Chapter 7

Lu Lin hurried back from the army after receiving a letter from Grandma Lu.

It turns out that Grandma Lu had caused a scene at the Third Family’s house, which led to Jiang Chunzhao chasing her out with a feather duster.

This little old lady held a grudge and went to complain to the Lu family members, hoping that the old man and his son would back her up. But instead, Grandpa Lu scolded her severely, telling her to behave herself!

Feeling wronged, Grandma Lu spent the next day preparing and then set off to her natal village to seek help from her brother. She originally planned to have her brother bring a few of her nephews to Lujia Village to teach that troublesome woman from the Old Third’s family a lesson.

However, as they say, a married daughter is like water thrown out.

What’s more, Grandma Lu had long become a toothless old woman, and her brother had no interest in helping her. He wasn’t willing to cause trouble with Butcher Jiang’s daughter for the sake of an old, useless sister.

Seeing that her own brother wouldn’t stand up for her, Grandma Lu made a scene at her natal home, crying and shouting, “This is what a real brother does? Not even caring about his sister’s life! Do you even have a conscience?!”

Not only did Grandma Lu cry and make a scene, but she even wanted to roll around on the ground to show that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with!

But before she could do that, her angry sister-in-law chased her out with a broom.

Having been humiliated, Grandma Lu was extremely frustrated, thinking to herself that she absolutely couldn’t let that damn Jiang Chunzhao off the hook!

Her brother was useless, but Grandma Lu was not someone who could be pushed around!

Grandma Lu dusted herself off and marched into town to find an old man who specialized in writing letters for people. She exaggerated the details and had him write a letter to the army.

The letter, which was filled with complaints about Jiang Chunzhao, portrayed Grandma Lu as a poor, pitiful old woman suffering daily from the cruelty of her daughter-in-law. She claimed to be living in miserable conditions, with nothing to eat or wear. The villagers would even cry when they saw her.

She mentioned how she was so hungry that she couldn’t stand it and went to the Old Third’s house to beg for some bread or porridge, but instead of helping her, they chased her out with a coarse feather duster.

Now, Grandma Lu was so beaten that she couldn’t even get out of bed. The letter was meant to be her final words to Old Third. She warned that if he didn’t return soon, he would never see his mother again.

As she spoke, Grandma Lu even wiped away fake tears, making it sound like her life was utterly tragic.

The old man writing the letter glanced at the round, chubby Grandma Lu, and his face twitched several times. He thought to himself, “This old woman must think I’m an idiot.”

Look at her walking around with so much energy, and she’s supposed to be bedridden? I’m not buying it!

But, in the end, he accepted Grandma Lu’s money and had no choice but to finish the letter.

After the letter was written, Grandma Lu paid the old man and took the letter to the post office, finally returning to Lujia Village with a satisfied smile on her face.

Jiang Chunzao!

You damned, vicious woman! Just wait, wait for Old Third to come back from the army and avenge me!

In Grandma Lu’s mind, Old Third (Lu Lin), although not her biological son, had been raised by her since he was seven or eight years old. Whether or not the family had good food, she still raised Old Third into an adult.

Old Third was her son! Jiang Chunzhao was an outsider, but Old Third was family!

Grandma Lu refused to believe that once Old Third knew that Jiang Chunzao, this wicked woman, had beaten her so badly she couldn’t get out of bed, he wouldn’t step in.

Of course, Old Third would take care of it! Not only that, but he would give Jiang Chunzao a thorough beating, leaving her bruised and battered, unable to get out of bed!

And as for Old Third’s two young children, they also needed to be taught a lesson. They were already talking back to Grandma Lu at such a young age; what would happen when they grew up?

They needed to be properly disciplined!

And in the end, Jiang Chunzhao’s butcher father should bring two large pigs to apologize to her for supporting his daughter when they had split the family, as if it was any of his business!

It was ridiculous—our Old Lu Family splitting didn’t concern her family at all!

Now, with Old Third back at home, Grandma Lu was excited, thinking about how Jiang Chunzhao and her father would be put in their place.

With that, Grandma Lu happily returned to Lujia Village, grinning from ear to ear. When she walked in, Grandpa Lu saw his wife’s mouth stretched so wide it almost reached her ears. He gave her a strange look, wondering what had happened to make her so happy.

Fortunately, Grandma Lu was sharp enough at that moment. When Grandpa Lu looked at her, she just smiled mysteriously and didn’t reveal what she was plotting.

If Grandpa Lu had heard her plans, he would have been so angry he would have fainted from the shock.

As for Grandpa Lu, life hadn’t been easy for him either. In his youth, he was one of the best young men in the village—well-liked, from a good family, with an affectionate family, and even a younger brother in the army. The village’s young women all wanted to marry into the Old Lu Family.

Back then, Grandma Lu also took a fancy to him. Grandma Lu’s parents were naturally pleased to see their daughter had found someone good. Especially since the young man was quite popular, and Grandma Lu’s parents were afraid he might be snatched away, so they quickly found a matchmaker and went to the Old Lu Family to propose. The parents even promised that if Old Lu Family agreed to marry their daughter, they wouldn’t ask for any dowry or bride price—they would give their daughter to them for free.

When Grandpa Lu’s parents heard this, they were skeptical. Could this really be true? Such a good deal? They wondered if there was something wrong with the girl.

The matchmaker, sensing their hesitation, quickly patted her thigh and said, “This is easy to sort out! We can arrange a meeting where both families can meet in person, and you can see for yourselves.”

After some discussion, Grandpa Lu’s parents agreed to let the meeting happen. The matchmaker set a good date and brought Grandma Lu and her parents to the Old Lu Family for the arranged meeting.

