Lu Hongjun pulled Ding Jing back to his room, and as soon as they entered, he asked, "Where did you put Xinxin's passbook and the valuables in the house?"
Ding Jing opened the sourwood chest by the bedside, and while taking out the items, she explained, "These last few days, with people coming and going, I was afraid something might be taken, so I put them away."
She knew very well that as long as Lu Jiaxin was alive, the money in the passbook and the valuables couldn't be touched. Not to mention that neither Lu Jiaguang nor Lu Jiajie would agree. Even Old Lu wouldn't consent. That damn girl, she must have powerful backing.
After placing everything on the dresser, Ding Jing hinted, "Old Lu, when Jiaxin came back this time, it's as if she became a different person..."
Before she could finish, Lu Hongjun interrupted her, "Jiaxin has suffered so much outside, it's understandable that she's become irritable and hot-tempered. You should try to be more understanding."
Ding Jing almost vomited blood. Lu Jiaxin ruined her and Siyi's reputations, and now she was expected to understand? If possible, she wanted to kill the brat.
Watching him carry the box out, a sly glint flashed in Ding Jing's eyes.
Lu Jiaxin quickly took the passbook out of the box and opened it. Seeing the amount of 5400, she instantly felt relieved.
When Lu Hongjun saw the several woven bags on the bed, his heart skipped a beat, "Xinxin, what are you doing?"
While putting the passbook into her canvas bag, Lu Jiaxin said, "I know you have a lot of questions in your mind. Wait for Big Brother and Fifth Brother to come, and I will tell you everything without missing a word."
Lu Hongjun felt troubled by her demeanor. He would rather his daughter throw a tantrum or argue with him like before than witness her aloof behavior.
Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie arrived shortly after.
Seeing Lu Jiaxin's now darker, thinner, and pale face, Lu Jiaguang couldn't bring himself to chastise her. In a lowered voice, he said, "Jiaxin, it's quite chaotic outside right now. If you ever want to go out to clear your mind, just let Big Brother know, and I'll have Lu An accompany you."
Lu An was his second son, a high school student whose grades were at the bottom and who had little hope for university. But he was tall and had some martial arts training, so there was no problem in him looking after Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiajie also joined in, "Jiaxin, it's just one exam; failing it isn't the end of the world. Look at me, I didn't go to university either, and I'm doing just fine."
Lu Hongjun had two older brothers and a younger sister. Big Uncle Lu's eldest son was Lu Jiaguang, who now held a position in the railway bureau; his sister Lu Chunhua married an army officer, whose husband later transferred to a local position and also received a government salary.
Having helped his older brother and sister, he couldn't neglect Second Uncle Lu's family. But the first two sons of Second Uncle Lu were no good; it wasn't until Lu Jiajie graduated from high school that Mr. Lu managed to get him a job in a shoe factory in the Forty-nine City. Two years later, with the aid of his wife and Lu Hongjun, he got married.
Lu Jiajie's wife, Ma Lili, came from a family with only two daughters and good conditions, so after marriage, they lived with the Ma family. Out of gratitude to Lu Hongjun and Mrs. Lu, they took good care of Lu Jiaxin, their cousin.
Without blaming her right away, but rather taking care of her emotions first, Lu Jiaxin thought these two brothers were pretty decent. It's a shame that Lu Hongjun, her father, was too despicable.
Lu Hongjun brought out the sliced watermelon and placed it on the table, calling everyone over with a smile, "Jiaguang, Jiajie, don't just stand there, come over and have some watermelon."
Ding Jing didn't come out of the room; the items she had secured were given away again, which pained her heart.
The August weather was unbearably hot, and Lu Jiajie, who had come by bicycle, was covered in sweat; he didn't stand on ceremony and immediately took a piece of watermelon and started eating.
Lu Jiaguang had no appetite. He looked at Xue Mao and asked, "Who is this young man?"
Lu Jiaxin introduced Xue Mao's identity and then said, "Big brother, I know you have many questions for me. Wait until Aunt Liao comes over, and I'll tell everyone together."
A flicker of doubt crossed Lu Jiaguang's mind. His sister had always referred to Madam Liao as her godmother and spoke of her very affectionately, but now she had switched to calling her Aunt Liao. He wondered if it was a slip of the tongue or if it had something to do with her running away from home.
With that thought, Lu Jiaguang said compassionately, "If you ever feel wronged in the future, tell your big brother. Don't bear it all by yourself."
Although everyone said that Jiaxin ran away from home because of her college entrance exam failure, he didn't believe it. Although Third Aunt's departure had deeply affected Jiaxin, turning her temper sour, he still believed she was sensible in her actions. He felt there must be something fishy going on.
Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, "Don't worry, big brother. If anyone bullies me in the future, I will definitely tell you and Fifth Brother."
Lu Jiaguang found her so well-behaved and was filled with distress. It seemed she must have suffered a lot during the past month for such a big change to occur.
Soon Liao Xiangmei arrived. Xue Mao did not want to go out and told Lu Jiaxin he would continue tidying up the room.
Knowing he was feeling timid, Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, "It's alright. Just stand beside me later, and if anyone asks you questions, just pretend you don't understand."
It was the beginning of the economic reform era, and many people were riding the wave to success. She never dreamed of flying high, just wanting to do business to earn more money and enjoy a good life after achieving financial freedom.
In her previous life, she studied until the age of twenty-five, worked for six years, and was then diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer. Many people advised her to undergo surgery, but she ultimately chose conservative treatment. In the moment before closing her eyes, she regretted not having fulfilled her dreams of establishing her own clothing brand and traveling the world since childhood. In this life, she was determined to fulfill her dreams from the past life and leave no regrets.
Doing business definitely required helpers, and she planned to groom Xue Mao to be her right-hand man. However, Xue Mao was illiterate and had a low self-esteem because of his own experiences, so it would take time and effort to train him to become a capable assistant.
"Okay."
When Liao Xiangmei saw Lu Jiaxin, she opened her arms to hug her but was unexpectedly avoided by Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiaguang became even more certain that his sister's running away from home was related to Fan Yinuo. However, as he was unclear about the whole situation, he remained silent.
Liao Xiangmei was momentarily startled, but she quickly recovered, saying, "Xinxin, where did you go? Do you know how worried we've been over the past month?"
Lu Jiaxin stared at her and asked, "Did Fan Yinuo say anything when I disappeared?"She wanted to confirm whether Liao Xiangmei knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Siyi's affair.
Liao Xiangmei's demeanor paused, then she lightly evaded the issue and said, "He was very worried and has been looking for you everywhere. He asked your junior high and high school classmates, but they also didn't know where you went."
From this reaction, Lu Jiaxin could tell that Liao Xiangmei already knew about Fan Yinuo and Zhao Siyi's affair. Obviously, she hadn't told the Lu family members about it. After all, revealing that Fan Yinuo was the chief culprit behind the original person's disappearance would surely make the family hate him to death.
Compared to her goddaughter, her own son Fan Yinuo was naturally more important, which was normal human sentiment beyond reproach. It was just that she felt sorry for the original person.