Chapter 34: The Old Lu Family

Tu Shan understood. No wonder Mother Wei had said earlier that there were many people in the house and they could finish the food.

She had only seen these few people bustling about during her three visits and had assumed the elderly couple lived alone; she hadn't expected there to be others.

The nanny did not agree with the old man: "Everyone is just concerned about you and Uncle Ming. They are busy during the day and have no time, so they make the effort to come back to have dinner with you two after work, no matter how far or tiring it is. And yet, you two are complaining."

Of course, there was also the reason of competing for food.

In the past, everyone tried their best to come back, but after eating the things Tu Shan brought, they were even more determined to return.

It was simply that the things Tu Shan brought were excessively delicious; after eating them, one felt as if the day's exhaustion had vanished.

Tu Shan scratched her head. She had previously suggested that other grains be given to the others in the house, while the grains she brought were for the elderly couple.

But looking at the situation, that wouldn't work. A hundred pounds of grain wouldn't last long at all.

"Fine, I'll bring more in the future. You two shouldn't skimp either; eat as much as you can. At your age, if you don't eat now, what are you waiting for?"

The two elders...

Please, stop talking. They felt like they would be holding their own funerals by tomorrow.

Old Man Zongzheng suddenly looked serious: "We can eat anything; we've made it through decades, there's no reason we can't get by now. Girl, I know you have abilities others don't, and you're bold and fearless, acting recklessly without considering the consequences.

I also know you care about us two old fossils, but I hope you will prioritize your own safety.

Don't be fooled by the strict security and high safety here.

There are countless eyes watching from the shadows; there are no secrets here.

You've brought quite a lot of things these past few times; the people in the shadows might have already set their sights on you.

Be a good girl. Come over to visit when you have time, but don't bring anything."

Mother Wei's cheerful mood suddenly sank. It was her excitement that had caused her to lose her sense of proportion.

"It was my oversight. I shouldn't have let you bring things over so openly. Like before, when I went to buy them myself, there was no issue. Girl, listen to your Grandpa Zongzheng; just come to visit from now on."

Tu Shan thought about it and felt their concerns were not without reason.

"Actually, I can come secretly. I guarantee no one will notice, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm being impolite."

Mother Wei laughed immediately: "You brat, you know about politeness? Why didn't you think about politeness when you were teasing me earlier?"

Tu Shan looked innocent: "I was very polite. I politely rejected your love for me."

"You, you, you..." The old lady was angered again, but the heavy atmosphere lightened significantly.

Ming Zhan spoke up for once: "Let me see your ability. Don't use brute force again."

Tu Shan... He must be jealous of her strength.

With a flicker of her figure, she vanished.

Ming Zhan raised an eyebrow, but the nanny who was facing him widened her eyes. Old Man Ming would never allow anyone to stand behind him, especially with Old Man Zongzheng present.

Ming Zhan noticed something from the nanny's expression and whipped his head around, only to see Tu Shan baring her white teeth in a grin.

He hadn't sensed even a trace of her presence.

Old Man Zongzheng and Mother Wei also turned around, both looking incredulous.

Ming Zhan snorted: "Do whatever you want then."

Tu Shan clapped her hands: "Alright, then you'd better keep heart medication on hand so I don't scare you into a medical emergency. The things are all put away, I have to go to work. Goodbye."

Mother Wei called her back: "Wait, you haven't taken the money yet. I thought about it and decided cash isn't safe, and it's troublesome to carry too much on you. Since you aren't in a rush to use it, I went to the bank and exchanged it for some gold bars for you to take."

The payment for the last batch of grain was 580 yuan, and the current gold price was 21 yuan per gram, which converted to about 29 grams.

But the gold bars Mother Wei gave her were 50 grams each, and there were five of them—a full half-catty, worth 5,000 yuan. That would buy a mountain of grain.

"Auntie, you don't have to be this generous with your poverty alleviation. I can't even get change for one of these. How about this, keep them here for now. I'll go open an account later and put them in the bank; otherwise, I won't feel at ease taking them home. I'll bring the soybeans tomorrow. I'm off to work, you guys have fun."

Tu Shan left quickly, and the elderly group couldn't catch up at all.

Mother Wei sighed: "I just pity this child and wanted to be good to her, but I ended up scaring her away."

They had all read Tu Sanmei's file.

