Chapter 19

At the same time, the medal in his hand fell uncontrollably.

But halfway down, Lu Chen caught it.

He opened his hand and gazed deeply at the small medal, then slowly tightened his grip, holding it firmly in his palm.

When Lu Dashan saw that the medal had been taken by Lu Chen, he immediately panicked and shouted, “Lu Chen? What are you doing? Give it back to me right now!”

Lu Chen hadn’t agreed to his request, so there was no way he was going to let him take the medal back.

But seeing Lu Chen like this, Lu Dashan was too afraid to confront him directly.

He had realized from Lu Chen’s sudden change in demeanor that Lu Chen was resisting him, pushing him away. The way he acted now was completely different from his usual obedient self. He seemed aggressive, like a wild beast that had been lying in wait for years, finally showing its claws.

Struggling to suppress his shock, Lu Dashan pretended to be calm. “Lu Chen, I’m your uncle. Are you not going to listen to me now? When your grandmother passed away, you promised her you would listen to me from now on. Is this how you keep your word?”

Since Lu Dashan no longer had possession of his brother’s belongings, he was resorting to using the memory of the old lady to try and control Lu Chen.

But unfortunately, the moment Lu Chen had obtained the belongings, he had already decided to discard his “mask.”

And what gave Lu Dashan the audacity to say such things?

Lu Chen raised his head, his eyes cold and mocking as he glanced at Lu Dashan. Though he didn’t speak, Lu Dashan seemed to understand what was being conveyed. Lu Chen was telling him that he was unworthy of mentioning his grandmother, and even more unworthy of being his uncle.

Lu Dashan felt his blood boil and his anger mixed with guilt as he met Lu Chen’s gaze.

“Lu Chen, what kind of look is that? Are you planning to defy your elders? Do you know what happens to people who act like this? Heaven will strike you down with lightning!”

Lu Dashan’s voice was loud, and the commotion was heard by Jiang Guihua and Lu Xiujuan in the neighboring courtyard. Though they didn’t catch all the details, they could tell from his tone that things weren’t going well.

Both of them immediately felt something was off and rushed over.

When they arrived, they saw Lu Chen and Lu Dashan standing face to face, but there was a noticeable distance between them. Moreover, Lu Chen was holding the medal that Lu Dashan’s family had found.

Jiang Guihua and Lu Xiujuan froze, both feeling puzzled.

Based on what they saw, it seemed like Lu Chen had agreed to the matter, otherwise, there was no way Lu Dashan would give him the medal. They couldn’t think of any other explanation.

After all, for all these years, Lu Chen had never defied Lu Dashan or dared to show him any disrespect, so how could they have imagined that Lu Chen had forcefully taken the medal from his hands?

Although both women still felt the tension between Lu Chen and Lu Dashan, especially after hearing Lu Dashan shout, the evidence was right before their eyes.

Finally, Jiang Guihua suppressed her doubts and said to Lu Chen, “Lu Chen, since you’ve agreed, you should go and talk to the brigade leader this afternoon. Tell him you won’t bring Meng Yinyin along anymore, so that no one in the brigade hears rumors about you and her. If the Wang family gets wind of it, things will only get worse. Do you understand?”

Jiang Guihua assumed Lu Dashan had already explained everything to Lu Chen, otherwise, the medal wouldn’t have made its way into his hands. So she spoke plainly without hesitation.

What she didn’t realize was that Lu Dashan had never had the chance to say this. Now that Lu Chen heard Jiang Guihua’s words, his expression paused for a moment. Once he understood her implication, his gaze turned as cold as ice.

It turned out that the favor Lu Dashan wanted him to do was this.

He wanted him to distance himself from Meng Yinyin, sever all ties with her, and make way for the Wang family!

Just thinking about it made Lu Chen’s anger surge.

Although he and Meng Yinyin hadn’t officially gotten together yet, how could Lu Dashan and his family treat Meng Yinyin and him like this? Who were they to tell him he couldn’t be with her?

“Alright, the matter’s settled. Let’s go back and have lunch. It’s already been delayed so long, I don’t know if there’s time for a nap now.”

