Chapter 43: Chapter 41 The Wings Hardened
Ma Lili arrived with a bag full of stuff and before she even entered, she heard Big Sister Ma’s cursing. Furious, she pushed open the door and lashed out at Big Sister Ma, “Are you not satisfied until you turn this home upside down, until you’ve driven my husband and me to divorce?”
Big Sister Ma thought she had something on Lu Jiajie, and with a cold snort, she said, “That woman bought clothes for him, and he has the nerve to wear them blatantly at home. I stood up for you, and you turn around and blame me. If you get bullied in the future, it’s your own doing; don’t come complaining to us.”
Seeing that Lu Jiajie was wearing clothes she hadn’t seen before, Ma Lili didn’t lose her temper, cry, or curse. Instead, she just asked with a stern face, “Where did these clothes come from?”
The affection between husband and wife had always been good, the husband also doted on their two children, and most importantly, he didn’t have a single yuan in his pocket. What could others possibly want from him? His poverty? His disgust for baths? Or, maybe his smelly feet?
Lu Jiajie explained the origin of the clothes: “They were just lying on the bed, definitely bought by Xinxin.”
Big Sister Ma looked at the clothes he was wearing and scoffed, “Find a better excuse. How old is Lu Jiaxin? What does she know about buying clothes for you?”
Lu Jiajie, with disdain, said, “Sister, just because your kid doesn’t understand doesn’t mean my Xinxin doesn’t get it. My Xinxin isn’t just smart and good at studying; she also has great taste. The clothes she bought for Qiangqiang and Xiao Feng were praised by many at school, and lots of parents even asked where they were bought.”
Hearing his bragging tone, Ma Lili was both annoyed and amused, “Jiaxin hasn’t even started working, buying clothes for Qiangqiang and Xiao Feng is one thing, but how can you have the nerve to accept clothes from her?”
Lu Jiajie said with a smile, “She may not have a job, but she has plenty of spending money. Buying a couple of articles of clothing is no problem.”
Ma Lili was somewhat helpless; he really had no sense of propriety.
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Big Sister Ma sneered, “Really? Little sister, you’re actually buying such a lame excuse?”
Lu Jiajie’s anger flared up again and he lowered his voice, “Didn’t you claim your man was innocent? Fine, I’ll go find his lover tomorrow morning. If he ends up with broken arms or legs, don’t come to me.”
Big Sister Ma looked at him incredulously.
Ma Lili, worried that things would spiral out of control, quickly pulled Lu Jiajie downstairs. In a secluded corner, she scolded softly, “Lu Jiajie, have you lost your mind? If he really gets beaten up outside, Big Sister will definitely blame you for it.”
Yan Fang had shady dealings with his female apprentice several years ago. Knowing his character, it wouldn’t be surprising if he now had something going on with another woman. But she didn’t want her husband to get involved.
Lu Jiajie said, “I can’t stay here anymore. I’ve already asked a friend to help me look for a house, and we’ll move once we’ve bought it. I won’t come back these days; I’ll stay at Xinxin’s place.”
Ma Lili’s eyes suddenly reddened.
Lu Jiajie felt a bit of heartache, but thinking of the shameless Big Sister Ma and the biased in-laws, he steeled his heart and said, “This weekend, let’s take both kids and stay at Xinxin’s place for a couple of days. There’s a big park next to Radiance Road, we can take the children out to play.”
There were many valuable items in Xinxin’s house, which would certainly attract thieves if they knew no one was home. All the appliances and furniture were newly bought; losing any would be a heavy loss. His staying there, was also a way to help protect the house.
Ma Lili knew he wasn’t willing to suffer any more, “But moving to live at Xinxin’s place, is that really okay?”
Lu Jiajie said with a smile, “What’s not good about that? Jiaxin is not a stingy person, it’s no big deal for us to stay over for a couple of days. But if you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. Otherwise, I’ll take the kids and go to the park.”
When the weekend came, Big Sister Ma’s entire family would come over to eat. The husband and wife never contributed to the meals, and every time they visited, they came empty-handed. They wouldn’t even pick up a fallen broom at the house, but that could be overlooked since they weren’t there to serve anyone. However, their sarcastic and divisive comments were something he could no longer tolerate. If this continued, he might end up getting physical.
Ma Lili thought about her earlier promise to the children to take them to the park but hadn’t been able to keep it because she was too busy: “We should also ask Jiaxin first; we can only go if she agrees.”
“Alright, I’ll go and ask her.”
To avoid any complications, the two brothers decided to keep it a secret from outsiders that Lu Jiaxin had left the Forty-nine City again. He had not planned to keep Ma Lili in the dark, but with everyone around being so talkative, he was afraid that eavesdroppers might spread more rumors and gossip.
Lu Jiajie had the night shift that evening, and after work, he went to sleep on Radiance Road. He was sleeping soundly when the door was suddenly pounded on. Reluctantly, he got up to open it and saw a livid Lu Hongjun standing outside. He yawned and asked, “Third Uncle, why have you come?”
Lu Hongjun, seeing his state, grew even more angry, slammed the door shut, and scolded, “You dare to hide from me that Jiaxin has gone to the Ancient Capital? Do you think that now your wings have grown strong you don’t have to take me into account?”
Lu Jiajie felt deeply wronged: “The moment I saw that note, I called you, but no one answered your phone. After discussing with Big Brother, I went to seek Su Heming for information.”
In fact, he hadn’t called Lu Hongjun at all the previous day, and said as much to avoid being scolded. If it wasn’t for his father’s unacceptable behavior, Jiaxin wouldn’t have gone to the Ancient Capital without telling them.
Lu Hongjun had finished a meeting yesterday, then had dinner with his direct superior and went straight to bed at home after drinking. He had only learned that his daughter went to the Ancient Capital early in the morning after a call from Lu Jiaguang. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and Lu Hongjun asked, “What about Su Heming? Take me to see him.”
Lu Jiajie regretfully said, “Su Heming left for Peng City yesterday. I caught up with him just as he was about to depart. But don’t worry, Third Uncle, the two people accompanying Jiaxin were chosen by Madam Xie, they’re highly capable and can surely protect Xinxin.”
Lu Hongjun grew even angrier because Lu Jiaxin’s actions were a slap in the face to him: “Aren’t you living here? How could you not know about her going to the Ancient Capital for such a big matter?”
Lu Jiajie said with a grimace, “If I had known, I would have definitely stopped her with Big Brother. But she didn’t reveal a word about it to anyone.”
After a pause, he added, “And I’m certain that Jiaxin even kept it from Xue Mao. That silly boy can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
It could only be said that his little sister had not only become decisive but had also learned to be secretive. She used to wear her heart on her sleeve about everything. Even though he was the brother, sometimes he got the strange feeling that he was the younger one.
Suppressing his rage, Lu Hongjun said, “Take leave to go to the Ancient Capital to find them.”
Lu Jiajie disliked work; it was too dull and tedious for him. He would be happy to take a trip: “Third Uncle, Jiaxin had mentioned that person was very familiar with our Lu Family’s situation. She must have gone back to Feng County to investigate.”
The Ancient Capital was so vast; how could he know where to find someone? It would be better to go directly back to his hometown and wait. It had been over two years since he had been home, and he was quite missing his father and uncle. This trip back, with the ticket and travel expenses covered by Third Uncle, seemed like a pretty good deal.
Lu Hongjun thought his suggestion made sense and nodded his approval, “Then you go back to the old home to wait for her. I’ll get Jiaguang to buy your ticket right now.”