Chapter 53: Chapter 49 Oolong
Lu Jiaxin had just put down her chopsticks when a loud voice came from outside, “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I heard that Xinxin has arrived, where is she?”
Soon, two people lifted the curtain and walked in. The one in front wore a black headscarf, had rough skin, and hung a dry tobacco pouch around his waist; the one who followed wore dark blue clothes with black trousers and had a smile on his face.
Lu Jiaxin greeted them with a smile, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt.”
As soon as Second Aunt Lu entered the room, she saw the items on the table and her eyes lit up. She walked over and enthusiastically took Lu Jiaxin’s hand, saying, “Xinxin, I haven’t seen you for years, and you’ve grown into a beautiful young lady.”
Lu Jiaxin hadn’t expected her to speak with such a heavy accent, and it made her stomach churn. She suppressed the nausea, turned around, and covered her head with her hands, showing a pained expression, “Fifth Brother, my head hurts.”
Big Uncle Lu, recalling that he had injured his head, called out urgently, “Jiazong, Jiazong, hurry and hitch up the cart, we need to take Xinxin to the hospital.”
Lu Jiaxin shook her head and said, “No need, it’s probably just that I can’t stand the noise, I’ll be fine after some sleep.”
Seeing she was reluctant to go to the hospital, Big Uncle Lu ushered everyone out of the room and called his granddaughter Xiao Qiu to accompany Lu Jiaxin to the room that had been prepared for her.
Lu Jiajie watched Lu Jiaxin leave the room briskly and suddenly understood; Jiaxin must have created an excuse to avoid spending too much time with his mother.
Having just finished eating, Lu Jiaxin wasn’t sleepy at all. She leaned against the headboard and looked at Xiao Qiu who seemed older than her years, asking, “Why didn’t you go to school today?”
Originally, when Second Uncle Lu saw that Lu Jiaguang was doing well, he had pleaded with Lu Hongjun to find a job for his son, any job would do. Lu Hongjun didn’t refuse, but he made one requirement—that it had to be someone with a high school education.
Lu Hongjun knew very well the importance of education, so he always reminded his two brothers to ensure that all the children in the family went to school. Thus, children from both branches of the Lu family, regardless of gender, went to school.
Xiao Qiu made a sour face and said, “Big cousin, studying is too tiring. It took me so much effort to just get into junior high. But there’s so much I don’t understand, I almost didn’t graduate.”
Because they were close in age, Xiao Qiu would always keep her company during her visits home. As a result, Xiao Qiu could speak Mandarin pretty well.
Seeing in her eyes the confirmation, this was a student who struggled with academics. Lu Jiaxin knew that one couldn’t force these things, “If you don’t study, you can also learn a craft.”
“Learn a craft? What craft can I learn?”
“Making clothes, paper cutting, accounting, or even cooking. Having a skill makes it easier to find a job outside and also draws a higher wage.”
Xiao Qiu smiled and said, “Big cousin, even if Third Grandpa does help our family find jobs, it’s always for the brothers or the younger brothers. I’m going to marry off someday; they wouldn’t offer jobs to us.”
As she spoke, there was no bitterness or sadness, her expression was very calm.
Indeed, if there were job opportunities, men in the family would be prioritized, as the girls would marry off eventually. It would only be when society developed and the times progressed that people’s thinking would change; talking about it now was of no use.
Lu Jiaxin said, “Nowadays, the government policy has been relaxed. In Peng City, there are many businessmen from Hong Kong and abroad who are opening factories, and these factories are hiring. As long as you meet their conditions, you can get a job in the factory.”
“You don’t need connections?”
Lu Jiaxin didn’t dare paint Peng City too rosily. After all, it wasn’t thirty years later yet, and presently Peng City had safety concerns. It would be very dangerous for a young girl to venture there alone. She said with a smile, “No need for connections, as long as you pass their recruitment exam, they will hire you. However, it’s thousands of miles away from Feng County, and there are many bad people out there. You should not follow them unless it’s with someone trustworthy.”
