Chapter 14

Lu Yujiao raised the corners of her lips and said softly, “Thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome.” Lu Jingze spoke in a hoarse voice, holding her hand and lifting it up.

Lu Yujiao almost flew into the air and couldn’t help but scream “Ah”, and her heart beat a little faster because of him.

“and you–“

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a roar.

“Lu Yujiao, you shameless woman, how dare you run away with a wild man? Come home with me!”

Ma Ying was furious. He blocked the road, put his hands on his hips and stared at Lu Yujiao.

If Lu Jingze hadn’t been standing there so majestically, she would have wanted to rush over and pull Lu Yujiao back.

Lu Jingze didn’t let Lu Yujiao down, but just looked at her coldly.

Lu Yujiao hid behind Lu Jingze. His tall and mighty body was like a towering tree protecting her and did not make her feel afraid at all.

With Lu Jingze around, she felt completely confident and stretched her neck to protest: “What do you mean by going home? I don’t have a home!”

Lu Jingze glanced at her slightly sideways, and Ma Ying became even more angry.

“You have no conscience. I raised you up, and this is how you repay me? Now you’ve run away, and Lao Shui wants to get all that rice and pork back. What do you think we should do?!”

Lu Yujiao didn’t care. “What does it have to do with me? I didn’t eat the rice and pork. Besides, you have given me food over the years, but I have also done a lot of work for you, and I haven’t even been paid yet.”

“You—” Ma Ying was furious. This damn girl was so sharp-tongued that she never got away with anything. She simply stopped arguing and reached out to pull Lu Yujiao, “Come back with me. Don’t embarrass yourself out here.”

“I’m not ashamed. It’s shameful for you to sell your niece.” Lu Yujiao stayed well on Lu Jingze’s back, and Ma Ying couldn’t touch her at all.

Ma Ying was furious. She glared at Lu Yuan and urged him to use more strength. “Hurry up and get her off me! Do you have any shame? You’re lying on a wild man. You’re married!”

Lu Yuan looked helpless, “You can’t do anything, and I can’t do anything either.”

He looked at Lu Jingze timidly, knowing that he couldn’t afford to offend him.

At this time, Lu Jingze finally spoke.

“Whatever gift Lao Shui gives you, I’ll give you double. Plus, I’ll give you another 500 yuan.”

These words immediately lit up Lu Yuan and Ma Ying’s eyes.

“real?”

“Are you serious?”

Lu Jingze nodded, “Of course.”

His calm tone and temperament make people trust him, and coupled with his identity, he doesn’t seem like someone who would lie to others.

Ma Ying’s expression changed immediately. The anger he had just shown disappeared, and only a polite and friendly smile remained on his face.

Lu Yuan also laughed, “Jingze, why didn’t you tell me earlier? You made your aunt angry for so long in vain.”

Ma Ying couldn’t stop smiling. “Yes, but I’ve always hoped that you could become my niece’s husband. You’re handsome and promising. That would be great.”

“I feel at ease when my niece follows you.”

“Yeah, look how affectionate and loving you two are, it’s really nice.”

“You two should live a good life in the future and have more big fat boys, preferably like Jingze, and do your best!”

They praised Lu Jingze one by one.

Seeing that Lu Jingze and Lu Yujiao both looked impatient, he tactfully shut up.

“Then I’ll wait for you to send the betrothal gifts.”

“You are an officer in the army. We believe you won’t lie!”

The two looked at each other, went home happily, and waited for the betrothal gift that Lu Jingze had mentioned to arrive.

…

After Ma Ying and Lu Yuan walked away, they discussed what to do with Lao Shui.

“Shall we return the rice and pork to Lao Shui? Jingze is much more generous.” Lu Yuan couldn’t close his mouth when he thought of the five hundred yuan.

Ma Ying glared at him and said, “Are you stupid? You’ve got our things, and you still want to back out?”

Ma Ying is a person who thinks she will lose money if she doesn’t pick it up on the street. Asking her to give away the betrothal gift she received is almost like asking for her life.

Lu Yuan didn’t understand, “We still accept old water? But Jingze gives more!”

“Did I say I don’t want that side? I want both!” Greed flashed in Ma Ying’s eyes.

“Ah?” Lu Yuan was stunned.

“What?” Ma Ying rolled her eyes. “Are you stupid? Lu Jingze robbed that man, not us. If Lao Shui wants to settle the score, let him go to Lu Jingze!”

Lu Yuan slapped his head and said, “Right! It has nothing to do with us! We accepted Lu Jingze’s betrothal gift, and Lao Shui is deaf and blind, so he definitely can’t know.”

“That’s right.” Ma Ying finally smiled.

…

On the other side, Lu Yujiao and Lu Jingze were also discussing.

Lu Yujiao asked unwillingly, “Are you really going to give my uncle and aunt so much dowry?”

“You deserve it.” Lu Jingze said, his eyes gradually colder, “but they don’t.”

Lu Yujiao’s beautiful eyes flickered with a smile, “So, you lied to them?”

Lu Jingze shook his head and said seriously, “You can’t say ‘lie’, I did prepare a big gift for them.”

He pronounced the word “great gift” with emphasis, and the coldness in his black eyes seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

…

After Lu Yuan and Ma Ying finished their discussion, they did not sit idle either. They split into two groups in the village.

Lu Yuan went to find Lao Shui, while Ma Ying started to make arrangements in the village.

“Everyone, you always say I’m selling my niece and spreading bad things. Look, I didn’t sell my niece. I found her a very good family!”

“Lu Fusheng’s second son, Lu Jingze, is promising, right? Many of your daughters have their eyes on him, right?”

“I have to make the decision for my niece, only then can she get married.”

“We have always treated Yujiao like our own daughter.”

Ma Ying-jeou talked a lot, trying to save face.

After all, what these people said behind her back in the past was really unpleasant.

Given this opportunity, she would of course let them see that she did not sell Lu Yujiao to Lao Shui!

…

Lu Yuan also found Lao Shui.

Lu Yuan gestured for a long time, pretending to be a victim.

“Brother, I’m sorry, my niece was taken away by that stinky brat Lu Jingze! What do you think we should do?”

Lao Shui, with a swollen face, said in a slurred voice, “My wife… my wife…”

Lu Yuan sighed and patted his shoulder, “It’s pitiful, but he’s in the army, he’s strong and good at fighting. We can’t beat him, so just accept it.”

Tears welled up in Lao Shui’s cloudy eyes and he was shaking with anger.

But what could he do? He had already been beaten to a pulp by Lu Jingze. If he went to his house, wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?!

…

After returning home, Ma Ying and Lu Yuan still felt uneasy when looking at the white rice and greasy pork.

I simply got up early on New Year’s Eve, carried rice and pork, and went to the market in town.

If you replace pork and rice with something else, even if Lao Shui comes to ask for it, it will be gone!

As luck would have it, Lu Yujiao also came to the town.

She was not willing to live in Lu Jingze’s house and look at his family’s faces, and Lu Jingze happened to offer to send her to live in the guesthouse in town.

Of course she agreed to such a good thing.

As a result, she happened to see Ma Ying and Lu Yuan downstairs at the window.

The two men were carrying a large basket, their faces full of joy, and were talking to a young man they met on the road.

Lu Yuan and Ma Ying both nodded and bowed to the young man, their attitude was even more pious than when they worshipped the God of Wealth in previous years.