Chapter 12: The Logic of the Extreme

## Chapter 12: The Logic of a Real Piece of Work

When Lu Danian stepped out, stick in hand, Lin Mu greeted him with a cheeky grin: "Uncle, what's with the weapon? We'll be family sooner or later, you know."

Lu Danian was utterly repulsed. "Who said we're family?"

Lin Mu shrugged, "I'll just marry Lu Xiang, and then we will be."

Lu Danian's face went white with fury. Blinded by rage, he didn't care about anything else, swinging the stick at Lin Mu with a whoosh that cut through the air.

Lin Mu wasn't about to let him succeed. Dodging and running, he still wouldn't quit: "Uncle, I'll be back tomorrow to propose!"

Seeing the persistent scoundrel, Lu Danian roared, "If you dare show your face here again, I'll break your legs!"

Lin Mu narrowly avoided the wooden club, scrambling over the wall and fleeing in a panicked heap.

Enraged, Lu Danian even chased him several meters beyond the gate.

Lin Mu, a notorious rogue in the village, was infamous for his petty thievery and mischief. His speed was his lifeline. Unable to catch him, Lu Danian eventually returned.

Inside, he first went to comfort the shaken Lu Xiang and Lu Mom, intending to tell them the scoundrel had been driven off. But under Lu Xiang's clear, calm gaze in the lamplight, he found himself speechless. He slapped himself hard across the face.

"Dad!" Lu Xiang gasped, startled.

Lu Danian's chest heaved, as if he had a thousand words to say, but when he opened his mouth, only a choked whisper emerged: "Dad, I've failed you." If he hadn't been so foolish as to agree to Grandma Lu's marriage swap scheme, how could a lowlife like Lin Mu dare to bully Lu Xiang?

If this scoundrel spread rumors, Lu Xiang's reputation would be ruined!

Lu Mom, sensing Lu Danian's thoughts, said, "I'll sleep with Xiang'er tonight."

Worried that Lin Mu might make a comeback, Lu Danian declared, "I won't sleep tonight. I'll stand guard here."

Lu Xiang protested, "Dad, you should get some rest. You have to work the fields tomorrow." Their village still operated on a work-point system. If he stayed up all night, he wouldn't be able to endure the next day's labor.

Lu Mom agreed, "Yes, go back and sleep. I'll call you if anything happens."

Hearing this, Lu Danian wiped his eyes and finally returned to his room.

Lu Xiang and Lu Mom turned off the light to save electricity, but in the darkness, Lu Xiang found herself restless, unable to sleep.

Lin Mu was Aunt Lu's nephew, a man steeped in all five vices: drinking, gambling, and womanizing. In her previous life, when Lu Xiang had gone mad and run off, Lin Mu had tried to force himself on her. Lu Xiang had fled to the mountains, where she slipped, fell, and perished. Such a rotten apple shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

Lu Xiang knew that he and some other hoodlums often placed nails on the national highway to rob passersby. If caught during the severe crackdowns of the 1980s, they would surely face justice.

But she was just a young woman, barely an adult—how could she make others believe her?

Lu Xiang lay awake for most of the night, finally drifting into a fitful sleep as dawn broke.

The next morning, she heard the interwoven voices of a man and her mother outside. She tried to open her eyes but was simply too exhausted.

She sensed someone enter the room, seemingly watching her for a while. After what felt like an eternity, the feeling of being watched vanished, and she sank into a deep sleep.

When she finally awoke, it was past ten o'clock—an unusually late hour for village standards. Having slept soundly, Lu Xiang's cheeks were flushed. She put on her shoes and went outside, where her mother was still home.

Originally, her mother was supposed to work alongside Lu Danian, but fearing her daughter might do something rash, she had specifically asked the village chief for leave to stay with Lu Xiang. Now, her mother looked as if she had done something wrong, pointing to five coarse grain buns on the table and saying, "Xiao Fu brought these. He even chopped some firewood earlier. I tried to refuse, but he insisted on leaving them."

Lu Xiang's mother wasn't good at refusing others and felt unsure how to handle the situation.

Lu Xiang stepped outside and saw that the water vat had been filled to the brim and the firewood neatly stacked. Fu Qinhui was planting vegetable seedlings in the yard. Although he was a college student, he had grown up in the countryside and was skilled at such chores.

Lu Xiang watched for a while, observing Fu Qinhui. A few idle onlookers were watching from a distance. It was working hours, and the village chief had already called most people to work; otherwise, there would have been even more spectators.

From afar, Aunt Lu approached, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes when she saw Fu Qinhui.

The marriage swap had been secretly arranged by Aunt Lu and Grandma Lu. Afraid that Uncle Lu would object, they had sent him to distribute wedding candies in the neighboring village after he had a drink. When he returned and found Lu Zhaodi still at home, he was furious upon learning of their foolish scheme.

As a junior, Uncle Lu couldn't blame his mother, so he directed all his anger at Aunt Lu. They argued, and eventually, the quarrel turned physical.

Aunt Lu was slapped several times, crying and shouting so loudly that the neighbors heard. That morning, a few people she didn't get along with had come to ask about it, and she had sarcastically dismissed them.

Now she was here to cause trouble for Lu Xiang. Seeing Fu Qinhui helping with her garden made her heart burn with envy, as if soaked in old vinegar.

Aunt Lu called out, "Oh, Qin Hui, you're a college student. What are you doing here?" Then she turned to Lu Xiang's mother, "You can't treat people this way! Some people look honest but are full of malice."

Lu Xiang's mother, accustomed to being meek, was trembling, too nervous to argue.

Lu Xiang interjected, "Auntie, why are you here?"

Aunt Lu glanced at Fu Qinhui and deliberately raised her voice, "Lin Mu has taken a liking to you. He said he came to propose last night and asked me to be the matchmaker today."

Lu Xiang's mother trembled with anger, "How could you propose a match with someone like Lin Mu for Lu Xiang?"

Aunt Lu coldly replied, "Birds of a feather, you know. What's wrong with Lin Mu? He's clever and considerate. Besides, if you don't agree, keep your daughter in check. Don't let her seduce him!" Her words were laced with contempt for Lu Xiang, subtly implying she was improper.

Lu Xiang's mother shook with rage. Aunt Lu had deliberately said this in front of Fu Qinhui—truly malicious to the core.

Lu Xiang retorted, "Last night, Lin Mu climbed over the wall and nearly got beaten to death by my dad. How can you speak up for such a scoundrel and act as his matchmaker? No wonder Lin Mu is so bold—he has you, his aunt, backing him up!"

Aunt Lu snapped back, "I'm not backing him up! If you don't agree, then forget it. No need to be so sharp-tongued. If you hadn't interfered, Fu Qinhui would be my son-in-law now. I'll settle this score with you slowly!"

Lu Xiang laughed at her selfishness. If she wanted to speak sarcastically, Lu Xiang could do it too: "Oh, Auntie, didn't you say you disliked Fu Qinhui for not being a city dweller and had other plans? Did you forget such an important matter because you left your brain at home?"

Aunt Lu glared furiously at Lu Xiang, "You little slut, how dare you talk nonsense!" She raised her hand to strike Lu Xiang, but Fu Qinhui grabbed her arm.

Fu Qinhui said, "Aunt Lu, Lu Xiang is my wife. Please watch your tone!"