Chapter 309: What Lou Xiaoe Left Behind

Seeing Xiao Dang a bit afraid of Jia Zhangshi.

Bangeng flung himself sideways to shield Xiao Dang, protecting the calf and lifting the siege.

"Grandma, say what you want; I'll listen together with Xiao Dang."

Jia Zhangshi stretched out her hand.

She wanted to pat Bangeng's head.

Bangeng tilted his body.

He didn't let Jia Zhangshi succeed.

As for Xiao Dang, Jia Zhangshi lost interest the moment she saw his bitter‑gourd face.

Basically.

It's still the patriarchal mindset at work; if Jia Zhangshi didn't need to use Xiao Dang's status as Qin Huairu's daughter, she'd have already scolded and driven Xiao Dang to tears.

Out of respect for Bangeng.

She wouldn't stoop to Xiao Dang's level.

"Besides, my eldest grandson is well behaved—he knows how to love his sister, how to be filial to Grandma. Unlike your shameless mother, if it weren't for the Jia family bringing her from the countryside to the city, could she enjoy city rations? Could she become a steel‑plant worker? Now that she's got wings, she ignores the Jia family—she's nothing but an ungrateful bastard."

She enumerated Qin Huairu's faults.

"As her mother‑in‑law, I know how hard it is for a widow, so I agreed to let her remarry. I said we'd all remarry together, I'd look after you two, but she went back on her word, ignores you, and won't even let you eat."

Snot and tears flew everywhere.

It must have touched a sore spot.

She wailed hysterically.

"Bangeng, Xiao Dang, you are the Jia family's roots. Qin Huairu doesn't care if you live or die, but as your grandmother I must look after you—even if I have to strain my old bones, I'll raise you to adulthood, see you take wives and marry into families. Grandma says we three must stay united, or else the little property we have will be given away by your mother Qin Huairu."

Bangeng's age.

A little older than Xiao Dang.

He's also in middle school.

He understood the seriousness of what Jia Zhangshi said.

Having a job or not.

There's a certain gap in rank.

Working at the steel plant.

Say it out.

It carries face.

It also brings glory.

"Grandma, you mean my mother's job at the steel plant, right?"

"Bangeng, this job has been passed down in our Jia family from your grandfather's generation; your grandfather meant to give it to your father, who wanted to pass it to you. But because you're too young and Grandma is frail and sick, the job went to your mother Qin Huairu instead. It was agreed that when you, Bangeng, grow up, you'd take the post at the plant and eat the steel plant's rations."

Bangeng puffed out his chest.

Workers are the most glorious.

If Bangeng enters the steel plant, he'll be a worker and thus glorious.

"Shazhu opposite, at sixteen he took He Daqing's post and went to the steel plant to cook. You're thirteen; in three years you'll qualify to enter the plant. Your mother Qin Huairu remarried a man named An Jiahe. Whether this job can go to you, Bangeng, is still uncertain—if Qin Huairu bears another child with An Jiahe, do you think you'd still get it? Bangeng, you are the Jia family's mainstay; the Jia family must rely on you to hold it up. Grandma will fight tooth and nail to win this job back for you—everything the Jia family owns must stay in the Jia family."

Bangeng got angry.

He was the Jia family's fiercest white‑eyed wolf.

He had enjoyed all the benefits.

When Jia Dongxu was alive, he doted on the calf, Jia Zhangshi favored Bangeng in every way—giving him extra meals, meat dishes and snacks, letting Bangeng eat his fill.

After Jia Dongxu died, he also enjoyed Yi Zhonghai's handouts.

Yi Zhonghai supplied the Jia family with white flour and meat dishes, most of which went into Bangeng's mouth.

He's been overeating since childhood.

"Grandma, I won't let An Jiahe have an easy time."

Bangeng clenched his small fists.

He gritted his teeth.

He was a little beast through and through.

An ungrateful white‑eyed wolf.

……

The steel plant.

After Shazhu finished serving the workers' lunch and handed the cafeteria‑cleaning duty to Thus: Thus: Mahua and the others, he went to a secluded little room.

