Chapter 5

The Lu household was anything but calm that night. 

Lu Jiaojiao cried and wailed non-stop, while Lu Jianguo and Liu Chunhua stayed locked in their room, whispering until midnight. 

The next morning, as Lu Baiwei got up to wash up, Lu Jiaojiao, with swollen eyes like light bulbs, stood at the door glaring daggers at her. 

“Sis, don’t get too smug just because you’ve got the *three-turns-and-a-sound* and a little moment of glory!” 

“When Zhihe earns big money, I’ll be living as the rich wife of a billionaire in the future.” 

“Do you even know how much a billion is? Do you know how big the house I’ll live in will be? Do you know that I’ll ride in fancy cars every time I go out? You can’t even imagine those things! What can you possibly compare to me…” 

“Oh!” 

Lu Baiwei couldn’t be bothered to argue with an idiot. 

She rinsed her mouth, spat out the water, and splashed the dirty water right at Lu Jiaojiao’s feet. 

“Later, He Ting and I are going to the commune to get our marriage certificate. Are you and Yin Zhihe going too?” 

“I…” 

Yin Zhihe’s mother had been yelling that her reputation was ruined and was demanding 188 yuan as compensation. 

Where would she even find that kind of money? 

It was like rubbing salt into her wounds! 

Furious, Lu Jiaojiao stomped her feet, itching to scratch up Lu Baiwei’s face. 

By the time she stormed to the breakfast table and saw Liu Chunhua had boiled eggs, her mood improved a little. 

But just as she reached for the bowl, Liu Chunhua smacked her hand with chopsticks. 

“Eat your sweet potato porridge! The eggs are for your sister and Wenhua.” 

Watching Liu Chunhua divide the eggs between Lu Wenhua and Lu Baiwei, Lu Jiaojiao felt even more upset. Clutching her reddened hand, she ran out the door sobbing loudly. 

“Don’t mind her. Jiaojiao’s spoiled because of me.” 

Liu Chunhua beamed at Lu Baiwei, all smiles. “Baiwei, Auntie boiled these eggs especially for you this morning.” 

“Eat while they’re hot; they’re fresh.” 

The porridge Liu Chunhua made today was unusually thick, and she even splurged on eggs. Suspicious, Lu Baiwei immediately felt something was off. 

Strange behavior always has a reason. 

Sure enough, Liu Chunhua exchanged a look with her husband, Lu Jianguo, before cautiously speaking up. 

“Baiwei, you know He Ting is from the capital and has been living at the educated youth center.” 

“The conditions there aren’t great—several people crammed into one room.” 

“Now that you’re marrying him, it’s not proper for you two to keep living there, right?” 

With an ingratiating smile, Liu Chunhua added, “Baiwei, your dad and I were thinking we could renovate the woodshed you’re living in now. Once you marry He Ting, you both can live here at home.” 

“It’ll be lively with everyone under one roof, don’t you think? And you and Wenhua will be able to look after each other better as siblings.” 

Lu Baiwei instantly understood. Lu Jianguo and Liu Chunhua weren’t just eyeing the three-turns-and-a-sound. They were also eagerly targeting the monthly money and food parcels sent to He Ting from his family in the capital. 

Lu Baiwei understood clearly now—Lu Jianguo and Liu Chunhua were not only eyeing the three-turns-and-a-sound but also greedily targeting the monthly money and supplies sent to He Ting by his family. 

They were scheming to trick her and He Ting into also supporting Lu Wenhua. 

How could they be so shameless? 

Did they really think she was someone who could be easily pushed around? 

Lu Baiwei let out a laugh of disbelief. “As far as I know, when educated youth marry, the team allocates land for them to build their own house.” 

“Building a house is so much trouble, not to mention expensive. We already have a perfectly good house at home. The woodshed you’re living in is spacious enough—fix it up a little, and it’ll be fine for two people,” Liu Chunhua said. 

She shot Lu Jianguo a meaningful glance. “Old Lu, say something!” 

“Baiwei…” 

It was still early in the morning, but Lu Baiwei already felt nauseated by this hypocritical couple. 

She had been raised by her grandfather. 

After her mother’s death, Lu Jianguo remarried Liu Chunhua and sent her to live with her grandfather. 

A few years ago, when her grandfather passed away, Lu Baiwei was brought back to the Lu family. 

The Lu household had only three rooms and a kitchen. Apart from the main room, the two side rooms were occupied—one by Lu Jianguo and his wife, the other by Lu Jiaojiao and her siblings. 

When Lu Baiwei returned, Lu Jianguo moved Lu Wenhua into their room and briefly considered letting Lu Baiwei share a room with Lu Jiaojiao. 

