r18novel Chapter 1189 Lu Jia Starts to Get Angry
Chapter 1189 Lu Jia Starts to Get Angry
As for Gu Nan… Lu Jia’s eyes darkened, like the moon obscured by clouds. Her previous gentleness vanished instantly, and her grip on He Yuzhu tightened unconsciously, her knuckles turning white, as if she wanted to dig into his arm. Once she had cleaned up the chaos in the yard and completely nipped Qin Huairu’s unrealistic hopes in the bud, making her too ashamed to show her face in front of He Yuzhu, then it would be his turn. She would never forget the murderer who killed her brother.
She knew perfectly well what all this fuss was for—first, to cultivate an image of a virtuous wife and loving mother in the courtyard, always greeting the neighbors with a smile and being incredibly considerate to He Yuzhu, so that everyone would speak highly of her. That way, if she really had to take action against Gu Nan, she would have a pretext of "retaliating only after being bullied," making her seem perfectly justified; second, it was purely to spite Qin Huairu.
At first, Qin Huairu was quite well-behaved, always polite to her, addressing her as "Sister Lu Jia." But these past two days, she's become arrogant, forgetting who she is. She's growing closer and closer to He Yuzhu, and when they meet in the courtyard, her eyes always carry a hint of smugness, as if He Yuzhu was born to subsidize her household expenses. Sometimes, she even subtly disregards her, saying things like "Brother Zhu knows what he's doing," as if Qin Huairu is the only one who should benefit from the courtyard, and no one else is allowed to even glance at her.
Lu Jia gritted her teeth, thinking to herself: I have to teach Qin Huairu a lesson. I deliberately let her off easy before, letting her taste the sweetness of getting something for nothing, giving her a piece of meat one day and a couple of eggs the next, making her appetite too demanding. Now it's time to put an end to that idea. Let's see how she'll explain herself to Jia Zhangshi and how she'll hold her head high in the courtyard without He Yuzhu's support.
Seeing that her face was pale, He Yuzhu thought she was tired, so he quickly supported her waist and said with concern, "Your belly is so big now, don't go out and suffer. There are too many people in the factory, what if you get hurt? If you ask me, you should just take a long leave, so I won't feel at ease if you go out every day."
Lu Jia nodded, leaning gently against him, her voice soft and dependent: "That's what I was thinking too, after all, it's only a month until the due date. I'm planning to ask for leave from the factory tomorrow and rest at home. I'm just worried that if I'm with you every day, Brother Zhu will get annoyed with me."
He Yuzhu was amused by her words, his eyes crinkling into wrinkles. He reached out and flicked her nose: "Lu Jia, what are you saying? How could I be annoyed by you? You are a great contributor to our He family, carrying the roots of our He family! We cherish you too much to bear bothering you."
Hearing this, Lu Jia felt a wave of disgust wash over her, and her stomach churned. This man's sincerity was as cheap as rotten cabbage leaves at the market. But she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she forced a gentle smile and snuggled closer to him: "Then I'll cook for you and make some soup to nourish your body."
He Yuzhu knew all too well her cooking skills; last time, she even managed to burn the bottom of the pot while cooking noodles, almost burning it through. But he wasn't the naive young man he used to be, and naturally understood that Lu Jia was trying to win him over. He quickly waved his hand and said, "What are you saying? Even if I'm not a master chef, I can't let you do the cooking. You just rest, and I'll come home early every day to make you braised pork and chicken soup. I promise I'll fatten you and the baby up nice and healthy."
Lu Jia sighed inwardly—if she hadn't already figured out He Yuzhu's background, knowing he was easily swayed and harbored a deep-seated hatred for her brother, perhaps she really would have continued living a simple, ordinary life with him. Having an honest man who cared for her, a stable home to live in, life would have been alright. But now, everything was irreversible. She couldn't sleep soundly at night because her brother's revenge hadn't been achieved.
She forced a smile and interrupted him, "Alright, it's a bit stuffy in here. I'm going out for some fresh air; I feel a little nauseous. You go back and cook, don't be late."
He Yuzhu knew this was a reaction to morning sickness, so she quickly replied, "Hey, slow down, just stroll around the doorway, don't go too far, call me if you need anything." With that, she turned and went to the kitchen, her steps light and quick.
Lu Jia wasn't really going to vomit; she was just looking for an excuse to go for a walk. The insincere, cloying atmosphere inside was suffocating her, and only going outside to feel the cold wind could calm her restlessness. She strolled slowly to the courtyard gate, watching the pedestrians coming and going in the alley, her eyes gradually turning cold.
Meanwhile, the Jia family was in complete chaos. Madam Jia Zhang sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), legs crossed, cracking sunflower seeds, spitting shells all over the floor. These past few days, the lavish meals provided by He Yuzhu had spoiled her palate; she felt utterly bored without meat. Seeing Qin Huairu return empty-handed, without even a speck of oil, her brows furrowed instantly, and her voice rose, making the rafters vibrate: "Qin Huairu, why did you come back empty-handed? Didn't you go to He Yuzhu for vegetables? Where's my meat? Where are the eggs Xiaodang kept talking about? Did you secretly hide them again?"
She was truly bewildered—every time Qin Huairu came back from He Yuzhu's place these past few days, she would either be carrying a piece of pork belly or two boiled eggs, so why didn't she bring back even a single vegetable leaf this time? Had the sun risen in the west and He Yuzhu changed his ways?
Qin Huairu was furious and had nowhere to vent her anger. When Jia Zhangshi yelled at her, she got angry too and threw the empty basket on the ground: "How should I know! He Yuzhu had already handed me the meat, but it was that Lu Jia who had to come over at this time and be all lovey-dovey with He Yuzhu, asking him how he was doing. In the end, he took the meat and went back. What could I do?"
Madam Jia poked her forehead with exasperation, the force so strong it left a red mark: "You, you're such a blockhead! Couldn't you have waited until Lu Jia left before asking? Why did you have to rush in right then? What else could it be but stupidity? Now look what's happened, the whole family is going to starve! Let me tell you, if there's no meat today, I'm not eating!"
Qin Huairu was speechless, her chest heaving violently, cursing Lu Jia a thousand times in her heart. She couldn't understand how Lu Jia, who used to be so polite to her, had suddenly become a different person, constantly going against her and clearly not wanting her to have an easy time.
Qin Huairu stood there, her fingers repeatedly pinching the edge of her blue apron. The fabric had long since faded from washing, and the edges were frayed. Her mind was in turmoil, like a tangled ball of thread stuck inside her—her ambiguous entanglement with He Yuzhu had always been hidden in the shadows, never to be brought into the open.