Guh Xiuxiu lived in the fourth courtyard, and once she moved in, she was reluctant to relocate. At Lu Hongjun’s strong request, he was allowed to stay in the third courtyard.
After settling someone in, Lu Jiaxin and Nie Zhan returned to the second courtyard. Nie Zhan said, "This house is big, the scenery is beautiful, it’s indeed suitable for recuperating."
"What, do you want to plead on his behalf to let him stay longer?"
Nie Zhan certainly wouldn’t do such a foolish thing and said, "No, I just think that the houses here aren’t expensive. We could buy one for my father-in-law to live in, so he doesn’t have to be envious of Aunt."
Lu Jiaxin gave him a sideways glance: "You have to be lucky to find a house . Sister Shimeng looked for a long time and only found a three-courtyard house."
"The house in Chaoyang is five rooms plus a courtyard. Plenty of space for one person, and Chaoyang Park is right next door. When he gets better, he can go to the park to practice Tai Chi and play chess. If he feels bored, he can go to Big Brother’s place or to Shanzi’s house."
Nie Zhan laughed and said, "Scarcity determines value. I think houses like these will become very valuable in the future. It’s not a bad idea to buy a few more for appreciation."
Buying a courtyard house now would indeed appreciate a lot later, and even more so if demolition happens. Lu Jiaxin had considered this, but ultimately dismissed the idea: "Courtyard houses will increasingly become fewer, and those not demolished will definitely become valuable. But a single courtyard is easy to rent, while two or three courtyards are not easy to rent out; and if rented, there’s the worry they’d be damaged, and the rent wouldn’t even cover repairs. Leaving the house vacant risks decay, so better not to buy more."
Hearing so much from her, Nie Zhan also abandoned the idea of hoarding several courtyard houses.
As they were speaking, Qian Xiaoxiao said from outside, "Boss, Mr. Nie, Lu Jiazong and his wife are here. They’re waiting outside."
Lu Jiaxin didn’t inform them upon her return. Today, Second Sister-in-law Lu stewed chicken soup and went to the hospital to visit Lu Hongjun. She only realized that Lu Jiaxin had arranged his discharge when she didn’t see him there. And not only that, her fiancé Nie Zhan had returned with her. After thinking it through, Second Sister-in-law Lu called Lu Jiazong and asked him to come to apologize to Lu Jiaxin.
"Take them to the third courtyard."
Lu Jiaxin had a slight obsession with cleanliness, so after taking a shower and changing clothes, she went to the third courtyard. Nie Zhan wanted to follow, but she stopped him: "Don’t go over yet, I have something to say to them."
Nie Zhan guessed it might not be pleasant and said understandingly, "Alright, I’ll go take a shower too."
When Lu Jiaxin arrived, Lu Hongjun was drinking red date chicken soup. When she visited him yesterday, she noticed that not only had his hair turned white, but he’d also gained a fair amount of weight. Upon asking Lu Shan, she learned that during this time, their family, Sister-in-law Lu, and Second Sister-in-law Lu had been taking turns cooking various soups for him.
Lu Jiazong felt a bit guilty and lowered his head when he saw Lu Jiaxin.
Second Sister-in-law Lu also cursed her husband under her breath for his incompetence. However, given the current situation, there was nothing she could do: "Jiaxin, when did you come back?"
Lu Jiaxin nodded and then looked at Lu Jiazong: "Second Brother, Tang Sufen told you that my dad gave all the old items to me, but there was actually no basis for this—it was all her speculation. And yet, your reaction confirmed to her that her speculation was true. Later, she told Huang Xiaoyu about it, which led to this trouble."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiazong immediately said, "She clearly knew from Third Uncle."
Lu Hongjun quickly defended himself: "I didn’t say anything, and I even scolded her for her wild imagination. She wasn’t at peace in her heart, so she approached you, partly to test you and partly to sow discord."
Lu Jiazong didn’t expect Tang Sufen to be so cunning.
Seeing his dissatisfaction, Lu Jiaxin said, "If it weren’t for your dissatisfaction with my dad giving me the old items, you wouldn’t have fallen for Tang Sufen’s trap. At the core, it’s your greed; you think that since Shanzi was adopted into the third family, everything should be given to him."
Lu Jiazong did have such thoughts, and even now they hadn’t changed. He said, "Jiaxin, you yourself said you didn’t want Third Uncle’s things."
Lu Jiaxin acknowledged her own previous statements and pointed to Lu Hongjun, saying: "If you’re unhappy, why didn’t you ask him why he gave the items to me and not to Shanzi? If they were given to Shanzi, they could later be passed down to Gou Dan and then Gou Sheng, generation after generation."
Lu Hongjun sighed and said: "Jiazong, the reason the items weren’t given to Shanzi is that he couldn’t protect them. Once the secret gets out, it might bring him personal disaster. Just as people would die for money, birds risk their lives for food, there are plenty of people who would do anything for money."
Lu Jiazong said nothing.
Lu Jiaxin continued: "I gave a big house to my eldest brother, and I lent you the house on Radiance Road, keeping the main bedroom for you; you feel discontent about this differential treatment, right?"
Lu Jiazong wanted to deny it, but seeing Lu Jiaxin’s all-seeing gaze, the words got stuck in his throat.
Lu Jiaxin snorted coldly and said: "Lu Jiazong, get this straight: I’m merely your distant cousin, not your parents, and I’m not obligated to ensure everyone is treated exactly the same."
"Ever since Ding Jing came in, she made things difficult, and my dad acted blind to everything. It was my eldest brother and Fifth Brother who always protected me. Later, when I encountered difficulties in business, it was my eldest brother who helped resolve them. Because of his precarious position, I couldn’t offer him shares, so I gave him a house instead. Not to mention, before you came to the Forty-nine City, we had only met three times; and in these few years since you came, what have you done for me?"
Lu Jiazong’s face flushed with shame.
Lu Jiaxin was genuinely fed up, so this time she spoke without mincing words: "You’ve always felt you’ve been shortchanged, that Shanzi has been shortchanged, but have you thought about what life was like for you and Shanzi’s family before coming to the Forty-nine City? And how life is now?"
A person who doesn’t know how to be content will never be grateful, and no amount will satisfy such a person.
Lu Jiaxin said: "My dad is willing to forgive you and continue associating, that’s his matter, I won’t interfere, but it’s limited to that."
Expecting her to forgive and forget was impossible. With someone like Lu Jiazong, such easy forgiveness would only see him reverting to old ways in no time. There’s no need to sever ties altogether; just keep a distance.
After saying these things, Lu Jiaxin turned and returned to her own courtyard.
Lu Hongjun only sighed after he couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore and said: "Jiazong, if those items were entrusted to Shanzi, he wouldn’t have been able to protect them and might have ended up losing them along with himself."
"Although the old items weren’t given to Shanzi, Jiaxin has provided him with a shopfront and the house on Radiance Road, and she’s promised to look after the three children in the future. With her taking care, the children’s future prospects won’t be poor."
Seeing him say nothing, Second Sister-in-law Lu pushed him hard.
Lu Jiazong hung his head and said, "Third Uncle, I’m sorry, I misunderstood earlier, but I promise I won’t in the future."
Previously, Lu Hongjun was very angry, but after thinking through that the root cause of this event lay with him, he forgave Lu Jiazong when he came to the hospital to apologize: "Jiaxin doesn’t favor you, so unless necessary, don’t come around in the future."
Lu Jiazong gently nodded.
Second Sister-in-law Lu also felt too embarrassed to stay longer: "Third Uncle, please rest well. Once you move back to Chaoyang in a few days, I’ll come with Jiazong to visit you again."