Chapter 84: 78 Angry Lu Jiajie
Lu Jiajie went to find Lu Jiaguang first and told him about Lu Jiaxin going to Peng City, “Big Brother, Xinxin has become irrational in her quest to earn money now.”
Lu Jiaguang was surprised at first, but he had a steady personality. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Maybe that painting is genuine!”
Lu Jiajie was shocked, “Big Brother, how can you have such a preposterous thought?”
Lu Jiaguang felt that Lu Jiaxin’s actions were somewhat measured, suggesting she wouldn’t have gone to Peng City without being certain, “Jiaxin is not foolish enough to believe the shopkeeper’s sweet talk after just a few words. Plus, with things like these, they are sure to have an expert authenticate them before selling.”
Anyway, since Jiaxin couldn’t retake her exams due to health reasons, as long as she was safe, he wouldn’t interfere with whatever she wanted to do. Kids grow up rebellious, the more you interfere, the more they resist.
Lu Jiajie still didn’t understand and asked, “Big Brother, aren’t you afraid that Xinxin will get scammed?”
Lu Jiaguang wasn’t really worried about that, “Xinxin went to sell a painting, the worst that could happen is losing the painting. It’s not a significant loss. By the way, how much did she pay for that painting?”
In his rush to find Lu Jiaguang, Lu Jiajie forgot to ask about the price. He said, “I will ask Xue Mao later. It shouldn’t have been bought for a high price. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it instead of waiting for me to ask.”
Lu Jiaguang felt even more at ease about the potential loss.
Seeing his brother so relaxed, Lu Jiajie then brought up the house, “She really spared no expense spending two thousand six hundred on that house for Xue Mao.”
His wife had scrimped and saved for years just to save up two thousand three hundred, but this girl didn’t even blink before spending so much money on a house for Xue Mao.
Lu Jiaguang was surprised, but quickly understood, “After Xue Mao was driven out of his home, he drifted like duckweed, living in constant fear every day. By buying him a house, Jiaxin gave him roots, so he doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.”
He remembered seeing that kid busying himself at the housewarming party, refusing to rest even when Jiaxin told him to. His wife said he was hardworking, but Lu Jiaguang felt the kid was probably worried they wouldn’t accept him.
Lu Jiajie knew there was nothing wrong with what Lu Jiaxin had done, but felt a mix of envy and sourness.
“How’s your house hunting going?”
Lu Jiaguang knew his brother wanted to buy a house but didn’t have enough money. He and his wife had promised to lend eight hundred. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to lend more; it was all the savings they had. With many children to Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories.
Lu Jiajie said somewhat dejectedly, “A friend tipped me off about a house, and Lili and I went to see it a few days ago. The house is nice and in a good location, but the asking price is four thousand eight hundred, we’re still eight hundred short.”
They had their own savings of two thousand three hundred, Lu Jiaguang had lent eight hundred, and Lu Hongjun had lent nine hundred. They were still eight hundred short to buy that house.
Lu Jiaguang said, “Get your in-laws and friends to borrow a bit, and you should be able to make up the difference quickly.”
Fire flared in Lu Jiajie’s eyes, “That’s what I thought too, but my in-laws said they didn’t have the money. Not only that, they asked Lili and me to contribute more to the food expenses. By the time Lili and I borrowed enough from friends and colleagues, the house had already been sold to someone else.”
Lu Jiaguang thought Father Ma and Mother Ma were out of touch with reality, but he wouldn’t speak ill of them, “As long as you have money, there’s no worry about not being able to find a house. Just take your time looking.”
Lu Jiajie agreed sullenly. It was possible to find another house, but it really hurt him the way Father Ma and Mother Ma had behaved. He had offered to issue a promissory note and even promised to pay interest at the bank rate, but Father Ma and Mother Ma adamantly claimed they had no money. He knew very well whether they had money or not.
