dressed elegantly and had a gentle nature, the old man held the bag tightly, leaving several finger marks on it with his dirty hands.

"If you want it, you can buy it back at the original price."

Whether the old man was too wicked or just a bad person who grew old is still unknown, but this old man was quite brazen in demanding money, his cloudy eyes fixed on her, full of defensiveness and arrogance.

Lu Zhenyu pulled her gaze away from a certain spot and made a gesture as if to pull her hand out of her pocket.

Just as the old man was about to cover his face with the bag, instead of the expected beating and scolding, a stack of red banknotes came into view.

"This should be enough."

The old man was stunned for a moment when he saw the money.

Seeing the person staring blankly, Lu Zhenyu didn't mind the dirty clothes that were so stained she couldn't tell the color from the fabric. She opened the collar and stuffed the money into the inner pocket.

"About seven thousand, that's all I have for now."

She then took out another business card and handed it to him, saying, "The wound on your leg is already oozing pus. Take this money to see a doctor. If you need more money for subsequent expenses, call someone in charge, and she will help you."

The old man stared blankly at his exposed right leg, then at the bulging bag wrapped in his dirty hands.

"You...you're giving me so much money for medical treatment?"

Lu Zhenyu smiled and nodded, "Of course, I want this dress too."

"How much is this dress worth?"

"The T-shirt costs four thousand, and that's all the cash I have on hand for now."

Why?

The old man still couldn't believe that he had suddenly been given seven thousand yuan, as if he had to find out a reason that didn't sound absurd before he could feel at ease.

Lu Zhenyu simply said, "If you're sick, you need to get treatment."

The hand that concealed the scar slowly reached out, and a gentle voice asked, "Can you give me the clothes now?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then wiped the outside of the bag with his sleeve, only to find it getting darker and darker. He sighed in frustration.

"It's okay," Lu Zhenyu comforted softly. "You can wash it if it gets dirty."

His weathered face, etched with the marks of years of wind and frost, revealed a long-lost look of simple guilt as he hunched over and handed over the items with both hands.

Lu Zhenyu took it and, before leaving, reminded him, "You must see a doctor; health is important."

Upon hearing this, the old man's yellowed eyes widened for a moment, then he gave a bitter smile and waved his hand, "I'm old, I won't live for many more days anyway, I won't spend that money. It's better to leave the money to the children than to waste it on me."

Just as Lu Zhenyu was about to leave, she turned back, her expression serious. "The child's life is precious, and so is yours. Grandpa, there is more hope as long as we are alive."

The old man was stunned by these words, and when he looked up again, the person had already walked away quickly.

His aged hand touched the hard lump on his chest, and only then did he come to his senses and call out, "Young lady, what's your name?"

Lu Zhenyu, who was making a phone call, turned around and said to him, "Call me Zhen Si."

The "zhen" in "zhen'ai de" (珍爱的珍) and the "si" in "chen jing si" (沉京肆).

Turning to the phone, she said, "Yaya, there's an elderly scavenger here. Send me his location so you can come over and handle it."

“There may be many other children in need of assistance behind him. You and your team should make contact with them and try to get their consent to take them into our orphanage so that they can receive a good education.”

Not long after, the old man who was still picking up bottles by the roadside was carried back into the car by men in black who got out of a van without saying a word.

Passersby watched and thought, "These days, instead of kidnapping children and women, they've started robbing old men, haven't they?"

The subsequent treatment for the leg injury and the care provided by the Zhenai Charity Team for the orphans the elderly man had been raising were all properly handled.

The old man couldn't remember how much time had passed since then.

He only remembered that reunion. Looking at the girl who had completely changed since their first meeting, he asked her with tears streaming down his face, "Why did you help such a rude and unreasonable old man like me back then?"

Lu Zhenyu smiled and said, "Helping you is helping my past self."

Looking back on those five years, when she was on the verge of despair and losing her will, all she relied on was a sincere "thank you" from someone else.

Let her know that her existence still has value, and then she will go from barely surviving to living a proud and unrestrained life.

_

After parting ways with the elderly woman, Lu Zhenyu quickly reunited with her best friend, Feng Manman.

"Zhenzhen, I've missed you so much, let me give you a good kiss."

The two girls were kissing and hugging in the car. This was a rare moment of genuine laughter for Lu Zhenyu since returning to China.

"Hey, you kissed off my foundation."

The innocent and carefree girl frowned, "You look so haggard, and you've lost so much weight. Why is there a bruise on your lip? Did that Zheng dog bully you?"

Lu Zhenyu sat back down, her smile fading slightly. "If he hadn't hit me, I wouldn't have had the chance to run back. But now is not the time to talk about this. Let's go back to the Shen family first, and I'll get your things for you."

When it comes to important matters, Feng Manman never hesitates. She stepped on the gas and the Rolls-Royce Wraith sped off, arriving at the Shen family home before Shen's mother and the others returned.

"Would you like to come upstairs with me?"

"Forget it." Feng Manman, leaning against the hood of the car, curled her lip in disgust. "This place is unlucky. I'll wait for you here."

If you were to ask Feng Manman what she regrets most in the past five years,

She must have run away abroad recklessly after being heartbroken, which is why she couldn't support her when her own sister got into trouble, and her happiness for the rest of her life was ruined by the Shen family.

Feng Manman truly hates it!

