Chapter 15 Are We Really Ill-Fated

Chapter 15: Are We Really Doomed by Fate?

At lunchtime, the restaurant was bustling. Lu Yun sat at a table just in front of her cousin's, listening in on her cousin's conversation.

Lu Yun's cousin said, "I really love this house. Even though I don't have the money right now, my boyfriend does. Please hold this house for me—once he comes back, we'll buy it! I can even give you a deposit now!"

The landlord replied, "I don't have a problem with that. The problem is your offer is way too low! And you're asking to pay in installments? You say your boyfriend will be back—when exactly? You've already messed up several of my house sales. Don't think I don't know—I talked to the people who came to see it, and they all said you went after them right after they left."

The cousin pleaded, "I'm begging you, I really love this house! It belonged to a female ancestor of our family—a grandmother from our side. I must buy this house!"

The landlord shot back, "If you don't have the money, why are you even trying to buy a house?! I'm telling you, if you keep bothering me, I'll call the cops!"

The landlord tried to leave, but Lu Yun's cousin chased him down, still pestering him. She was so focused on the landlord that she didn't even notice Lu Yun and Chen Qiao sitting there.

Lu Yun's cousin said, "If you sell me the house, I'll tell your wife you groped me!"

The landlord shot back, "Do you think my wife would care more about money, or would she believe I touched you?!"

The cousin pressed on, "How about this—wait for me. I'll give you a higher price, but I need to pay in installments. Please, I'm begging you, this was my ancestor's house!"

This was complete nonsense. Lu Yun's cousin's grandmother was the same person as Lu Yun's grandmother—their family was from the countryside, so how could they have had an ancestor who owned a house in the city?

Chen Qiao remarked, "Your cousin is something else. I'm truly amazed."

Chen Qiao had always thought Lu Yun's cousin was a gentle woman, but it turned out to be all an act.

Curious, Chen Qiao asked, "What's this about your ancestor's house?"

Lu Yun replied, "I have no idea."

Chen Qiao said, "She's quite the liar. Anyone listening would actually believe she wants to buy back her ancestor's old house. But wait, that's not right either—she's lying. Why is she so hung up on that landlord? What kind of house makes her so desperate?"

The kung pao chicken arrived. Along with it, they'd also ordered a plate of spicy mapo tofu and stir-fried greens. Chen Qiao dug into her food, forgetting all about Lu Yun's cousin. Lu Yun thought for a moment, then focused on her food—she'd worry about everything else after eating.

The two got back to the garment factory right on time. Sister Lü had a grim look on her face but didn't say anything when she saw Lu Yun and Chen Qiao.

Chen Qiao whispered, "Did your cousin do something again? Is that why Sister Lü is looking at us like that?"

Lu Yun replied, "Probably. She got to the restaurant earlier than us, so she might have been late or left early again, or maybe she asked for time off?"

Chen Qiao sighed, "Your cousin is a piece of work!"

After work, Lu Yun went home and told her parents about her cousin, asking about this so-called ancestor's house. She wondered if maybe her cousin was talking about an ancestor on her father's side.

Her mother said, "Her ancestor owned a house in the city? Our family never had such an ancestor, and hers certainly didn't either. Her father's family was so poor they could barely afford food—how could they have owned a house in the city?"

Her mother was very sure of this. To make sure she wasn't misremembering, she thought it over carefully again and was certain there was no such ancestor in their family history who could have owned a house in the city.

Lu Yun said, "That's weird."

Her father added, "Maybe she just wants that house for herself."

After dinner, some people were out in the courtyard cooling off. Aunt Han came out, and Aunt Li was there too. Enemies meeting face to face—they were ready to tear each other apart. Some people even egged them on, hoping to see a fight. Sun's father came out and called Aunt Han back inside, saying there was something at home, which prevented another blowup in the courtyard.

Aunt Han demanded, "Why did you call me back? Are you worried I'd fight with Widow Li and hurt her—would that break your heart?"

Sun's father said, "Why would you believe her? Why would I be eyeing Widow Li? I got along fine with her husband back then. Just because she's a widow now doesn't mean I'm checking her out."

Aunt Han, furious, grabbed Sun's father and slapped him a few times. She still remembered the slaps from Aunt Li—her face hadn't even healed yet, which showed how hard Aunt Li had hit her. She scolded, "You think I believe you? If you weren't guilty of something, you wouldn't be so willingly cooking for the whole family! You'd have gone to confront Widow Li long ago. You've had your eye on her ever since she became a widow. If she hadn't turned you down, who knows how many times you'd have snuck off to meet her by now! From now on, if you say one more word for Widow Li, I'll slap you. And if you so much as look at her again, just try it!"

Sun's father felt a twinge of guilt. He'd never thought Aunt Han could be this sharp—and it was his own fault. He denied it, saying, "It's because of your son causing trouble! I didn't want the family to keep fighting. You think I actually want to cook?"

Aunt Han shot back, "My son? Isn't Sun Zhi your son too? Isn't he?! You only have this one son, and you keep calling him 'my son'—are you trying to end the Sun family line?!"

