NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51 - 47: Big Uncle Lu (2)
Chapter 51: Chapter 47: Big Uncle Lu (2)
Lu Jiaxin remembered trying to leave on her own, but Big Uncle Lu disagreed, insisting she was physically weak and should lie down and rest. Not only that, but he also asked Lu Guangzong to replace Zhao Dajun in carrying her.
With compassion, Big Uncle Lu said, “Xinxin, you’ve been wronged.”
Lu Jiaxin had wanted to say it was nothing, but tears couldn’t help but fall. After crying for a while, when she spoke again, her words were different from what she initially intended: “Big Uncle, my dad now only has that mother and daughter duo in his heart, and he doesn’t care about my life or death at all. I was afraid they would hurt me again, so I moved out and even transferred my household registration.”
“Big Uncle, he doesn’t want me, so I don’t want him either.”
Big Uncle Lu’s hand holding the tobacco pipe trembled: “Jiaxin, was your disappearance caused by the mother and daughter surnamed Ding?”
Lu Jiaxin looked at Lu Jiajie in surprise, such a big issue and yet it wasn’t communicated to Big Uncle Lu. She wouldn’t conceal anything for Lu Hongjun and recounted everything as it happened: “The day I returned to the Forty-nine City, I moved out, that house was purchased by my mother before she passed away. She was afraid that if my father remarried, his new home wouldn’t welcome me. Sadly, my mother’s concerns came true so soon.”
Big Uncle Lu nearly passed out from the shock and handed Lu Jiajie the pipe: “Lao Wu, why didn’t you tell me such a big matter? And you told me Xinxin just felt down because she didn’t do well in the college entrance exams and wanted to go back to her hometown to clear her mind.”
Lu Jiajie suddenly felt overwhelmed. Big Uncle Lu had a fiery temper and would definitely go to the Forty-nine City to confront Third Uncle if he knew the truth, so Lu Jiajie dared not tell him. Now that he knew he couldn’t keep it a secret, he had planned to find an appropriate opportunity to talk about it but had missed the chance because he got drunk the previous day, woke up too late this morning, and in his haste to go to the county town to pick someone up, the opportunity slipped away again.
Lu Jiaxin said, “Big Uncle, you can’t blame Big Brother and Fifth Brother for this. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s my dad for being blinded by lust.”
Big Uncle Lu calmed down and didn’t make excuses for Lu Hongjun: “I told your dad when I met that woman for the first time that she was no good, but your dad just wouldn’t listen to me. Xinxin, you did the right thing moving out. Otherwise, who knows what other schemes that venomous woman would come up with to harm you. Since your dad is determined to protect that mother and daughter, you ought to ignore him from now on and turn to your big brother if you need anything.”
“I want to see what he will do when he retires and loses his power and influence, and that woman turns on him. Xinxin, if that woman abandons your dad, you don’t need to bother with him; he brought it upon himself.”
Lu Jiajie dared not say a word.
Lu Jiaxin felt the sensation of being favored was quite pleasant. However, while Big Uncle Lu could say such things, she couldn’t agree with him; in a family that cultivated flowers, everyone still preferred children who were sensible and filial: “Big Uncle, if my dad becomes old or sick one day, immobile and without anyone to care for him, I will find someone to take care of him.”
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It was impossible for her to personally attend to his needs; she lacked such feelings. However, hiring someone to take care was doable, considering Lu Hongjun raised her and financed her education. Besides, she wouldn’t be shortsighted about money in the future.
Big Uncle Lu was basically testing, and upon hearing her response, he sighed inwardly, feeling the child was damaged: “Hiring someone specifically to take care of him will be expensive. Jiaxin, you must study hard, and only after getting into university and having a good job will you be able to afford it.”
Lu Jiaxin thought Big Uncle Lu was impressive; his words were not only comforting but also served his purpose: “Don’t worry, Big Uncle, I will study hard.”
Zhao Dajun wanted to say, with her spendthrift nature, she’d be lucky not to end up homeless and starving, let alone paying for someone to care for her elders.
Big Uncle Lu was very pleased. Such a well-behaved and filial child; how could Old Third be so blind? He would regret it in the future.
Lu Jiajie hurriedly changed the subject, to spare himself from being scolded again: “Xinxin, human traffickers aren’t that easy to find, don’t get your hopes up too high.”
Big Uncle Lu knew the purpose of Lu Jiaxin’s visit since yesterday, and his thoughts were the same as Lu Jiajie’s.
When Lu Jiaxin heard this, she pulled out a portrait from her luggage bag and handed it to them: “Big Uncle, this is a portrait of the trafficker.”
“Big Uncle, she speaks with our local accent, and she even knew your name, Second Uncle’s, and several of my brothers’. People from Feng County, even if they know about our family, aren’t many who can name you, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle at home. This person must be paying close attention to our family. Based on my deduction, they should be from Feng County.”
Big Uncle Lu took the portrait and asked in astonishment after looking at it, “Xinxin, are you sure the person on this is the trafficker who abducted you?”
Lu Jiajie was also uncertain upon seeing the portrait, as he hadn’t seen this drawing while in the Forty-nine City: “Xinxin, who drew this for you?”
Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “I drew it myself. After filing the police report, I visited the Public Security Bureau twice to inquire, but there was no progress. I know trafficking rings are cunning, so I tried to draw that person. Having a portrait of the trafficker makes it somewhat easier to search for them.”
Her mother was a university professor and hoped to nurture a daughter talented in multiple arts. However, it was a pity she was only proficient in calligraphy and painting. As for dance and playing the guzheng and piano, she was completely clueless. Her mother wanted to train her to be a painter, but she was unwilling. Later, when she had a younger sister, her mother shifted her ambitions. But having a foundation in art helped her greatly in her later pursuit of a career in fashion design.
The original body started learning painting at the age of five, but it was just a hobby that Lu’s mother encouraged her daughter to learn. The original body had no talent but loved painting and continued until her academics began to falter in the second year of high school, at which point she had to stop. With her level, she couldn’t have painted this well, but it was possible to perform above her level under special circumstances.
Big Uncle Lu clenched the drawing tightly both shocked and delighted: “Xinxin, how much does the trafficker resemble the person in this drawing?”
“I can’t say they are identical, but they share a resemblance of about seventy to eighty percent. Big Uncle, I had someone make twenty copies, all of which are in the bag.”
Zhao Dajun thought he was quite calculating, as he hadn’t disclosed a single word about this before.
Before, Big Uncle Lu didn’t think they could find the trafficker, but now his view had changed: “Don’t worry, Xinxin, if she’s from Feng County, I will definitely be able to find her.”
Lu Jiaxin provided another important clue: “Big Uncle, the old woman kept praising her son while speaking with me, saying he managed to stay in the city on his merits and even married a girl from the city.”
“Big Uncle, let’s start by inquiring who in Feng County had a son who got into university many years ago, was assigned to work in the north after graduation, and settled down there.”
It wasn’t like two or three decades later when people from a small county could be found all over the country. A rural student getting into university and managing to work and establish himself in a big city was extremely rare back then.
Upon hearing her analysis, Big Uncle Lu’s first reaction was regret that Lu Jiaxin wasn’t a boy; the Lu Family could have climbed even higher. But he quickly thought he was being narrow-minded; in an era of gender equality, women could hold up half the sky. As long as they encouraged Xinxin to pursue a career and not just focus on family after marriage, she could be successful and still help elevate the family status.