In the blink of an eye, it was the end of November. Lu Hongjun and the others had already prepared the outfits for attending the wedding. Lu Jiajie really wanted to go, and after some hesitation, he called Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiajie cautiously asked, "Jiaxin, you’re getting married next month. I’d like to attend your wedding if that’s okay."
This time, Lu Jiaxin did not refuse, "If you want to come, then come. However, many important guests will be at my wedding, so you should learn some etiquette beforehand."
Lu Hongjun and Sister-in-law Lu also learned before going to Hong Kong last year. You don’t need to be proficient, but you should know the basics, or else you’ll be ridiculed.
Lu Jiajie happily agreed.
Lu Jiaxin asked, "I heard from Sister-in-law that the new wife is very kind to Qiangqiang and Xiao Fengfeng."
Lu Jiajie was very satisfied with Yao Hongmei, "The other day, when Xiao Feng was sick, she took Xiao Feng to the hospital and even took leave to care for her at home. Before the change of season, she had already prepared winter clothes for both children and even tutored them at night. Last time, Qiangqiang ranked sixth in the class, which he had never done before."
This time back, he found Qiangqiang smiling more, and his temperament was more cheerful than before. Seeing his son’s change, he knew he made the right choice in marrying her.
Lu Jiaxin responded, "Then treat her well."
Putting down the phone, Lu Jiajie felt the burden on his heart finally lift. After hanging up, he went out and told Auntie Chen, "Make a couple of extra dishes to go with the drinks tonight."
This Auntie Chen was hired to do laundry and cook. With an aunt handling the housework, Yao Hongmei only needed to take care of the two children. After experiencing so much, Qiangqiang and Xiao Fengfeng were very understanding and actually did not require much effort.
After making arrangements, Lu Jiajie went to find Lu Hongjun. After such a long recuperation, Lu Hongjun was now as physically fit as any of his peers, and drinking a couple of glasses occasionally wasn’t an issue.
The two families weren’t far apart. Walking fast, he arrived in about six or seven minutes. He was about to call out to Third Uncle when he saw Zhao Siyi crying her eyes out, pleading with Lu Hongjun.
Lu Jiajie stood where he was, watching her performance with interest.
Zhao Siyi cried, "Dad, Fan Yinuo wants to divorce me. Dad, I don’t want a divorce, please help me."
Getting Fan Yinuo to marry Zhao Siyi was one of Ding Jing’s conditions for agreeing to a divorce. To finalize the divorce smoothly, he approached Father Fan and Liao Xiangmei, and soon Zhao Siyi had registered a marriage with Fan Yinuo. Because Zhao Siyi used unscrupulous means to get in the door, Liao Xiangmei didn’t host a wedding for them and left them to fend for themselves by renting an apartment elsewhere.
Lu Hongjun took two steps back, "I am not your dad, and I can’t help you."
Lu Jiajie bluntly said, "Third Uncle, why are you being so polite with her? Ah Qiao, use the broom to shoo her out."
This Ah Qiao was someone Lu Hongjun had hired personally. He wasn’t very bright but was strong, and if you told him to go east, he definitely wouldn’t go west. Lu Hongjun now needed someone to listen to him, and despite Jiaguang’s opposition, insisted on keeping him. To say it was for care would be less accurate than saying it was for companionship.
Ah Qiao didn’t move, merely looking at Lu Hongjun. In this household, he only listened to Lu Hongjun, just as his mother had repeatedly instructed him, which he abided by as gospel.
Zhao Siyi knelt on the floor, crying, "Dad, Fifth Brother, I can’t get a divorce. If I do, my Xiao Chen will be without a father. I can’t let my child be fatherless."
Lu Jiajie sneered, "These past few years you’ve only cared about living it up, and since your child was born, you dumped him on your mother-in-law, never caring for him. Where do you get the face to lament about your child being pitiful without a father? If you ask me, the child is lucky to be rid of such a venomous mother."
Zhao Siyi was at least smart enough to know that after missing out on Fan Yinuo, she couldn’t find a better marriage prospect. Half a year after they registered their marriage, she became pregnant. This time, the child was conceived within marriage and was born safely. However, for some unknown reason, the child died shortly after birth. But not long after Fan Yinuo graduated from college, she gave birth to another child, this time a son named Fan Chen.
Unfortunately, despite giving birth to a son, the Fan Family and Liao Xiangmei continued to disregard her. At the time, Fan Yinuo was a college student and should have had a bright future ahead of him. However, due to her tainting his reputation, he couldn’t stay in the Forty-nine City after graduation and was instead assigned to a steel plant in Anhui Province. Actually, if Father Fan had been willing to make arrangements, he could have entered a state unit, but given the situation with Fan Yinuo, he couldn’t forge a successful path in officialdom. However, achieving success in a business, with their backing, wouldn’t have hindered his prospects.
Father Fan had certainly gone to great lengths in his arrangements. Fan Yinuo approached his work with dedication, but it was useless. Whenever he spoke too much to any young female colleague, Zhao Siyi would start a fight. Not long ago, upon seeing Fan Yinuo frequently with a pretty female officer from the propaganda department, she went to the factory to insult her, calling her shameless for seducing a married man. The female officer had only interacted with Fan Yinuo for work reasons and was so humiliated that she fainted right there.
The female officer was thin-skinned, but her grandmother was quite fierce. Upon hearing that Zhao Siyi was spreading indecent rumors about her granddaughter, she found her and beat her up. Not only did she rip out a lot of her hair, but she also scratched up her face. Before leaving, she threatened that if she dared to bully her granddaughter again, it wouldn’t just be a scratched face but a cracked head.
Fan Yinuo might have been up for a promotion by the end of the year, but it was ruined because of this incident. With the rumor-mongering done, the young female colleagues in the factory avoided him like the plague. This was a minor issue, but constantly being set up and sabotaged was unbearable. After sticking it out for half a year, he couldn’t take it anymore, so he resigned and went to Peng City, later finding a job at a foreign trade company through a friend’s introduction.
Of course, Zhao Siyi couldn’t let Fan Yinuo, her long-term meal ticket, get away, so she followed him to Peng City. Zhao Siyi held a deep grudge against her, but fearing her grandson would follow her bad behavior, she used a trick to have the child brought back to her for upbringing.
After marriage, Zhao Siyi continued causing trouble, and Fan Yinuo’s feelings for her had long been exhausted. It was only due to some previous concerns that he endured it, but after switching to the private sector, he had no such concerns and filed for divorce. Zhao Siyi was unwilling to get divorced, but never expected Fan Yinuo to undercut her by going abroad for work.
Fan Yinuo had made it clear that if she was willing to divorce, he would compensate her with a sum of money, but if not, they would remain at an impasse. Unable to find Fan Yinuo, Zhao Siyi tried to use her son to threaten her in-laws, but to her surprise, her son disliked her, refused to go with her, and even called her a bad person.
Facing Zhao Siyi’s pleas, Lu Hongjun said calmly, "I’m living off my daughter now and have no ability to deal with your matters. Go on your way, and don’t come again."
Seeing she was still reluctant to leave, Lu Hongjun had Ah Qiao drag her out.
Once her crying and shouting faded away, Lu Jiajie said, "Third Uncle, if it weren’t for Jiaxin’s luck, do you think you would still be the same after being thwarted by this pair of venomous mother and daughter?"
Lu Hongjun didn’t bother thinking about it; a person should look ahead—what’s the use of dwelling on past matters?