I hate the Shen family, I hate the Zheng family, and I hate even more the villains behind the scenes.

Bored with waiting in place, she tilted her head and looked around with a pout, her gaze settling on a certain spot. With a furrowed brow, she walked over.

"I remember Zhenzhen planted two camellia trees back then, right? Where are the trees now?"

The flower servant, who was arranging yellow roses, only knew that the girl was with Lu Zhenyu, but didn't recognize her.

He muttered to himself, "Where else could it go? It takes up too much space, and its white body is an eyesore. It would have been chopped down long ago."

"What?" Feng Manman, always outspoken, asked, "Who the hell did it?"

She remembered it perfectly: back then, the first thing her friends did after school was to run back to water and fertilize those two trees.

She was overjoyed when the tree blossomed, but she was constantly upset when the tree got sick and infested with insects.

Because she planted those two trees with Shen Jingsi, she truly valued them more than her own life.

"His grandfather just chopped him up like that?"

Hua Pu glanced at him coldly and said, "Miss, please watch your words. This is the Shen residence. Does our young master need to ask you for permission to cut down a few trees?"

Did Shen Jing slash indiscriminately?

Looking at the servant girl again, Feng Manman's expression was mocking, and the evil in her eyes deepened. "I didn't know that after the Shen family sold other people's daughters for personal gain, even their servants became so arrogant."

The servant girl understood what the Shen family meant since they only had one daughter. "Miss, please be kind with your words. Our master and mistress have never wronged Madam Zheng."

The entire capital city witnessed who was the ungrateful wretch back then.

The servant spoke with conviction and reason, raising his voice and attracting the attention of the surrounding servants.

The crowd that gathered around started chattering, "Who is this woman? The ladies aren't here, how did she get in?"

"I just saw someone surnamed Lu get out of her car; the two are probably friends."

"A friend of Madam Zheng." The servant's expression changed in the blink of an eye, and he glanced at Feng Manman, who was standing there alone, with disdain on his face.

“Miss, although Madam Zheng is now backed by the Zheng family, we are just some servants of the Shen family. We dare not offend her, so please don’t make things difficult for us.”

"That's right. This young lady just said that our master and mistress sold their daughter for personal gain. Heavens above, who is the heartless one who is the first to flee when disaster strikes?"

"Besides, you really think highly of your sister. Selling her will bring glory to the Shen family. Do you really think of her as Yang Guifei?"

The servant who spoke had his lips practically pursed to the sky, "Our Shen family is where it is today because of the strength of each generation of family heads. Miss Xiaoxi hasn't even claimed the credit yet, and this orphan with no parents and no backing is already trying to steal the credit."

The servants, gathered together, chattered amongst themselves, their faces contemptuous and mocking, practically strutting around with their heels on the ground.

Feng Manman stood there alone, seemingly outnumbered, but her aura was not inferior.

A sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips as he strode out arrogantly, "Have you all finished barking like dogs?"

Upon hearing this, the servant girl was furious. "How dare you utter such arrogant words? Although we are servants, we also have dignity. The madam, the master, and the young mistress all show us respect. How dare you humiliate us!"

Feng Manman chuckled, not even bothering to lift her eyelids. "After wearing a human skin for two days, you really think you're something special. You know you're just a servant, yet you still dare to fart in front of your master?"

Mentioning Duan Xi'er, the disgust in her eyes deepened even more. "Young Madam, you mean that two-faced scheming bitch? She really is a perfect match for the Shen family's family values. They're all disgusting little people in cahoots!"

"What did you say?!"

They actually cursed their wife and husband!

The servants were furious. "Hurry up and go fetch the steward! Even if you're the King of Heaven himself, let alone Madam Zheng's friend, we won't let this slander against the Shen family go unpunished!"

Seeing that some quick-footed people had gone to find the housekeeper, Feng Manman was happy to relax. She plopped down on the flower bed, propped herself up with her hands behind her, and crossed her legs.

"Is calling the housekeeper enough? Or you could call your young master Shen first, and it would be better to call Shen Jinchuan as well. Tell him that there's some arrogant woman named Feng Manman waiting for him here. If she doesn't come, she'll die."

The servants' faces darkened!

They actually wanted their young master Jin Chuan to die! The world is going to the dogs and people are corrupt!

"Do you think you can just see our eldest and second young masters whenever you want!"

"That's right, don't tell me she's in cahoots with your sister. One of them has gotten on good terms with the Zheng family, and the other is trying to get on good terms with our Shen family."

Feng Manman pouted, "Yes~ I really can't afford to be associated with you."

What are you talking about?

Lu Zhenyu walked down the steps.

The servants sneered.

“Madam Zheng, you should really keep an eye on your friend. She just pointed her finger at you and started yelling at you.”

That address of "Madam Zheng" was utterly disdainful.

Feng Manman pulled Lu Zhenyu behind her, "Zhenzhen, don't worry about what happened today. I'll just sit here and wait for that bastard Shen Jingsi to come back so I can have a good talk with him."

"What kind of theory do you have? The truth doesn't lie with you!"

Hua Pu, relying on the growing number of people behind him, shouted his words.

Lu Zhenyu remained expressionless. "Then tell me, what's your reasoning?"

The servant who had spoken ill of her on the back hill that day sneered, "Back when your family fell on hard times and you had nowhere to go, it was our master and mistress who took you in, wasn't it?"