Chapter 136: Chapter 128 The First Meeting
The caller was a woman, but not her eldest sister-in-law, Fifth Sister-in-law; Lu Jiaxin couldn’t guess who it was.
Fatty Aunt asked, “Judging from that voice, she should be in her thirties or forties, but the voice is quite pleasant. Jiaxin, could it be your stepmother?”
Lu Jiaxin couldn’t help but laugh, “Fatty Aunt, you’re overthinking it. She wouldn’t dare to call me.”
Ding Jing was the type adept at using others to accomplish her dirty work; even if she wanted to harm Jiaxin, she wouldn’t do it personally. And then there was Zhao Siyi, who hadn’t dared to show up in front of her since the beating she received.
When Lu Jiaxin got to the small shop, the phone rang again shortly after. Picking it up, she heard a voice as melodic as a skylark’s from the other end. Curious, she asked, “May I ask who this is?”
Lu Jiaxin had only heard of Su Hongying by name and had never seen her in person. She even had no idea what the woman looked like, “Aunt Su, do you need something from me?”
Su Ya said, “Do you have time right now? I have something to discuss with you. If you’re free, I can have someone pick you up.”
Having a driver come to pick her up specially indicated that this matter was not suitable for others to know. Lu Jiaxin said she had the time, “How long before you arrive? I’ll wait by the roadside.”
Su Ya replied, “No need, he’s also bringing something. Jiaxin, I have a weak constitution and can’t withstand the cold wind, otherwise I would have come directly to you.”
“It’s fine, it’s just the same if I come to you.”
Over forty minutes later, the driver arrived, bearing two large bags of fruit, one of which contained cherries—Lu Jiaxin’s favorite.
After thanking the driver, Lu Jiaxin joined him.
It was Qian Xiaoxiao’s first time in a sedan, and she was so fascinated that she kept looking around, unable to keep still. Lu Jiaxin, on the other hand, was composed, sitting by the window and watching the scenery outside.
There was a biting wind outside, and trees along the road swayed in the gusts. There weren’t many pedestrians, and the few individuals on bicycles were fully kitted out against the cold. On such a chilly day, most people would opt for taking the bus.
After about half an hour, the car arrived in front of a large gate. The driver stopped, got out, and said, “I’ll go register us. Just wait here for a moment.”
Lu Jiaxin wound down the window, stuck her head out, and observed two soldiers at the gate, each holding a wooden gun. Her heartbeat quickened at the sight of those guns. Ah, she still had not mastered her nerves!
Qian Xiaoxiao, thoroughly frightened, gripped Lu Jiaxin’s arm and whispered, “Sister Xin, what place is this, with soldiers standing guard with wooden guns and all?”
Gently patting her hand, Lu Jiaxin whispered back, “This area is home to retired comrades. It’s pretty strict, but we’re law-abiding citizens, so there’s nothing to fear.”
Hearing this, Qian Xiaoxiao’s heart rate went up even more.
The driver returned quickly and drove through the gate, finally stopping outside a small Western-style building. Opening the door, the driver announced, “Comrade Lu, this is the place, you may get out.”
Qian Xiaoxiao got out of the car and didn’t dare to look around casually, just following closely behind Lu Jiaxin. They both walked through the iron gate into the yard, where they found numerous pine trees, none very tall—about a meter in height. Outside was a white expanse, but inside the yard, it was a lush green, creating quite a contrast.
“Is that Miss Lu? Come in quickly, the lady is waiting for you inside.”
Upon entering the room, a wave of warmth hit her. There was heating in this room, unfortunately, Radiance Road still didn’t have central heating, and it was too late for her to start construction after returning to the Forty-nine City so late. As a result, these days she spent all her time except for tutoring and exercising, on the heated brick bed.
It didn’t matter that she, with her delicate constitution, spent a lot of time on the heated brick bed, but Qian Xiaoxiao and Xue Mao could not. They both had fiery temperaments, and even just lying on the heated brick bed at night would cause them to overheat.
