Back To The 80s-Chapter 356 - 366: Family Feast_1

Lu Songyuan and Wen Xiuqing took Chen Dajun and Lu Ruixue back to their small courtyard.

Lu Songyuan didn’t give Chen Dajun a welcoming look all the way, and Wen Xiuqing looked at her daughter’s pale face, feeling both angry and heartbroken.

Once they entered the small courtyard, Lu Ruixue looked around and asked in a small voice, "Mom, can we live here?" She was nothing like the wilful and stubborn girl of a while ago.

Wen Xiuqing was taken aback and asked, "Are you planning on staying for good?"

Lu Ruixue nodded: "Dajun plans to find some work to do here."

Wen Xiuqing looked at Lu Ruixue for a while before saying, "Then you should rent a place. You can come back for meals once a week. Your elder brother is soon to be married, and your three sisters-in-law will live here too. How would it look for a married younger sister to be living at her parents’ home indefinitely?"

Lu Ruixue looked surprised at Wen Xiuqing, not expecting her mother to refuse so decisively. Suppressing her anger, she replied, "Mom, we don’t have any money right now. We can’t afford to rent a place."

Wen Xiuqing coolly glanced at Chen Dajun standing behind Lu Ruixue before slowly saying, "Your father’s pension barely covers the food for both of us. This house was brought by your elder brother, and the things at home were bought by your second sister-in-law. You can’t possibly expect your brothers to support you two, can you?" Wen Xiuqing was still sensible enough to know that her daughter and son-in-law moving in would disrupt the peace at home.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ruixue lost her temper. She believed it was rightfully so for her parents to support her, but she didn’t dare to throw a tantrum in front of her elder and second brothers.

Chen Dajun, standing aside, was somewhat unconvinced but didn’t dare to voice his disagreement, as he was still dependent on this family.

Seeing that Lu Ruixue had stopped talking, Wen Xiuqing turned to look at her slightly enlarged abdomen, and after a light sigh asked, "When did it happen? Did you have a postpartum confinement period?"

Lu Ruixue’s eyes reddened all of a sudden and she shook her head, sniffling, "It’s almost been a month. I lost the baby after an accidental fall."

Upon hearing this, Wen Xiuqing, saddened beyond measure, said in despair, "Oh dear, you didn’t even make through the confinement. It hurts me so much. This child was part of you, part of me." She sighed and asked Lu Songyuan to butcher a hen, then instructed Lu Ruixue, "Go rest in the west room. Don’t touch Xiaopang and Mo Wang’s things on the brick bed.

Lu Ruixue acknowledged with a hum before calling Chen Dajun to enter the room with her.

Lu Songyuan was plucking the chicken by the vegetable garden, Wen Xiuqing was cleaning the chicken gizzard, and was preparing to sun-dry and save the chicken bile. If the children have any digestive problems, the dried bile could come in handy.

Lu Songyuan, noticing Wen Xiuqing tearing up while cleaning the chicken bile, felt uncomfortable in his heart. He said consolingly, "They are adults now; there’s little we can do. We can only hope for the best."

Wen Xiuqing muttered hoarsely, "I feel heartbroken. If only she would heed our advice. We can’t just abandon her. I wonder when this child will come to her senses." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lu Songyuan shook his head and sighed, "Let’s do as you said. Let them move out. They can come back for meals when needed. We’ll see when she grows out of this phase."

Because breakfast was had late, lunch was also delayed. Gu Xiaobei and the rest came close to noon.

As soon as Fang Jing entered the courtyard, she exclaimed, "Such a lovely little courtyard." She then turned to Wen Xiuqing, who was picking vegetables in the yard, and said, "Mom, leave the vegetables there. I’ll cook."

Gu Xiaobei handed Mo Wang to Lu Songyuan to help with the cooking. Zhou Siping nudged Bai Xiaolan and whispered, "Why aren’t you helping too?"

Bai Xiaolan laughed, "I don’t know how to cook. I’ll do the dishes later."

Zhou Siping was slightly troubled and she told Ji Xiangdong, "She’s been pampered at home since childhood and hasn’t lifted a finger."

Ji Xiangdong smiled and assured her, "No worries, auntie Bai. I’m a decent cook."

His comment delighted his mother-in-law. Zhou Siping was satisfied and said, "Xiaolan can be quick-tempered and impulsive. You shouldn’t always indulge her. She’s been protected by her three brothers all her life and has never suffered."

Ji Xiangdong affirmed emphatically, "She won’t suffer in the future either."

Lu Aiguo was amazed at how well his elder brother could flatter his mother-in-law.

It wasn’t until Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing laid out the dishes that Lu Ruixue and Chen Dajun came out of the room. They both had sour looks on their faces, as if they were owed thousands.

Due to the lack of space at the table, Gu Xiaobei, Fang Jing, and Bai Xiaolan had to eat in the kitchen.

Fang Jing voiced her displeasure, "Look at the time, and they’re still behaving like lords and ladies. If they do move in, you’ll have a hard time, second sister-in-law."

Gu Xiaobei chuckled while feeding Mo Wang, thinking to herself that if Lu Ruixue and her husband stayed, she would come over less frequently with the kids—out of sight, out of mind.

At the dining table, Lu Zhanguo, holding Xiaopang, broke his usual silence and took the initiative to ask Chen Dajun, "What kind of work are you planning to find in the province?"

Chen Dajun paused before speaking, "We haven’t decided yet. We came here because both mom and dad are here. This way, Ruixue can see her parents regularly."

Ji Xiangdong poured a cup of wine for Chen Dajun and said, "No matter what you do, you should be prepared to endure hardships. If you go down the wrong path, it may be difficult to turn back."

Chen Dajun was startled. He already had to tread lightly around Lu Zhanguo, and now, after meeting this eldest brother for the first time, he found him even more unpredictable. His seemingly warm yet cold eyes scanned him, seemingly capable of seeing through his soul and deepest thoughts.

Lu Zhanguo fed Xiaopang a piece of tofu before vaguely asking, "Do you know Zhang Lin?"

Chen Dajun almost dropped his chopsticks and nervously replied, "Who is Zhang Lin? I don’t know him."

Lu Zhanguo caught Chen Dajun’s panic and lightly nodded, "Good that you don’t know him." He didn’t need to say this, but thinking of Ruixue’s possible grim future, he chose in the end to give Chen Dajun a hint. But since Chen Dajun refused to admit or correct his ways, he would have to face the consequences.

The meal was like torture for Chen Dajun. After eating, he pulled Lu Ruixue away from the courtyard and hurriedly said, "We can’t stay here. Can you ask for money from your mother? We need to find a place to stay."

Lu Ruixue glared at Chen Dajun, unsatisfied, "You heard what my mom said, where would we go if not here? We can live here. They can’t really kick us out."

Chen Dajun said angrily, "If you want to stay, stay here. I’ll find my own place."

Lu Ruixue stared wide-eyed, "Who do you know here? How could you find a place?"

Chen Dajun snapped, "I would rather live under a bridge than endure unpleasant looks of your Lu family. Look, since we arrived, did any of your brothers or sisters-in-law give us a pleasant look? Do you know why they all look at us poorly?"

Lu Ruixue, somewhat confused, questioned, "Why?"