At the time, young Grandma Lu wasn’t particularly striking in appearance, but she was quick with her work and had her parents with her. During the meeting, Grandma Lu barely spoke but kept smiling quietly.

Grandpa Lu’s parents, after seeing the girl, felt she seemed fine—she was good at chores, didn’t talk too much, and smiled often. After asking Grandpa Lu for his opinion, Grandpa Lu agreed, and that’s how they decided on her as their daughter-in-law.

However, what no one expected was that after Grandpa Lu married Grandma Lu, his parents regretted it deeply. They didn’t feel like they had gained a daughter-in-law; they had gotten a troublemaker instead!

Grandma Lu caused constant chaos in the Old Lu Family from the moment she entered, at first over trivial matters, but it got worse after Grandpa Lu’s younger brother—Lu Lin’s biological father—married Lu Lin’s mother. Grandma Lu stirred up even more trouble, accusing the family of favoring the new daughter-in-law, secretly giving her eggs, and constantly picking on Grandma Lu.

During those years, life in the Old Lu Family was far from peaceful.

When Lu Lin’s mother gave birth to him, the family tensions increased further. Grandpa Lu and his wife eventually decided to divide the family property between their two sons, with the elderly couple alternating between living with each son.

After a few years of hardship, when Lu Lin was seven, his biological father, who was serving in the army, became a martyr during a mission. Lu Lin’s mother, already in poor health, fell gravely ill after the news, and within a year, little seven-year-old Lu Lin lost both parents.

Grandpa Lu, devastated by the loss of his brother and seeing the young, unprotected Lu Lin, decided that he would raise his nephew as his own son, just as if he were his own child.

Grandma Lu, upon hearing her husband’s decision, was not pleased at all. But later, she learned that Lu Lin’s biological father had left behind a generous military compensation. Rumor had it that it was quite a large sum!

Additionally, adopting Lu Lin would bring the family honor as relatives of a martyr, and the captain even promised a reward!

With these tempting benefits laid out before her, Grandma Lu reluctantly agreed to her husband’s decision and adopted Lu Lin. However, despite Lu Lin becoming her third son, he wasn’t her biological child, and Grandma Lu, who was never one to be kind-hearted, certainly didn’t treat him as well as her own sons.

In Grandma Lu’s eyes, Lu Lin was nothing but a burden. Since the moment little Lu Lin came into the house, Grandma Lu treated him no better than a servant. Whatever food or treats the family had, Lu Lin was never given any.

When Lu Lin reached school age, Grandpa Lu discussed with Grandma Lu that it was time for him to go to school. However, schooling required money, and Grandma Lu, naturally, didn’t want to spend money on this burden.

But since Grandpa Lu was the head of the family, Grandma Lu had no choice but to comply. When Lu Lin graduated from middle school and was about to enter high school, Grandma Lu vehemently opposed the idea of him continuing his education.

Grandpa Lu, frustrated, argued with her multiple times, but each time Grandma Lu threw a tantrum, rolling on the floor and sulking. She even gave Lu Lin a cold shoulder, always wearing a displeased expression.

At that time, Lu Lin, who was determined, knew he wasn’t favored at home. He realized that if he didn’t continue his studies, his future would be bleak. So, he decided to join the military on his own.

When Grandma Lu heard this news, she was secretly pleased. She thought, “Good, that troublesome kid is leaving on his own—no need for me to do anything!” Not only would the family save on food, but Grandpa Lu would also stop getting angry with her.

Lu Lin left, and it would be years before he returned to Lujia Village. When he came back, he brought along his young wife, Shitou. This time, Grandma Lu found a new excuse to stir up trouble again. And then came the situation with Jiang Chunzhao marrying into the Old Lu Family.

Now, as for why Lu Lin didn’t worry about Grandma Lu, but instead was concerned about his wife and children? It all boiled down to the way Grandma Lu had treated him when he was growing up. Back in the days when Lu Lin lived in the Old Lu Family, Grandma Lu was always picking fights, spreading lies, and causing trouble at every turn.

Lu Lin, having seen her tactics for years, no longer believed a word she said.

Unfortunately, Grandma Lu was unaware of her standing in Lu Lin’s heart and still arrogantly believed that he would support her.

As Lu Lin’s car pulled into the village, a group of children excitedly followed him toward the Old Lu Family. They were shouting: “The People’s Liberation Army uncle is back! The PLA uncle from Grandpa Lu’s family is back!”

When Grandma Lu, who had been working at home, heard this, she knew that Old Third (Lu Lin) had returned. She quickly ran inside, lay down on the bed, and began to moan, pretending to be ill, waiting for Old Third to come to her aid.

But to her surprise, after lying there for a while, there was still no sign of her third son. Frustrated, Grandma Lu sneaked outside to the Third Family’s doorstep, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. What she saw nearly made her explode with anger.

“How dare you, Old Third! How dare you, Jiang Chunzao!”

There she was, lying on the bed, unable to get up, and yet, these two had the audacity to sit at home, eating pig’s trotters with their two children, as well as the Jiang Family elders!

Grandma Lu was so furious she completely forgot that she had been pretending to be sick to trick Jiang Chunzao. All she could think about now was the sight of the Third Family eating those pig’s trotters.

But these weren’t just any ordinary pig’s trotters; they were special—made using a secret recipe by the Old Third’s butcher father!

These pig’s trotters were famous in the area and were unique to the village. Grandma Lu remembered tasting them at Lu Lin and Jiang Chunzhao’s wedding banquet, and they had been utterly delicious. The trotters were tender and juicy, fatty but not greasy. What made them even more irresistible was the sauce poured over them. The sauce was so tasty that even just dipping corn cakes into it was enough to satisfy.

Now, remembering how delicious those trotters had been, Grandma Lu’s mouth watered, and she couldn’t stop smacking her lips.