Chapter 8.2

Just as he was unsure how to react to Meng Yinyin’s words, the sharp and impatient voice of his Aunt Jiang Guihua came from the neighboring yard.

“Lu Chen, where are you? It’s been so long moving things, don’t you know we need them here urgently?”

The voice immediately snapped Lu Chen back to reality, pulling him away from the fleeting, dream-like moment.

He glanced at Meng Yinyin, pressed his lips together, and quietly explained, “I need to work.”

With that, he turned and headed toward the yard.

Meng Yinyin furrowed her brows and instinctively looked toward the neighboring yard, where Lu Dashan’s family lived.

The voice she had just heard was truly unpleasant, especially with that tone—it almost sounded as if she was commanding a servant!

Although she hadn’t seen the person yet, Meng Yinyin had already decided that this person was probably difficult to get along with.

But then she reminded herself that she would be going over there to attend a meal soon, so she just pouted and told herself not to care too much. If it became uncomfortable, she could just avoid the owner of that voice.

Pulling herself back to the present, Meng Yinyin saw Lu Chen heading back into the yard, silently getting back to work.

He was carrying a large square table, most likely to take it to the next door.

Instinctively, Meng Yinyin took a few steps back, planning to give him space.

But to her surprise, Lu Chen walked straight toward the wall between the two yards, carrying the table.

Was he planning to throw the table over the wall?

As she watched, stunned, Lu Chen approached the wall, hoisted the table with one hand, and with his other hand slowly pushed open a door in the wall.

Meng Yinyin: “?!”

There was actually a door there?

What kind of strange structure was this?

This was the first time Meng Yinyin had seen someone open a door in the wall between two yards.

Curious, she couldn’t help but take a couple of steps closer to the wall.

From her new position, she could see part of what was happening in the neighboring yard through the small door.

She saw Lu Chen carry the table over, and a middle-aged woman immediately directed him, “Put that table in the corner, we don’t want it to be noticed. Afterward, bring over the chairs from your side.”

“Oh, and make sure to wipe the chairs, don’t let them have any dirt on them.”

As she spoke, Jiang Guihua seemed to realize she might have sounded too dismissive, so she forced a smile and added, “What I meant was the dust, don’t take it the wrong way, Lu Chen.”

But her explanation didn’t make things better. Even Meng Yinyin, an outsider, could tell that the words were laced with disdain, as if she were referring to Lu Chen’s so-called “bad luck” or “disaster star” status.

However, Lu Chen, the person involved, showed no real reaction. He merely glanced at Jiang Guihua expressionlessly and turned to leave.

Jiang Guihua, feeling guilty, didn’t dare say anything further. She mumbled to herself about how the brat dared to glare at her, then hurried off to do other things.

When Lu Chen came back through the small door, Meng Yinyin couldn’t hold back any longer. She walked into his yard, seeing him preparing to go inside, clearly intending to follow the woman’s orders and move the chairs. She couldn’t understand why he was being so obedient.

Was he foolish?

He had clearly been treated unfairly, so why was he still following her orders?

Perhaps thinking of Lu Chen’s difficult past, and how she had just learned that he was too self-conscious to speak because of his insecurities about his voice, combined with the scene of him being mistreated by that woman, Meng Yinyin felt increasingly sorry for him.

Despite his strong outward appearance, he seemed so vulnerable and helpless inside!

And how could that woman have the nerve to both treat him with disdain and order him around so boldly?

It was shameless!

With that thought, Meng Yinyin quickly walked up to Lu Chen and asked, “Who was that person speaking to you just now?”

Lu Chen looked confused but still answered honestly, “My aunt.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Yinyin became even angrier. She huffed and said, “She’s still an elder? How can she behave like that?”

She then looked up at Lu Chen, only to find him frowning slightly, seemingly not understanding why she was upset.

Seeing his puzzled expression only made her angrier.

She stomped her foot, pointed out, “She was bullying you just now, didn’t you notice?!”

Lu Chen froze, his expression turning strange.

He knew that his uncle and aunt often asked him to help with their work, treating him like a servant, but some things were just part of his duties. He didn’t think much of it.

Moreover, he couldn’t afford to confront them, as his parents’ belongings were still in their hands.

That was why he had never fought with them.

In fact, his familial connection with them had been severed when his grandmother passed away.

After his grandmother passed away, they sent Lu Chen to live in the old house. They justified it by saying he was already fifteen and could live independently.

However, Lu Chen knew the real reason. They simply didn’t want to take care of him anymore. When his grandmother was alive, she kept them in check. But once she passed away, they could no longer hide their resentment. They immediately kicked him out.

If it hadn’t been for his grandmother’s dying words, asking Lu Dashan and his wife to remember to pass on his parents’ belongings, it was likely that the two families would have severed ties for good.

Over the years, Lu Chen had repeatedly asked Lu Dashan for his parents’ things, but the responses he received were either that they didn’t know where they were, or that they couldn’t find them and didn’t have time to search.

