Fu Zhi did not sleep well that night. She tossed and turned all night, and when sleep finally came to her, she was awakened by the warning tone of a series of text messages.
Ding, dong, ding, dong.
It was getting on her nerves.
She kicked her bedsheet away and got out of bed. When she went downstairs, Lu Jingqing had already gone to work. There were only Xu Wei, who was on the phone, and Lu Yushen in the living room.
Xu Wei had ants in her pants.
"It's seven o'clock. Where is your brother? I can't get through to him on the phone. Hadn't I told him that we were going back to the household today?"
Lu Yushen shot her a look. It was as if he was asking if she really did not know why she could not get through to his brother.
Xu Wei blinked a few times as if she was saying that she really did not know why. When she saw Fu Zhi, she pushed everything else aside and waved her arm happily at her. "Zhizhi, did you sleep well last night?"
Truth be told, Fu Zhi had not had a good night's sleep last night. She had forgotten to mute her phone and she still needed some time to adapt to the new environment. However, when she saw Xu Wei's blinking eyes, she swallowed back the answer that lingered at the tip of her tongue and said, "Yeah, pretty well."
Xu Wei let out a sigh. "Let's have breakfast then."
Fu Zhi walked over to the dining table. Xu Wei still could not reach Lu Yumo even after she finished her breakfast.
Xu Wei did not want her daughter to have a bad impression of her eldest son. Since she had asked about him last night, she reckoned that she should explain to her. "Your brother is busy with his studies. He's probably in class right now, that's why I can't get a hold of him on the phone. I'll introduce him to you once he's back, okay?"
Fu Zhi was truly impressed by her mother's ability to make Lu Yumo out to be an obedient boy who focused a lot on his studies. She took a sip of water from her cup and answered, "Alright."
Xu Wei had no idea why but she had a hunch that her daughter did not seem to be looking forward to meeting her eldest son.
She wanted her family to live in happy harmony. Thus, she tried her best to explain on behalf of her eldest son. "Zhizhi, we have very strict family rules, and your eldest brother has never stayed out all night before. He must have come around and decided to work hard on his studies to set an example for you. I'm certain that he doesn't have any issues with your addition to our family."
Fu Zhi's phone was right beside her.
Even though she had just muted her phone, messages kept coming in, causing the screen of her phone to lit up from time to time.
"Your bank card ending in 1010 has been debited with 8 yuan at Greedy Cat's Spicy Noodles on September 8th, 23:00 PM.
"Your bank card ending in 1010 has been debited with 30 yuan at Befriend Guest House on September 8th, 23:00 PM.
"... debited with 8 yuan at Flying Fish Cybercafe on September 9th, 05:10 AM."
The latest spending record was 5 yuan at Five Sisters Jewelry Stores.
When Fu Zhi peeled her eyes away from her phone, Xu Wei was still talking. "Mommy swears that your elder brother is studying outside, so don't think too much about it, okay?"
Fu Zhi was speechless. She took a look at Xu Wei and said seriously, "Don't worry, mom. I won't think too much about it."
After all, she was fully aware of the whereabouts of her eldest brother.
It was just that there was a question in her mind.
"Is my elder brother a penny-pincher?" Fu Zhi asked curiously.
Initially, the woman, who was half-laying on the couch, had a bright smile on her face. When she heard this question, her smile disappeared instantly. Even though she had no idea what her daughter was getting at by asking this kind of question, she still answered honestly, "No. He is a spendthrift."
He liked to stay in the best hotels and loved to spend money on luxury stuff. He knew how to enjoy life even better than his mother.
Fu Zhi was dumbfounded.
The Lu Family was wealthy, and they had built their fortune by investing in real estate.
The Lu Household was not far from their house. They arrived there at 10 o'clock in the morning. The black Land Rover stopped in front of the gate of the house.
After they got out of their car, Xu Wei pulled Fu Zhi aside and said in a serious tone, "Your uncle's family stays in this house with your grandmother. Your cousin, Yubai, hasn't returned yet. Your third uncle and aunty have gone overseas with Yuting, so you won't be seeing them today. When we go in, just follow me. I'll tell you how to address each person in the household. Just remember not to mix up your grandmother with your eldest aunty, got it?"
Either her eldest aunty was too old, or Xu Wei was really treating Fu Zhi like a three-year-old girl.
Fu Zhi knew her mother had reminded her of this out of concern, so she just nodded. "Don't worry, mom."
Lu Jingqing was just standing beside them. He wanted to tell his wife that Zhizhi was just not good at learning, but that did not mean that she was intellectually challenged. However, when he heard Fu Zhi's response, he swallowed those words back into his stomach pit.