Chapter 107 Can we even stay in this house anymore...?
At first, Lu Chang dared to stand up to his older brother, but as time went on, his legs became weak and his eyes became unfocused.
What does it mean that the eldest brother is silent?
I was the one who was supposed to question my older brother, so why does it seem like he's the one who's in the wrong now?
“Brother, that Chen Enzhi is full of bad intentions. Why did you marry your little sister to him? When did you become so easily manipulated? It’s not like our Lu family can’t afford to raise a child.”
That's going to provoke him. He's improved. Lu Lin sneered, "After being absent from work for so many days, this is all the stuff you've found out?"
Lu Chang looked down at his toes: "I took the day off."
Lu Lin slammed his hand on the table, startling him so much that he jumped.
“If you don’t want to work in the government, just quit. Don’t let people think you’re freeloading. Count how many days off you’ve taken these past few months. You’ve spent half your time on leave. Your boss can’t reach you and calls to ask if something happened at home. They’re planning to come and offer their condolences, and you…” Lu Lin’s fingers trembled, too angry to speak.
This was the first time Lu Lin had ever been cornered, and just thinking about it made him furious.
Lu Chang buried his head in his chest: "He misunderstood."
At the time, I wanted to investigate Chen Enzhi and my younger sister's matter, so I casually mentioned that it was a matter of life and death, but who knew that people would misunderstand!
You can't really blame him for this.
"I'm just concerned about my little sister." It's because her older brother was so insistent on marrying her off to the Chen family.
"Big brother, why don't we cancel the wedding? I'll raise my little sister's child, and we'll just say it's my child."
Lu Lin gave him a disdainful look, not even bothering to mock him anymore: "Your idea is really good, you can sit at the same table as your sister-in-law."
His child, he had an illegitimate child, does that make the Lu family look good?
"Don't you care about your reputation? Does the Lu family still care about saving face?"
The wedding was almost finalized, and he wanted to cancel it with just one sentence. How would the Lu family explain this to the Chen family?
“Dad will arrive in two days. Do you want to talk to him in person?”
Lu Chang lowered his head and kicked his feet, remaining silent. He didn't have the guts to do it himself, but he couldn't swallow the thought of marrying his younger sister off like this. Chen Enzhi was cunning and scheming; perhaps it was all part of his plan.
"Yes, that's it!" He looked up, his eyes gleaming. "Big brother, Chen Enzhi definitely set a trap for our Lu family. He probably knew about my little sister's disappearance a long time ago. He did it on purpose..."
If that's true, Chen Enzhi is too wicked. How could my younger sister marry him!
Lu Lin: "You're right. He knew that Xiaomei had been abducted by human traffickers, so he waited there. What's more, he even arranged for the human traffickers to come to Jincheng from Wuxian. He knew that Xiaomei was going to come to Jincheng from Wuxian, so he arranged for someone to intercept her on the train. Is that what you mean?"
Lu Chang nodded at first, but when he saw his elder brother's face turn ashen, he suddenly had a bad feeling and subconsciously took two steps back. A book flew towards him and hit the wall with a thud.
"Have you lost your mind! You spent days investigating and this is all you found? Do you think the Chen family is easy to bully and can be charged with whatever crimes you want?"
Lu Chang kept his head down, still unconvinced, and said, "Anyway, I don't think Chen Enzhi is a good match."
Lu Lin was furious and started talking nonsense: "I don't want you to marry me! Why are you worrying about this?"
Lu Chang couldn't believe it: "Big brother, that's my sister's life! How can you treat it so lightly!"
Lu Lin rubbed his forehead, his head throbbing with anger: "You don't need to worry about this. Just focus on getting your little sister married."
Seeing that Lu Chang was about to speak, he glared at him warningly: "Don't cause trouble. The elders of the Chen family are all here. If things get ugly, you know what I'm capable of."
“Your brain isn’t just for show, think it over carefully. Not everything can be done your way. You feel sorry for your little sister, but I don’t. Chen Enzhi isn’t that bad.” It’s just that there are some things he can’t say to his impulsive younger brother.
Lu Chang dared not speak out in anger, tilting his head and sticking out his neck, still feeling resentful.
There was a gentle knock on the door three times, and Shen Rong poked his head in.
"Let's talk this out, don't resort to violence. I hear some commotion."
Lu Lin's expression immediately changed, and he smiled gently at her: "I know, I'm trying to reason with him."
Lu Chang's eyes darted between the two men, and suddenly an idea struck him.
As if she had found a powerful backer, she walked towards Shen Rong, her voice full of grievance: "Sister-in-law, my brother is going to hit me. He just threatened me. Please do something about him."
Lu Lin narrowed his eyes as he heard him turn the tables on Lu Lin.
