Chapter 5: 5. Chapter 5: Go Find Your Biological Father

Chapter 5: Go Find Your Biological Father

To call Li Er a lecher is no exaggeration at all.

Lu Jia still remembered it clearly. On the day she fell into the water, she had seen this bastard from afar at the bow of the boat. Seeing the look in his eyes, she had immediately retreated into the cabin.

Who would have thought that half her face was still visible to him? He had his men shout and jeer wantonly, and when he saw that Lu Jia refused to come out, he jumped onto the bow himself. If he hadn't been so shameless, how could a perfectly fine boat have capsized?

The key was that even after she fell into the water, Li Er kept hounding her. He jumped into the water shouting that he wanted to save her, not caring about his own limitations. Having grown up by the river but unable to swim, the waves he kicked up only pushed Lu Jia away and knocked her under the hull. It was no wonder she fainted, unable to flip the boat off herself for so long.

In short, the word "lust" was a blade hanging over Li Er's head!

Having suffered this ordeal, how could Lu Jia not seize upon his weaknesses to give him a good thrashing?

Not to mention that it was precisely because of this bastard’s collision that, in her previous life, Lu Jia had been forced onto that bloody path.

"Mother, breakfast is ready."

Carrying the food into the main room and seeing the familiar scene, Lu Jia’s footsteps became light.

The door was currently ajar. Through the gap, she could see Zhang Qiuniang sitting on the edge of the bed, head bowed, staring blankly at something in her hands.

Hearing the call, Zhang Qiuniang immediately wiped the corners of her eyes, then froze for a moment before standing up abruptly. "You’re awake? When did you wake up?"

"I woke up a while ago. I drank the medicine and ate a little something; I’m completely better now." Seeing her mother, Lu Jia couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, but to avoid revealing any flaws, she had to force herself to stay composed.

She bent down to set out the bowls and the oil dish, saying, "I see there isn't much grain left in the house, just these. Let's make do for now."

Qiuniang had been worried about her illness. Seeing her move so nimbly—not only appearing fully recovered but also seeming much calmer and more mature than before—she felt surprised, but even more delighted.

Before she could pull her daughter aside to ask questions, she heard Lu Jia’s words. Looking at the plain taro in the bowl, then at her beautiful, vibrant daughter, she couldn't help but sit back down and sigh heavily, tears welling up.

Lu Jia made a playful sound and handed her a handkerchief. "I’ve been learning to cook from you since I was little. Even if it tastes bad, there’s no need to cry, is there?"

Qiuniang swatted her hand away and scolded, "Stop your glib talk!"

But this distraction stopped her tears, and her subsequent sighs were much lighter. "I just feel like I’ve wronged you. You shouldn't be here suffering with us."

"What kind of talk is that?" Lu Jia grabbed a piece of taro, dipped it in sugar, and took a bite. "Doesn't everyone live like this? I heard that at Chunni’s house on the east street, a single sweet potato is enough to boil a whole pot of porridge."

"However, if you really feel I’m being wronged, why don't you find me a rich and powerful stepfather tomorrow? Take me away to eat fine food and drink good wine."

The last bit of lingering resentment in Qiuniang’s heart was instantly dispelled by this brat.

She slapped Lu Jia on the back. "All day long, you only know how to make fun of your mother!"

As she said this, her other hand didn't forget to push the bowls and dishes closer, wanting to ensure Lu Jia could eat her fill, even if it was coarse food.

Since the Tang and Song dynasties, the Jiangnan region had been known for the saying, "When Suzhou and Huzhou have a good harvest, the world has enough." By the current dynasty, thanks to favorable weather and geography, it had gradually evolved into the trend of "When Huguang has a good harvest, the world has enough." Now, the abundant grain production within the Xiang borders reached the entire country, boosting trade in goods from the north and south, and in turn, the water transport within the region.

Relying on the wide river, the major wharves along the Xiang River in Tanzhou Prefecture had been prosperous for over a hundred years.

The Zhang family was a large clan that had lived in Shawan County, Tanzhou Prefecture, for generations, operating rice shops at the Shawan wharf.

However, the branch of the family that Zhang Hong descended from had not been prosperous. After his father died early, he suddenly took over the household and, due to his lack of business acumen, ended up closing several shops. Fortunately, he had the luck of meeting a noble person; during his most difficult time, he received strong support from the elder of the Xie family, a major merchant house in Tanzhou, and gradually built his fortune.