After bolting the door,

He quietly began reading the letter Lou Xiaoe had written to him.

"After thinking it over, I still feel calling you Shazhu is fine—there's nothing wrong with that. Sending this letter out of the blue is rather abrupt, but I hope you'll excuse me; there are some things I think you ought to know, after all, you're the child's father."

Shazhu furrowed his brow.

He stared at the writing like a fool.

He could hardly believe this was the content of a letter from Lou Xiaoe.

He examined it several times.

He made sure he wasn't seeing things.

The letter clearly wrote the words "child's father".

A big question mark.

It appeared in Shazhu's mind.

Whose child?

Who is the child's father?

Why did Lou Xiaoe mention the child in the letter?

As someone who has been through it, Shazhu knew some things about Lou Xiaoe and Xu Daming; Lou Xiaoe never bore Xu Daming a son or daughter, but instead, after divorcing Xu Daming, under the forcible matchmaking of Long Laotaitai, she married Shazhu, and the two had the fruit of their love.

Hexiao!

They each took one character from He Yuzhu and Lou Xiaoe's names.

This is something from the previous life.

The letter in Shazhu's hand.

It speaks of matters in this lifetime.

Could it be that Xu Daming's infertility has been cured?

The key is, I never heard Xu Daming talk about this.

After Lou Xiaoe divorced Xu Daming, she became pregnant with Xu Daming's child.

This is also not right.

If the child were Xu Daming's, why would Lou Xiaoe write a letter to him, Shazhu, specifically explaining the situation?

Vaguely.

Shazhu sensed a hint of the truth's threshold.

Several months ago.

Shazhu noticed that Xu Daming was off in every way, as if he had something on his mind; Shazhu, without thinking much, even joked with Xu Daming, saying Xu Daming had been boiled by someone.

Now, thinking about it.

Clearly, there is something.

That night.

Xu Daming, under some pretext, invited Shazhu to a feast; at the wine table, Xu Daming repeatedly offered drinks, appearing intent on getting Shazhu drunk, and the eventual result was that Shazhu really got drunk. When he woke up, he discovered he had spent the night at Xu Daming's home; his clothes were still on him, and Xu Daming was present indoors, but afterward he still felt something was not quite right, and his clothes felt especially awkward.

No way!

Did not dare to ponder further.

Swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Continued to look at the letter in hand.

「You probably don't know, your good brother Xu Daming actually thought of borrowing; I also only learned of this after the fact; before coming to Hong Kong Island, I already had a reaction; went to the hospital for a checkup; the doctor told me, saying I was going to be a mother。」

They all thought it was Xu Daming's.

Only I know, you are the child's father.

I gave the child a name called Lou Yu, which counts as a child of our Lou family.

Thank you for fulfilling my wish to be a mother.

Rest assured, I'm writing you this letter not to break up your marriage with Yu Li; you two are very loving, I envy you; my marriage with Xu Daming was based on mutual benefit, and when the benefit was gone, the marriage came to an end.

Shazhu froze on the spot.

Was frightened.

Did not expect to be reborn.

Still could not escape some fate from the previous life.

In the letter, Lou Xiaoe, besides explaining that she was pregnant with Shazhu's child, also gave Shazhu an address, inside which there were some things the Lou family had not had time to move.

These things.

This can be considered a keepsake left by Lou Xiaoe for Shazhu.

At the end of the letter.

She told Shazhu words of blessing, saying she would never return to the Capital City in this lifetime, letting Shazhu rest easy.

All kinds of feelings.

This is what it feels like after reading the letter.

Shazhu's overall thoughts.

Should he be angry?

I don't know.

He also has no right to resent certain people.

【9】 Some things.

Some things.

Can only keep it hidden in the heart.

After memorizing the address written in his heart, Shazhu imitated the manner of spies in movies, used matches to set the letter paper and note paper on fire, and even the ashes after burning were messed up by him, not being at ease.

Perhaps only this way.

Only then would Shazhu feel at ease.