Lu Chang pretended to be frightened and hid behind Shen Rong: "Sister-in-law, look, my brother is just so domineering and authoritarian. I was just telling the truth, and he got angry and embarrassed."
He pushed Shen Rong forward, blocking Lu Lin's murderous gaze.
"Let's talk this out." Shen Rong stopped Lu Lin and turned to comfort Lu Chang: "Your older brother is just joking with you. Go back to your room and see. Gui Chun has tidied up for you. Go put your things away before you come out to eat."
Lu Chang made a face at Lu Lin and flattered Chen Rong in a low voice: "Sister-in-law is the best. Luckily, this family has her, otherwise we really couldn't survive."
That's such an exaggeration! Why doesn't she believe it? Shen Rong laughed awkwardly.
Seeing his elder brother's dark face, Lu Chang felt better than ever before. With his sister-in-law around, how could he be afraid of his elder brother's methods?
Humming a little tune, he was in a good mood as he prepared to go upstairs when he saw Lu Xuan reading a book alone. He went over and patted her on the shoulder.
"Third Brother." Lu Xuan looked up in surprise, glanced at the study, and asked him in a low voice, "Did Eldest Brother scold you?"
"How could that be?" he stubbornly insisted, refusing to show any weakness in front of his sister.
But Lu Xuan seemed to see through his act and deliberately exposed him: "If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have asked my sister-in-law to help you just now."
Lu Chang chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder: "Good sister, it's no wonder your third brother treats you so well. But tell me, are you really willing to get married? That Chen Enzhi looks just like your eldest brother. Aren't you most afraid of men with deep schemes?"
Lu Xuan lowered her head, gripping the sofa tightly, and softly hummed in response.
My sister-in-law said we shouldn't tell anyone about the divorce yet, since neither of our elders knows about it. If it gets leaked beforehand, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
My third brother is a big mouth; if he finds out, he won't be able to keep it a secret.
"I'm sorry, Third Brother!" Lu Xuan gave him an apologetic look.
In the study, Shen Rong was also asking Lu Lin about this matter.
"Didn't you explain it clearly to your third brother?"
Lu Lin shook his head: "There are some things I don't need to tell him."
Shen Rong nodded. That's true. They can't just announce everywhere that they'll get divorced in a year, can they? Is the marriage fake? No, the marriage is real. Whether they get divorced or not depends on Lu Xuan.
"So what did you talk about?"
Lu Lin recounted how Lu Chang had skipped work these past few days to investigate Chen Enzhi, and also shared his suspicions about Chen Enzhi.
Shen Rong asked him, "Did you ever suspect that Chen Enzhi was deliberately plotting against you?"
Lu Lin smiled slightly. Suspicion?
He had no need to doubt it at all. He knew Chen Enzhi all too well what kind of person he was. From the very beginning, he knew that Chen Enzhi couldn't possibly be innocent in Lu Xuan's affair.
He sneered that the excuse of being drunk and having a chance encounter could only be used on a kind and innocent person like his wife. Lu Xuan might be drugged and unaware of anything, but Chen Enzhi was certainly not innocent.
Who is Chen Enzhi? Would he leave an opportunity for someone to scheme against him? If it were that easy, the Chen family would already be full of children and grandchildren.
He probably already recognized her as Lu Xuan, and was just going along with it without resisting. Lu Xuan is just a little girl, and she's not easy to coax. After this incident, what better solution could the Lu and Chen families have than a marriage alliance?
He probably didn't expect that Lu Xuan was afraid of him and very resistant to the marriage, even avoiding him. That's why he sent people to keep an eye on Lu Xuan, and then learned about her pregnancy and that Shen Rong was planning to take her abroad.
Chen Enzhi panicked, thinking it was an arrangement by the Lu family, and decided to take a desperate gamble and go to Lu Lin to confess.
But these were all his speculations, without any evidence, so there was no need to tell them.
Lu Lin changed the subject and brought up the house, but after only a few words, the door was pounded on.
Xiao Ming woke up and wanted to see his parents.
Lu Lin opened the door and looked down at his son. Xiao Ming raised his little fist, grinned, and grabbed his leg, climbing up and calling out, "Daddy, hug me."
Lu Lin pulled him into his arms, and Shen Rong held his little hand and kissed it.
Shen's mother called them to go eat.
The family of three went to the dining room, where all the Lu siblings were present. It was the first time the Shen family had used a large dining table, and the large number of people made it lively, much to the delight of Shen's mother.
During the meal, Mr. Shen asked them how the house search was going.
Lu Lin explained the situation: "There's a decent building, but the owner doesn't really want to sell it. I'm thinking of renting it first."
Shen Jiashi shook his head: "Renting that place is not cost-effective. The rent is two or three hundred yuan a month. And you won't be staying there for long. After my sister's wedding, are you going to move out with my sister and nephew? Actually, I think it's unnecessary. It's not like we can't fit everyone in the house. We don't live in the same building, so what's the difference?"
