Chapter 123: A Man Stands on His Own Two Feet

Chapter 123: A Man Stands on His Own Two Feet

Lu Bao said, "Got it, Dad, I'm on it."

Lu Chun shot a wary glance at the tightly shut courtyard gate, his eyes filled with resentment and apprehension.

He spat in disgust and snapped impatiently, "Take your father to a busier part of the village."

Mainly because he was afraid of being outnumbered and beaten again.

At this moment, Feng Jinyu, carrying a kitchen knife, hurried over to the Lu family to pass on the news, "Second Brother Lu, Second Brother Lu."

Mingchao had made it clear beforehand: for tricky situations, go to Lu Yao.

The rising volume of the calls jolted Lu Yao, who was behind closed doors and windows, holding a book and concentrating on memorizing.

Lu Yao remembered Feng Jinyu well.

When Lu Miao was around, Feng Jinyu was always trying to one-up her and trip her up. He had to admit, he secretly enjoyed it.

After Mingchao returned, Feng Jinyu first slandered her, then cleared her name, and eventually buried the hatchet with her.

Now, as fate would have it, she had even become Mingchao's disciple.

Lu Yao pushed the door open and saw Feng Jinyu still holding the kitchen knife, with dried blood on it, and asked anxiously, "Is Mingchao okay?"

Feng Jinyu handed the kitchen knife to Lu Yao, "This belongs to Aunt Yun."

"Your no-good uncle and his doomed son are stirring up trouble at the Xie family."

Feng Jinyu succinctly informed Lu Yao about what had happened at the Xie family.

"Thank you," Lu Yao said sincerely, looking down.

Feng Jinyu felt her heart racing.

Second Brother Lu's voice was so pleasant, like the refreshing chill of an ice mirror in a summer mansion.

Second Brother Lu's face was truly handsome, like snowflakes drifting gently from the eaves, radiating an otherworldly and pure aura.

"No, no need to thank me, Uncle Master," Feng Jinyu quickly changed her form of address, suppressing her growing feelings.

Lu Yao: Uncle Master?

What an unusual title.

"Uncle Master, I'll take my leave now."

As soon as Feng Jinyu left, Lu Yao hurried to the village entrance to take a donkey cart into the city.

Lu Chunhe and his son would not let the matter drop and would likely seek help from Dahe Village.

He knew that Xie Yan and Shu Yuan had manpower.

The journey from Dahe Village to Changxi Village involved crossing a rugged mountain path.

This section of the road was treacherous, with loose rocks and soil frequently causing blockages or injuring travelers' legs.

When the sun hung high in the sky, the surroundings were bathed in radiant light, creating a dazzlingly bright scene.

Lu Chunhe huddled, hands tucked into his sleeves, still waiting for help.

"Is the go-between you found even reliable?" Lu Chunhe kicked Lu Bao, impatience written all over his face. "It's been over an hour already. Even crawling, they should’ve made it by now."

Lu Chunhe was exhausted, cold, and hungry, with a pounding headache and dizziness.

On his forehead, a swollen lump stuck out like a sore thumb, resembling a horn, making it particularly noticeable.

Lu Bao was also shivering from the cold. "Reliable, definitely reliable. Maybe Mom went visiting someone again to scrounge for food, so Shuanzi couldn't find her."

"Let’s give it a little more time. Dahe Village is such a small place. A shout or two under the big locust tree would be heard."

Lu Bao moved closer to Lu Chunhe, trying to share warmth, breathing out white puffs as he said, "Dad, Changxi Village looks a lot bigger than Dahe Village, life’s easier there, the land’s richer, and even the young wives and girls are prettier. It’s such a shame that you and Mom moved to Dahe Village."

"Why don’t we move back? Let’s take back the Lu family house and live there ourselves."

Lu Chunhe's body stiffened, as if guilty, and he glared at Lu Bao irritably. "Do you think the local authorities are yours? Can you just move your household registration whenever you want?"

"Cut it out with this nonsense. It’s annoying to listen to."

Did he really want to live in Dahe Village, putting up with his in-laws’ looks?

He didn’t have a choice.

He also hadn’t expected that after a strong dose of abortion drug, that wretched woman would still survive.

Lu Bao grumbled under his breath, "Fine, fine, you're the dad. Whatever you say is right."

Lu Chunhe: ...

The sun, once directly overhead, began to dip.

Shuanzi, whom Lu Bao had mentioned, came running, panting, and shouted, "Brother Bao, your mom is in trouble!"

"She was hit by falling rocks on her way here, and her leg was broken. She blacked out from the pain. Your uncle's son, Maotou'er, was also injured and has already been carried to the town clinic."

Upon hearing that Maotou'er was injured, Lu Chunhe felt his blood run cold, and his chest was struck by a heavy hammer weighing over a thousand pounds.

Maotou'er was the apple of the Zhou family’s eye.

Back then, his father-in-law had allowed him to settle in Dahe Village because his brother-in-law was middle-aged and still childless, and it seemed the Zhou family's lineage would end. That was when his father-in-law remembered his married daughter, thinking that a son-in-law was half a son, and that his grandson also carried the Zhou family's blood.

Who would have thought that a few years later, after his brother-in-law divorced and remarried, he soon had Maotou'er.

With a biological grandson, any son-in-law or grandson had to step aside.

If Maotou'er was injured, his father-in-law and brother-in-law would be furious and might throw them out.

"Bao'er, let's go quickly."

Lu Bao frowned. "Just leaving like this? I can't bear the shame."

Lu Chunhe stood up abruptly.

He stood up too quickly, his vision darkened, and he staggered. "Do you want face, or do you want a roof over your head and food to fill your stomach?"

Lu Bao really wanted to proudly declare that he wanted face, but his stomach had already been growling for a long time.

Lu Chunhe said, "Stop dawdling. Once your mom and Maotou'er recover, we'll get back at them for today's losses."

"Bao'er, your grandfather still loves you. Go back and plead with him more."

Lu Bao's frown deepened. "Dad, keep your voice down. If Shuanzi hears this, how can I keep my reputation?"

"I can't possibly beg that old man. He only cares about Maotou. Besides, a man's knees are as valuable as gold."

Hearing Lu Bao's mindless babbling, Lu Chunhe felt increasingly irritated, a nameless anger flaring up. He suddenly knelt down with a loud thud, then pulled Lu Bao up by the arm. "Is there any gold?"

"No!"

"A man's knees don't have gold, just shins and feet."

"If you don't want to get thrown out, you'd better plead with your grandfather properly."

Lu Bao was stunned, nodding blankly.

Lu Bao thought his father might have lost his mind.

At the start of the Shen hour.

Xie Yan and his group finally returned home.

"A Yan, have someone make a silver-plated hairpin based on this design."

"A silver-plated hairpin?" Xie Yan looked puzzled at the drawing on the paper. "Such a thin hairpin, even if it were made of pure gold, wouldn't be worth much."

"This is meant for Lu Minghui of the Yongning Marquisate in the capital," Lu Mingchao explained calmly.

Evil people will be taken care of by their own kind.

She was confident that Lu Minghui would deal with Lu Chunhe and his son appropriately.

Xie Yan took the paper and carefully folded it. "Alright."

"Mingchao, are you hurt?"

"A matter of life and death."