Chapter 50

Because of the promise made by Lu Chen, a seed of curiosity was instantly planted in Meng Yinyin’s heart, and she couldn’t help but wish it would bloom and bear fruit right away.

Because of this, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to “push her luck” and instead pretended as if she hadn’t noticed anything. She casually told Lu Chen, “I’ll wait for your news,” and the night passed in this manner.

The next morning, while she was still in the middle of a dream, she vaguely heard a faint noise. It wasn’t loud, as if the person had intentionally tried to keep the sound down, perhaps to avoid disturbing someone.

But because it was so early, even the birds hadn’t started chirping yet, so the sound of the door opening stood out unusually clearly.

However, Meng Yinyin was not fully awakened by the noise. She quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

The person who caused the disturbance was, of course, Lu Chen. Since he had promised to go find Lin Xiuzhi early that morning to get to the bottom of things, he wouldn’t break his word.

Because he had been thinking about this all night, he hadn’t slept well. Just like Meng Yinyin was curious about why Lin Xiuzhi said such things, Lu Chen was equally intrigued.

Soon, he arrived at Dou Zhengrong and Lin Xiuzhi’s house.

As he had expected, Dou Zhengrong’s house was already open. From Lu Chen’s impression, Lin Xiuzhi was a very diligent person who was used to waking up early to get things done.

However, when Lu Chen arrived at Dou Zhengrong’s house, he found that it wasn’t Lin Xiuzhi who had gotten up, but Dou Zhengrong himself.

Dou Zhengrong was leaning on a crutch with one hand while struggling to lift a bucket of water with the other.

Fortunately, after so many years in the army, Dou Zhengrong’s arm strength was impressive. He could lift a bucket of water with just one hand.

However, while he was able to lift the bucket, his legs couldn’t support him enough to carry the water to the house. The burden of holding the bucket added dozens of pounds to his load, increasing the pressure on his legs and making recovery more difficult.

Seeing this, Lu Chen didn’t hesitate. He quickly walked over and took the bucket from Dou Zhengrong’s hands.

“I’ll carry it,” he said.

Hearing the familiar voice, Dou Zhengrong turned around and saw that it was Lu Chen again.

This wasn’t the first time Lu Chen had helped him with water. He had done the same last time.

Dou Zhengrong smiled and thanked him again.

“Thank you, Comrade Lu Chen.”

It had been some time since his injury, and by now, Dou Zhengrong had accepted his situation and was slowly overcoming his self-pity.

So, when Lu Chen helped him, he didn’t feel like it was out of sympathy. On the contrary, he was genuinely grateful.

Lu Chen nodded but didn’t say much.

After helping Dou Zhengrong carry the water into the yard, he glanced around. It had been a while since he had been there, and the once neat and clean yard now seemed a bit more disordered. The weeds in the corners had grown unchecked, and no one had bothered to clean them.

Lu Chen silently noted these small changes in his mind, and just then, Dou Zhengrong, who was standing beside him, was quietly observing him as well.

When Dou Zhengrong had left home to join the army, Lu Chen was just a boy. Now, he was nearly as tall as Dou Zhengrong and was very handsome. Based purely on his appearance, he was already very outstanding.

As for the rumors he had heard about Lu Chen, Dou Zhengrong could judge people well and suspected that Lu Chen wasn’t the kind of person described in those stories.

So, whether outwardly or inwardly, a young man as exceptional as Lu Chen should attract a lot of attention, especially from women.

Thinking of the scene last night when Lin Xiuzhi had been staring at Lu Chen’s back, he didn’t find it strange at all.

However, there was something else.

From the rumors around the brigade, he had heard that Lu Chen already had someone. The person was an educated youth, very beautiful, and was being well cared for by Lu Chen, to the point that she didn’t even need to work.

It seemed clear that Lu Chen must really like his partner.

So, as far as Lu Chen was concerned, there shouldn’t be anything inappropriate about his relationship with Lin Xiuzhi.

Just as Dou Zhengrong was thinking about how to subtly ask about this, Lu Chen spoke directly.

“Brother Dou, is Sister Xiuzhi home?”

What?

Dou Zhengrong was taken aback by the direct question. After a few seconds, he finally responded, looking at Lu Chen with a somewhat unclear expression.

“She’s at home, still sleeping inside.”

