Chapter 3: The Unusual Lu Cheng

Crossing Chuihua Gate, one entered the inner courtyard.

Oriented north–south, there are two Main Halls, with Xi Er Fang on both the left and right.

The courtyard is chaotic, with makeshift kitchens and Temporary Housing everywhere, making it a mess; the tiny inner courtyard houses a dozen‑plus households.

Under a pomegranate tree in the East Wing Room, Zhao Daye is playing Chinese chess with someone.

Lu Cheng walks over, and before he even speaks, Zhao Daye already knows what kind of fart he is about to let out.

"A true gentleman watches the game without speaking."

Lu Cheng nods, "Alright, as long as you're still alive."

Sensing Lu Cheng's tone is off, Zhao Daye's face darkens, and he lifts the nearby cane to strike, "You little rascal, cursing me?"

Lu Cheng forces a smile, "No, no, Grandpa Zhao, I'm wishing you a long life."

Lu Cheng still respects Zhao Daye.

His father Lu Beitang works at the Steel Factory; back then as an apprentice he worked under Zhao Daye, and now Lu Beitang is a Fourth Level plier worker, earning 58.5 yuan per month.

Lu Cheng's family is a dual‑worker household, and in this courtyard they live quite comfortably, occupying a Main Hall, a Xi Er Fang, and a West Wing Room.

While other families are cramped, theirs can live so spaciously, which must mean the grandfather had foresight back then.

The grandfather, who fled famine before liberation, sold the ancestral house and bought these three rooms cheaply from a capitalist trying to escape abroad.

Perhaps this good family environment spoiled Third, who idles every day; anyone on the street who sees him wants to spit at him.

Lu Cheng always spits back.

"Wang Baduzi, you still dare to come back? Come in, and see if I don't break your dog leg."

Lu Beitang stands at the Main Hall doorway on the west side, looking furious.

Hearing the loud, powerful voice, Lu Cheng turns his head, and upon seeing his rejuvenated dad and mom, his eyes immediately redden and tears fall.

Anyone who has watched their parents age and die of illness would be unable to hold back upon seeing their parents' youthful faces again.

Lu Cheng takes three steps in two, grabs Lu Beitang, "Dad!"

He releases Lu Beitang, walks to Chen Xianglan's side, and embraces her.

"Mom! The wrinkles on your face have faded; you're prettier than a celestial maiden, mua."

Lu Cheng plants a kiss on Chen Xianglan's forehead.

Then he walks to his sister Lu Ying's side and hugs her.

"Er Jie! You're still so ugly, but your brother still loves you, mua."

Lu Cheng kisses Lu Ying's forehead.

The sudden scene leaves the three people preparing for the three‑hall trial utterly stunned.

They stare at each other, you looking at me, I looking at you.

As usual for Lu Cheng, when he makes a mistake and returns home he takes any beating or scolding with the demeanor of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

Why today?

Lu Ying is the first to react, stamping her foot on that side while wiping drool from her forehead.

"Eek, you're so disgusting, you're driving me crazy."

Chen Xianglan follows suit, "San'er, what's gotten into you? Don't scare Mom."

Lu Beitang roars, "What the hell's got him stimulated? His heart is bigger than the sky."

"Stand still, don't think this melodramatic trick will get you forgiveness. Stretch your leg out; today I'll break it and see where you'll haunt next."

Seeing his father truly angry this time, Lu Ying snatches the stick first and swings at her brother.

"You little rascal, how could you do such a thing? Look how you've angered dad and mom."

"Li Huiying was the one who deceived you; you still stubbornly push forward. That job slot was hard‑won from Second Uncle, and you gave it to someone else."

"Watch me not kill you…"

Lu Ying says this while striking Lu Cheng with the stick.

Seeing Lu Cheng standing there, neither dodging nor running, just smiling foolishly at her, Lu Ying's eyes flare.

She whispers, squinting, "You silly brother, shout 'hurt' already."

She never really hits; the wooden stick swings with force, but when it lands on Lu Cheng it's neither light nor heavy.

From childhood she's gained experience; the strike sounds loud yet isn't painful at all.

When their father truly got angry and wanted to beat Lu Cheng, she would beat Lu Cheng first, which calmed Lu Beitang considerably.

As usual, Lu Cheng would cooperate and shout loudly with his sister.

But this time, Lu Cheng only grabs Lu Ying's hand, "Sis, it doesn't hurt, not at all. I know the blow lands on me, the pain is in your heart."

In his previous life, during the countryside labor service, his sister sent him most of her monthly salary each month.

Lu Ying freezes, then jumps, "Ew, that's so cheesy. You're hopeless, hurry and apologize to dad."

She merely says that offhand; knowing her brother, he never admits fault, and even when wrong he's as stubborn as a dead duck.

What surprises her is Lu Cheng walking to Lu Beitang's side, his face affectionate, "Dad, don't be angry; anger harms the body. This morning I was just messing around with you guys."

"Messing around?" Lu Beitang glares, "Can this be a joke? Tell me, did you give the job slot to that girl, …"

"If I did, I can tell you clearly you're at least ten centimeters shorter today."

Lu Beitang's eyes are like a ruler; when I say ten centimeters, it's exactly that, no more, no less.

Chen Xianglan pats her husband's chest, "Alright, alright, why are you so heated? San'er, tell Mom honestly, did you give the job slot to that person?"

"No, Mom, how could I give it to her?"

Lu Cheng pulls the job order from his pocket, showing it to everyone as proof.

Lu Beitang looks at it twice, then relaxes, "You're finally sensible this time; otherwise, how could you live up to your Master?"

Lu Beitang, still fuming, is helped by Chen Xianglan into the house.

Lu Ying looked with a smug expression: "Serves you right, getting scolded, for always shirking your duties."

Lu Cheng knows that in his previous life, because of this, his father ignored him for several months and was truly furious.

"Sister, don't worry, I'll definitely do things properly from now on."

"Tsk, with guarantees like that, even if it's not a hundred times it's at least eighty; my ears are calloused from hearing you, I'm too lazy to bother with you."

Lu Ying walked to the Xi Er Fang, which was her room, while Lu Cheng slept in the West Wing Room, originally his older brother's; a few years earlier the older brother had gone down to the countryside for a labor team.

He simply moved in, usurping the nest like a pigeon in a magpie's nest.

A short while later, Lu Ying emerged holding several Cotton‑padded Jackets, loading them onto the bicycle as she shouted toward the inner room.

"Dad, your bicycle, I'm riding it away."

Lu Ying pushed the bicycle into Hu Tong Li; as she pedaled a couple of strokes, Lu Cheng leapt straight onto it.

"Hey, what are you doing? Get off right now; you're driving me crazy every single day."

"Sister, are you going to look for Qing Yan sister? I'll go too."

Lin Qingyan is his sister's close friend, having played together since childhood; Lu Cheng knows that in a week Lin Qingyan will be sent down to the countryside for a labor team.

And what he intends to do is stop Lin Qingyan from becoming an Educated Youth.