Chapter 22: “Using Their Own Methods Against Them!”

Wei Jianshe looked at Lu Sinian, who, after hearing the news about being sent to the countryside, not only didn’t get angry but actually laughed.

He was a bit confused.

“Sinian, did you hear me clearly? I said your family is planning to send you to the countryside without telling you. You need to think of a way to stop it!” Wei Jianshe looked up at the sky. “It’s still early; we should go to the Youth Volunteer Office now. Maybe we can still stop it in time.” He reached out to grab Lu Sinian, looking even more anxious than Lu Sinian himself.

Lu Sinian stopped Wei Jianshe’s hand and calmly replied, “It’s too late!”

If he wasn’t mistaken, the old man had already signed him up.

Even if they rushed to the Youth Volunteer Office now, it would be useless.

Besides, he didn’t even want to go to the Youth Volunteer Office now!

Wei Jianshe, flustered, paced around in circles. “Then what should we do? Are you really going to go to the countryside as they wish?” He shook his head, unable to accept it himself.

“No, Sinian, you can’t go! I heard life in the countryside is so hard—there are endless farm chores, bad sleep, not enough food. You definitely can’t handle it.”

He was like a headless fly, anxiously brainstorming ways to help Lu Sinian.

“Sinian, why don’t you call Grandpa Lu and have him speak to the people at the Youth Volunteer Office?” With Grandpa Lu’s position, just a word could get the countryside assignment canceled.

Lu Sinian was getting dizzy from Wei Jianshe’s frantic spinning. He grabbed Wei Jianshe to stop him and said with an indifferent expression, “Don’t worry, I can handle this myself!”

Even if the old man had signed him up, so what?

If he wasn’t mistaken, the old man had probably used his father’s name to sign him up.

But the old man seemed to have forgotten that his household registration wasn’t with him.

His household registration was with his grandfather.

He had grown up with his grandfather, and after “she” died, his grandfather transferred his registration to his name.

Unless either he or his grandfather went to the Youth Volunteer Office to sign him up in person, it would be invalid.

Wei Jianshe looked at Lu Sinian’s calm face and thought that he must be deeply hurt by his biological father.

If it were anyone else, being secretly tricked by their own father like this, they’d be heartbroken. He understood how Lu Sinian felt.

Wei Jianshe stood on his tiptoes and patted Lu Sinian’s shoulder, comforting him. “Sinian, don’t be sad. My brother and I will definitely help you. We won’t let you go to the countryside.”

“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go ask my dad. He’ll speak to the Youth Volunteer Office and have your name removed from the list.”

Wei Jianshe’s father worked in a government office, so this wasn’t difficult for him.

For Lu Sinian’s sake, Wei Jianshe was willing to ask his father for help.

Lu Sinian couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling, but his heart felt a bit swollen. He thought he must be touched by Wei Jianshe’s words.

It was almost laughable—someone with no blood relation to him knew how hard life in the countryside could be, yet his own biological father wanted to send him there to suffer!

This was his family!

Luckily, he had long since given up any expectations of them.

Lu Sinian forced a smile and said to Wei Jianshe, “Don’t bother your dad. I can handle this myself.”

Wei Jianshe looked at him suspiciously. “How are you going to handle it? The name has already been submitted, and Grandpa Lu isn’t home. If you don’t go to the countryside, it’ll be seen as defying the higher-ups’ orders. You’ll get criticized at best, or at worst, you’ll be arrested.”

There were many Youth Volunteers who didn’t want to go to the countryside.

In response, the Youth Volunteer Office and the community had their own ways of dealing with such situations.

Every year, there were plenty of people who were forcibly dragged to the trains to be sent to the countryside.

Wei Jianshe had once witnessed this happen.

Lu Sinian, of course, knew what Wei Jianshe was talking about.

He let out a light laugh, “What if I told you that the name the old man registered doesn’t even count?”

Wei Jianshe stared at him, confused. “Doesn’t count?”

