“My dad was sick and in the hospital back then, and we needed money. My oldest brother and sister had already scraped together quite a bit, but their family situations weren’t great. My family is the most well-off, so of course, I had to cover the largest share.”
“I told you about it, but you told me to figure it out myself, so I just…”
Sun Lanzhi’s voice grew softer and softer. Lu Guangrong let go of her and gave her a hard shove. “So you went after Feng Juan’s dowry? Is that stuff even yours to touch? How am I supposed to explain this to my eldest sister and the others?”
“Now Shuangshuang’s condition is Feng Juan’s dowry. If you’re missing these few pieces, are you saying you don’t want to save Xiaoxu?”
“I’ll pay for it! I’ll pay for it, okay?”
Sun Lanzhi said as she stood up and headed for the door. “I’m going to find that guy right now. I still remember him. I’ll go redeem everything. If it can save Xiaoxu, I’d even sell myself if I had to.”
“Do you even know if what you redeem will be real or fake? Feng Juan’s things were genuine antiques, worth a fortune.”
“If the Feng family finds out they’re fake, they definitely won’t let this slide.”
Lu Guangrong was also extremely troubled by this. He couldn’t help but feel resentful towards Lu Shuangshuang. “If I had known she would turn out like this, I should have just left her with her aunt back then.”
“With all the good food and care I gave her, she still ended up becoming my enemy!”
“Old Lu, what on earth are we supposed to do? I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have coveted Feng Juan’s dowry. And I didn’t use all that money on my dad either. Part of it was used for those favors you were trying to pull before.”
Sun Lanzhi knew Lu Guangrong was soft-hearted when faced with gentleness, and the reason she dared to touch Feng Juan’s dowry was because she had seen Lu Guangrong take some of it before.
She didn’t know if it was real or fake, but she suspected that the main reason Lu Guangrong married Feng Juan back then was because he saw how wealthy her family was.
Apparently, he had had a fiancée before, but she died before they could get married.
After that, Lu Guangrong got injured, and Feng Juan happened to be the nurse caring for him. That’s how they got together.
She had seen pictures of Feng Juan; she was very beautiful and had great poise, a true lady from a distinguished family.
She knew she couldn’t compare to Feng Juan, so she focused on taking care of Lu Guangrong. After all, he was over twenty years older than her. She figured he married her firstly because she was young, and secondly because she would take care of him.
“I’ll come with you. Right now, we need to recover as much as we can. As for whatever’s left, we’ll figure it out then.”
“Anyway, even if it’s gone, the Feng family probably wouldn’t dare do anything drastic about it.”
Lu Guangrong planned to just play dumb when the time came. It wasn’t like he had any dignity left to lose anyway. What was there to be afraid of?
Worst case, they have a complete falling out—it wouldn’t be much different from the current situation.
As for Lu Shuangshuang, unless she planned on never getting married or giving up on her future, he didn’t think she had the guts to blow this up.
Lu Guangrong and Sun Lanzhi found the person she had originally sold the items to. Sure enough, the things had already been sold off, and through someone else, they had been sent abroad.
“Old Lu, what do we do now?” Sun Lanzhi was frantic.
“What can we do?”
Lu Guangrong let out a heavy sigh. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Back at home, Lu Shuangshuang told Feng Wan about her decision and the demands she had made of Lu Guangrong.
Feng Wan pulled Lu Shuangshuang into her arms and gently patted her back. “Shuangshuang, if you’re hurting, just cry.”
“Auntie, I’m not hurting. Zhiqiu already comforted me on the way back. Zhiqiu told me before that close family isn’t just about blood relation; it’s also about emotion. Without that emotional bond, they aren’t really family, even if they’re parents, brothers, or sisters.”
“Back then, I thought Zhiqiu was pretty unfilial for not acknowledging her dad and even getting him locked up. It’s true what they say: you can’t judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes. Now I’m an unfilial daughter too.”
Feng Wan felt deeply for Lu Shuangshuang. She knew that although Shuangshuang usually acted tough, she was actually very fragile inside.
“Shuangshuang, a parent’s kindness deserves a child’s filial piety. Sometimes, a child’s lack of filial piety depends on whether the parent was kind.”
“Raising a child isn’t just about giving birth and then feeding and clothing them. It requires a lot of emotional investment.”
“If a parent doesn’t put in that emotional effort, on what grounds do they demand something back from their child? And what does the child even have to give back?”
“If you become a mother one day, I hope you’ll think carefully about this. Don’t rush into it. Be fully prepared before you consider it.”
Feng Wan had often shared such wisdom with Lu Shuangshuang before, but Shuangshuang rarely listened and would get impatient. However, it’s undeniable that even if she didn’t pay attention at the time, the principles sank in.
Lately, no matter what anyone said, she was able to listen humbly and seriously, and she had developed the ability to think independently.
Back then, she’d just believe whatever she was told, and she loved hearing praise. A few nice words and she’d lose her bearings completely.
“Auntie, do you think it would be okay if I never got married and never had children?” Lu Shuangshuang asked Feng Wan in a small voice.
She didn’t know why this thought had popped into her head, but she was seriously considering it.
“Of course. No one says a woman has to get married and have children. The only thing is, you might face some gossip.”
Feng Wan stroked Lu Shuangshuang’s hair. “Shuangshuang, don’t worry about what others think. They don’t live your life; you’re the one who decides how to live it.”
“Whether people say good things or bad things, you just listen. Because everyone sees and solves problems differently.”
“Auntie will support any decision you make. I only wish for you to be healthy and happy—that’s what your mother wanted for you too.”
“However, I hope you won’t be too stubborn. If you do meet someone you truly like who truly likes you back, you should still experience love. Marriage, on the other hand, involves a lot more things to consider.”
Lu Shuangshuang leaned against Feng Wan, her chin resting on her aunt’s shoulder. “Auntie, I won’t be hard on myself, and I won’t be rigid about anything. Right now, I just want to focus on dancing. I’ve suddenly realized that concentrating on what you love, like Zhiqiu does, is truly wonderful.”
As for someone she might like…
The image of He Bin suddenly flashed through Lu Shuangshuang’s mind. Her eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head vigorously.
“Shuangshuang?” Feng Wan looked at her, puzzled.
“Auntie, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired. I’m going to bed.”
Running back to her room, Lu Shuangshuang’s face felt burning hot. She cupped her cheeks in her hands, completely stunned.
What was happening? Why was she thinking about Xiao Xiang?
Putting aside the fact that he was Zhiqiu’s younger brother, he was so much younger than her, practically still a child.
How could she have feelings for him?
No, no, she didn’t have any feelings for him!
Coincidence, coincidence, it was definitely a coincidence!