But Lu Jiaojiao threw a fit, insisting on keeping a room to herself. 

Liu Chunhua then persuaded Lu Jianguo to fix up the woodshed and let Lu Baiwei live there instead. 

Calling it “fixing up” was generous—the walls were drafty, and the roof was barely patched, so when it rained, Lu Baiwei had to use buckets to catch the leaks. 

Two years of enduring the dilapidated woodshed were more than enough. Now, Lu Jianguo and Liu Chunhua wanted He Ting to move in with her after marriage? 

And they expected to use He Ting’s house-building funds to support Lu Wenhua instead? 

Their audacity was astounding—it almost smacked her in the face. 

“Baiwei…” 

Just as Lu Jianguo opened his mouth, Lu Baiwei stuffed the boiled egg into her pocket and gulped down the rest of her porridge. 

“He Ting will be here soon. I’ll wait for him outside.” 

She grabbed her wristwatch from her room and stood at the door to wait. 

As she adjusted the time on her watch, the ringing of a bicycle bell came from up ahead. He Ting was riding toward her. 

Despite having grown up in the countryside, Lu Baiwei had fair, flawless skin that wouldn’t tan no matter how much sun she got. The plum blossom watch on her slender, pale wrist was particularly eye-catching. It was impossible for He Ting not to notice. 

“Your hands are really fair; the watch looks great on you,” He Ting said as he stopped the bike in front of her. “The watch strap is a bit long. I’ll adjust it for you later.” 

From the time He Ting arrived at Xiangyang Brigade as an educated youth, Lu Baiwei had only seen him from afar a few times. He always wore a cold expression, giving off a vibe that said, “stay away.” 

Especially after rumors spread about her being in talks with Yin Zhihe for marriage, He Ting’s face had turned so dark it was downright intimidating. 

Especially after rumors spread about her being in marriage discussions with Yin Zhihe, He Ting’s expression had darkened so much it was almost terrifying. 

Now, suddenly being complimented by him at such close proximity, his breath brushing against her face, Lu Baiwei realized He Ting wasn’t as intimidating as she had imagined. 

His eyebrows were thick, forming sharp, attractive arches. 

His nose was straight and prominent. 

And his eyes—those were the legendary peach blossom eyes. 

When he wasn’t smiling, his gaze seemed cold and aloof, as if he were unreachable. But when he smiled, it could captivate anyone in an instant. 

His facial features were exceptionally well-defined, and the contours of his face flowed smoothly. 

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Because of his time spent laboring as an educated youth, his skin had tanned to a bronzed tone that Lu Baiwei found appealing. 

Standing this close, with his hand reaching out to touch her watch strap, Lu Baiwei’s breath hitched. The faint, ticklish sensation on her wrist felt like a ripple spreading across the surface of her heart. 

Thankfully, he only measured the length of the strap briefly, and his touch was fleeting. The ticklish sensation disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving behind a subtle, lingering disturbance in her heart. 

This man wasn’t just someone who could eat two extra bowls of rice because of his good looks. 

Despite having lived two lifetimes, Lu Baiwei couldn’t help but feel slightly flustered by the unintentional charm of the man in front of her. 

Her cheeks felt a little hot. “Well, it’s getting late.” 

“Let’s head to the commune!” 

Lu Baiwei climbed onto the back seat of He Ting’s bicycle. 

The scene of their interaction was entirely visible to Lu Jiaojiao, who was crying under the eaves. 

Watching Lu Baiwei’s wrist adorned with the plum blossom watch and seeing the closeness between He Ting and Lu Baiwei, Lu Jiaojiao’s eyes burned with jealousy and hatred. 

Why was it that in her previous life, when she married He Ting, he treated her like the plague? 

But now with Lu Baiwei, He Ting was completely different. 

He gave Lu Baiwei the three-turns-and-a-sound as a bride price, smiled at her, and didn’t act cold like he did with her. 

As He Ting rode off like the wind, carrying Lu Baiwei with him, Lu Jiaojiao stepped out from under the eaves, glaring furiously at the pair disappearing in the distance. 

But He Ting and Lu Baiwei were oblivious to all of this. 

The ripple in Lu Baiwei’s heart gradually subsided as her thoughts turned practical—where would she and He Ting live after getting married? 

There was no way she would endure another life being manipulated by Lu Jianguo and Liu Chunhua. 

She had to seize the opportunity of this marriage to quickly break free from those bloodsucking relatives. 

Before leaving earlier, she had noticed that the window in her room wasn’t fully closed when she went back to get her watch. 

Knowing Lu Jiaojiao’s impulsive nature, she was sure Jiaojiao wouldn’t be able to hold herself back.