"And also, when you say you 'borrow' Grandma and Grandpa's retirement money, can you really pay it back? When have you ever paid it back before?" Lu Youxi said.
Lu Zhenjia looked at his niece, who seemed like a completely different person, amazed at how articulate she had become!
Old Master Lu said with displeasure, "Girl, are you implying that we are spending your money?"
"Grandma and Grandpa," Lu Youxi was not afraid, "Don't blame me for being straightforward, but this is what has always been happening. Just because my parents don't talk about it doesn't mean it isn't happening."
"Girl, you're just a young lady who has never traveled far or seen the world, I don't blame you," Guifen added, "But what kind of place is the Imperial Capital? It's the capital of the country, a major city among other major cities. Living and studying there is not easy; there are many expenses, beyond what you could imagine in your lifetime."
Lu Youxi laughed, "Is that so? Then we definitely can't give the money."
"Dad, cousin is about to go to university. Doesn't Youxue need it too? Can our family just produce one university student?" This was directed towards Lu Zhenguo, "Dad, we still need to think about Youxue. Think about it, cousin going to university in the Imperial Capital will cost so much! It's spent half of our family's life savings. Shouldn't we start saving again now to prepare for Youxue?"
"Just now, Auntie mentioned how studying in the city for university costs a lot. We can't save up enough in three to five years," Lu Youxi continued, "I hope Youxue can also get into a university there. There are many good universities in the Imperial Capital, not just Jing University, but others too. By then, wouldn't Youxue also need a lot of money? We can't just give all the money to cousin now, and then make him unable to afford university later."
Lu Youxi didn't mention her own university expenses.
She had never planned to spend the family's money.
Even in her past life, she attended Jing University on a scholarship.
Her daily expenses were covered by her own part-time work; she hadn't spent a cent of her family's money.
Given the Lu Family's elders' preference for males over females, using herself as an example was pointless.
In the Lu Family's elders' eyes, only their grandson mattered.
So she had to use Youxue as an example.
Although the Lu Family's elders were selfish and uneducated, they were very persistent about their grandson attending university, knowing that it was the only way out.
Their village wasn't wealthy, and having Lu Youbang as a university student was a huge deal in the village. Even the village chief showed Old Master Lu a lot of respect, which further solidified his desire to have Youxue go to university in the future.
"It's expensive to study in the city, but Auntie said it herself," Lu Youxi smiled, "I might not have seen much and never been to a big city. But cousin must have told Auntie a lot, and she is knowledgeable. What she said must be true."
This made Lu Zhenguo even more hesitant.
Lu Youxi knew that Lu Zhenjia and his wife came to ask for money, seemingly reaching out to the elders.
But the Lu Family's elders, though they loved their grandson, loved themselves more.
Especially Old Master Lu, a remarkably selfish man.
How could he possibly take money out of his own pocket for Lu Youbang?
After Lu Zhenjia's family left, the Lu Family's elders would definitely still ask Lu Zhenguo for money.
Lu Youxi didn't mind the elders giving money to Lu Youbang.
But they absolutely should not ask from their own household.
Next, she saw Old Master Lu glance at Lu Zhenguo.
Lu Youxi then knew that Old Master Lu was indeed planning to ask Lu Zhenguo for money.
This uproar she caused wasn't to stop the money going to Lu Youbang but to eventually make Old Master Lu pay, not targeting their own assets. If so, her commotion would be deemed a success.
Lu Zhenjia and Guifen wouldn't have expected that Lu Youxi would turn their own words against them.
But those were their words, and they couldn't very well contradict themselves.
Speaking of Youxue, Lu Youxi glanced at the time, "Why hasn't Youxue returned yet?"
"Indeed," Liu Yushu thought as well.
Caught up in Lu Zhenjia's drama, she hadn't noticed the time, "By now, Youxue should have been home."
Suddenly, Lu Youxi remembered that in her past life, the reason why Youxue was limping was due to an accident when he was hit by a motorcycle on his way home from school at noon.
The motorcycle driver fled the scene, and Youxue was discovered too late, which delayed his treatment and resulted in his permanent leg injury.
Now recalling this, it seemed today was the day.
Because Lu Zhenjia came to ask for money, Lu Zhenguo initially hesitated, but overwhelmed by Lu Zhenjia's insistence, he had to give the money to him.
When villagers found Youxue after being hit, they notified the family, but quite some time had passed.
By the time Youxue was taken to the hospital, the family money had already been given to Lu Zhenjia.
The money given to Lu Zhenjia was like water spilled; it was never going to return.
Lu Zhenguo could not get the money back for Youxue's treatment.
At that time, Lu Zhenjia said that since Youxue's treatment was delayed, even returning the money to Lu Zhenguo would be useless.
Lu Zhenguo had to raise money elsewhere. This delay meant Youxue's leg would never fully heal.
Youxue's leg injury affected his entrance exam for middle school, and as he grew older, his disability made it even harder for him to find a job.
It could be said that this leg injury ruined Youxue's life.
Lu Youxi, recalling how after her death, her spirit floated, watching Youxue limp to defend her and being insulted by the Lin family as a cripple, hated herself intensively.
She believed that Lu Zhenguo, swayed by her earlier words, wouldn't be fetching money anytime soon.
Without delay, she shot a fierce glare at Lu Zhenjia, then bolted out, leaving behind the words hanging in the air, "I'm going to pick up Youxue!"
Lu Zhenjia was left stunned by Lu Youxi's glare, only regaining his senses after a long while, furiously saying to Lu Zhenguo, "Brother, what was that look in the girl's eyes! How dare she glare at me like that! I'm telling you, I'm not done with her today!"
Lu Youxi knew Lu Zhenjia was definitely seething back there, but she didn't care.
She dashed out of the village and on the main road leading to the village, she saw Youxue walking towards the village entrance with a classmate.
Lu Youxi let out a sigh of relief as she saw Youxue's still young, innocent face and his legs functioning normally, and tears immediately started rolling down her cheeks.
Just then, a motorcycle surged from behind Youxue, swerving in an S-shape.
The driver wore a basic helmet that didn't completely cover his face, showing his noticeably flushed face from drinking.
"Youxue!" Lu Youxi screamed, then ran towards Youxue at full speed.