Chapter 43: Not Returning Is Also A Form Of Rudeness

Luo Qiao said, “It’s alright, thank you so much, Brother Lu, for always taking care of me. I made stir-fried potatoes today, I’ll bring some over for you to taste.”

Saying this, she walked straight towards the kitchen area, continuing as she walked, “Let me clear a bowl first.”

Then she remembered something and turned back, asking, “Brother Lu, do you eat garlic and chili? I’ve put some on the side of the bowl. If you don’t like it, I can leave it in the bowl.”

Lu Yichen replied, “I’m not picky. Thank you, Luo Qiao.”

Luo Qiao chuckled, “You’re even thanking me now.”

Lu Yichen said, “Don’t bring food over in the future. I feel embarrassed about it.”

Luo Qiao said, “It’s only right to reciprocate. You’ve helped me so much, and now I can at least make some decent food to share. So, please don’t say such polite words anymore.”

Lu Yichen replied, “Alright then, I won’t be so polite with you either. It’s good timing anyway; I’m tired after a whole day’s work and it saves me from cooking again.”

Luo Qiao cleared the bowl and bid farewell before leaving.

Smelling the fragrance, Lu Yichen thought to himself, “Last time I said I’d send firewood over as thanks, but I never found the time. Today, since I don’t need to cook, after dinner I can go down to the foot of the mountain to chop firewood and send it over.”

The young girl knows reciprocity, and as a grown man, he can’t take advantage of a young girl.

So, after dinner, Lu Yichen took a rope and a carrying pole and went up the mountain.

When Luo Qiao returned home, she picked some cilantro from her space. The backyard garden had just been seeded, and she dared not let it grow too quickly because even from halfway up the mountain, one could see into the backyard.

Being slightly better off than others was enough to avoid unnecessary trouble for herself.

After dinner, she began to work on her own piece of land. She planted five rows of corn along the outer perimeter, with sweet potatoes and potatoes in the middle. She had cleared thorns herself around the foot of the mountain and left only a small gate.

This way, it prevented envy from others due to her well-tended crops and minimized the risk of them being ravaged. After all, to the villagers, she was still an outsider. If it weren’t for Auntie Qiao from the captain’s house taking her to work every day, she might not have integrated so quickly.

While she was fencing with thorns, many people were gossiping about her. But Luo Qiao explained that her plot of land was right next to the road, frequently passed by livestock. Moreover, it was located at the foot of the mountain, and she was concerned about wild animals coming down to damage the crops.

Everyone found her reasoning quite sensible, and eventually, no one criticized her for being defensive against the villagers.

Actually, they weren’t entirely wrong. She fenced it off primarily to protect against villagers—haha!

There were always a few idle people in the village who liked to take advantage of others. And some children from certain families would occasionally cause trouble in others’ fields. It was always better to be cautious.

This way, it prevented disorder and potential lawsuits, which were already troublesome enough.

In Beijing, after a chaotic incident involving soldiers and horses, Luo Jianing was rushed into the emergency room. After a while, a nurse came out shouting, “Is Luo Jianing’s family here?”

Ning Xueling hurriedly said, “Nurse, I’m her mother. How is she?”

The nurse replied, “She’s in critical condition. She’s lost quite a bit of blood and needs a transfusion. Will you provide blood as a family member, or should we use the hospital’s blood bank?”

Upon hearing that her daughter needed a blood transfusion, Ning Xueling trembled and said, “I’m her mother, take mine.”

The nurse said, “Then come with me. We need to check your blood type.”

Ning Xueling was now anxious and scared. Jianing had always been frail since childhood, needing to visit the hospital three or four times a year. But today, she was pushed down the stairs by Ning Lingyu from their eldest brother’s family, and she blamed herself for not protecting her daughter well enough.