Chapter 7.1

And that night, at Lu Dashan’s house.

In their grand red-brick courtyard, the entire family was busy preparing for tomorrow’s wedding celebration, making use of the last few hours before it got dark.

After working all day, Lu Dashan was actually completely exhausted. He just wanted to lie down on the bed immediately and have his wife bring him water for washing his feet.

But thinking about how the entire production team, and maybe even people from the town, would be coming to his house for the banquet tomorrow, he knew that if he didn’t set things up properly, it would be embarrassing.

So, despite his fatigue, Lu Dashan gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep working.

However, his youngest son, Lu Jinbao, didn’t have the same endurance.

Seeing that half of the courtyard still needed to be swept, Lu Jinbao impatiently shouted, “What’s the point of sweeping this dirt? We’re going to set up the table for the banquet tomorrow anyway, so who can see what’s under the table? I won’t sweep it!”

With that, he tossed the broom to the ground and turned to head back to his room.

“Stop right there! Look at what you’ve become. You don’t study, you don’t work, and you’re almost twenty years old! What are you going to do in the future!”

Lu Dashan, already tired from a day’s work, became even angrier when he saw his only son’s defiance. He couldn’t help but start scolding him again.

Lu Jinbao was his youngest son, nineteen years old, still in high school. But because of recent policy changes, the college entrance exam had been canceled, and high school for most people had become a way to pass time, just a formality for a diploma.

At least with a high school diploma, it would be easier to find work in the city later on.

That was why Lu Dashan had insisted that Lu Jinbao continue through high school. Unfortunately, his son had not appreciated his good intentions and had been causing trouble at school.

If it weren’t for his son-in-law, a worker in the town, helping to smooth things over, Lu Jinbao might have been expelled by now!

Thinking about this made Lu Dashan even angrier.

“Tomorrow is your eldest sister’s wedding, and your brother-in-law has helped you so much. Don’t you think you should help out more? Do you even care about your brother-in-law?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinbao snorted dismissively.

“Why should I care? It’s not like I’m the one getting married!”

“You—!”

The words enraged Lu Dashan so much that he picked up a shoe and was about to throw it at his son. Luckily, his wife, Jiang Guihua, rushed over just in time to stop him.

“Why are you getting so upset with our son? He’s still young. Why can’t you just talk things through? You don’t care, but I do!”

Jiang Guihua grabbed the shoe from Lu Dashan’s hand and threw it to the ground, which made Lu Dashan even angrier.

“You just keep spoiling him! One day, he’ll become so spoiled that he won’t do anything. If he turns into a good-for-nothing, who will you cry to?”

Jiang Guihua wasn’t moved. Lu Jinbao was her precious baby boy, and she loved him dearly.

Besides, it wasn’t like he was the only young man in the family who could help out—what about Lu Chen?

With that thought in mind, Jiang Guihua shot Lu Dashan a glare. “His hands are for holding a pen, not for sweeping! Why not ask Lu Chen to do the sweeping instead?”

After saying that, she ignored Lu Dashan’s hesitant expression and walked straight towards the small door on the left side of the courtyard wall.

The small door that appeared on the flat courtyard wall looked particularly abrupt. More than one person was curious about why Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua would deliberately open a small door on the courtyard wall, and this small door led to the old house of their Lu family’s ancestors.

In response to this, Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua explained that they couldn’t bear to part with the old house. Although the house was old and worn, it held sentimental value, and the small door they had opened between the two sides was quite convenient.

When others heard their explanation, they thought the couple was being affectionate and thoughtful. However, only Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua knew the real reason they had installed this small door in the wall – it was to make it easier to order Lu Chen around.

If they hadn’t opened this little door, Lu Chen would have had to go in and out through the large gate of the yard, which would attract attention from others.

After all, if people found out that they were constantly calling their nephew, Lu Chen, over to help with various tasks, it would certainly cause some gossip.

After opening the small door, Jiang Guihua immediately walked toward the old house next door.

The old house also had a small yard, but unlike their own high brick walls, the old yard had old, crumbling mud walls. While they were outdated, at least they provided some privacy. Moreover, it was getting darker, and since everyone else had gone home to eat and sleep, no one was watching their neighbors’ yards. This gave Jiang Guihua even more confidence as she moved about freely.