Su Hongying saw that Jiaxin’s complexion wasn’t bad and said with a smile, “Jiaxin, I heard from Heyuan before the New Year that you were recovering well, and now I see he wasn’t lying to me.”
Youth is truly a blessing, she thought. To think that after just three months of treatment, she had recovered so well. Unlike herself, who had been taking medicine for a long time and seen little improvement.
When Lu Jiaxin saw Su Hongying, she understood why Xie Kaixiao had gone through so much trouble to marry her despite all difficulties. Su Hongying was not a dazzling beauty radiating glamour, but a delicate and gentle woman that made one feel an irresistible urge to protect her.
Lu Jiaxin said, “Aunt Su, I have been taking medicine every day since I returned to the Forty-nine City, and in addition, I’ve also been consuming soups with pig liver, red dates, and other ingredients to nourish my body.”
Master Qian had sent a lot of things back, including precious medicinal materials like ginseng and deer antler, as well as furs such as deer hide and gray wolf hide. However, she hadn’t touched these things, telling the doctor that dietary nourishment alone was enough without the need for medicinal supplements. As for the furs, she couldn’t overcome her scruples about using them.
Su Hongying nodded, “You’re still young, it’s best if you can get nourishment from your diet. Jiaxin, I heard from Heyuan that you are exceptional at painting. Coincidentally, I finished a painting yesterday and I would like you to critique it for me.”
Lu Jiaxin instantly understood that critiquing the painting was just a pretext; the real intention was to get away from the aunt in the kitchen. She followed along and said, “I love plum blossoms the most, Aunt Su. Where did you put your painting?”
After making eye contact with Qian Xiaoxiao, Lu Jiaxin followed Su Hongying upstairs. It must be said, a beauty is a beauty, her every move and the way she walked were full of grace and allure.
They entered a room filled with books, and Su Hongying invited Lu Jiaxin to sit down, saying, “Please, have a seat. It’s inconvenient to talk with so many people downstairs.”
Lu Jiaxin nodded in understanding and then thanked her for the earlier incident with the thugs, “Aunt Su, thank you and Uncle Xie. If my elder brother hadn’t told me, I would have had no idea about it.”
Su Hongying smiled and said, “Your Uncle Qin was worried that some people might have designs on you as soon as you returned, so he asked the authorities in charge of that area for help to keep an eye on you. But I wonder why people outside got to know about the two hundred thousand deposit you received from Su Heyuan,”
Taking a deep breath, Lu Jiaxin briefly explained the foolish actions of Lu Jiajie, “My Fifth Brother is alright in every other aspect, it’s just that his mouth is not very reliable. This time my elder brother has already given him a good scolding, I hope he will learn from this!”
Su Hongying did not expect that it was Lu Jiajie who had let the information slip, which was highly irresponsible. However, as this was a matter for the Lu Family, it was not her place to say too much, “Jiaxin, has your mother ever talked to you about your grandmother’s matter?”
Lu Jiaxin was momentarily puzzled, wondering why the conversation had shifted to her grandmother. But a thought quickly flashed through her mind, and she asked, “Aunt Su, are you suggesting that my grandmother’s siblings went overseas and now they have come back looking for family?”
Su Hongying was shocked by her astuteness, “Why would you think that?”
Lu Jiaxin explained, “My grandmother only had my mother. She was later mistreated by her stepmother, and my grandfather knew it but did not care, so after my mother started working, she cut ties with them. My grandmother had five siblings, who were separated from each other due to family misfortunes. Now, many people from Hong Kong and Bay Island are returning to the mainland to look for relatives, and you suddenly asked about my grandmother, so I had that guess.”
Su Hongying immediately understood why her nephew wanted to take this girl under his wing and, upon realizing it wasn’t feasible, changed his strategy and wanted to take her to Hong Kong. This girl had keen instincts and clear logic; she truly was an extraordinary talent.