Sun's father said, "Don't push me too far!"

Aunt Han retorted, "You dare to have feelings for Widow Li, and you say I'm going too far? What do you call this?"

Aunt Han stormed to the door and flung it open—only to find a crowd of people eavesdropping outside.

Sun's father snapped, "Don't you all have anything better to do? What are you all doing here? Why are you all so into eavesdropping?!"

Aunt Li said, "It's not that we like eavesdropping—you two were arguing so loud we could hear you without even trying."

Sun's father was so mad he couldn't speak.

Aunt Jiang muttered quietly, "He really does like Widow Li. The second she said something, he shut right up."

Even though her voice was low, everyone heard it. Aunt Han lunged at Aunt Jiang and slapped her several times, shouting, "I'll teach you to spread rumors! I'll beat that mouth of yours bloody!"

Lu Yun couldn't help but notice the commotion outside. She came out and her parents were already standing there watching. At first, Aunt Jiang was losing, but then she fought back and pinned Aunt Han to the ground, wailing on her.

Lu Yun's father remarked, "Aunt Han really doesn't think things through. Aunt Jiang's dad used to be in the security department. You know how he got in? Through his strong build and strength. Aunt Jiang takes after him."

Sun Zhi and Zhao Lan both came out, and Aunt Jiang's family also came out. It took a lot of effort to pull them apart. As the two families argued, Aunt Han took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and kicked Aunt Jiang, then cursed, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense! Do you know my husband better than I do?"

Aunt Jiang shot back, "Weren't you just inside saying your husband was cheating?"

Aunt Han said, "Did I say that? I only suspected it—you understand? My husband likes Widow Li? What does he like about her? Is she better than me?"

Widow Li, who had been watching the whole spectacle, got dragged into it again. She didn't say whether Sun's father liked her or not, but she said, "You really aren't better than me. Want me to tell everyone how you chased after my husband back then?"

At that, Aunt Han's face changed, and so did Sun's father's!

Lu Yun marveled at the drama. Their family really had so much drama!

Lu Yun couldn't sleep. After all that excitement, she felt like having a late-night snack. She didn't wake her father—she just put on her clothes and snuck out. The alley outside still had some shops and stalls open, hoping to make a little more money.

Lu Yun slipped quietly out of the courtyard and ran into Sun Zhi in the alley. He looked dejected. Lu Yun didn't plan to talk to him, and he didn't speak to her either—he just looked at her with that complicated look again. Lu Yun really couldn't figure out what he was thinking!

Lu Yun bought some wontons outside the alley and came back to find Sun Zhi still standing there, staring at her with an even more complicated expression.

Sun Zhi said, "Do you think we're really doomed by fate?"

He must be out of his mind!

What kind of fate could Lu Yun possibly have with Sun Zhi? At most, they grew up in the same courtyard and played together as children. Lu Yun never even liked playing with him—she preferred playing with girls. They'd braid each other's hair and play house. Sun Zhi was always running around with the other boys in the courtyard. Later, it was all one-sided on his part, and she'd made it clear to him more than once.

Lu Yun said, "You must have a mental problem."

Sun Zhi replied, "You're right—I do have a mental problem now!"

It all started on the morning after their wedding night, when he and Zhao Lan were about to be intimate and she brought up Lu Yun. He was in so much pain, truly in pain. It was about a man's dignity. He could do it—he definitely could—and he wouldn't let anyone in the courtyard find out.

When Lu Yun arrived at the office, Sister He looked guilty but tried to act innocent. She poured tea for Lu Yun, who took a sip and said it didn't taste good. Sister He immediately knew Lu Yun was warning her again. She hadn't even done anything yet, and Lu Yun had already cautioned her twice!

There wasn't much work in the morning. Lu Yun picked up a pen and drew some pretty flowers and plants on paper, showing them to Chen Qiao. Chen Qiao drew some too, and the two of them had a great time playing around.

A worker from the workshop came over—whether to watch the drama or deliberately to pass on information, it was unclear. "Lu Yun, there's a man causing a scene at your cousin's workshop. Your cousin is begging him right now!"

Lu Yun was genuinely curious, and so were the people in the office. Some even urged her to go check it out, since it was her cousin after all—the family bond was solid and real, not some distant relative she barely ever saw.

"Go take a look, she's your cousin after all."

"Yeah, go see what's going on. It's not like your cousin ran into a scumbag, is it?"

Lu Yun stood her ground. "Just because she's my cousin, I have to go? Our relationship is nothing more than cousins. You're all so eager—why don't you hand over your paychecks to your own cousins? Everyone in this office is just so damn generous!"

Nope, not going. What's the point? Someone had already tipped her off, and soon enough, another person would come to fill her in on the details. Even if no one came to tell her what happened, she could still get the tea from somewhere else—right from this very office.

Lü Jie came over to Lu Yun. "Lu Yun, is your cousin out of her mind?"

Author's note:

None.