Chapter 399 Return Journey

Chapter 399: The Journey Back

As soon as Old Man Lu spoke, the others fell silent.

Lu Guozhong quickly assured him, "Don't worry, Brother, there won’t be a next time."

Lu Guofeng shook his head. "Let the kids handle their own problems. Even if you speak, they might not listen."

This left Lu Guozhong red-faced.

He hadn’t kept his household in order.

"Manqiu, you ran out earlier—did you want to say something? Are you still willing to stay with Lu Jiang?"

The way he asked made it seem that if Zhang Manqiu refused, he’d let them divorce.

At the mention of divorce, Lu Jiang panicked.

He might not love Zhang Manqiu, but he couldn’t lose the wife he’d gone through so much to marry.

Besides, he wasn’t interested in anyone else. If she’d make it work with him, he’d try not to hit her again.

Old Man Lu watched Lu Jiang fidget and knew he was nervous—but whether it was over his wife was anyone’s guess.

"Manqiu, speak for yourself. Do you want a divorce?"

Everyone stared at Zhang Manqiu.

She shook her head. She wasn’t leaving him.

Ye Xiaoxiao was disappointed but said nothing.

This was Zhang Manqiu’s choice, and the consequences would be hers alone.

"Seems Manqiu doesn’t want a divorce," Old Man Lu said.

Zhang Manqiu whispered, "I… I just want to take care of my health."

Grandma Lu added, "She even went to Xiao Xiao this afternoon. The remedy was Xiao Xiao’s prescription—she’s great at traditional medicine.

And look how thin Manqiu is—she needs to eat better."

Wang Zhi faked a smile. "Oh? Well, thanks for your concern. As long as Manqiu wasn’t tricked.

We’ve got everything at home—I’ll make sure she’s cared for."

Grandma Lu insisted, "Get the herbs from a proper pharmacy. Don’t cut corners there."

Wang Zhi didn’t dare argue.

Old Man Lu said, "Guozhong, I shouldn’t butt into family matters, but we’re not so broke we can’t help out when needed."

Lu Guozhong nodded. "I’ve dropped the ball before. I’ll do better."

Zhang Manqiu didn’t want a divorce—just to focus on her health, which meant she still wanted to make it work with Lu Jiang.

Old Man Lu shooed the others out and had a long talk with Lu Jiang alone.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

When Lu Jiang reappeared, he seemed to have come to his senses and even took the initiative to apologize to Zhang Manqiu.

Zhang Manqiu was flustered by her husband’s apology.

"It’s... it’s nothing."

Wang Zhi was terrified this incident would jeopardize her daughter’s job prospects in Beijing.

Clearly, she couldn’t casually scold or hit her daughter-in-law anymore—to avoid more problems.

That was the end of it.

Yet as the Lu family elders departed, Lu Guozhong’s household remained uneasy.

On the way home, Lu Jie said quietly, "My brother doesn’t usually hit my sister-in-law, you know."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Your family doesn’t seem to treat her well at all."

Lu Jie hesitated. "Well... When she married into our family, we paid a 500-yuan bride price. But during the wedding, her former boyfriend made a huge scene, making fools of us.

So my brother resents it, and Mom thinks her family pulled a marriage scam."

Now Ye Xiaoxiao understood Zhang Manqiu’s fear of divorce.

Lu Hanchuan slipped his wife’s hand into his coat pocket. "If the marriage is unbearable, just divorce. Why put her through this?"

Lu Jie: "But she refuses. The bride price went straight to her father’s medical bills—she probably can’t repay it."

Lu Hanchuan frowned. "She’s worked tirelessly for your family. Can you really ask for the bride price back?"

Lu Jie shook her head. "I stay out of family matters."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "She’s not in a good place mentally. Pushing her could lead to irreversible consequences."

"My brother won’t dare repeat this," Lu Jie said nervously.

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head. This was a couple’s crisis—and a family’s failure.

Zhang Manqiu stood like a complete outsider in the Lu household.

Though patched up for now, who could guarantee such incidents wouldn’t recur?

At home, Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "Grandpa, what did you tell Lu Jiang?"

The old man sighed. "Just between us men."

Grandma Lu gave him a sidelong glance. "Useless words are wasted breath."

"Useless?" Grandpa Lu retorted. "I warned Guozhong I’ll be checking in. If nothing changes by next year, I’ll seriously consider divorce."

Grandma Lu sniffed. "Come back alone next time. Xiaoxiao and I won’t accompany you."

Still, she took pride in one thing: neither her husband, son, nor grandson shared these vile tendencies.

Hmph!

Perhaps her good parenting had fixed the Lu family line. Lu Hanchuan added, "Grandpa’s words today were harsh. If Grandpa Guozhong steps up as he should, this won’t happen again."

...

When Ye Xiaoxiao and the others departed, someone from the city had arranged for their transportation.

Local relatives all came to see Old Man Lu off. There were quite a few older relatives, and Lu Jie's family members had also gathered.

Zhang Manqiu stood in the crowd wearing clean clothes. Though her face remained expressionless, her complexion appeared healthier with a rosier glow.

Wang Zhi made a point of saying, "The Chinese herbs we discussed earlier have all been purchased. They look promising and seem to work well. We're entrusting Lu Jie to your care."

Old Man Lu responded, "As long as you've thought it through, I'll certainly help Lu Jie find employment. When a suitable position opens up, I'll arrange it for her. She'll call you once we reach Beijing."

Old Man Lu’s words reassured Lu Jie's family.

The car took them to the train station, where the driver showed them to their compartments before leaving.

Lu Jie had never visited Beijing before, so this journey was filled with both novelty and anticipation.

Since each train compartment accommodated four berths and their party had one extra person, they were assigned two adjacent compartments instead.

Though not all berths were occupied, the extra ones were left vacant and unavailable for other passengers.

Despite having stayed in the hometown for less than a week, Ye Xiaoxiao felt time seemed to drag—after all, it was an unfamiliar place where everything still felt new and unfamiliar.