She quickly walked into the yard and immediately spotted Lu Chen, who was cooking dinner in the corner of a shed. When she saw that he had already made the meal, she couldn’t help but feel pleased. It seemed like she would be able to skip cooking for a meal tonight!

However, while thinking this, she still expressed regret, saying, “Oh, Lu Chen, you finished cooking so quickly. I was planning to ask you to help me with some things and then have you eat with us.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen shifted his gaze from the stove and silently looked at Jiang Guihua.

His eyes seemed to both wait patiently for her next words and silently observe her subtle performance, which made Jiang Guihua feel quite uncomfortable.

“Ah, it’s just that your elder sister is getting married tomorrow. We’re too busy to manage everything ourselves, so I thought I’d ask you to come over and help. I also thought if you hadn’t eaten yet, you could just eat with us after you finish helping. I didn’t expect you’d already have your meal ready.”

Jiang Guihua chuckled, knowing that Lu Chen would not refuse. She immediately made arrangements: “I think your food might still need a little more time, so why don’t you go ahead and help out for now? By the time you’re done, your food will probably be ready.”

Lu Chen didn’t speak but, after a moment of silence, finally set down the items he was holding and stood up to walk toward Jiang Guihua.

Jiang Guihua breathed a sigh of relief, feeling satisfied. She turned to head back, with Lu Chen following closely behind.

As soon as Lu Chen entered the yard, Jiang Guihua handed him a broom that was lying on the ground, saying, “Lu Chen, you can start by sweeping the yard. Once you’re done, sweep the living room and your younger brother’s room. Oh, and while you’re at it, fix the window in his room. He keeps complaining that it creaks and it’s keeping him up at night.”

Jiang Guihua quickly gave a long string of instructions and then left without hesitation.

Upon hearing the noise, Lu Dashan soon came out of the living room.

Seeing Lu Chen standing alone with the broom in the yard, Lu Dashan walked over with an awkward smile, trying to make light of the situation.

“Your aunt can be a bit thoughtless sometimes. Even if she’s busy, she should not have called you. You’ve been working outside all day, so you must be tired too.”

After briefly scolding Jiang Guihua for her lack of consideration, Lu Dashan shifted gears and began to talk about his own struggles.

“Ah, your elder sister’s wedding came up so suddenly, and I’ve been busy with work, so I haven’t had much time to take care of everything. That’s why we need your help. By the way, we plan to take the day off tomorrow. Lu Chen, why don’t you also take a day off to help out? Since you work efficiently, one day won’t cause much of a delay.”

Lu Chen didn’t respond, his focus remaining on sweeping the ground as if he hadn’t heard a word of what Lu Dashan had said.

Seeing this, Lu Dashan felt reassured.

Perhaps with some free labor to help out, his mood lightened, and he inadvertently began to speak about something he shouldn’t have.

“Now that your elder sister is getting married, you’re already in your twenties, right? It’s time to think about your personal life. After your sister’s wedding is over, I’ll make sure to help you find a good match. I’ll get you a good wife, so your parents will rest easy knowing you’re well taken care of.”

At the mention of “your parents,” Lu Chen finally stopped what he was doing.

He raised his head and locked eyes with Lu Dashan, then spoke in a low voice.

“When will I get my parents’ things?”

Lu Dashan’s brow twitched, and he cursed himself silently for bringing up such a sensitive topic. Why had he mentioned them?

“Haha, don’t worry. I would never keep what your parents left for you. But as you know, things have been hectic with the harvest and your sister’s wedding, so we haven’t had the time to look for those things.”

“But don’t worry. Once this is all over, I’ll make sure your aunt and I look for them. We’ll turn the whole house upside down if we have to, but we’ll find what’s yours.”

Lu Dashan spoke with a serious face, making a firm promise to Lu Chen.

This kind of scene had played out many times before.

Lu Chen stared at him deeply, as if seeing through Lu Dashan’s facade, making him feel uneasy.

Fortunately, after a moment, Lu Chen turned his attention back to sweeping, and Lu Dashan let out a deep sigh of relief. He quickly found an excuse to go into the living room and left the yard.