Chapter 465 - 405: Too Precious
Chapter 465: Chapter 405: Too Precious
Lu Jianling came in with hot tea and let out a faint sigh. "I’m such a huge liar. I guess Weiwei won’t be taking me flying with him. *Sigh*! I’m afraid I’m just not fated to ever fly on a plane in this life!"
Hearing this, Weiwei’s eyes darted around before he patted Lu Jianling reassuringly. "I’ll buy a bigger plane. I’ll bring Grandpa, and you can come along too!"
Lu Jianling clutched her chest and cried out, "I can ’come along’? So you’re saying I’m just an afterthought? Lu Weiwei, let me tell you, I’m your aunt—your *actual* aunt!"
"I know, I know. Why are you shouting? It’s not proper at all!"
Weiwei reached out and covered Lu Jianling’s mouth. The others in the room burst out laughing. Through her own laughter, Yang Liu’er said to Lu Jianling, "And you’re always telling me I have no decorum. He’s just getting you back on my behalf!"
Lu Jianling gently restrained Weiwei and gave his little bottom a light pat. She chided him with a laugh that was both affectionate and a little bittersweet, "You little ingrate! Helping Aunt Yang instead of your own aunt!"
Xiao Man ruffled Weiwei’s soft hair. "Of course Weiwei cares about his aunt. He helped Aunt Yang, so he’ll definitely help his real aunt too, right Weiwei?"
Weiwei nodded and patted his chest. "Right! My aunt is in my heart!"
Lu Jianling was touched, which sent Xiao Man and Yang Liu’er into another fit of laughter.
Lu Jianguo watched them joking around with a smile. Once their laughter died down, he said something to Yang Liu’er. She acknowledged him, stood up, and went into the inner room. She quickly returned with a newspaper-wrapped bundle and placed it in Lu Jianguo’s hands.
Lu Jianguo had Yang Liu’er push his wheelchair closer to Xiao Man. He offered the paper-wrapped bundle to her with both hands. "I just got back from the Northwest and brought back some small gifts for everyone. This one is for you."
The gesture was so formal that Xiao Man hesitated for a moment before accepting it. As soon as it was in her hands, she was secretly amazed. When she unwrapped it, her eyes widened. It was a beautiful piece of Chicken Blood Jade! It was the size of her fist, with a pure, rich color, and was so exquisitely translucent it could be considered a peerless treasure.
What was even rarer was that this piece of Chicken Blood Jade was filled with incredibly pure Spiritual Energy!
Xiao Man had learned how to appraise jade and jade carvings from her grandfather and could estimate a stone’s value by sight. A piece of Chicken Blood Jade this large would currently be worth between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan on the domestic market. If it were taken abroad and carved, it would be worth far more.
Xiao Man wrapped it back up in the newspaper and handed it back to Lu Jianguo. "This is too valuable. I can’t accept it!"
Lu Jianguo smiled. "To me, it’s just a pretty rock. My son’s life is what’s truly priceless. If you hadn’t been there to help, Liu’er couldn’t have gotten our child out on her own. In that stampede, even if Weiwei hadn’t been killed, he would have been horribly injured. I may not be a qualified father, but my gratitude is sincere. Please, accept it."
Xiao Man looked down at the Chicken Blood Jade in her hands and bit her lip. ’I really do love this stone, what should I do? He’s being so sincere... Maybe it’s okay to accept it?’
While she was having an internal debate, a fair, slender arm reached out beside her. An exquisitely beautiful, translucent white jade bracelet dangled from the wrist. Xiao Man couldn’t help but reach out and touch it. ’This is top-grade mutton-fat jade! In the future, this would be worth tens of millions!’
Yang Liu’er said with a smile, "Jianling and I got matching gifts, a pair of bracelets each, plus a necklace and earrings—a full set. Brother Lu said that since you’re still a young lady, you might not like this kind of old-fashioned jewelry, so he gave you a stone that you can have carved to your own liking."
Xiao Man stared at Yang Liu’er, speechless. ’Is this girl a little naive? Can you just casually give someone jewelry? Especially something so valuable—it’s more than enough to be a betrothal gift. She said it’s the same as Lu Jianling’s, but they’re siblings. What is her relationship to him? And she just accepted it!’
’Has she forgotten about Brother Junfan? If so, that would actually be a good thing.’
Lu Jianguo had spent years out in the elements, and his skin was weathered and deeply tanned. But his features were well-proportioned and pleasant, and he had a calm demeanor and a direct gaze. He seemed like a trustworthy person. Xiao Man considered for a moment. Since he was so insistent on giving her the Chicken Blood Jade, she decided she would accept it.