The Shen family's house was very large, consisting of two buildings, one in front and one in back. The Shen family of three lived in the main building in front, and Lu Lin also lived in the front thanks to his wife. The Lu brothers lived in the back, and the Lu family elders also lived in the back when they visited before.
It was rare for his son to speak so reliably, and Mr. Shen gave him an approving look.
“That’s what I meant too, living here is the same…” He was halfway through his sentence when his mother pulled him back.
Mother Shen glanced at the father and son, somewhat speechless: "Don't make things difficult for your son-in-law. This isn't about where to live; your in-laws don't want the marriage to be sent from the Shen family."
The older generation has some superstitions and feels that it's not good to marry into another family.
She turned to her son-in-law and said, "Since there isn't a suitable one right now, we don't need to buy or rent. We have a small villa near Shuangqiaomen. Lu Xuan can get married from there. If you really want to be particular, then just give me the rent."
Shen Rong's eyes lit up as she looked at Lu Lin.
Mr. Shen also remembered the house, but when it came to why he should charge rent, he glanced at his wife disapprovingly: "This house was purchased a few years ago and has never been lived in. It's all new. It was originally planned for the siblings to live in. So, I'll have someone transfer the ownership to Rongrong tomorrow."
This house can now be considered part of the Lu family's property, making it perfectly legitimate for Lu Xuan to marry here.
What an unexpected windfall! Such a wonderful thing! Shen Rong was overjoyed. Lu Lin wanted to refuse, but Shen Rong wouldn't let him.
"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."
Lu Lin was helpless. Shen's father smiled at his son-in-law and said, "It's not up to you to refuse the things I give my daughter."
Shen Jia said sourly from the side, "You're right, I'm really envious."
He looked at his mother with a hint of sorrow: "Mom, why didn't you give birth to me as a daughter? Mom, is it possible that you're mistaken, and that I'm actually your eldest daughter?"
He wants a house too!
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and Mother Shen gave him a hard whack with her chopsticks: "Don't try to fool me."
Father Shen glared at him and said, "All you know is to be jealous of your sister. The Shen family has so much wealth, how much did your sister take? You have the nerve to compete with her!"
Shen Rong wrinkled her nose and chimed in from the side: "That's right, Dad, brother is getting the benefit and then acting innocent."
She then mentioned how pitiful she was, and her father, caught off guard, took out some pocket money from his private stash.
Shen Jiashi glared, wondering who was being hypocritical. He still had to wait until his father retired to get his hands on the Shen family's wealth, while Shen Rong could squander it much earlier.
He's called the eldest son of the Shen family, but in reality, he doesn't even have as much private money as his sister. Even his salary is deducted by his father, who claims it's to save it for him.
Lu Lin, while holding his wife's hand, awkwardly smiled apologetically at his brother-in-law.
Please excuse my poor wife; she's a real money-grubber whose daily hobby is swindling pocket money from everyone.
The Lu siblings lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter. They had always known that their sister-in-law was not short of money, but they never expected to truly feel for the first time how easily she obtained this pocket money.
Compared to the Shen family's lavish upbringing of their daughter, Lu Xuan's life was rather meager.
Lu Chang gave his older brother a meaningful look, thinking that his brother was quite likely to be a kept man!
...
In the end, the house ended up in Shen Rong's hands. Zhang Ma and Gui Chun went to tidy up first, and the Lu siblings also moved in first, leaving the Shen family somewhat deserted for a while.
After the excitement, she couldn't stand the quiet. Even Chen's mother was a little unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, her grandson was still staying here for the time being.
Hearing her sighing all the time, Shen's father got a little angry: "If you want things to be lively, you should get your eldest son married sooner."
Mother Shen retorted sarcastically, "Why don't you ask your eldest son to get married!"
It seems that the two men's sons are not the same person.
Thinking of their unreliable son, the two sighed in unison. Why was it so difficult for Shen Jiashi to find a wife?
I don't know how many people I've asked to help matchmake, but I still haven't found a suitable one. I don't know when I'll be able to see my daughter-in-law enter the family or hold my grandchildren!
The mother was so distressed that she lost her appetite that night and found fault with everything her son did.
If he weren't our only son, I'd really like to kick him out of the house. It's shameful that he's so old and still unmarried!
The couple reached an agreement for the first time regarding their son.
Chen's mother nagged at her son, "When you have time, go out and see those girls, watch a movie, have some coffee, or go dancing. What kind of person are you, spending all your time with Lu Chang? He's a man!"
Shen Jiashi's eyes widened in fright: "Mom, what are you thinking? Chunshan and I get along well, but I can't get along with those pampered young ladies."