After speaking, Jiang Guihua, as usual, didn’t bother to look at Lu Chen’s expression. She subconsciously believed Lu Chen would never resist.

But just as she turned around, she heard Lu Chen’s cold voice behind her.

“Don’t even think about it.”

What?

For a moment, Jiang Guihua thought she had imagined it, but when she saw her daughter, Lu Xiujuan, wearing the same shocked expression, she realized the voice had indeed come from Lu Chen.

So, Lu Chen was resisting.

He actually dared to resist!

Realizing this, Jiang Guihua turned around in disbelief. She wanted to scold Lu Chen, but when she saw his unfamiliar, cold, and vicious eyes, she froze.

At that moment, goosebumps prickled all over her body.

“You… Lu Chen, how dare you glare at me like that? Do you believe that—”

Before she could finish her threatening words, Lu Chen had already turned and walked away, completely ignoring her.

Jiang Guihua, furious, rolled up her sleeves, ready to chase after him and continue teaching him a lesson, but Lu Dashan, with a stern face, stopped her.

“Let’s go back first!”

Jiang Guihua was taken aback. “Lu Dashan, what do you mean by that? Didn’t you see how that brat—”

“I said, we’re going back first!”

Lu Dashan growled, successfully silencing Jiang Guihua’s words. Although she usually appeared hot-tempered, she was actually quite submissive to men. Once Lu Dashan was truly angry, she didn’t dare to say anything more.

In the end, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and follow Lu Dashan, who was as expressionless as water, back home.

Lu Xiujuan, walking behind them, couldn’t resist looking back at Lu Chen’s figure before passing through the small door. She saw him enter his room.

What was going on? Why did Lu Chen seem like a completely different person just now?

Or was this who he really was, and had he just been pretending to be obedient before?

For some reason, this thought filled Lu Xiujuan with fear, and a wave of strong unease swept over her.

Was the matter between Meng Yinyin and her younger brother-in-law going to fall through?

The Lu family trio returned to their home, and whatever they discussed, Lu Chen didn’t know or care. After all, he could guess that they were probably talking about his sudden “change” in behavior.

Lu Chen lowered his gaze, his fingers tightly gripping the medal that had been passed down to him. It was an old, rusted medal, the words barely visible through the rust.

—Outstanding Soldier Lu Tian.

He had known since he was a child that his father, Lu Tian, was a soldier, a martyr who had given his life to protect the country. Yet, he had never met him in person.

Even now, all he had was this medal, which he only received more than twenty years later.

This medal, which should have been a symbol of honor, had been carelessly discarded by Lu Dashan’s family, and as a result, it was now covered in rust.

But Lu Chen was somewhat grateful. If he had fallen out with Lu Dashan’s family earlier, he might never have been able to obtain this medal, which meant nothing to them.

Still, Lu Chen knew that the relics of his parents were not limited to this one item.

Thinking about the letter he had sent out a few days ago, Lu Chen tightened his grip on the medal.

Everything would be clear once he received a reply.

After putting his father’s medal away, Lu Chen finally found the time to think about another matter.

It had to do with Meng Yinyin.

Did the Wang family’s son also have feelings for Meng Yinyin?

Would he come to propose to her?

Just the thought of it caused a tightness in Lu Chen’s chest, and his brows furrowed deeply. A strong sense of rejection flooded his mind.

No.

He didn’t want anyone taking Meng Yinyin away from him, nor did he want to see another man beside her.

In that moment, Lu Chen could no longer deny his feelings for Meng Yinyin.

He knew he wasn’t worthy of her right now.

But he would strive to give her a better life, to ensure that she wouldn’t suffer or struggle while living in the Nanjiao Brigade.

As for whether she would leave in the future and return to where she truly belonged…

Lu Chen lowered his gaze.

If that day ever came, he would let her go willingly.

With his mind made up, Lu Chen stood up with firm resolve and headed toward the room where he kept his things. He unlocked the door.

…

Educated Youth Point.

