Chapter 31: The Thing Called Ambition

Chapter 31 Ambition

A missing person was no small matter.

Even those who usually didn’t get along with the Lu family came out to help search.

The village chief led a team with flashlights up the mountain. The mountain at night was extremely dangerous, but they risked it anyway.

The village’s women's director also began organizing everyone to search the village.

Lu Zhaodi's mother cried until her voice was hoarse. A kind-hearted aunt in the village helped her to the village committee office and made her some brown sugar water, saying, “It’s alright, the child will definitely be found. You mustn’t break down. Zhaodi is such a filial child; if she saw you like this, she'd feel awful.”

After searching for a full two hours, the village women began organizing people to search along the river, which worried the entire village. But she was nowhere to be found.

“Where could she have gone?”

It was well past midnight. Everyone gathered outside the village committee office, exhausted, some standing, some sitting.

The village chief returned with his team. The night was cold, and the mountain was especially chilly. The village committee had boiled hot water. They poured bowl after bowl, and everyone went to get hot water for their family members. Lu Xiang brought a bowl to Fu Qinhui, who had joined the search. The dew on the mountain had soaked his clothes.

When the Lu family saw the village chief return, they all stood up, looking at him with hopeful expressions.

The village chief said, “We didn’t find her.” They had searched the mountain carefully. One of them had stepped on a snake and been bitten. Luckily, the snake wasn’t venomous, or it could've been fatal. They had no choice but to return.

Grandma Lu also cried, “That wretched girl! I only said one thing, and she acted like I'd mistreated her. Who hasn’t scolded their child? If everyone were like her, that would be disastrous.”

Lu Zhaodi’s mother, who had been too afraid to speak loudly to Grandma Lu since making a mistake, finally snapped back today and said resentfully, “It wasn’t just one thing—you were scolding and shaming her publicly. Who could stand that? Hasn’t Lu Zhaodi taken care of you all this time, and it hasn't meant anything? Just take a rope and strangle me then.”

Lu Zhaodi’s father said, “That's enough, both of you.”

Grandma Lu, having her authority challenged repeatedly, said, “If she doesn’t come back, I’ll give her my life.”

The argument was getting out of hand.

The village chief said, “Everyone, calm down. Maybe the child went to her uncle or aunt’s house in another village. It’s too late now; everyone should go back and rest. Tomorrow, we’ll ask the relatives. If she’s still not found, we’ll go to the police station.”

With the village chief’s words, the Lu family finally settled down and went home weeping.

It wasn’t that they were too timid. Those who had lived in the village for years had heard about human traffickers who kidnapped women and sold them into the mountains. A few years ago, it happened in a neighboring village. The girl was never found, and her parents cried until they went blind. In these times, with poor communications, if someone went missing, it was a disaster.

Lu Xiang went home. It was past her usual bedtime, but she couldn’t sleep. She restlessly tossed and turned in bed, disturbing Fu Qinhui so much that he couldn’t sleep either. He placed his hand on Lu Xiang to stop her. They had shared a bed for so long but had never been physically close. She didn’t dare move.

Fu Qinhui moved closer: “What are you thinking about?”

Lu Xiang said, “Where could she have gone?” Others didn’t know, but Lu Xiang knew Lu Zhaodi had been reborn. In her past life, she had lived happily with Li Yucai. She should be with him now, right?

But then she thought it was impossible. Dayu Village was relatively conservative, and a girl's reputation was everything.

Most importantly, Li Yucai and Lu Zhaodi didn’t know each other in this life. She couldn’t imagine how Lu Zhaodi would approach him.

Fu Qinhui said, “Sleep.” They had been busy for half the night.

Lu Xiang soon fell asleep.

Just as Lu Xiang had guessed, Lu Zhaodi was at the Li family, telling Reporter Li that she had been mistreated by her own grandmother and threatened to commit suicide!

Li Yucai lived with his grandfather in a small Western-style house in the county town. Having an extra woman there was very inconvenient. Seeing her crying her eyes out, Li Yucai didn’t know how to handle it. He said, “Maybe I should take you to the police?” He didn’t want to get involved in this mess.

She said, “I can’t go. If my grandmother finds out, she’ll beat me to death.” After saying this, she threw herself into Li Yucai’s arms, crying.

Li Yucai jumped back in surprise. Lu Zhaodi missed and sprained her ankle, the pain shooting through her.

Lu Zhaodi was annoyed at his lack of romantic sense.

Li Yucai said with a dark face, “Miss Lu, men and women shouldn't be so familiar. Don’t do this. If my grandfather sees, it would look improper.” There had been some misunderstandings before. His grandfather had privately mentioned wanting to arrange a marriage between him and Lu Zhaodi, but this was a new era that emphasized personal choice. His grandfather had only sounded him out about it.

He had a natural soft spot for people who did good deeds. But it turned out the good deed wasn’t done by Lu Zhaodi—she had taken credit for it. This behavior had left him wary. As soon as he opened the door, she had come in and started crying.

Li Yucai had never seen a young woman throw herself at a young man. Now, coming to his senses, he suddenly thought of a major doubt: “How did you find this place?”

Lu Zhaodi paused her crying. She hadn’t prepared an answer for this, so she said, “I saw the lights on in this house and came to ask for help. Who would have thought it’d be someone I know!”

Li Yucai frowned, not believing such a coincidence could happen.

Lu Zhaodi had walked many miles to get here. Her feet hurt, and now she had sprained her ankle. Crying late into the night, she seemed quite pitiful. But no matter how pitiful, Li Yucai didn’t dare let her stay in the house. He said again, “I’ll take you to the police station.”

Lu Zhaodi looked at him in disbelief: “How can you be so heartless? If I report to the police, my grandmother will beat me to death. We’re acquaintances—you can’t just watch her beat me to death, can you?”

Li Yucai said, “Then what do you want to do?”

Lu Zhaodi said, “Let me stay here for the night. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

Li Yucai looked outside; it was almost 2 a.m. Turning a woman out at this hour would indeed be improper. He said, “Then you can rest in the guest room on the first floor. Leave at daybreak, and don’t let my grandfather find out.” His grandfather had been regretting the matter with Lu Xiang for days.

The whole Lu Zhaodi family had deceived him, and he still hadn’t gotten over it. Seeing Lu Zhaodi would likely upset him.

Lu Zhaodi agreed and said, “You’re such a good person.”

Li Yucai was annoyed and ignored her as he went upstairs.

The Li family was a family of scholars, with wealth accumulated over generations. Even the unused guest room had brand-new bedding and a soft mattress, far better than the Lu family’s home.

Lu Zhaodi slept in the Li family’s house for the first time in her life but felt a sense of pride. This was the life she wanted. Since heaven had given her this opportunity, she absolutely would not marry an ordinary man. She swore it!

With ambition in her heart, she fell into a deep sleep.