Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

Chapter 80: Chapter 74: Views on Marriage and Love

Lu Jiaxin saw the two people busy and sweating profusely, so she went inside to fetch a jade-green watermelon, washed and cut it cleanly. With one slice, the bright red flesh and glossy black seeds were exposed.

Lu Jiaxin called the two over to eat the watermelon, and while waiting for them to wash their hands, she ate a piece herself. Mmm, the flesh was fine and juicy, sweet but not cloying, refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Xue Mao took a small piece, bit into it, and kept praising, “Sis, this watermelon is really sweet.”

Seeing him like that, Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “There are still three watermelons left, take them all with you tomorrow, and eat them slowly on the road.”

Her body was weak, and she usually only ate a piece of watermelon because of its cold nature, and couldn’t eat more. She had told the doctor that it would take a year of care to recover; once she returned from Peng City, she would stay in the Forty-nine City, quietly taking care of her health.

Xue Mao didn’t refuse.

Lu Jiaxin put down the watermelon rind and asked Gu Wenfeng, “Brother Gu, where is Sun Xun’s family living now? Is his wife and child having a hard time?”

Xue Mao asked with some surprise, “Sis, why are you asking about them?”

Lu Jiaxin replied, “If they are having a hard time, I want to give his wife and child a hand. If it weren’t for me, his wife and child would still be living here, not renting a house elsewhere.”

In her previous life, after Sun Xun died, his wife Liu Xiaoyue didn’t remarry. She only managed to raise three children, as far as Lu Jiaxin knew. But now there were six children; the others either had been given away or had died young.

In the last life, Liu Xiaoyue was able to raise her three children because she had this house. Now, without the house and with no money, she couldn’t even raise three children. Lu Jiaxin couldn’t let the mother and children deviate from their original trajectory and struggle to live because of her presence; she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if that happened.

Gu Wenfeng said, “I’ve been busy with the house these days, I’ll go and ask around tomorrow.”

Lu Jiaxin was quite reassured by his handling of matters.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤ0.ƈօ

Xue Mao was going back, and considering that Second Uncle Lu and His Wife were still in the Forty-nine City, she cautioned, “If Second Uncle and Second Aunt are staying at the house when you get back, kick them out immediately.”

Normal people wouldn’t do such a thing, but that didn’t include Second Uncle Lu and His Wife. The two were both foolish and greedy, capable of anything ridiculous. If it weren’t for Lu Jiajie’s sake, she wouldn’t bother with them.

Upon hearing this, Xue Mao’s eyes flashed with viciousness, “Don’t worry, sis; if they really move into our house, I will definitely drive them out.”

He was kicked out of the house at eleven and survived by being ruthless. Whoever dared to take his things would face his fierce resistance.

Lu Jiaxin said, “Just scare them a bit, don’t get serious. Second Uncle and His Wife might not be that great, but for Fifth Brother’s sake, we can’t be too harsh.”

“I understand,” he replied.

The next day, just after seven o’clock, a truck stopped at the gate right on the scheduled time. Gu Wenfeng and Xue Mao were picking fruit, while Lu Jiaxin carried the luggage.

Outside, she noticed that besides the driver, there were two burly men with the truck. It seemed that the cargo was quite valuable, otherwise, they wouldn’t have arranged an escort.

Security had been poor in recent years, and long-distance travel was dangerous. Now that there were two strong men to accompany Xue Mao, she felt more at ease.

After loading six baskets of fruit onto the truck, it was about to leave. Xue Mao, looking rather reluctant, said, “Sis, you also need to be careful on the road. The weather is getting colder; don’t catch a cold.”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s still warm enough to wear short sleeves there. I won’t freeze. Now, hurry up and get in the car. I’m not a three-year-old child, I can take care of myself.”

Xue Mao was hurried into the car, and as soon as he was seated, he poked his head out to say to Lu Jiaxin, “Sis, remember to give me a call when you get there.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll call you as soon as I arrive to let you know I’m safe.”

After sending Xue Mao off, Gu Wenfeng went out to gather information. When he returned, he heard Lu Jiaxin practicing her English even before he got inside.

Gu Wenfeng thought that with her strong will to study, even if she had to repeat a year, she would definitely make it to a university, and a good one at that.

After closing the door, Lu Jiaxin asked, “How is Sun Xun’s wife and their kids doing now?”

“Not well at all,” replied Gu Wenfeng honestly.

The reason Sun Xun sold his house was that he had over a thousand yuan in gambling debts, and they were threatening to chop off his hands and feet if he didn’t pay. He had no choice but to sell the house to preserve himself. But once he paid off his gambling debts, he was left with hardly any money.

Only after hearing his story did Lu Jiaxin learn that Sun Xun had only given his wife one hundred yuan. And she had only gotten that after making a scene.

Lu Jiaxin was puzzled, for in her previous life Sun Xun must have owed a similar amount of debt. How had he escaped it? But she soon figured it out. It must have been the intensified crackdown that led to the arrest of gambler operators, which inadvertently saved that bastard.

Gu Wenfeng said, “Sun Xun’s wife took the kids to the factory to find the boss, who, with no other choice, cleared out a storage room for them. Sun Xun refuses to bring money home, and to feed several kids, his wife found a job caring for the elderly; to save money, the two older kids would pick vegetable leaves from the market to eat.”

Upon saying this, he couldn’t help but add, “Miss Lu, when you get married, make sure you do so with open eyes. If you marry the wrong person, life can be much harder.”

Sun Xun’s wife made that mistake, and now her life is as bitter as if she were soaked in gentian. And with six children, she can’t possibly cut ties with Sun Xun.

Lu Jiaxin said with a laugh, “Brother Gu, some people are good at hiding their true selves. They show one face in public and another in private. It’s hard to tell before the wedding. But it’s alright, if I find out after getting married that all the good things about my partner were just a façade, I will cut my losses in time.”

Nobody can guarantee happiness after marriage. It’s not necessarily because the other person has a bad character or bad habits, but maybe because the couple’s personalities or values don’t align. That’s not a big deal—if they’re incompatible, they can just divorce.

Gu Wenfeng looked at her, taken aback, then said, “It’s right to cut your losses if you have no kids, but if you do, you need to think it over carefully.”

Lu Jiaxin had heard this kind of thing often, “Why should I think it over? If I’m unhappy, my child will definitely feel it. I don’t think a child growing up in a loveless household will be happy.”

“If the child stays with the father, aren’t you worried he might be mistreated by a stepmother like you were?”

When a child stays with the father, countless issues can arise once the father remarries. It’s not that stepmothers are necessarily bad, but blended families often have many conflicts, and children suffer the most when the balance isn’t right.

Without a second thought, Lu Jiaxin said, “I have my own house and the ability to make money. If I got divorced, the child would definitely stay with me.”

Actually, for women who are financially independent, a change in marital status is not such a big deal. The hardest is for those without an income, relying on a man, wanting to divorce but unable to support themselves and their child—that is the most miserable situation.

Gu Wenfeng laughed and said, “With your abilities, you can provide a comfortable life for your child. I spoke out of turn.”