Chapter 25

When Lu Chen’s father died in the line of duty, shortly after, his mother passed away after giving birth to him. At that time, the Lu family was overwhelmed with grief, with both the death of elders and the arrival of a newborn. Not just their family, but the entire brigade had their hands full dealing with everything.

Because of this, no one paid attention to the so-called “belongings” of Lu Chen’s parents. No one thought about it.

As for later on, the Lu family never mentioned anything regarding this matter, and the others didn’t know about it either.

Moreover, during that time, most families lived in poor conditions, so the concept of “belongings” was not something people typically talked about.

So when the crowd heard Lu Chen mention this, their first reactions were shock and curiosity.

On the other hand, Lu Dashan and his wife were immediately nervous and flustered. How could this brat mention such things in front of so many people?

These were internal family matters. It should have been solved privately, but now, if others found out that they had kept his parents’ belongings all these years and didn’t give them to him, their reputation would be ruined!

“Lu Chen, let’s talk at home! We’ve already explained this to you. There’s a reason behind everything. Why can’t you understand our difficulties?”

“You grew up without parents. If it weren’t for me and your Aunt helping you, do you think you’d be alive today? We raised you as if you were our own son. And now that you’ve grown up, you’ve turned your back on us!”

“You shouldn’t be so ungrateful, Lu Chen!”

Lu Dashan kept bringing up the past, especially how they had raised Lu Chen from infancy, taking care of him as their own, all the while tearing up and seeming quite emotional.

The onlookers, seeing his tears, couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

Yes, no matter what else had happened, just the fact that Lu Dashan had raised his nephew, Lu Chen, made it hard for Lu Chen to criticize him.

Just as the situation seemed to be turning in their favor, an elderly voice came from the crowd.

“You two are the ones who raised Lu Chen? Do you dare to say this in front of your old lady?”

This old lady was a good friend of Lu Chen’s grandmother. She had often scolded Lu Dashan and his wife behind their backs for their inhumane behavior.

When Lu Chen’s grandmother’s younger son and daughter-in-law passed away, she was devastated, almost falling ill herself. But when she saw her newborn grandson, she realized that if she didn’t stay strong, he might not have a future.

She knew that Lu Dashan and his wife were too selfish to take care of Lu Chen, so she took it upon herself to raise him.

Lu Dashan and his wife didn’t help at all. In fact, they said there wasn’t enough food in the house for another mouth to feed, so they forced the grandmother to pay for Lu Chen’s upbringing out of her own pocket.

If she didn’t, they would not have given him a single grain of rice.

The old lady often cried at night because of this matter, crying why she gave birth to such a heartless son, and also crying why her little grandson had such a miserable life.

But after the crying, she had no choice but to take the money her youngest son had left her for retirement and use it to raise Lu Chen. It was supposed to be for her grandson, but most of it was actually spent by Lu Dashan’s family.

After all, no matter how angry she was, she was old and could only live and eat with her son and daughter-in-law. Otherwise, as an old lady, she would not be able to live a peaceful life with a newborn baby.

In the end, it was precisely because the old lady had some money that Lu Dashan and his wife turned a blind eye to Lu Chen living in their house.

Later, no one knew how Lu Dashan and his wife got lucky, but they actually built a new house. They had originally planned to leave the old lady and Lu Chen in the old house. No one knew what the old lady said to them in tears and anger, but in the end, no matter how reluctant Lu Dashan and his wife were, they still took the two of them in and lived in the new house.

However, while they gave them a room, the treatment didn’t change much from before.

As Lu Chen grew older and had to help with the work at home and learn to work outside, his life remained stable, though far from ideal. He grew up into a teenager, but when the old lady passed away, he was sent to the old house because Lu Dashan claimed that he was old enough to be independent.

Lu Dashan even made it seem like a huge sacrifice, offering up the old house for Lu Chen. The house was good, with many rooms and its own yard, which was something the brothers had originally shared. By giving it up, Lu Dashan did make some sacrifice.

That’s why people didn’t criticize him too much for sending Lu Chen to the old house after his grandmother passed.

After all, Lu Chen had a spacious yard. It wasn’t like he was being mistreated.

The old lady had never wanted to interfere. After all, Lu Chen hadn’t said anything himself, so it would have seemed out of place for her to speak out against Lu Dashan and his wife. But hearing all of this, she couldn’t stay silent anymore.

But at this moment, seeing Lu Chen finally step forward and just having witnessed him go to get medicine for her daughter, what a kind hearted young man he was! If the truth of what happened back then was not revealed now, she felt like even heaven would blame her!

That’s right, this old lady was not only an old friend of Grandma Lu, but also Lin Xiuzhi’s mohter. However, she lived in the neighboring brigade and couldn’t visit every day, so she only found out that her daughter, Lin Xiuzhi, was sick now.