Not to mention her various antics after marrying Ling Yang, just looking at her quality of life and the suffering she endured at the Tu family, she was indeed quite pitiful.

Of course, if she were still the same as before, no matter how pitiful she was, the old lady wouldn't have cared.

But things were different now. After spending time together, the old lady had grown fond of this quirky, magnanimous, kind-hearted, and sincere girl, and just wanted to treat her well.

Old Man Zongzheng smiled: "Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to be good to her in the future."

He turned to Ming Zhan: "Did you really not notice anything at all?"

Ming Zhan shook his head. He hadn't seen Tu Shan's movement trajectory, nor had he sensed her behind him; she was truly silent and traceless.

He couldn't do it, and it could be said that so far, apart from Tu Shan, he hadn't found anyone who could.

Of course, no one else could. Tu Shan had wood-element abilities; she could wrap her aura with her ability and blend into nature, ensuring that even a dog couldn't detect her.

After leaving the Longgang District, Tu Shan went to Lu Hongtao's house.

She had asked for the address yesterday.

It was past six o'clock, and the Lu family was already up. Those on the early shift had already left, those on the late shift were still sleeping, and Old Mrs. Lu, who wasn't working, was making breakfast for Old Lu.

The cafeteria only handled lunch, so as a manager, Lu Hongtao didn't need to clock in early.

But Old Lu was used to getting up early to supervise the cafeteria's grocery shopping.

Old Lu was usually full of energy, but today he was brushing his teeth and washing his face in a daze.

He had been too excited last night and hadn't slept.

By the time he fell asleep, it was already dawn.

He had been worried that everything was just a daydream, afraid that the grain he had in his grasp would fly away, leaving him with a hollow, uneasy feeling.

How could such a good thing happen in the world?

Even if it did, it wouldn't fall on him, right?

"Old Lu."

"Gulp," he swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste foam.

Tu Shan made a sound of disgust: "Old Lu, you're so gross."

Lu Hongtao wiped his mouth and looked up at Tu Shan on the wall: "You, get down, hurry up and get down. Who told you to climb so high?"

Old Mrs. Lu heard the voice and came out too: "Oh my, whose girl is this? Why are you climbing so high? Come down quickly."

Tu Shan jumped down.

The old couple was startled.

Lu Hongtao pointed at Tu Shan and said angrily: "Who told you to jump down like that?"

"You did."

Lu Hongtao...

Old Mrs. Lu went over to take Tu Shan's hand: "Are you okay? Did you twist anything?"

Tu Shan waved her hand: "I'm fine. I can jump from ten zhang high without any trouble."

"You're really something," Lu Hongtao muttered.

Old Mrs. Lu glared at him: "Girl, whose family are you from? Are you here because you need something?"

"I'm looking for Old Lu to deliver some things." She had planned to deliver them at work, but thought it would be too crowded and unsafe, and she had nothing else to do anyway.

Old Mrs. Lu never asked about her husband's work. Even though he was just a cafeteria manager, she knew that matters concerning public units, even for a janitor, required strict adherence to confidentiality regulations.

"Then why didn't you use the front gate?"

"Climbing the wall is faster."

Fine, the old lady had nothing to say: "Coming so early, you haven't eaten breakfast, have you? I just finished making some, let's eat together."

"Sure."

Lu Hongtao's mouth twitched: "You're not shy at all."

Old Mrs. Lu turned back to glare at him: "What is wrong with you, you old fossil? Why are you always saying mean things to a young girl?"

Old Lu...

Tu Shan grinned: "Auntie is the best."

The old lady smiled until her eyes disappeared: "Come, let's ignore him. You try Auntie's cooking."

"Okay."

Lu Hongtao was upright and never lined his own pockets, so his family's circumstances were average.

Breakfast was just thin porridge and pickles.

To treat Tu Shan, the old lady had specially fried two eggs.

Lu Hongtao knew Tu Shan's appetite; this little bit of porridge definitely wouldn't be enough for her. He had intended to give his share to her and go hungry himself, but Tu Shan only ate a small bowl before saying she was full.

"Auntie's cooking is really good, especially the fried eggs, they're so fragrant."

The old lady was happy: "If you like them, come again next time, and Auntie will fry more for you. Are you full? If not, eat some more."

"I'm full."

Lu Hongtao looked at her. Was she really full?

Tu Shan gave him an innocent, guileless smile.