Due to this issue, his dissatisfaction with Father Ma and Mother Ma had reached a breaking point, compounded by not wanting to face Big Sister Ma’s harsh words. He hardly visited them now, preferring to live on Radiance Road. Come Friday, he would pick up his two kids, further straining their relationship.
Lu Jiaguang comforted him, “Don’t worry, it will pass.”
The brothers chatted for a long while, and Lu Jiajie left with a heavy heart.
After he left, Lu Jiaguang called Lu Hongjun. Since Hongjun was busy, Jiaguang suggested they meet at the department store after work to talk face to face.
Lu Hongjun said, “Why talk at the office after work, go home, I’ll ask your Third Aunt to whip up a couple of dishes, and we can chat at leisure, just the two of us.”
Right now, Lu Jiaguang had no desire to see Ding Jing. He said, “Third Uncle, I remember there’s a restaurant with private rooms next to the department store. Let’s eat there!”
Lu Hongjun understood clearly; Jiaguang did not want to go to his own home. Upon reflection, ever since Jiaxin moved out, neither of his nephews had visited. The house had become a lot quieter.
When Lu Jiajie got back to Radiance Road, the first thing he asked Xue Mao was, “That painting, how much did Xinxin pay for it?”
After hearing the price was eighty-eight, Lu Jiajie was both amused and annoyed, “If it was an original, would they sell it to you for eighty-eight?”
Xue Mao laughed and said, “When we bought it, the stall owner bamboozled us by starting with an ‘antique’ price of three thousand. My sister haggled him down, and then we got it for eighty-eight. Later, she said to me that the painting was real, and the stall owner didn’t recognize its worth.”
Uh… Lu Jiajie was at a loss for words.
Xue Mao didn’t want to continue talking about the painting, fearing more talk would lead to more mistakes, “Brother Jie, I brought back a lot of apples, pomegranates, and dates; take some back with you to eat later!”
Lu Jiajie had thought ‘a lot’ meant twenty or thirty pounds, but upon seeing there were six crates, he was speechless, “Why buy so much? You can’t finish all this by the New Year.”
Of course, they couldn’t eat all of it. He planned to take some to the market to sell tomorrow. Fruits were scarce now, so they would sell well.
Having not seen his children for three days, Lu Jiajie missed them quite a bit. He picked a little of each of the three kinds of fruits to take back. He didn’t want to take more since that would just benefit his aunt’s family in the end.
Downstairs at the residential building, Lu Jiajie heard his daughter’s crying. Rushing upstairs, he saw Little Fatty straddled on Xiao Fengfeng, who was lying face down while Little Fatty was tugging on her pigtails.
Witnessing this scene, Lu Jiajie was furious. He stepped forward, yanked Little Fatty off, and picked up his daughter.
Little Fatty fell to the ground and broke into loud cries. Mother Ma came out from the kitchen when she heard the crying, and seeing him cry like that, she was extremely distressed, “Oh my treasure, my treasure, what’s happened to you?”
“Uncle hit me, Uncle hit me…”
Mother Ma angrily chastised, “Lu Jiajie, you’re such a grown-up. How could you bring yourself to lay hands on a child?”
Xiao Fengfeng, while crying, said, “Grandma, Daddy didn’t hit cousin, he was hitting me and pulling my hair. Daddy just pulled him away,”
Mother Ma scolded Xiao Fengfeng as well, accusing her of lying at such a young age.
Lu Jiajie exploded in anger, his words sharp, “Mother-in-law, you didn’t hear Xiao Fengfeng crying so loudly just now, but when Little Fatty cries, you come out to back him up. They’re both your grandchildren, why do you treat them so differently?”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard; she just treated Xiao Fengfeng as Little Fatty’s toy and so didn’t care how much she cried or shouted.
Mother Ma’s face turned a shade of purple with anger, “Lu Jiajie, dare you speak to me ? Do you have any respect for your elder in your eyes anymore?”
Lu Jiajie sneered, “I know, we’re in your way staying here. Rest assured, we will move out soon.”
“If you had any backbone, you’d move out today.”