Chapter 43

Just when Lu Dashan thought Lu Chen’s humiliation and torment had reached its peak, he heard Lu Chen speak again.

“Brigade leader, I think the remaining 1500 yuan should be paid back within a certain period of time.”

“There’s a big difference between five years and fifty years, isn’t there?”

Lu Chen’s face remained expressionless as he finished speaking, but Lu Dashan’s eyes widened in shock, his entire being filled with rage.

“Lu Chen!”

He could no longer restrain his anger and shouted at Lu Chen, his voice filled with despair.

“Are you trying to kill me? That’s 1500 yuan! How am I supposed to gather so much money in such a short time? If you force me to repay it quickly, you’re practically asking for my life!”

“Why don’t I just die right now? Would that satisfy you? Would that make you happy?”

If it weren’t for his weakened body and the presence of so many leaders, Lu Dashan would have rushed forward to fight Lu Chen.

He glared at Lu Chen’s calm and unflinching face, his mind filled with countless regrets. How could he have ever thought Lu Chen was a weak and easily bullied person?

He was a wolf!

A cunning wolf that had been lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.

No matter how angry Lu Dashan became, Lu Chen paid him no attention. Instead, he calmly explained to the brigade leader and the commune leaders.

“He has occupied my father’s compensation money for over twenty years. If you calculate the interest it would have earned in the postal bank and the life of luxury he enjoyed with that money compared to the hardships I endured, setting a repayment deadline isn’t unreasonable.”

Lu Chen’s tone was steady, but his words left the brigade leader and others speechless.

He was right. If Lu Dashan hadn’t taken the compensation money, Lu Chen wouldn’t have suffered through so many years of hardship.

On the other hand, Lu Dashan had lived a comfortable life by using stolen money.

The more they thought about it, the more they felt that asking Lu Dashan to repay the money quickly wasn’t an excessive demand.

Finally, the brigade leader nodded gravely.

“Alright. In that case, you can set the repayment deadline yourself. After all, Lu Dashan is clearly in the wrong here.”

Lu Dashan was stunned. He never expected the brigade leader to agree to Lu Chen’s request so quickly. His eyes widened, and he stood frozen in place.

“Brigade leader, how can you agree to this? You’re pushing me to my death!”

“You know how many work points I earn each year and how little money I get. How can I possibly repay 1500 yuan on my own?”

At that moment, Lu Dashan truly felt like giving up on life.

Everyone present could see that his despair was genuine and not an act.

The brigade leader hesitated, troubled by the situation.

It was indeed a difficult problem, but Lu Chen’s demands were clear and justified.

What could they possibly do now?

Just as everyone was at a loss, Lu Chen spoke again.

“Put his and Jiang Guihua’s work points under my name, and also call Lu Jinbao back to work.”

Even though the three people’s work points were few, by the end of the year, they would still earn over a hundred yuan. If things went this way, maybe in less than ten years, the 1,500 yuan debt could be repaid.

In truth, he knew very well that the remaining 1,500 yuan wouldn’t be repaid anytime soon, but would he really just let Lu Dashan off the hook?

Of course not.

Just because he didn’t say anything didn’t mean he had forgotten.

Especially when he had stayed at Lu Dashan’s house, always treated like a lowly laborer by Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua, and even mocked and teased by his younger cousin, Lu Jinbao. He hadn’t forgotten any of it.

Now, he was just making the entire family experience what he had gone through in the past.

Lu Chen didn’t think he was being unreasonable.

The others thought about it for a moment and agreed that this was a good idea.

After all, Lu Chen was the creditor to the Lu family, and as long as it was within reason and wouldn’t starve them, it was acceptable to let Lu Chen recover as much of his money as possible.

Naturally, Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua strongly objected, but this matter wasn’t for them to decide. The records of the work points and the year-end allocation were managed by the brigade leader and the commune, so once the brigade leader and commune leaders agreed, the matter was settled.

When Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua saw that the brigade leader had agreed, they were filled with despair, but there was one thing they absolutely wouldn’t accept, even if it meant dying—letting their son return to work the land with them!

Their son was a high school student, and one day, if he had the chance, he would settle in the city. How could he return to the countryside?

Although he hadn’t achieved much yet, they believed that good things would come with time, and he would have a bright future.

Afraid that the brigade leader might send their son back to farm, Lu Dashan gritted his teeth and promised that he and Jiang Guihua would make up for the work points and money their son owed.

In other words, they would earn the work points and money of three people to repay Lu Chen.

Fine, since they valued their son so much, Lu Chen wouldn’t insist.

In the end, in front of everyone, Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua’s work points were recorded under Lu Chen’s name, and they had to make up the work points of three people.

Once the compensation was agreed upon, it was time for the move.

Since all the furniture in Lu Dashan’s house was used to pay off the debt, the couple didn’t need to pack much—just a few clothes and personal belongings. With grim faces, they handed over all the keys to Lu Chen before heading to the old house next door.

Of course, even though they moved to the old house, Lu Chen didn’t let them stay in his own rooms. Instead, he gave them a shabby, unclean room next door.

The old house originally had three bedrooms. Lu Chen had lived in one, and then Meng Yinyin moved in, leaving only one room.

This last room hadn’t been used for years, so it was naturally dusty and full of cobwebs.

Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua walked in, immediately greeted by dust and cobwebs.

What angered them even more was that Lu Chen didn’t even lend them a broom; they had to figure out how to clean it themselves!

After handing over the keys to the old house, the brigade leader and the commune leaders left, while Lu Chen, Meng Yinyin and Meng Xuan returned to the old house.