Lu Chen was surprised by this response, but after thinking about the changes in the yard and recalling Lin Xiuzhi’s strange behavior the day before, it didn’t seem so odd.

“Are you looking for her for something?” Dou Zhengrong asked again.

Lu Chen nodded, about to say something when suddenly a voice came from inside the house.

“Can you two get out of bed already? Stop crowding up here. I’ve told you so many times, it’s too hot!”

“This damn house is stuffy enough, and you’re both sticking to me like this. It’s really annoying!”

The voice was Lin Xiuzhi’s.

But the words and tone didn’t sound like something she would say.

Lu Chen’s surprise flashed in his eyes, but Dou Zhengrong quickly caught it.

Seeing this, Dou Zhengrong smiled faintly.

“Sorry, did we scare you? She’s been a bit irritable lately. Please understand.”

Lu Chen furrowed his brow slightly.

Lately?

When did this start?

He wanted to ask Dou Zhengrong but was interrupted by the sound of a baby crying from inside the house. Dou Zhengrong’s smile immediately disappeared as his expression grew worried. He quickly walked into the house.

“Lin Xiuzhi, enough! Why are you taking your anger out on the kids so early in the morning?”

“They’re so annoying, what else? Besides, I’m their mother. What’s wrong with saying something to them?”

“If you care so much about them, why don’t you get up and take them away yourself?”

“Lin Xiuzhi, you’re completely unreasonable! The kids are still young. What’s wrong with letting them sleep a little longer? You don’t even let them sleep in peace?”

The sound of an argument soon echoed from inside the house. Outside, Lu Chen’s expression grew more puzzled.

Something wasn’t right. Lin Xiuzhi’s behavior was very unusual.

If it weren’t for the fact that it was still her voice, Lu Chen would almost have trouble believing that these were her words.

Wasn’t she the one who had always been the most loving toward her children?

Moreover, Lin Xiuzhi had always been gentle and kind. She would never say something so sharp and bitter.

A series of doubts filled Lu Chen’s mind. He knew something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was.

Inside the house, Dou Zhengrong walked out carrying the two children. Luckily, they were well-behaved and quietly followed him out, their eyes red from crying, but they kept their voices down, fearing they would disturb others.

Such obedient behavior must have come from their mother’s careful upbringing.

It was just a pity that their “mother” was no longer the same person as before.

As he walked out, a brief flash of coldness passed through Dou Zhengrong’s eyes, but by the time he saw Lu Chen, he had already masked his expression.

Dabao and Erbao, the two children, were the first to greet Lu Chen when they saw him.

“Uncle Lu Chen!”

“Uncle Lu Chen, what are you doing here?”

The children’s emotions shifted quickly, and their sadness was soon replaced by excitement at seeing Lu Chen. They rushed over to him, chatting eagerly.

Inside the house, Lin Xiuzhi, who had wanted to continue sleeping, was suddenly jolted awake when she heard “Lu Chen.”

What?

Lu Chen is here?

How did he get here?

The key thing was, she was still in bed, not even out of it yet!

Wait, did he overhear the argument she had with Dou Zhengrong earlier?

The thought of Lu Chen possibly hearing the things she said to Dou Zhengrong made Lin Xiuzhi feel a surge of regret and frustration. If it weren’t for those two mischievous kids, she wouldn’t have embarrassed herself in front of Lu Chen!

Fuming, Lin Xiuzhi gritted her teeth, quickly got out of bed, and began changing clothes. She couldn’t possibly appear in front of Lu Chen looking like a mess!

Although they had met the day before, it had been in the evening when it was too dark to even recognize each other properly. Today would be the first time they truly saw each other, and she had to make a good impression!

Unfortunately, Lin Xiuzhi searched through all her clothes but couldn’t find anything she liked, making her even more annoyed!

To make matters worse, she suddenly heard Lu Chen’s voice from outside, asking Dou Zhengrong about her.

“Brother Dou, can you ask Sister Xiuzhi to come out for a while? I have something to ask her.”

Dou Zhengrong replied, his voice filled with doubt.

“Ask her something? Is it urgent?”

Lu Chen’s tone was firm.

“Yes, it’s very urgent.”

Inside the house, Lin Xiuzhi became anxious.

What could Lu Chen possibly want to ask her? She quickly searched through her memories of the original owner’s life but couldn’t find any unresolved issues.

Wait, could it be because of what happened yesterday?