Meng Yinyin hurried back around noon, immediately packing her cloth coat into the box. She decided she wouldn’t let it see the light of day for a while. Once the box was closed, she angrily went off to cook, since it was her turn to prepare lunch today.

What she didn’t know was that just after she left the dormitory, a figure appeared in front of her box.

Seeing the box was unlocked, the person hesitated for a moment before giving in to their curiosity and opening it.

Then, she finally saw what Meng Yinyin had been working on during this time.

Whenever Meng Yinyin returned these past few days, she would sit on the bed, facing away from everyone, with her head lowered as she busied herself with something mysterious. Her secretive behavior made everyone curious.

Someone had asked her about it, but Meng Yinyin quickly made up an excuse and avoided answering. After that, no one dared to press further.

But now, what Meng Yinyin had been working on was finally revealed.

It was a piece of cloth that barely resembled a garment, and from its size, it clearly wasn’t meant for Meng Yinyin. It looked more like something a man would wear.

She, Meng Yinyin, was making clothes for a man!

Realizing this, the person was instantly shocked.

After the shock, an unexpected feeling of joy followed.

If this news got out, wouldn’t Meng Yinyin’s reputation be ruined?

However, just spreading the rumor about her making clothes might be brushed off after some mockery, since Meng Yinyin wasn’t married. People might even assume the clothes were for a potential partner.

But as Educated Youth at the same site, everyone knew very well whether Meng Yinyin had a partner or not.

Meng Yinyin, who has no partner, secretly makes clothes for men. This can definitely be considered an improper relationship between men and women!

The person almost couldn’t resist running out to tell others, but quickly dismissed the idea.

No, this wasn’t enough!

After all, no one knew who the clothes were for. What if she claimed they were for her father or brother? That would waste a great opportunity.

It would be better to find her a “partner,” using this chance to tie Meng Yinyin to someone!

Even if Meng Yinyin later denied it, once the rumor spread, her reputation would be tarnished.

From then on, whenever people thought of Meng Yinyin, the first thing that would come to mind would be that “partner,” and their names would be forever linked.

But who should the “partner” be?

The person’s lips curled into a smile as they quickly picked a target.

…

Meng Yinyin and Yu Xiaoyu were cooking together. Yu Xiaoyu could clearly see that Meng Yinyin was not in a good mood. Unfortunately, when she asked her a question, Meng Yinyin didn’t know how to answer it directly, so she only said one sentence.

“I’m angry with someone!”

Yu Xiaoyu asked, “What did that person do to you? Should I tell the brigade leader?”

Meng Yinyin puffed out her cheeks in frustration. She wanted to, but she didn’t dare.

If she could, she would have asked the brigade leader to talk to Lu Chen, to educate him on how foolish he was to reject a confession from such a beautiful woman. It was simply maddening!

But then she remembered that no one could help her scold Lu Chen, and that she still had to spend time with him this afternoon, pretending as if his attitude didn’t affect her. The thought made her even angrier!

After finally making the meal, Meng Yinyin didn’t eat much. First, the weather was getting hotter, and her appetite was decreasing. Second, the bland food was simply unappetizing. If only there was some meat.

Thinking of meat, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but think of Lu Chen.

It seemed unbelievable, but during her time at the Nanjiao Brigade, the only time she had eaten meat was at Lu Chen’s place. And from the way he had acted, it seemed like his family had a lot of meat.

This thought made Meng Yinyin feel both angry and strangely hungry.

Maybe, for the sake of the meat at Lu Chen’s house, she shouldn’t let it go.

Once she moved in with Lu Chen, she would make sure to eat all his meat!

Braised pork, stir-fried pork with chili, stewed ribs—she wanted it all!

With this beautiful expectation in mind, Meng Yinyin fell into a deep sleep.

However, during this afternoon nap, she again had strange dreams.

In the dream, she was surrounded by villagers from the Nanjiao Brigade at the Educated Youth point. They were shouting insults at her, calling her shameless and telling her to leave the brigade.

Meng Yinyin: ???

How could this be? What could she have done to make everyone so angry?