Xiao Man took the initiative to check Lu Jianguo’s pulse, examining his injuries and how they were healing. His recovery was going well overall, but he would be left with some lasting effects. For instance, his body would ache on overcast or rainy days, and various other ailments would likely flare up once he reached a certain age.
Xiao Man explained the situation to Lu Jianguo and offered to provide supplementary treatment to help him avoid these issues in the future.
Lu Jianguo nodded again and again, saying gratefully, "My doctor was frank with me about it, and I didn’t know what to do. I can’t thank you enough for being willing to treat me!"
"I’m still just a student. Aren’t you worried I’ll mess things up?" Xiao Man said modestly.
Lu Jianguo smiled and glanced at Yang Liu’er. "Actually, Liu’er mentioned yesterday that you’re something of a miracle doctor."
Xiao Man glanced at Yang Liu’er, too. ’So she sold me out?’ she thought. ’Maybe that was the whole point of the Chicken Blood Jade!’
With Weiwei’s grandfather’s return, the birthday feast began. Lu Jianling and Yang Liu’er had prepared a table laden with delicious food. Yang Liu’er had even managed to bake a beautiful, two-layer cake for Weiwei herself. She made a small crown for him to wear and led everyone in singing "Happy Birthday." Weiwei was so deliriously happy he was grinning from ear to ear, unable to close his mouth.
After a happy afternoon of eating, drinking, and celebrating, dusk began to fall. Overwhelmed with excitement, Weiwei finally drifted off to sleep. Xiao Man took this as her cue to say goodbye and head home.
Yang Liu’er walked Xiao Man to the mouth of the alley to catch her ride, apologizing as they went. "So, uh... last night, Brother Lu was in too much pain to sleep. I felt bad for him, so I ended up telling him you knew about medicine, and that he should ask you for help..."
Xiao Man shot her a look. "But he didn’t ask, did he? Instead, it looked like I was the one getting greedy for his stone and jumping at the offer!"
Yang Liu’er chuckled. "That’s not it. Brother Lu really did plan to give you that stone. He decided on the gifts before he even got back: bracelets for me and Jianling, and the Chicken Blood Jade for you."
"Do you write to Weiwei’s dad often? To see you two together, anyone would think you’re very familiar with each other, but you’ve actually never even met."
Yang Liu’er paused for a moment. "It’s all Jianling’s fault. She’s too lazy to write letters, but Weiwei wanted to talk to his dad, so I started writing for him. After that... we just kept corresponding. Brother Lu is a really good person. He knew I was struggling with my studies, so he wrote to an acquaintance of his who’s a teacher to arrange for private tutoring for me. I only dared to start a company with Jianling and try to grow the business because he was backing us and encouraging us. He provided the capital. He said he thinks of me as a younger sister, just like Jianling. If we lose the money, it’s lost, and he can earn it back quickly. If we make a profit, we’re to pay back his initial investment, and the rest can be our dowries."
"Well, it’s a good thing the business is a surefire win. Your Brother Lu has a good eye. He’s quite the investor," Xiao Man said with a dry laugh.
Yang Liu’er nodded eagerly. "There was something I needed to tell you, but it’s not something to say over the phone. I’m glad I could ask you over for Weiwei’s birthday. The Bai family has been looking for me repeatedly. I’ve been avoiding them as much as I can, since I can’t be bothered to deal with them. But a few days ago, Shun Ma came looking for me again. She lorded her age over me, and I was helpless against her, so I had to listen to her ramble. She wanted me to get some medicine from you. I asked her what kind. She couldn’t say, only that any of the herbal medicine you compound would do! She even said she wouldn’t make me do it for nothing; she’d trade me news about Brother Jun Fan. I know what Shun Ma is like, so I deliberately said something to provoke her. Sure enough, she got mad, pointed her finger at me, and started yelling. She said not to think they couldn’t manage without me, that Mr. Bai could get his hands on your medicine one way or another... I once overheard Bai Qingyue telling someone how amazing your medical skills are, and that your medicine must be the best. You have to be careful. Don’t let anyone exploit a loophole to get your medicine and sell it. Also, you know... you have a housekeeper at home, and then there’s your mother... her and Mr. Bai..."
Xiao Man tsked at her, and Yang Liu’er immediately waved her hands. "Alright, I’ll stop, I’ll stop! I just wanted to give you a warning!"