Chapter 40

The Cause and Effect of the Lu Family’s Extinction

“What, if I don’t say that, should I say I like her and want to marry her?” Lu Yuetang felt irritated just thinking about it. He pulled out a cigarette and glared at Shen Fubai.

“Brother Lu, even if you don’t like her, you don’t have to say it so directly in front of her. She’s still a young lady, after all.”

“Get lost. What, you have a thing for her?”

Shen Fubai was speechless.

“Fine, fine, I won’t say anything. I’ll shut up, okay?”

Brother Lu must have eaten gunpowder today.

His words were as sharp as a knife, cutting one after another.

After the car started moving, he suddenly recalled Liu Panpan’s comment about Lu Yuetang:

“Lu Yuetang not only lacks any warmth, but with that ice-cold personality of his, whoever marries him will be doomed. Either way, the Liu family isn’t that unlucky.”

Heh.

So much for any hopes from the Air Force side.

“Aunt Gu’s meaning is clear. You don’t have many choices left. You know about Caotang and Xiufeng—”

“Enough! Shut up!”

Lu Yuetang pinched the bridge of his nose, unwilling to listen to Shen Fubai’s nagging anymore.

But this matter was far from over.

As soon as he returned to the military district, he saw Gu Wanru bringing in a few experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctors for a consultation.

“Mom, if you keep forcing me like this, I’ll apply for a transfer and never come back in my lifetime.” Lu Yuetang spoke impatiently.

Clang!

His words were like a curse, triggering the deep-seated pain Gu Wanru had buried for years.

She said nothing, but tears flowed uncontrollably. The sight of her crying made Lu Yuetang even more irritable. He swept his gaze over the doctors and said coldly, “Do it quickly. I don’t have time to waste.”

These doctors were specialists whom Lu Boting had hired at great expense from out of town. They were told that his son had been poisoned and were asked if there was a cure.

Each of them conducted their diagnoses and prescribed treatment plans.

Then, Lu Yuetang dismissed them all.

People come and go; the tea gets cold.

Lu Yuetang looked at Gu Wanru, who was still emotional. “I just mentioned it once. You’ve cried enough, haven’t you? You’re a revolutionary’s daughter—can’t you be a little stronger?”

“How am I supposed to be strong?” Gu Wanru sobbed uncontrollably.

The Lu family wasn’t always like this.

Gu Wanru had been quite fertile, giving birth to three outstanding sons: the eldest, Lu Caotang; the second, Lu Xiufeng; and the youngest, Lu Yuetang. Among the children of the military compound, they were all considered exceptional.

But the more talented the sons, the more they were like bricks for the nation to use.

Lu Caotang, full of ambition, joined the war in the South as soon as he turned 18. But he was killed on the battlefield. His newlywed wife, pregnant at the time, miscarried upon hearing the news.

Lu Xiufeng didn’t fare any better.

As soon as he became an adult, he insisted on following in his older brother’s footsteps and joining the military in the South. Their parents were terrified and tried everything to stop him, even arranging a marriage for him.

The bride was none other than the younger sister of Lu Caotang’s wife. The two seemed to have feelings for each other and spent a happy time together.

The Lu family was relieved, thinking he had finally settled down. They hoped that after establishing himself in the military, they could find a way to keep him closer to home.

But unexpectedly, the young couple secretly signed up for deployment and left together.

By the time they departed, his wife was already three months pregnant.

Gu Wanru was nearly scared to death.

She personally went to stop them, but not only did she fail to bring them back, she also ended up witnessing a brutal battle—where she saw her second son blown apart by an artillery shell.

Her daughter-in-law, a military doctor, picked up a medical kit and said to her:

“Mom, if Xiufeng returns, the baby and I will be fine. If he dies, then you and Dad must take care of our youngest and make sure he continues the Lu family’s legacy.”

Losing two sons and two unborn grandchildren in a row, Gu Wanru almost went insane.

She was sent to a sanatorium and remained there for three years. For three whole years, she didn’t speak a single word, didn’t look anyone in the eye, and shut herself off completely.

Until little Lu Yuetang ran up to her, rested his tiny head on her lap, held her hand, and said in his childish voice:

“Mom, don’t worry. I will protect the Lu family for my big brothers and take care of you and Dad—”

Such heavy words from such a small child made Gu Wanru break down and cry, finally coming out of her shell.

Lu Yuetang lived up to his promise. He never went south and steadily built his career in the military district, rising to his current position.

Maybe it was fate, or maybe the Lu family was simply cursed when it came to the South.

During a military exercise in the southern rainforests, Lu Yuetang’s entire squad fell into a deep pit and were buried alive for 38 hours. The losses were heavy, and he himself was bitten by an unknown underground creature.

After countless struggles, he crawled out of the dirt, barely surviving.

Gu Wanru cried her eyes out.

Holding her son in her arms, she wept, “Is our Lu family doomed to extinction? Caotang and Xiufeng left no children, and now you can’t have any. Does heaven want to destroy our family?”

After leaving the military district, Gu Wanru entered the cultural sector and became a university professor.

One day, she met an old master who advised her:

“Everything is destined. Children come through fate. If there is fate, they will come. Do not torment yourself any further, dear lady.”

But Gu Wanru refused to accept it.

She and her husband had endured so much hardship to get where they were today. Their struggles were beyond words. How could their son’s generation end like this?

“Enough! That proposal of yours was terrible. I won’t agree to it. Just seeing the Yang family annoys me. If they keep pushing, I can’t guarantee I won’t make a wrong decision.” Lu Yuetang’s voice was cold.

Gu Wanru understood.

He was saying: Either Yang Jiaojiao leaves, or he does.

“But if your condition spreads, it would be humiliating. How will you ever get married in the future?” Gu Wanru wiped away her tears.

“Then that settles it. No need to drag someone else into this mess.”

Lu Yuetang was firm.

But Gu Wanru wasn’t ready to give up. “Don’t be so absolute. If your poison is completely cured one day, maybe things will change.”

Lu Yuetang didn’t have much hope for that.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

This time, the military district was hosting an internal exhibition—a new initiative to promote supply and demand models and encourage young people to innovate and explore their talents.

Aside from military families, some university students were also invited.

Early in the morning, Hu Ouhua helped Li Suyun prepare breakfast. After eating some porridge and steamed buns, she got ready to leave.

Just as she was putting on her canvas backpack, Li Suyun stopped her.

“You’re really going dressed like that? It’s not ideal.” Li Suyun looked her up and down.

A simple white shirt and black pants—too plain.

Hu Ouhua didn’t see anything wrong with it. She smiled and said, “Aunt Li, this is fine. There’s nothing inconvenient about it.”

“Pfft—”

Li Suyun couldn’t help but laugh.

She took out 20 yuan and a few ration tickets from her pocket and smiled. “Last time, didn’t you give me an extra ticket? Well, my colleague, Director Song, has a little daughter who just moved to the city and wanted to see the world, so I sold it to her.”

“Huh?”

Hu Ouhua was completely surprised.

Li Suyun stuffed the money into her backpack and said with concern, “Silly girl, your canvas bag is worn thin. You should get a new one—everything costs money.”

Then, she pulled out a red woolen flower from the drawer and pinned it on Hu Ouhua.

“There’s nothing wrong with dressing simply, but every girl should have a little flair.”

With that, she pushed Hu Ouhua out the door to catch her ride.