Chapter 73 Lu Cheng Protects His Wife [Part 2]

Liu Cuifang saw all the villagers looking at her, her face flushed red and white. But she still stubbornly said, “I did it all for Lu Cheng’s sake. Lin Yuexi is not worthy of my Third son.”

Lu Cheng stepped forward, looked at his mother, and said with a heavy heart, “Mother, what are you trying to do? Yuexi is my wife, my children’s mother, the person I love. What you’ve done only makes me feel embarrassed.”

But Liu Cuifang said, “Third son, I’m your mother, the one who gave birth to you and raised you. Everything you have is because of me. This unfilial son, he actually married a wife and forgot about his mother. He’s completely infatuated with this woman and doesn’t give me a single cent of his allowance. How am I supposed to live?”

“Mother, you gave birth to me and raised me, but for the past five years, I’ve sent you 15 yuan every month. You also embezzled Yuexi’s 30 yuan allowance. You made my wife and children live in the kitchen and go hungry. Is that how a mother should act?” Lu Cheng said angrily. He had originally not wanted to say these words in public, after all, it was his mother, but he was so angry today.

“Lu Cheng, you’re my son. Everything you have, including your life, is mine. What’s wrong with me taking your 30 yuan allowance?” Liu Cuifang shouted.

The villagers in the audience heard Liu Cuifang’s words and began to whisper among themselves. They shook their heads in disapproval of her behavior.

Lu Cheng looked at Liu Cuifang, disappointment evident in his expression. “Mother, why don’t you understand? Yuexi is my wife. She’s the person I’m going to spend my life with. You’re treating her like this. How can I stand my ground in the village? How can I focus on my work in the army?”

Liu Cuifang continued to be relentless. “I don’t care. That woman can’t stay by your side. She stole you away. What will I do for the rest of my life?”

Lu Cheng took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. “Mother, from today onwards, I’ll send you ten yuan every month, but it will be kept by the Da-captain. If you can recognize your mistakes and change your ways, I’ll consider letting you manage it yourself. But if you remain stubborn, then the money will be used for the village’s elderly who are alone. Consider it as accumulating some virtue for yourself.”

Liu Cuifang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You dare! I’m your mother. You can’t do this to me!”

Lu Cheng ignored her and turned to Xia Ziying. “Xia Ziying, we’re just high school classmates. I’ve said I don’t have any feelings for you. I can’t believe you would do something like this. It’s truly incomprehensible. But since you’ve already done it, you must pay the price for your actions.” He then said to Li Da-captain, “Xia Ziying, a saleswoman at the supply and marketing cooperative, actually bribed Liu Ermazi to slander a military family. Send her to a labor camp on a farm for three years!”

Xia Ziying’s face turned pale instantly. Her legs buckled, and she almost collapsed. She cried out, “Lu Cheng, no! I just like you! I don’t want Lin Yuexi to be with you. What’s wrong with that? You want the Da-captain to send me to a labor camp?”

Lu Cheng looked at her, his eyes devoid of any pity. “Xia Ziying, you should know that the reputation of a military family is not to be tarnished. You’ve done this, and you must bear the consequences.”

Li Da-captain also said sternly, “Lu Cheng’s decision is right. This matter must be dealt with seriously. We need to give everyone an explanation and prevent others from making the same mistakes.”

Seeing Lu Cheng’s ruthlessness, Xia Ziying collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant, filled with despair!

At this time, Li Da-captain stepped forward and said, “Villagers, you’ve all seen what happened today. Liu Cuifang and Xia Ziying spread malicious rumors, causing great harm to Comrade Lin Yuexi. Our village is a united and friendly community. We will not tolerate such things. From today onwards, I hope everyone will learn from this and stop believing and spreading unfounded rumors.”

The villagers nodded in agreement.

Lu Cheng walked over to Lin Yuexi and gently took her hand. “Yuexi, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to go through this. I’ll deal with these matters as soon as possible, then I’ll go to the military academy and study hard. I’ll give you and the children a better life in the future.”

Lin Yuexi smiled and nodded slightly. Actually, she was capable of handling these things herself, but Lu Cheng’s actions gave her a sense of reassurance. This man was a good man, responsible and capable. She looked at Lu Cheng with gentle eyes and said, “I believe in you, Lu Cheng. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself and the children.”

In the days that followed, Lu Cheng followed his plan. He had Liu Cuifang publicly apologize in the village and informed his family elders of her actions, asking them to help discipline her. He also reported Xia Ziying’s issue to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative. Xia Ziying not only had to go to a labor camp but also lost her job at the cooperative!

A few days later, Lu Cheng was about to go to the military academy in Beijing. Ziyan and Xiyun, the two little ones, clung to him, refusing to let him go. Lu Ziyan and Lu Xiyun had already started first grade at the village school. They were supposed to start first grade at seven years old, but under Lin Yuexi’s tutelage, they had already surpassed the first-grade level. Wang Hongmei, the teacher at the village school, had tested them and made an exception to admit them.

Seeing the two little ones clinging to him, refusing to let him go, Lu Cheng squatted down, holding his son in one arm and his daughter in the other, his eyes filled with reluctance. “Ziyan, Xiyun, be good. Daddy is going to learn some skills so that he can better protect you and Mommy in the future.” He said, then put them down.

Lu Ziyan blinked his big eyes and said in a childish voice, “Daddy, you have to come back soon. I’ll take care of Mommy and my sister.”

Lu Xiyun nodded beside him, tightly clutching Lu Cheng’s clothes.

Lin Yuexi walked over and gently stroked the children’s heads. “Let Daddy go. Daddy is going to study. He’s going to learn so that he can contribute to the country. It’s very important…”

“Really? Mommy, will Daddy be a big hero then?” Lu Ziyan looked up at his parents.

Lin Yuexi and Lu Cheng exchanged smiles. Lin Yuexi said, “Yes, Daddy is a hero now, and he’ll be a hero in the future. Ziyan and Xiyun are the sons of a hero! So, Ziyan and Xiyun must be good and let Daddy go to the military academy to study.”

Seeing Lin Yuexi say this, Lu Ziyan and Lu Xiyun happily let go of Lu Cheng’s hand.

Lu Cheng stood up, forcing himself to be strong. He took one last look at Lin Yuexi, turned, and set off for Beijing. He didn’t know how much he didn’t want to leave Lin Yuexi. Just thinking about how happy their intimate conversation was last night, he wanted to stay and never leave! But as a soldier, how could he spend all day lost in a dream of love?

Lin Yuexi also didn’t want Lu Cheng to leave. She had gone from initially disliking Lu Cheng to now feeling like she couldn’t live without him for a day. She had fallen deeply in love with this responsible man.

She watched Lu Cheng’s departing figure until he disappeared from sight. Then she came back to her senses and went home with the children.