At first, Lu Chen had patiently waited for them to return his parents’ belongings without suspecting anything, but after receiving nothing but excuses and evasions, he began to realize that Lu Dashan and his wife never intended to return them.

Although Lu Chen still didn’t know what exactly his parents had left him, it didn’t mean he would give up on those things.

To outsiders, it might seem like his parents died because of him. But his grandmother always told him that his parents loved him deeply and were more excited than anyone else about his arrival.

So, whatever they had left for him, even if it was just a piece of paper, he had to get it back!

He was afraid that if he pushed Lu Dashan and his wife too hard, they might just throw something at him to get rid of him. So, he pretended not to notice their true intentions, quietly doing their work while secretly trying to uncover the truth.

Since his grandmother’s death, Lu Chen had no family left in the world, no one to care for him, and no one to stand up for him. No one to tell him that he was being mistreated.

But at this moment, Meng Yinyin’s words and actions made him feel that someone actually cared for him.

Although he knew that Meng Yinyin was probably just trying to remind him out of kindness, for Lu Chen, this long-lost feeling of being cared for stirred something in his heart.

In his ears, Meng Yinyin’s angry voice continued.

“…How can you be so oblivious? Sure, she’s your elder, but that doesn’t give her the right to bully you like that! She obviously looks down on you deep down, yet you didn’t notice a thing and just stupidly followed her orders!”

What a waste of such a tall stature!

Meng Yinyin felt a sudden frustration, like iron not turning into steel.

Lu Chen remained silent throughout, quietly listening to Meng Yinyin’s string of complaints. Not only did he show no impatience, but he also inexplicably found himself enjoying it.

He thought he was quite peculiar. Meng Yinyin wasn’t praising him, yet he felt happy.

When Meng Yinyin noticed that Lu Chen hadn’t said a word, her tone unconsciously softened. She suddenly realized she might have overstepped.

“I—I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just… Never mind, just pretend you didn’t hear anything I said earlier.”

Meng Yinyin hung her head, feeling very annoyed. It seemed that she had indeed been too nosy.

Although in her eyes, Lu Chen seemed very pitiful—growing up without parents and being disliked by others—she hadn’t expected that his aunt would bully him this way. It was truly tragic.

But maybe he didn’t need others to comment on his situation.

Meng Yinyin stopped talking.

The sounds of birds and cicadas filled the air, a constant chorus of summer’s noisy vibrance, but Lu Chen suddenly felt the silence around him.

He found himself strangely anxious, wanting to ask Meng Yinyin why she had stopped talking, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he couldn’t find a way to say them.

Finally, he awkwardly blurted out, “Do you want to eat something?”

Meng Yinyin blinked, completely caught off guard. She had no idea why he suddenly asked her such a question.

But maybe it was because she was really hungry. The moment she heard Lu Chen’s question, her stomach growled loudly.

Meng Yinyin: “……”

She lowered her head, embarrassed, covering her rumbling stomach, not noticing the relief on Lu Chen’s face.

Seeing this, Lu Chen quickly said, “Wait for me,” before turning and heading into the house.

It didn’t take long—within a minute, Lu Chen was back in front of her, holding something in his hand.

Was that… jerky?

Jerky!!!

The moment she saw what he was holding, Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lu Chen stepped closer, his hand open, offering the jerky to her.

“Is this… for me?”

Meng Yinyin was stunned, as if a surprise had fallen from the sky. She couldn’t believe it.

Lu Chen nodded firmly, extending his hand further towards her.

The jerky got closer to her. It was meat—real meat!

She hadn’t eaten anything like this in nearly half a month. She had almost forgotten what it tasted like.

Her mouth watered, and Meng Yinyin hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking one piece.

Although Lu Chen had offered it to her, she knew how precious meat was for people in the countryside.

Moreover, Lu Chen lived alone and likely didn’t have a lot of money. He was a bit slow, so he might have ended up taking too much by accident.

She didn’t want to be greedy or take too much, so she only took one piece, even though there was more.

However, her eyes couldn’t help but express her reluctance towards the dried meat in Lu Chen’s hands. Her little eyes blinked and blinked, unable to look away, yet she couldn’t take more. It was just too difficult for her.

Lu Chen saw that she clearly wanted to take it all but was too shy to do so, so he directly shoved all the remaining dried meat into her hands.

Forcing himself to ignore the familiar soft texture, he said, “It’s all for you.”

“All… all for me?!”

This time, Meng Yinyin was truly shocked. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back. “It’s too much, I can’t take it. Life isn’t easy for you either, I…”

Before she could finish, Lu Chen interrupted her. “I have more.”

Then, he calmly added, “A lot.”

Meng Yinyin’s lips parted slightly, and she stared at Lu Chen blankly.

A lot of meat.

Could this be the legendary case of “don’t judge a book by its cover”?