"What?" Lu Huaijiao turned around.
Gu Changzheng sighed, "You got married."
Lu Huaijiao blinked, not immediately grasping what Gu Changzheng was trying to say.
Gu Changzheng was extremely helpless and could only make things clear at once: "You're married now, and I'm the closest person to you."
"so what?"
"..."
He wasn't sure if she genuinely didn't understand or was just pretending. Gu Changzheng patiently explained, "From now on, you're my responsibility. If you want anything, come to me, not your father-in-law first, understand?"
Lu Huaijiao nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"Did you understand?"
Gu Changzheng confirmed.
Lu Huaijiao said "Oh," and then added, "I roughly understand."
Gu Changzheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Huaijiao tilted her head and added, "I never expected Gu Changzheng to be such a chauvinist. Tsk tsk tsk, I really didn't know."
"..."
Gu Changzheng was completely bewildered, having no idea that his words had anything to do with male chauvinism. And seeing Lu Huaijiao's still teasing expression, he knew she was making fun of him again.
"Lu Huaijiao!"
Gu Changzheng pretended to be angry and his face darkened.
Lu Huaijiao wasn't afraid at all. She made a face at him and ran towards the post office. She wasn't just saying she was going to call her dad; she meant it.
The post office staff were very welcoming to Lu Huaijiao because this beautiful young woman, who was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, would always talk on the phone for a long time whenever she came. In an era when phone calls were more expensive than rice, she naturally left a deep impression on everyone.
Upon seeing Lu Huaijiao, he not only greeted her but also pushed the phone towards her.
“Lu Zhiqing is calling home again.”
"Yes, sister, you look even more beautiful today than a few days ago!" Lu Huaijiao's voice was incredibly sweet. She was so sweet and charming; who could resist such a girl?
Li Fangfang, already a mother of two, was beaming from ear to ear when Lu Huaijiao called her "sister." Her gaze towards Lu Huaijiao was full of affection, while at the same time she was annoyed that she had only given birth to two rascals instead of a delicate and sweet daughter like Lu Huaijiao.
However, when her gaze fell on Lu Huaijiao's profile, she couldn't help but sigh softly. Oh well, neither she nor her husband were good-looking people, so no matter how many children they had, they could never have a daughter like Lu Zhiqing.
Lu Huaijiao was unaware of Li Fangfang's fluctuating emotions. She picked up the phone and, relying on her memory, dialed a number.
The phone rang a few times before being answered at my home in Shanghai.
A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, this is the Lu family. Who is this?"
That voice belonged to their housekeeper. She had worked for the Lu family for many years, and Lu Huaijiao recognized her voice.
"Aunt Qin, it's me, Jiaojiao."
Lu Huaijiao spoke in a soft tone.
Qin Lan paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at her son sitting on the sofa, playing with toys and munching on a snack.
"Aunt Qin?"
Lu Huaijiao didn't hear a reply and couldn't help but wonder, "Are you still listening?"
"Oh, oh, yes, yes. It's Jiaojiao. Are you looking for your husband? He went to work and hasn't come back yet. What can I do for you?"
Qin Lan snapped out of her daze and quickly spoke. Her tone was somewhat flustered, which Lu Huaijiao noticed.
However, she didn't think of anything else; it was because her father had an accident.
"Aunt Qin, what's wrong? Has something happened to my dad?"
"No, no, your dad is working perfectly fine at his job. What could possibly happen to him?" Qin Lan replied with a smile. As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Huaiyu, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly dropped his toys, hugged his neck, and started yelling.
"Huaiyu? You're pregnant? What's wrong?"
Qin Lan panicked and, without saying much to Lu Huaijiao, quickly put down the phone and ran over. She held Lu Huaiyu, who was choking on the snack, and tried to soothe him and give him water.
"Huaiyu, Huaiyu, don't scare Mommy, don't scare Mommy!"
Qin Lan's voice was choked with sobs, tears welling in her eyes. Her heart was completely devoted to her son; she had no idea the phone call hadn't been properly ended.
Her words were clearly heard by Lu Huaijiao on the other end of the phone.
Huaiyu?
Is he Aunt Qin's son? His name sounds a bit like mine!
Before Lu Huaijiao could even process the thought, a child's loud cry came from the other end of the phone, followed by a tearful complaint: "Mommy, is that bad woman calling again? Does she want Daddy to send her money again? Daddy sent her all the money, so I don't have any money left to buy snacks and toys?"
"I don't care, I don't care. All the Lu family's money is mine. I can't give it to that bad woman. I can't give it to her."
The child's strong voice came through the microphone without missing a single word.
Qin Lan's gentle coaxing voice came through: "Huaiyu, don't be angry, Huaiyu, don't be angry. She's married now, she's settled down, so she's embarrassed to keep asking your dad to send money. From now on, all of Dad's money will belong to Huaiyu."
"And all the money that old woman left behind is mine too."
"Yes, it's all for Huaiyu. When Huaiyu grows up, all that money will go to Huaiyu."
The mother and son on the other end of the phone were still talking, but Lu Huaijiao could no longer hear them. As her face grew paler and paler, Gu Changzheng, who was standing nearby, walked over, took the phone from her hand, put it to his ear, listened for a moment, frowned, and hung up.
"How much?"
He asked Li Fangfang, who was standing next to him.
Li Fangfang glanced at it, "Four yuan and fifty cents."
Gu Changzheng took out the money and placed it on the counter. Ignoring Li Fangfang's scrutinizing gaze, he took Lu Huaijiao's hand, who was hanging her head, and walked straight out of the post office to the station to board the bus home.
Throughout the journey, Lu Huaijiao kept looking out the window without saying a word.
Gu Changzheng also had a dark face, with an expression that said "keep away, strangers."
The middle-aged woman who had traveled to the county town with them that morning happened to be on the same bus as them again. She had been watching Lu Huaijiao and Gu Changzheng and noticed that they hadn't said a word since they got on the bus.
She couldn't help but feel secretly pleased; the two of them had indeed failed to reach an agreement and the deal had fallen through.
Should she go over and introduce her to her nephew at this moment? Thinking of the red envelope her nephew had promised, the auntie was tempted and moved closer to Lu Huaijiao and the others.
Before she could even open her mouth, Gu Changzheng's cold glance at her instantly melted away all the words she had to say.
She pouted and snorted.
He muttered to himself, "All he does is act tough and ruthless. No wonder his newlywed wife always has a dark look on her face. I'll laugh when she runs away one day."
Gu Changzheng narrowed his eyes. He didn't argue with the elderly, but that didn't mean he wouldn't argue with gossipy people.
Just as I was about to speak, the ticket seller's voice rang out first.
"We've arrived at Dawan Village. People from Dawan Village, get ready to get off the bus."
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