Chapter 43

Lu Nong turned her head to look at her. “How do you know?”

Cheng Duoduo’s expression was complicated. “The handsome guy from the law school, Pei Zheng, is actually not your brother. He is your stepson?”

Lu Nong seemed to understand where the problem lay.

“Yes, his father and I formed a second marriage family together.” Lu Nong summarized the complicated relationship in one sentence.

Cheng Duoduo stared blankly. “…So, I once asked you to introduce your stepson to me as a potential partner.”

Although it was a bit cruel, Lu Nong had to tell her the truth to completely eliminate Cheng Duoduo’s thoughts about Pei Zheng. “That’s right.”

Cheng Duoduo: “…” Fortunately, she gave up in time. Otherwise what would it mean to be the daughter-in-law of a classmate?

“Wait, your son’s surname is Gu, right? Pei Zheng’s surname is Pei. Did you marry his father in a second marriage?” Cheng Duoduo looked at Lu Nong in surprise, realizing that her classmate, despite her young age, had gone through quite a bit.

“Yes, our situations are quite complex, and it’s hard to explain in just a few words.” Lu Nong nodded, briefly stating that. Then she got to the point, “By the way, how did you find out about all this?”

Cheng Duoduo replied, “Jiang Zhenzhen and her classmates went to the clothing factory dance yesterday. They saw you and Pei Zheng there. Jiang Zhenzhen heard people talking about you at the dance, saying you married a man more than ten years older than you and that you have a stepson around your age. They also said your husband doesn’t like you and doesn’t even dance with you.”

“However, later Jiang Zhenzhen mentioned that your husband showed up and that he is a soldier.”

Cheng Duoduo tried to recount Jiang Zhenzhen’s words as objectively as possible. Although they lived in the same dorm, Lu Nong was rarely there, and when she wasn’t in class, she preferred to stay in the library. This limited the time she spent with her dormmates, leading to everyone discussing Lu Nong without restraint.

Among them, Jiang Zhenzhen loved to gossip about Lu Nong’s marriage and motherhood. Hearing that Lu Nong had married an older man made her look down on her even more. She returned to the dorm with a disdainful expression that she couldn’t hide.

However, as Cheng Duoduo observed, besides the contempt, there was also jealousy on Jiang Zhenzhen’s face, which puzzled her. If Jiang Zhenzhen looked down on Lu Nong for marrying an older man, why was she jealous of Lu Nong?

Lu Nong didn’t react much after hearing this. These were merely gossiping words, and she figured there wouldn’t be anything good said. Her time at school was precious; she felt it was already insufficient for studying, and she had no time or inclination to clash with her roommates. As long as they didn’t bother her, she chose to ignore them.

She imitated Pei Ji’an’s calm demeanor and said slowly, “Well, it’s basically not bad, but there is one thing I want to correct. My man likes me. I’m so pretty. If my man doesn’t like me, does that mean he likes her?”

Cheng Duoduo: “…” Although these words were not very friendly to Jiang Zhenzhen, but if you think about it carefully, there seems to be nothing wrong with it.

Jiang Zhenzhen and the others walked out of the dormitory: “…”

Jiang Zhenzhen’s chest was gasping for breath and her eyes were blazing with anger. It seemed like she was about to rush over and tear Lu Nong apart, but she forced herself to hold back. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile that appeared extremely strained to everyone.

“Classmate Lu Nong is right. Classmate Lu Nong and her husband are in perfect harmony and very loving.” Jiang Zhenzhen immediately began to flatter Lu Nong, completely changing her attitude, making it hard to believe she had any ulterior motives.

After praising Lu Nong, Jiang Zhenzhen turned to Cheng Duoduo with an expression of humiliation and said, “Classmate Cheng Duoduo, please don’t slander me in front of Classmate Lu Nong. I have never questioned the love between classmate Lu Nong and her husband!”

Jiang Zhenzhen really hated Cheng Duoduo, the gossipmonger. Originally, Lu Nong had no idea what they were saying behind her back, but Cheng Duoduo had to report it and name names.

While Cheng Duoduo managed to win Lu Nong’s favor, Jiang Zhenzhen was the one who would be resented. Who knew if Lu Nong would whisper to her officer husband, using his influence to bully her and her family?

Her family, being wealthy merchants, already had a bad reputation. If Lu Nong were to take revenge on her, she would have nowhere to go.

Thinking of this made her feel bitter. What was she lacking compared to Lu Nong?

Was it just because she came from a capitalist background that she was looked down upon? Her father even wanted her to marry some illiterate, dirty peasant. She would rather marry into a powerful family like Lu Nong and be a stepmother. At least Lu Nong’s husband looked good and could protect her family.