Father Shen sneered: "Yes, birds of a feather flock together. Of course, they can get along if they're both spoiled brats."
Shen Jiashi kept his head down and ate his rice, not daring to say a word for fear of getting into trouble. But even though he was being careful, his father still ruthlessly cut off his allowance again.
Can we even stay in this place anymore?!
Shen Jiashi once again regretted not being born a girl. How wonderful it would be if he were a daughter! Look at the life Shen Rong lives; when she's short of money, she just has to act cute and the old man will give her lots of money.
His grief was immense, but he dared only swallow his tears.
It's my own fault for caring about saving face!
***
Lu Lin has been quite busy with official duties these past few days, so he left the task of picking up his parents from the auto show to Lu You and Lu Chang.
Aunt Fei also came along this time, and she was so excited to see her son that she touched him again and again.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Lu Chang looked around, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I can’t even touch my son yet,” Aunt Fei spat at him.
The luggage was already packed, and Aunt Fei hurriedly went up to serve Lu's mother and father.
Lu's mother smiled and waved her hand: "Alright, you must be tired from the journey. You and Chunshan haven't seen each other for a long time. Mother and son, sit in the two cars in the back and have a heart-to-heart talk."
Lu Chang wore a bitter face. He didn't want to have any intimate conversations with his mother, Aunt Fei, who only had a lot of nagging to say.
"Auntie..." Lu Chang was about to cry.
Mr. Lu glanced at his son and said coldly, "Go."
Lu Chang dared not say a word, while Aunt Fei happily pulled her son's arm and went to the back car.
As soon as he sat down, he began interrogating his son about his life in Jincheng, and then asked if things were going well at work and how his boss treated him.
"It's all good, Mom. Don't worry, with my older brother here, I can walk sideways in Jincheng, okay?" Lu Chang asked a few questions and then became a little impatient.
"You brat, I'm just worried about you. If you were half as capable as your older brother, I wouldn't have to worry."
When he went to study in Japan, he said he wanted to take his older brother as a role model. How come he's become so lazy and idle like a spoiled young master since he came back?
"You'd better watch out, or the master will arrest you and take you back."
These words successfully intimidated Lu Chang, who became nervous: "Mom, is Dad really going to take me back?"
Aunt Fei found her son's cowardly behavior amusing: "Now you know fear? Why don't you do your job properly and make something of yourself to show the old man?"
Judging from my mom's tone, I knew it was a false alarm.
Lu Chang leaned back, his expression relaxing. "I'm not doing this for anyone's sake, Mom. Don't worry, I'm doing what I believe is right very seriously!"
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Aunt Fei couldn't help but slap him again: "The Lu family has never had a playboy."
Lu Chang sat up straight after being hit by her, and begged for mercy: "I was wrong, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say."
The car made several turns and eventually entered the Western-style building that Shen Rong had just acquired.
Aunt Fei's eyes were full of envy as she pulled her son aside and whispered, "If only you could find a family like the Shen family as your in-laws."
Then her son will be very fortunate, and she will also benefit from it.
Lu Chang was startled: "Do you think everyone is as lucky as my older brother?"
Aunt Fei, however, misunderstood: "It's my fault for making you a concubine."
He said that, but there was no trace of apology on his face.
Lu Chang was speechless: "Mom, nowadays it's all about whether a person has talent. Humph, maybe a rich family's daughter really has taken a fancy to me and is desperate to marry me."
Aunt Fei was amused by him, as if she had heard a joke: "Nonsense, is he blind?"
Is she her biological mother?
Shen Rong and Jiang Yufen greeted them at the door, and the family reunited once again.
Looking at her daughter, Lu's mother subtly glanced at her belly, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Lu Xuan hugged her mother and cried, feeling wronged.
Mr. Lu was initially a little angry, but when he saw his daughter's thin face, his heart softened. The child was still young; how could he blame her for something like this?
Blame the human trafficker and Chen Enzhi!
Aunt Fei knew nothing and sincerely stepped forward to congratulate her: "Great news, Fourth Miss! Madam, you mustn't cry. Our Xuan'er is all grown up now." She lovingly stroked Lu Xuan's hair.
The familiar family and their care made Lu Xuan unable to hide her grievances and fear any longer, and she cried even harder while hugging everyone.
"Tomorrow you'll be meeting your in-laws and future son-in-law, Madam, you really can't cry anymore." Aunt Fei had someone fetch water and personally wrung out a handkerchief for Madam Lu.
"Then why do you have to do this kind of work?" Mother Lu took the handkerchief and said to her in a low voice.
Aunt Fei smiled and said, "I've cried my face all swollen too." After she finished speaking, she put another handkerchief on her face and rubbed it.
Lu Xuan slept with her mother that night, and the two talked all night.
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