Lu Sinian curled the corners of his lips in a mocking smile. “I’m not on the same household registration as him. Unless I or my grandfather go to the Youth Volunteer Office to register me personally, it’s invalid. Even if he is my father, he doesn’t have the right to do that.”

Wei Jianshe was stunned.

“Is it really like that?”

After thinking for a moment, he realized it was true.

His worried heart finally relaxed, and then he seemed to have thought of something, grinning.

From what he knew about Sinian, there was no way he would let this pass without a response!

Uncle Lu is going to suffer now, and Lu Mingyang’s entire family of four is in for it.

Wei Jianshe happily leaned in toward Lu Sinian, grinning with his big white teeth, full of gossip, “Sinian, what are you going to do next?”

What to do? Of course, it’s time to use their own methods against them!

If the old man liked to act like the head of the family and make decisions for his children, then he should get a taste of his own medicine.

Although he and the old man weren’t on the same household registration, there were people who were!

When Wang Xiaoyun married into the Lu family with her daughter Chen Huiru in tow, she wanted to change Chen Huiru’s last name to Lu, but Grandpa Lu refused.

He said the Lu family didn’t need more children.

Since the name change didn’t happen, the old man had no choice but to transfer Chen Huiru’s child’s registration to the Lu family.

Now, all four of them had their household registrations together.

Lu Mingyang, the little brat, was still in school, so he didn’t meet the age requirement for going to the countryside. He was lucky enough to avoid it this time.

But Chen Huiru, that ugly woman, was of the right age!

A flash of dark light passed through Lu Sinian’s eyes as he looked down at Wei Jianshe and, with a broad smile on his face, said slowly, “Of course, I’m going to use their own methods against them.”

Wei Jianshe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what Lu Sinian meant.

He looked at him excitedly. “Sinian, you’re planning to send Lu Mingyang to the countryside? But Mingyang doesn’t meet the age requirement, and he’s still in school, so the Youth Volunteer Office shouldn’t approve it, right?”

Lu Sinian flicked Wei Jianshe on the forehead with his finger. “Mind your own business, kid. You’ve been out here too long. Go back to school, or your teacher’s going to get mad.

Thanks for today, I’ll treat you to a meal at the state-run restaurant when you’re on holiday.”

Not hearing what he wanted, Wei Jianshe didn’t want to leave.

He shrugged, pretending not to care. “Since I’ve already skipped class, it’s too late to get back to class now, so I’ll just skip it. Come on, Sinian, tell me about your plan. Maybe I can give you some advice!”

Lu Sinian looked at him with a smile, but deliberately made a mysterious expression. “A gentleman never reveals his secrets.”

He didn’t want to drag innocent people into his own messy affairs.

The less they knew, the better. Otherwise, when those scoundrels and the old man start panicking, they’ll catch innocent people in their crossfire.

It was best for Wei Jianshe to stay away from this.

Wei Jianshe still tried to press, but Lu Sinian coldly sent him off.

“Go back to class, or I’ll tell your father that you skipped school again.”

Wei Jianshe’s greatest fear was his iron-faced father.

If his dad found out that he skipped class again, he’d be in for a rough time, with a nice dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork on the side.

Lu Sinian had just found his weakness. Even though Wei Jianshe was reluctant, he still reluctantly walked away, looking back three times.

After Wei Jianshe left, Lu Sinian started planning his next move.

If they wanted to play dirty, they had to face the consequences.

Did they want him to go to the countryside? Well, he refused to go.

He would send that old woman and the old man’s precious daughter to the countryside instead.

If it wasn’t for Lu Mingyang not meeting the requirements, he would’ve sent both of the siblings there at once.

But for now, he’d let Lu Mingyang off the hook.

As for Chen Huiru, she was already going.

She might not meet the conditions for going to the countryside yet, but things could be arranged.

If Chen Huiru lost her prestigious job and became unemployed, she’d meet the requirement to go to the countryside.

It was all about making things happen.