Lu Nong: “…” If you didn’t look like you wanted to tear me apart, I would really believe you.

Cheng Duoduo: “…” What the hell! If she hadn’t heard what Jiang Zhenzhen said with her own ears, she would have doubted whether she had really slandered others.

Seeing that Lu Nong clearly didn’t believe her, Jiang Zhenzhen took a deep breath and put on an apologetic expression. She sincerely said, “Classmate Lu Nong, I want to formally apologize. I was reckless at the dorm and shared what I overheard about you with my roommates, leading to misunderstandings about you. It’s all my fault. Can you forgive me?”

“……”Does she think I’m stupid?

However, Lu Nong admired her ability to bend and stretch. Moreover, if Jiang Zhenzhen hadn’t accused Cheng Duoduo of slander and noticed that Lu Nong believed Cheng Duoduo instead of her, she might not have shifted blame to someone else and would have changed her attitude to apologize. Just based on her sincere apology, Lu Nong might actually believe she was genuine.

Yet, whether she believed her or not made no difference. For someone like Jiang Zhenzhen, who was so fickle, Lu Nong always kept her distance.

As for forgiving her, Lu Nong thought for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot forgive you right now.”

Jiang Zhenzhen’s expression changed drastically as she heard Lu Nong continue, “But just because I can’t now doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. As long as you truly repent and show me your efforts, I might forgive you.”

Hearing that there was a chance for redemption, Jiang Zhenzhen quickly asked, “Classmate Lu Nong, what can I do to show you that I am genuinely repentant?”

Did she need to pay? Or go explain to others to eliminate the slander against Lu Nong?

Lu Nong replied seriously, “Study!”

Come on, join the ranks of those who are studying hard. As students of Peking University, why waste time on gossip when studies should take precedence?

As long as you study seriously, you won’t have time to disturb me.

Jiang Zhenzhen looked puzzled. “Is it really that simple?”

No money, no fame, and instead, she was urged to study. Could such a good thing really exist?

Cheng Duoduo: “…”

Seeing through everything, Cheng Duoduo didn’t know whether to sympathize with Jiang Zhenzhen or envy her. She envied the fact that the incredible Lu Nong was personally creating a study schedule for Jiang Zhenzhen. However, imagining Jiang Zhenzhen crying in frustration while studying and saying, “There’s too much homework, I can’t finish it. I’m sorry,” made her feel sorry for Jiang Zhenzhen.

“Classmate Jiang, please bring me your course schedule. I will rearrange your study time for you. According to the progress of the course schedule, you must achieve the grades I set for each subject at the end of the semester. Otherwise, I will not forgive you.”

Saying this, Lu Nong revealed a sinister smile.

Jiang Zhenzhen shivered. See, she really offended Lu Nong. “Study, study, study! I promise to study hard and will complete the study tasks assigned by classmate Lu!”

Lu Nong slowly smiled. “That’s good. Go ahead and get your schedule and your study materials. Meet me at the library today, and I’ll help you arrange everything.”

Jiang Zhenzhen hurried back to the dorm to grab her things, while Zhang Shuying and Wang Zhu, who had been standing by and listening the whole time, wore complex expressions. They thought Lu Nong was foolish for being bullied behind their backs while turning around to urge the one who gossiped about her to study. At the same time, they felt that Lu Nong was virtuous for repaying evil with kindness, a truly noble person.

They felt it was inappropriate to gossip about Lu Nong behind her back. Perhaps they should learn from her, adopting her attitude of ignoring outside affairs while focusing on studying, and emulate her noble character of repaying evil with kindness.

Zhang Shuying and Wang Zhu exchanged glances, seeing the same decision in each other’s eyes. They said to Lu Nong, “Classmate Lu Nong, please take us along to study with you.”

“If you don’t mind us being a hassle, could you also arrange a study schedule for us? I heard from others that you are particularly good at organizing study times.”

“Sure, sure,” Lu Nong nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.

Cheng Duoduo covered her face. “……” Now there were two more people enchanted by Lu Nong. She could guarantee that whoever spread such claims had no good intentions.

Pei Zheng: Don’t cue me; I’m madly working on my homework…

So, the five of them arrived at the library. Lu Nong sacrificed a bit of her study time to organize the class schedules for her roommates one by one.

The roommates who received the freshly printed schedules were left speechless.

Aside from meal and sleep times, almost every other moment was filled with study tasks, and they couldn’t even manage to get a full eight hours of sleep.

The one in the worst situation was Jiang Zhenzhen. Lu Nong even set a grade requirement for her at the end of the semester. To meet Lu Nong’s expectations, she needed to rank among the top students in her major, but she had barely scraped by to get in, landing at the bottom among her peers.