Meng Yinyin frowned as she looked at Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua, who were complaining with dark faces.

She really didn’t like these two, but it seemed like they would be living here permanently, which meant she’d have to see them all the time.

Just thinking about it made Meng Yinyin uneasy.

But she was just a guest in Lu Chen’s house; how could she bring it up to him?

After thinking about it, Meng Yinyin hesitated and glanced at Lu Chen.

When she turned, she unexpectedly met his gaze.

It seemed that Lu Chen had noticed her feelings. He softly said to her, “Don’t worry.”

Although it was just two words, it somehow calmed her uneasy heart.

Then, she saw Lu Chen turn toward her brother, Meng Xuan, and say, “Comrade Meng, there are many rooms next door. You and Educated Youth Meng can pick whichever room you want. Let’s move in today.”

Move in!

She could move in too!?

Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened in surprise, unable to hide her joy.

When she had visited Lu Dashan’s house before, she had admired their place and thought it would be nice to live there. But now, unexpectedly, she was actually moving into this big house!

On the other hand, Meng Xuan, seeing his sister’s reaction, was tempted to sarcastically comment. When they had lived in the city, they had stayed in a two-story house, yet he never saw her this excited.

Tch, as expected, a little happiness makes her so happy.

Meng Xuan couldn’t bear to watch, but he didn’t reject Lu Chen’s offer.

After all, who wouldn’t want to live in a better house?

So, the two siblings didn’t hesitate. They quickly packed their things and moved to the new house next door.

While they were packing, Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua saw them. The couple gritted their teeth in frustration, but there was nothing they could do to stop them.

After all, the yard next door had already become Lu Chen’s, and there was nothing they could do to stop him from letting anyone move in.

However, both of them couldn’t help but curse Lu Chen and Meng Yinyin in their hearts.

But then, they realized that since they were moving next door, the old house would only have the two of them. This could actually be more convenient.

This way, when their son returned, he wouldn’t have to live in such a cramped space.

They really didn’t know how to explain the sudden change in their family’s circumstances to their son. They weren’t sure how to help him accept it.

If Lu Chen and his group moved next door, at least their son would still have his own room.

However, just as the couple relaxed, they noticed that Lu Chen hadn’t moved anything yet.

For some reason, their hearts sank, and a bad thought slowly began to form.

Could it be that…

Lu Chen wasn’t planning to move next door after all?

This uncertainty was also Meng Yinyin’s confusion. When she noticed that Lu Chen hadn’t packed his things, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

To this, Lu Chen explained, “I have it under control. You and your brother can settle in next door without worry.”

But he didn’t elaborate further.

Seeing this, Meng Yinyin didn’t ask any more questions and continued packing.

She moved into the room that Lu Xiujuan had lived in before her marriage. Since she hadn’t been living there, the room had been kept neat and clean, so she didn’t have much to do.

As for her brother, Meng Xuan, he moved into Lu Jinbao’s room. The room had a lot of things in it, which he found a bit inconvenient, but since it wasn’t his own house, he didn’t say much.

Besides, he probably wouldn’t stay long, so he decided to make do for now.

When the two siblings were almost done packing, Meng Xuan saw that Lu Chen was still at the old house. He went to Meng Yinyin’s room.

He leaned against the door, watching her organize her clothes, and spoke up.

“Meng Yinyin, what are your thoughts about you and Lu Chen?”

The question caught Meng Yinyin completely off guard, and she froze for a moment.

Seeing that she didn’t respond, as if she was thinking, Meng Xuan didn’t give her time to think and continued.

“To be honest, I didn’t agree with you being with Lu Chen at first, but the more I spent time with him, the more my opinion of him changed.”

Especially after today, Meng Xuan’s last bit of resistance toward Lu Chen vanished.

This guy was someone you could trust.

Someone like his silly sister truly needed someone with both courage and wisdom to watch over her; otherwise, she might get scammed and end up giving money to the wrong person.

Now, it was clear that Lu Chen fit the bill, not to mention, he truly cared for her.

Could it be true that foolish people have their own good fortune?

Meng Yinyin didn’t expect her brother to think so highly of Lu Chen, and she felt an inexplicable sense of pride.

But did her brother mean that they should really get married?

She wasn’t ready for that yet.

Her cheeks flushed bright red.

She unconsciously became shy, and Meng Xuan noticed, quickly drawing his own conclusions.

“Alright, I understand your feelings. I’ll talk to Lu Chen. You just wait for news quietly.”

With that, he quickly left, so fast that Meng Yinyin didn’t have time to stop him.

Was her brother really going to ask Lu Chen to marry her?!

That was too soon!

Meng Yinyin felt both angry and anxious, but her feet felt like they were rooted to the ground, and she couldn’t bring herself to chase after him.

Ahem, anyway, it was her brother who said it, not her. If their parents asked, she would just have her brother explain!

Thinking this, Meng Yinyin quickly stopped worrying.

As for whether Lu Chen would want to marry her?

Meng Yinyin never doubted it. Having a wife like her was surely good fortune he earned in his past life!

In a good mood, Meng Yinyin continued packing.

Before long, the sky darkened, and as soon as Meng Yinyin finished, her brother called her loudly to go to the old house for dinner.

Since Lu Chen hadn’t moved in yet, they were still eating at the old house. Fortunately, the dining table was separate from Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua’s side, or Meng Yinyin felt she wouldn’t have the appetite.

But thinking about seeing Lu Chen, Meng Yinyin felt hesitant as she walked to the old house.

On the way back, she couldn’t help but wonder if her brother had spoken to Lu Chen, what he had said, and how Lu Chen had responded.