Fortunately, as soon as she arrived, she saw Lu Chen bringing Dabao to the commune health center to get medicine. She hurried over to thank him, and just happened to run into this situation.

Since they were all from the nearby area, the villagers naturally recognized the old lady from the Lin family and recalled her close relationship with Grandma Lu in the past.

“Lu Dashan, when your mother was alive, did Lu Chen ever eat your food or accept a single penny from you? Instead, you and your wife threatened your mother for money, saying if she didn’t give it, she couldn’t care for Lu Chen!”

“Your mother, at her old age, still had to live depending on the two of you, even though she worked hard and spent money caring for the family and raising her grandson. And this is how you repay her?”

“Lu Dashan, are you even human? Aren’t you afraid of heavenly retribution?!”

The old lady’s voice was loud and clear, like thunder crashing in everyone’s ears. Everyone was stunned and shocked by this revelation.

No one knew the details of the Lu family’s past. After all, the old lady always believed that family shame should never be aired outside. So, even though her son and daughter-in-law had been too much, she only confided in her old friend.

Now, the hidden story was being exposed, and the crowd was having a hard time imagining how heartless Lu Dashan and his wife must have been!

While people were discussing Lu Dashan and his wife, Lu Chen turned and nodded slightly to the old lady from the Lin family, quietly expressing his gratitude. He then quickly moved through the crowd and arrived in front of Meng Yinyin. He only relaxed when he confirmed she wasn’t injured.

Although, outwardly, Meng Yinyin seemed fine, Lu Chen was still worried. Especially since Meng Yinyin’s face was puffed up with anger, her lips tightly pressed together, clearly unhappy.

Lu Chen furrowed his brow but spoke in a soft voice.

“Are you scared?”

Meng Yinyin snapped back to reality upon hearing his voice, shaking her head. Her gaze softened, and a hint of pity appeared in her eyes as she looked at him.

“They’ve really gone too far in the past!”

She was angry because of what she had just heard from the old lady. Before, she had only thought that Lu Dashan and his wife liked to take advantage of Lu Chen and made him work for free. But she never expected that the unfair treatment Lu Chen had suffered was much worse than she had imagined!

What kind of life had he lived back then? It had been so hard for him.

In that moment, if it weren’t for the situation being so inappropriate, Meng Yinyin really wanted to give Lu Chen a hug.

At this moment, she genuinely felt heartbroken for him.

How could Lu Chen not see what the little girl was thinking? It was just that for him, those things happened too long ago, or he had already gotten used to it, so he didn’t feel bad about it.

But seeing Meng Yinyin standing up for him filled his heart with warmth, and his anger towards Lu Dashan and his wife started to fade.

“I’m fine, really.”

Even if something had happened, it was already in the past. He didn’t want to continue making Meng Yinyin sad or upset for him.

Seeing that he really wasn’t bothered by the past, Meng Yinyin felt a bit better. Then she remembered the letter in her hand and quickly handed it to him.

“By the way, there’s a letter for you. It’s from the army.”

As soon as she spoke, Lu Chen, who had seemed calm just a moment ago, suddenly had a change in his expression. He quickly took the letter from her and tore it open.

His tall figure, coupled with the fact that his focus was entirely on the letter, meant that the letter was held higher than what was comfortable for Meng Yinyin to read. She couldn’t see what was written on it.

However, she could clearly see that Lu Chen’s face went from tense and serious to one of anger and sadness.

Meng Yinyin’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively knew that the content of the letter was very important to Lu Chen, possibly something serious.

Lu Chen read through the letter quickly, and his fingers tightened around it so hard that they turned white. After he finished reading, he looked over at Lu Dashan and his wife, who were surrounded by the crowd. The hatred and ridicule in his gaze sent a chill down Meng Yinyin’s spine.

She instinctively felt that something big was about to happen.

But to her surprise, Lu Chen quickly looked away, adjusted his expression, and carefully folded the letter before returning to his usual calm demeanor.

Meng Yinyin frowned, completely unsure of what had just happened.

Lu Chen hesitated for a moment before saying four simple words.

“It’s not time yet.”

Because the letter mentioned that the organization would send someone to investigate the matter.

If the situation matched what Lu Chen had said, they would severely punish anyone who had illegally occupied military families’ money and resources.

Meng Yinyin wasn’t sure whether he was referring to the time when he would explain things to her or the time when the situation in the letter would be addressed.

But since Lu Chen wasn’t planning to explain to her now, she figured there must be his own reasons. Meng Yinyin wasn’t the type to pry into others’ private matters, so she just nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.

On the other side, Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua were being heavily criticized due to the information that the old lady from the Lin family had exposed. They wanted to argue back, but just as they were about to, they saw Lu Chen staring coldly at them, as if warning them that if they dared to lie, he would expose them on the spot.

Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua had now come to realize just how difficult Lu Chen was to deal with. He had changed, and now he had finally shown his true colors!

Both of them were seething with anger but dared not make a move due to the number of people around. They could only slink back into the house, making sure to tightly close the door behind them.

As soon as the couple had slipped away, the rest of the people could only disperse as well.

However, before they left, many of them couldn’t help but steal another glance at Lu Chen. At that moment, the way they looked at him was very complicated. Compared to the usual fear and disgust, there was now a touch of pity in their eyes.

Lu Chen ignored them all. Seeing that it was getting late, he suggested escorting Meng Yinyin back to the Educated Youth point.

“Forget it, it’s just a few steps away, I can go back by myself.”

She wasn’t the type to get lost over a few steps, so Lu Chen didn’t insist.

Before leaving, Meng Yinyin reminded him about cleaning the house.

Lu Chen nodded in acknowledgment and watched her leave.

That night, Meng Yinyin had trouble sleeping, overwhelmed with excitement.

First, because she was about to leave the Educated Youth point and move into a spacious and comfortable house. Secondly, because her brother might come to visit her soon.

This good mood lasted until the next afternoon, when she went with Lu Chen to his house to choose a room and clean it.

Lu Chen had originally intended to give his own room to Meng Yinyin and pick another one for himself, but Meng Yinyin refused.

His room was the cleanest and most well-kept one, since it had been lived in for a long time. But to Meng Yinyin, the other two rooms were equally spacious, just needing a little cleaning. Besides, if she made Lu Chen move into another room, wouldn’t that be taking over his place? She wasn’t bold enough for that.

Unable to convince her, Lu Chen finally gave in and let her choose the room on the left. It had a bed and a desk, but it lacked a wardrobe and had some dust.

Lu Chen said he would make time to help her build a wardrobe, while Meng Yinyin assured him she could handle the dust herself.

After all, she didn’t have to work for the next few days, so cleaning the room would be no problem.

Seeing that she was determined to do it herself, Lu Chen gave her the key to the house, telling her she could come over to clean her room whenever she wanted.

With the key in hand, Meng Yinyin was even happier and couldn’t help but say, “Lu Chen, you’re such a good person!”

Lu Chen didn’t know how to respond, so he remained silent.

Fortunately, Meng Yinyin was used to his silence and didn’t mind.

Over the next few days, whenever she had free time, Meng Yinyin would come over to take care of her future room, cleaning happily every day.

Lu Chen, on the other hand, would finish his work early and go to the brigade leader to request permission to cut a few trees. During his break, he would help Meng Yinyin build the wardrobe.

People in the brigade who were paying attention quickly noticed this, and they guessed that Meng Yinyin would soon be moving into Lu Chen’s house. This made it clear to everyone that the two were definitely together.

A few days passed quickly, and Meng Yinyin’s room was cleaned, and the wardrobe was finished. She decided to move all her things from the Educated Youth point the next day.

Lu Chen had no objections, but he asked if she had a lot of things. If so, he would help her move them.

But Meng Yinyin said there wasn’t much, and she could handle it herself.

“Alright, just be careful,” Lu Chen said.

The next morning, Meng Yinyin woke up early, packed the last of her things from the Educated Youth point, and cheerfully carried her box to Lu Chen’s house.

It took Yu Xiaoyu several days to come to terms with the fact that Meng Yinyin was moving into Lu Chen’s house.

Even though Meng Yinyin repeatedly assured her that she would take care of herself and would not be bullied, Yu Xiaoyu still worried. After spending so much time with her, she had come to see through Meng Yinyin’s personality. On the surface, she was willful and arrogant, but in reality, she was just a paper tiger—someone who only scared the ignorant and would back down when faced with someone tougher.

She could easily scare those who didn’t know better, but once confronted by someone stronger, she would certainly back down!

But seeing that Meng Yinyin was determined to move, Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t stop her. She could only remind her to hide her true intentions and not let Lu Chen find out.

Of course, she also warned her to maintain a proper distance from Lu Chen and not let him take advantage of her!

Meng Yinyin felt too embarrassed to tell her that it was she who had been taking advantage of Lu Chen, enjoying all the meat and fruit he had given her. She had been living a carefree and happy life.

On the other hand, what could Lu Chen take from her?

She didn’t have any meat or tickets, and while she had a little money, it wasn’t much. In fact, Lu Chen could probably make that much just by selling the meat.

So when she thought about it, there was nothing on her that Lu Chen would even want!

She couldn’t understand why Yu Xiaoyu was so worried. It was just like her father, always overthinking things!

With that thought, Meng Yinyin cheerfully carried her box and skipped away, her back fading from Yu Xiaoyu’s view like an innocent little white rabbit.

At the same time, a train slowly pulled into the station.

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Ayalee: Happy New year everyone! 🎊