Cheng Duoduo almost burst out laughing at their dazed expressions, covering her face and shaking with laughter at the table.

Only Lu Nong felt pleased and content. Her roommates had decided to put aside their internal struggles and focus on studying. This way, she could enjoy some peace, knowing everyone was heading toward a brighter future.

That evening, members of the school’s music club stopped Lu Nong on the way. They had heard from the director of the academic affairs office that Lu Nong played the violin exceptionally well and asked if she would be interested in joining their club.

Lu Nong politely declined their invitation, citing her heavy study load as the reason. The music club members had to leave regretfully, but they were already aware of Lu Nong’s three legendary traits in the history department: unprecedented beauty, incredible violin skills, and an obsessive dedication to studying.

They could accept her reason for declining their invitation based on her studies.

However, even though Lu Nong turned down the music club’s offer, she felt a strong desire to play the violin, itching to rush home and practice all night.

As she was lost in thought, Pei Zheng approached from behind, draping his coat over her shoulders and casually taking the stack of books she was carrying, which were her study tasks for the evening.

Pei Zheng: “What are you spacing out for? Let’s go. If we don’t head back soon, the old man will get anxious.”

Lu Nong snapped back to reality, glancing at a certain spot before saying slowly, “If I remember correctly, the last time you spoke without thinking, you were punished by your dad to run five kilometers and lost your precious weekend freedom. It looks like your weekend might be gone again.”

Pei Zheng: “…”

As Lu Nong walked past the dazed Pei Zheng, she patted his shoulder and took her books back, softly saying, “Take care.”

This time, Pei Zheng didn’t dare doubt Lu Nong’s words. He immediately turned around and saw Pei Ji’an approaching them. His gaze was just as intense as last time. “Dad, let me explain. The term ‘old man’ is just a nickname, expressing my closeness to you. I absolutely mean no disrespect…”

Pei Ji’an took the books from Lu Nong’s hands and calmly told Pei Zheng, “Three five-kilometer laps this weekend.”

Pei Zheng fell silent, his expression deflated. He didn’t dare negotiate with the old man, bah, his dear father—or he’d end up with an even harsher punishment. He turned to Lu Nong with pleading eyes: I didn’t provoke you today, you can’t just stand by and watch me die.

Lu Nong gave him a mischievous smile and teasingly said to Pei Ji’an, “Ji’an, Pei Zheng is still young and doesn’t know much. Maybe he really didn’t mean it. Please forgive him this time.”

Pei Ji’an was silent for a moment, glancing at Lu Nong before saying, “I’ll let it slide this time. But next time I hear you being disrespectful, you’ll face the punishment along with this one until you remember.”

Pei Zheng looked at Lu Nong in disbelief. Did that really work!? When did his dad become so easygoing?

Lu Nong… she was just as stunned. That wasn’t her intention at all.

Was Pei Ji’an really a man who couldn’t resist the influence of his partner, easily swayed by her words?

Pei Zheng and Lu Nong both had their doubts about life until they got into the car, while Pei Ji’an remained calm, even playfully holding Lu Nong’s hand.

Lu Nong didn’t pull away, she was getting more accustomed to physical contact with Pei Ji’an.

Once they got home, a heavy rain began to pour outside. The summer rain came suddenly and fiercely, creating a rhythmic patter against the ground.

Since each family member had been assigned their own tasks, they all busied themselves as soon as they got home.

Meanwhile, Lu Nong, who had been assigning tasks to others, hurried upstairs to find her violin. She decided to take the opportunity to play a piece.

After thinking about the lack of an audience, she carried Gu Xiaohuai and Xiao Bai, who were sitting on the doorstep playing in the water, to the long sofa in the porch and opened the door facing the garden. The porch was shielded by the eaves, so the rain could not blow in, but you could still see the scene of rain hitting the summer flowers in the courtyard.

With everything set, Lu Nong began to play the “Schubert Serenade,” a piece she had wanted to hear for many days.

The soft and gentle melody flowed from Lu Nong’s fingertips, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the rain… As she closed her eyes, she immersed herself in the tender and innocent music.

Gu Xiaohua hummed along softly to the tune, while Xiao Bai began to bark, prompting Gu Xiaohua to shush him.

In the cozy courtyard, the mother and child enjoyed a warm and happy moment together, one playing the violin and the other listening, both wearing satisfied expressions.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Pei Zheng, who was struggling with his homework, suddenly heard the beautiful music. He set down his pen, opened the window, and leaned against the sill to enjoy the sound.

In the living room, Aunt Wu, who was crocheting a sweater, heard the music coming from the courtyard and looked up to see her son-in-law standing at the courtyard door.

She smiled knowingly.

This rain came at just the right time.