Before the elder passed away, the Zhang brothers swore by his bedside that they would treat his sister’s family well. Yet, as soon as the funeral was over, these bastards turned their backs on their word. The eldest son Zhang Qi’s wife, Madam He, even used the excuse that it was bad for the feng shui of the gate to lock the entrance that connected to the Zhang family. Madam He even had the offerings Qiuniang brought thrown away on the day of the elder’s seventh-day memorial.

Zhang Qiuniang had enough of the abuse and resolved to cut ties with the Zhang family.

But over the last two or three years, Zhang Qi and Madam He would find excuses every few days to dig into the Xie family’s money, claiming one day that the Zhang family had covered some expense for Xie Yi, and the next that the Xie family owed them something.

As the eldest daughter, Qiuniang still had her pride. At first, she didn't want to argue with them, so she paid the small amounts.

She hadn't expected them to become even more unscrupulous. Relying on the fact that the three of them—the mother and her two children—had no one else in Shawan besides the Zhang family, they eventually even schemed to take the one rice shop Zhang Hong had left for the widow and orphans to survive on!

The Xie family was weak, and Zhang Qiuniang had her children as her soft spot. Unable to fight them, she could only hope that losing money would avert disaster. As a result, the family grew poorer and poorer.

Thinking of all this, Qiuniang felt even more self-reproach and guilt.

Thinking now that the Zhang family was setting their sights on Lu Jia, Zhang Qiuniang felt an indescribable regret. If she hadn't been so spineless, why would her daughter have to suffer like this?

Thinking of this, she wiped her tears, steeled her heart, and sniffled. "Girl, do you remember how you came to Shawan?"

"I remember," Lu Jia said, nodding as she saw the solemn expression on Qiuniang’s face. "Father and Mother saved me from the wilderness and brought me to Shawan."

How could she forget? On an autumn night when she was five, Madam Jiang had taken her out of the city under the pretext of recuperating. That night, she had someone pose as her father, Lu Jie, to pick her up, leading her out and causing her to get lost in the wilderness before abandoning her.

"If it weren't for my luck in running into Father and Mother, who happened to be traveling south with young Brother Yi and had taken shelter in a hunter's hut under the mountain during a heavy rain, I would have been food for wild beasts ten years ago."

Zhang Qiuniang didn't expect her to remember everything. Tears streamed down her face. She then took an object from her sleeve and handed it to Lu Jia with trembling hands. "Since you remember, take this and flee to the capital to save your life!

"I took this jade from your neck back then. I knew even then that it wasn't an ordinary object, but you wouldn't say a word. We were afraid it would implicate someone important, but we couldn't bear to leave you there, so we took the jade, adopted you as our daughter, and brought you all the way to Tanzhou.

"You were meant to be a noble young lady of unparalleled status. You should be living in luxury, marrying into a family of equal standing. You shouldn't be suffering with us. Now that Zhang Qi is acting so inhumanely, you must return to the capital! Go back and live the life that belongs to you!"

Lu Jia was unimpressed. "I’m registered as a member of the Xie family; I am a Xie. Where would I go?"

In her previous life, Qiuniang had persuaded her to leave just like this. She had thought that returning to the capital would bring her glory and wealth, not knowing it was actually a pit of fire.

This time, Lu Jia would absolutely not choose the same path again.

"Silly girl!" Qiuniang was so anxious that the blood vessels in her eyes were visible. "If you don't leave, Mother can't protect you! Besides, your family is looking for you!"

Hearing this, Lu Jia finally raised her head. "How do you know?"

Qiuniang said through tears, "A while ago, some people came from the capital, saying they were looking for their young lady. I listened in secretly; the description of the young lady and the time and place she was lost were exactly the same as yours.

"Later, I took this jade to Tanzhou Prefecture to inquire. It turns out they are looking for the daughter of the current Minister of Rites, Lord Lu Jie. The jade you wore around your neck back then belongs to the Lu family!

"I was still struggling with what to do when this incident happened to you! I didn't even have time to tell you.

"Girl, you are a young lady of a noble family. Your mother is the legitimate wife of a nobleman, and your father is a high-ranking official at court, a favorite of the Emperor!

"You don't have to suffer the insults of people like the Zhang family and Li Er here! I’ll go borrow money from Aunt Li next door right now. You take this jade and head to the capital tonight to find your biological father!"

Qiuniang stood up as she spoke.

Lu Jia pressed her back down with both hands. "The person you mentioned who was looking for me—what did they look like?"

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