Chapter 275: Everyone Takes a Step Back
Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Everyone Takes a Step Back
"That’s not it. Little Deer is very well-behaved. She isn’t trying to make you angry on purpose."
While speaking, Yang Jing shot Shen Lu a quick glance, signaling for her to back down and apologize.
Shen Lu scoffed. ’Apologize? Like hell.’
The only reason she hadn’t completely ignored the Liu family trio was because she still had a shred of humanity left. If she didn’t, the three of them would have become fertilizer for the plantation the moment they first arrived to claim her as family.
But that didn’t mean she had to passively accept everything the Liu family said.
"Fine. If you’re not satisfied, feel free to leave." Shen Lu made an inviting gesture. "I’m not one to force people."
This was just adding fuel to the fire. Liu Qiang’s eyes were bloodshot, like a ravenous beast’s. He snarled through clenched teeth, "Yaozu, Dad will carry you out of here! Yang Jing, give me a hand!"
He would leave today even if it meant sacrificing his leg. He would absolutely not give Shen Lu the satisfaction of looking down on them!
Liu Yaozu flinched and cleared his throat. "Dad, I think it’s pretty nice here. You don’t have to be so angry."
"Yaozu?!" Liu Qiang was shocked his son would betray him. Back home, he and his son were almost always united!
"Besides, we’re all injured, so it’s not easy to travel. And Dad, your experience on the plantation is from ages ago. Technology and techniques are updated so fast these days. Who’s to say our sister doesn’t know the latest planting methods?"
Liu Yaozu warmed to his topic. "Sister, don’t hold it against Dad. He’s just a little slow on the uptake. Don’t you worry. With me here, we’ll be sure to get the work done right."
Shen Lu smiled. When Liu Yaozu saw her smile, he smiled back.
Shen Lu shot a sidelong glance at Liu Qiang. "What’s Dad’s decision?"
Liu Qiang’s fists were clenched so tight his whole body trembled. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and he couldn’t say a word.
"It seems Dad still wants to leave," Shen Lu said, feigning disappointment. "That’s fine. I’ll see my good deed through to the end. In a little while, I’ll have Wang Daguo help you out of the shop."
"I’m not leaving!" Liu Yaozu grew frantic, shooting desperate looks at Liu Qiang. "We’re all staying! It’s great here. We can till the soil, we can sort the seeds... Dad, isn’t that right?"
Liu Qiang looked at his red-eyed son, then caught Yang Jing’s expectant gaze, and his chest tightened with another pang of pain.
’Fine, fine, just fine. So you all want to stay in this dump, is that it.’
Liu Qiang glanced down at his injured thigh and the blood-stained ground at his feet, and the defiant energy that had been swelling in his chest instantly deflated.
The talk about leaving had just been said in a fit of anger.
’If we leave here, where will we find free medicine? A free place to live?’
Most importantly, Yaozu didn’t want to leave.
He could understand.
’His son’s hand and leg are both injured. It’s really not a good idea to keep moving from place to place.’
’Fine. For his son’s sake, he’d just have to bear it. A father needs to be magnanimous, after all.’
Liu Qiang plopped back down on the cart. To declare his stance, he even snorted coldly and turned his head away, as if the only reason he was staying was for his family’s sake, not because he didn’t want to leave.
’He was being forced!’
Shen Lu knew when to quit while she was ahead. She called Yang Jing and went outside.
She roughly divided the wasteland in the backyard into fourteen plots, each about the size of a badminton court.
"It’s okay to go slow on the first day. Focus on getting used to the tools first. Don’t hurt yourselves," Shen Lu instructed.
Yang Jing was very moved. "Little Deer, I know you actually care a lot about us."
Shen Lu: ?
’She cared about them? She had no idea how Yang Jing came to that conclusion. Maybe both of her eyes were going bad.’
"I’ll work hard. I won’t put you in a difficult position with your boss," Yang Jing said, her face filled with gratified relief. "From now on, our family can finally live a stable, happy life together!"
Shen Lu gave a smile that was difficult to put into words and returned to the back kitchen. She hadn’t been working long before an uninvited guest arrived.
Gong Tianhua stood at the front counter, briefly surveying the shop.
Shen Lu came out, wiping her hands. When she saw it was Gong Tianhua, her eyes instantly lit up.
’Speak of the devil.’
’See? She’d spent half of yesterday wondering how to get a strand of hair from Gong Tianhua’s head, and today he showed up in the flesh. Perfect!’
Shen Lu really wanted to just go up and pull out a few of Gong Tianhua’s hairs, but that would be too abrupt.
The odds were that if she so much as reached out a hand, the bodyguard standing behind Gong Tianhua would kill her with a single punch.
"Director Gong, what brings you here?" Shen Lu wasn’t shameless enough to copy Fu Cheng’s form of address. She knew her place. Besides, Fu Cheng and Gong Tianhua didn’t have a good relationship.
"Miss Shen, hello." Gong Tianhua already had some basic information about Shen Lu. "I apologize for showing up unannounced."
"Director Gong, you’re too kind. Your presence brings light to my humble establishment. Please, have a seat."
Shen Lu led him to a booth and personally brewed and served a cup of hot tea.
Gong Tianhua glanced behind Shen Lu. "I heard Fu Cheng’s physical therapy is scheduled for this afternoon?"
Shen Lu understood instantly. "Yes, Fu Cheng is usually at home in the mornings. You arrived so suddenly, he probably doesn’t know you’re here. I’ll go up and get him."
Gong Tianhua smiled and nodded his assent.
Shen Lu scurried up to the second floor and entered the spare bedroom. Fu Cheng was sitting in his wheelchair with his eyes slightly closed, the Light Brain on his wrist blinking.
"Fu Cheng," Shen Lu called softly.
Fu Cheng opened his eyes, and the breathing light on his Light Brain stopped blinking.
"Hm?"
"What are you doing?"
Fu Cheng gave an answer Shen Lu never expected: "Playing a game."
"Huh? You can play games on a Light Brain? Wait, Light Brains have games?"
’How come I’ve never seen any?’
"Access is restricted to university students. You can’t see it because you don’t have the right permissions."
Shen Lu pouted, thinking it was very unfair.
’What the hell? A stupid game that’s only open to university students? Aren’t they worried the students will get addicted and neglect their studies?’
"Want to play?" Fu Cheng asked.
"No!" Shen Lu said, her cheeks puffed out. "Your uncle, the one you don’t get along with, is here to see you."
"I’m not seeing him," Fu Cheng said, turning his face away.
Shen Lu grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. "You have to."
’If he doesn’t see him, how is she supposed to get the hair?’
"Shen Lu, must you always be so stubborn?"
"I’m not. Fu Cheng, don’t think I’m that reckless." Shen Lu’s eyes darted around. "As long as you go down and see your uncle, I promise I won’t leave your side, not even for a second, and I won’t say anything I shouldn’t. That should be okay, right?"
Fu Cheng stared at her for a moment, then sighed in resignation.
’He really was helpless against Shen Lu.’
When she got fixated on something, she had to see it through to the end, refusing to give up until she achieved her goal.
’Fine, they could both compromise.’
"You promised. You’d better keep your word."
"I will, I definitely will!"
Fu Cheng went downstairs with Shen Lu and met with Gong Tianhua.
Neither of them spoke right away. Gong Tianhua carefully sized up Fu Cheng, his gaze growing more and more intense.
Shen Lu felt a chill run down her spine. Gong Tianhua wasn’t looking at his nephew; he was looking at some kind of priceless treasure.