NOVEL NEXT Chapter 616: The Lu Family
Granny Cui's wish was easily resolved thanks to the intervention of Tao Guangsha and his wife.
But Lu Jiawei's wish was not so easily fulfilled.
Lu Jiawei's parents, much like Granny Cui, had moved to Yimin Street from another place.
From nothing, they built the place into what it is now, and so Lu Jiawei's parents had a deep affection for Yimin Street.
But Lu Jiawei was different. He didn't want to stay in this place reeking of fish; he wanted to leave, to go somewhere bigger, farther away.
So from a young age, Lu Jiawei worked very hard, believing that knowledge could change his destiny, and with excellent grades, he left this place.
He went to a bigger city, to a faraway place.
Studying, working, buying a house, getting married...
He no longer wanted to return, working diligently, managing his feelings, tending to his small home...
Yet, as he grew older, in the silent depth of night, he felt like a fallen leaf, drifting in the wind, unable to find his own tree.
But every morning when he awakened, these feelings would be cast aside, as the weight of life left no time for melancholy.
Ultimately, he suddenly died at his work post, rendering all his efforts into nothingness.
From initial bewilderment to later unwillingness and finally accepting it all, it didn't take much time.
His life ended, but his bloodline continued through time.
His daughter was adorable, intelligent, surely destined for a brighter future than his.
Whenever he thought about this, Lu Jiawei felt it was all worth it.
But—
Someone he knew intimately through many hardships suddenly became a stranger, unrecognizable.
Drinking, clubbing, staying out all night...
These were things his wife would never do in the past, and now she was doing them one by one.
The mother who once feared her daughter getting burned drinking water now left the child at home without a care.
He thought that maybe his death was such a huge blow to his wife that it changed her so drastically.
But later, he realized he was wrong.
It wasn't his death that changed her so greatly, it was money that did.
People say men get spoiled when wealth comes their way; well, the same applies to women.
Preferring ordinary life was just because of poverty.
His previous insurance, company compensation, and past savings made his wife wealthy almost overnight.
This was why Lu Jiawei believed his daughter would have a better future.
Because economic foundations determine everything.
But he never anticipated that human hearts can change.
So his daughter returned to the place of his childhood, living the life he once had.
This made Lu Jiawei feel both saddened and exceptionally angry.
He ultimately never left this fishy "little fishing village."
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Though Lu Jiawei's parents were old, their condition was much better than Granny Cui and Grandpa Li; the two old folks were still quite robust, taking care of a child wasn't much of a challenge.
When the daughter-in-law sent the granddaughter back, she claimed it was because she had to work and no one to look after the child, so she asked them for help, promising to send them living expenses every month.
They couldn't refuse their own child, plus having their granddaughter around helped them move on from the grief of losing their son, so they kept the granddaughter with them.
In the beginning, the daughter-in-law sent money on time and frequently called home.
But gradually, the calls decreased, and the money stopped coming on time, until finally, there was no contact at all.
The elderly couple, not being highly educated and never having traveled far, had little energy to search for their daughter-in-law.
Yet, despite their lack of formal education, it didn't mean they were naive; they'd seen much in their long years.
So they more or less guessed their daughter-in-law's intentions.
However, since it was their own granddaughter, they had no complaints, only feeling pity for the child.
The little girl didn't understand any of this and often cried for her parents, taking a long while to calm down, leaving the two elders exhausted.
"Is Meizi still asleep?"
Lu Changzhen softly asked his wife as she came out of the room.
Zhang Guifang shook her head and whispered, "She fussed so much last night, there's no way she'd wake up so early."
Hearing this, Lu Changzhen sighed, "When will it ever end?"
"Wait until she gets a bit older, she'll gradually forget them," Zhang Guifang said.
Lu Changzhen was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's not talk about it now, let's have breakfast."
Lu Jiawei's home was much like Granny Cui's, as the houses in the area were of the same style.
The house was equally low and cramped, also having a small yard.
However, Lu Jiawei's home was much tidier, with the yard's ground as smooth as a mirror, spotless and sans clutter, adorned with potted plants, making it quite exquisite.
The two had just entered the kitchen when suddenly they heard someone calling them.
"Is someone calling us?"
With not-so-good hearing, Lu Changzhen turned to ask Zhang Guifang.
Upon hearing it, Zhang Guifang frowned slightly, then said in some doubt, "Could it be Jiawei?"
Thinking she missed her son too much, Lu Changzhen just gave her a glance without saying much, walking straight out of the kitchen.
He then saw a familiar figure standing under the sunlight in the yard.
Short and chubby, wearing black-framed glasses, who else but his son, Lu Jiawei?
Rubbing his eyes, Lu Changzhen showed an incredulous look.
"Are my ears bad, now my eyes aren't working too?"
"Dad, it's me, Jiawei." Lu Jiawei called out once more.
Last night he didn't dare become visible for fear of startling them; at dawn, he could no longer resist revealing himself.
"Jiawei?"
Walking out with him, Zhang Guifang stared with wide eyes at the person in the yard in utter disbelief.
"It's me." Lu Jiawei said again.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifang ran to him immediately, stumbling and nearly falling.
Luckily, Lu Jiawei acted swiftly and supported her.
Zhang Guifang cared not for these things, reaching out to touch her son's face, saying excitedly, "It's really you, you're not dead, you're not dead..."
As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, threatening to escalate into sobs.
But Lu Jiawei quickly covered her mouth, "Mom, lower your voice, don't wake Meizi."
"Let her wake, she'll be so happy to see you after all these days," Lu Changzhen came over, somewhat dissatisfied, but his voice revealed excitement nonetheless.
"Sigh~"
Lu Jiawei sighed, pointing to the ground, "Look at the ground, Mom and Dad."
At his words, the two elders looked down, "What are we looking at?"
They hadn't quite grasped the moment yet.
"There are only two shadows on the ground," Lu Jiawei said.
"What's the big de..." Lu Changzhen began to say, instinctively.
But suddenly he realized, eyes widening again, looking at the ground once more, he began to fumble.
"How can a person not have a shadow?" Even Zhang Guifang found it difficult to believe.
"Indeed, how can a person not have a shadow? Unless they aren't a person..." Lu Jiawei said, his voice trailing off.