Xiao Qiu understood, “There are many bad people outside. Little aunt, you encountered a bad person last time.”
Second Sister-in-law Lu and Third Sister-in-law used this incident to scare the girls in the family, telling them not to run around aimlessly, otherwise, they might encounter human traffickers and be sold to a remote mountainous area to suffer for a lifetime. The Lu family members provided equally for their sons and daughters in terms of food and clothing and also Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. Under these circumstances, they wouldn’t even consider running off, especially now with Lu Jiaxin as a living example, they were even less inclined to entertain such thoughts.
Lu Jiaxin felt embarrassed for a moment, not expecting to become a negative example herself, “Yes, I was too impulsive last time and almost lost my life. However, if someone you know well is taking you to find work, then it’s okay to go.”
Seeing that Xiao Qiu didn’t make a sound, she stoked the fire a bit more, “Working in the city, you’ll earn a salary every month, and who knows, you might be able to stay and live there. If you don’t seize the opportunity, you’ll just end up getting married in four or five years and live the same life as your mother. Not to mention working hard from dawn to dusk, you won’t even have money in hand; you can’t buy your children a piece of candy, a toy, or make yourself a nice dress.”
The last two sentences moved Xiao Qiu, but she quickly lowered her head again, “My parents would never agree, they are hoping that I can marry into a good family.”
Lu Jiaxin thought this wasn’t an issue and said, “If such an opportunity arises in the future and your parents don’t agree, you can talk to Big Uncle Lu. If Big Uncle Lu also opposes, then you call me, and I’ll talk to them.”
Xiao Qiu fingered the hem of her dress, a sign of her inner struggle.
Lu Jiaxin didn’t continue to persuade her, knowing that in the end, the decision had to be made by herself. She also wanted to help Xiao Qiu precisely because she knew the girl had a sincere and straightforward heart. As for other Lu family members, she wouldn’t say much because of a lack of familiarity. Sometimes your good intentions might not be perceived as kindness by others.
After washing up, Big Uncle Lu went to bed and picked up the portrait Lu Jiaxin had given him, but after contemplating for a long time, still had no impression of it.
Big Aunt Lu, having finished her chores, entered the room and saw him deeply engrossed in looking at a picture of an old woman. Her face instantly changed.
Outraged, she snatched the portrait and scolded with a darkened face, “You old fool, it was bad enough when you were fooling around in the past, but now that you even have great-grandchildren, you still engage in these antics. You might have no shame, but I and the children still need to face others!”
Lu Jiaxin had just lied down when the scream from outside startled her, causing her to sit up abruptly, then she put on her clothes and went outside.
Xiao Qiu followed closely behind.
Once in the courtyard, they realized everyone was there; not a single person went inside to break up the fight. She caught hold of Lu Guangzong and asked, “Second Brother, what’s going on?”
Everything was fine just a moment ago, how did it come to an argument so quickly? Normally, if there were guests, even if there were conflicts, they would keep it under control.
Second Uncle and Auntie Lu shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know.
Lu Jiaxin could tell from their expressions that they weren’t telling the truth. It was impossible not to know what was happening with such loud arguing. She thought for a moment and decided to go knock on the door. While knocking, she called out, “Big Uncle, Big Aunt, may I come in?”
As her words fell, the door opened, and Big Aunt Lu handed her a portrait, “Xinxin, your Big Uncle says the person in this portrait is the human trafficker who kidnapped you. Is that true?”
Lu Jiaxin asked in confusion, “Yes, this is the human trafficker who kidnapped me. Big Aunt, do you know this person?”
Seeing her swollen, red eyes, could this person be Big Aunt Lu’s relative? However, she quickly dismissed this guess, as if Big Aunt Lu’s relative were involved, then both Big Uncle Lu and Fifth Brother would surely know them.
After coughing twice, Big Uncle Lu said, “It’s getting late. You should all go back to your rooms and sleep.”
Full of confusion, Lu Jiaxin had no choice but to return to her room, as no one was there to clear her doubts.