Chapter 28

The Lu Family’s Attitude Towards Hu Ouhua

Hu Ouhua endured nausea the entire time and forced herself to finish the meal.

After dinner, she didn’t idle around. She went straight into the kitchen, helping Liu Mei clean up, wash the dishes, and wipe down the stove. She was even quicker and more efficient than Liu Mei.

Liu Mei, afraid that Hu Ouhua would take over her work, hesitated. Hu Ouhua smiled and said, “I’ll be going to school in two months, Aunt Liu.”

Though seemingly random, her words earned Liu Mei’s approval.

After dinner, Liu Mei tidied up a spare bedroom on the first floor and arranged for Hu Ouhua to stay there.

Hu Ouhua didn’t want to stay in the Lu household for too long.

She was one month pregnant. Right now, there were no obvious signs, but if she started experiencing frequent morning sickness, the Lu family might grow suspicious. Worse, they could assume she had deliberately seduced Lu Yuetang in Ningcheng…

At that point, she would be condemned as a temptress, accused of seducing a high-ranking official’s son. Even her child could suffer the consequences.

That would be a disaster.

Hu Ouhua started thinking about where she could find a temporary job—preferably something that would last until school started.

That afternoon, while resting, she casually asked Liu Mei for advice.

Liu Mei shook her head. “The military district is very strict about hiring housekeepers. You just arrived from out of town, so finding a job here is practically impossible.”

Housekeepers in the district were usually hired through internal referrals.

Realizing that working as a housekeeper in the compound was an unrealistic idea, Hu Ouhua dismissed the thought.

After much consideration, she still couldn’t come up with a plan.

She barely lasted three days at the Lu residence before she couldn’t take it anymore. She caught Lu Yuetang just as he was heading out.

“Yuetang, wait a moment—I need your help with something…”

Lu Yuetang turned around and eyed her. “What, you can’t get used to living here?”

“No, it’s not that… I just want to find a short-term job. Do you know of any places hiring students for summer work?” she asked honestly.

Lu Yuetang frowned.

Had she overheard something unpleasant at home, or had someone given her a hard time?

“Yuetang, you know I can’t just sit around doing nothing. Even after my college entrance exams, I kept tutoring kids in the residential compound. If I stay idle, I get restless,” Hu Ouhua added.

Hearing that, Lu Yuetang found her explanation believable.

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I find something suitable, I’ll have Fubai arrange it for you,” Lu Yuetang said.

“Thank you, Yuetang.”

Lu Yuetang nodded slightly and walked out the door.

Not far away, inside the house, Grandma Lu picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Although Shen Fubai had mentioned that Hu Ouhua had been a great help in Ningcheng, this girl had a naturally seductive face—especially those big, expressive eyes. Even if she wasn’t intentionally trying to charm men, she exuded an innate allure. Grandma Lu worried that her grandson might not be able to resist and could end up making a mistake.

She had been secretly observing Hu Ouhua these past few days.

Fortunately, the girl hadn’t done anything inappropriate or tried to get close to her grandson.

Just as Grandma Lu was about to let her guard down, Hu Ouhua went to seek out Lu Yuetang. At first, she thought the girl had finally revealed her true intentions, but it turned out she was just asking for help finding a part-time job…

Thank goodness.

Relieved, she sought out her daughter-in-law, Gu Wanyu, before she left the house.

“Mom, is something the matter?” Gu Wanyu asked.

Grandma Lu took her hand and spoke in a low voice, “Yuetang isn’t young anymore. The girls we arranged for him to meet last time—set up some dates for him. It’s time to get his marriage plans in order.”

Gu Wanyu chuckled.

She gently squeezed her mother-in-law’s hand in reassurance. “Mom, are you worried Yuetang might lose his composure and fall for a small-town girl? You’ve seen for yourself—Hu Ouhua only has a pretty face. Even if a man finds her novel for a few nights, when it comes to marriage, he’ll still consider family background and social status.”

That being said…

Her son was indeed getting older. He should have been married with children by now, but due to an accident during a mission years ago, doctors had found toxins in his body that temporarily caused infertility.

Otherwise, his marriage wouldn’t have been delayed this long.

“Still, if Hu Ouhua gets a taste of the prosperity in Beijing and becomes greedy, she might start clinging to him. If she ruins Yuetang’s reputation, which good girl from a respectable family would still want to marry him?” Grandma Lu said.

“I understand. I’ll make the arrangements,” Gu Wanyu promised.

Her husband, Lu Baiting, was away on a business trip in another province, so arranging her son’s matchmaking fell solely on her shoulders.

That Evening

Lu Yuetang returned home exhausted. Before he could even take a sip of tea, Gu Wanyu called him into the study, even closing the door behind them.

He sat across from her at the desk and raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

Gu Wanyu took out a few photos from the drawer and spread them out in front of him. “Take a look. If any catch your eye, we can discuss the next steps.”

Lu Yuetang felt a wave of irritation.

He smirked. “What, you see a decent girl staying in our house and immediately worry I’ll do something reckless and tarnish the Lu family’s reputation?”

“Yuetang, take this seriously. This is a natural part of life. You’ve delayed it long enough—settling down and starting a family is your responsibility. You know very well that if you want to keep moving up in your career, you need a stable home life,” Gu Wanyu said.

The organization always took personal matters into account.

Lu Yuetang leaned back against the chair and said with a trace of melancholy, “Didn’t we confirm last time that I’ve lost the ability to have children? Marrying someone would only be dragging her down.”

This was a painful topic that the Lu family had always avoided. It was a closely guarded secret.

Gu Wanyu felt a pang in her heart.

But she had to face this challenge head-on.

“The longer you avoid marriage, the more people will gossip. If you don’t take action, rumors will spread like wildfire. No matter what, you must go through with this matchmaking process. I’ll arrange the time and place,” she insisted.

“Fine, do as you like. But you know my principles,” Lu Yuetang said.

Gu Wanyu paused.

She understood—if he found someone he liked, he wouldn’t hide his infertility.

After a moment of thought, she gritted her teeth and agreed.

It took immense courage to take this step, but delaying any longer wouldn’t solve anything. They had to move forward, no matter what.

After leaving the study, Lu Yuetang went upstairs.

After washing up, he remembered he had a document to review, so he went back downstairs to the study.

The compound’s lights-out signal had long since sounded.

Everyone was asleep.

The house was pitch dark.

As he approached the study, he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. His soldier’s instincts immediately kicked in, and he stepped forward cautiously.

Sure enough, there was a shadowy figure inside.

“Who’s there?”

He swiftly lunged forward, locking his arm around the person’s shoulders. But just as he grabbed the figure, they lost their balance and fell into his chest with a muffled “Mmph.”

A soft, warm sensation pressed against him, brushing against his ear, making it hot and itchy.

Realizing she was about to fall, he instinctively reached out and steadied her arms. “Are you okay? Did you fall?”

Hu Ouhua’s wet hair dripped water, and sweat beaded on her skin. Her arms ached from his grip, but at least she hadn’t fallen—that would have been even worse.

She quickly straightened herself and murmured, “Thanks, Yuetang. I was washing my hair and lost track of time before the lights went out. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“…It’s fine,” Lu Yuetang replied, his throat suddenly dry.