Chapter 16 Incompetent

Lu Hongjun asked the doctor, "What can she take to recover as soon as possible?"

The doctor indicated that conditioning the body was the forte of traditional Chinese medicine and recommended a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from their hospital to the father and daughter.

Lu Hongjun thanked him and then took Lu Jiaxin out. Once in the corridor, he whispered, "I heard about an old traditional Chinese doctor who is especially good at conditioning people's bodies. I'll find someone to introduce us and, if he agrees, I'll take you to see him."

"Okay."

After leaving the hospital, Lu Hongjun said, "Xinxin, I was tied up with something yesterday. You take me to see that house."

Lu Jiaxin didn't refuse, but some things had to be made clear, "I am your daughter, and if you want to live with me, I welcome you. But Ding Jing and Zhao Siyi are my enemies. If you bring them with you, don't blame me for not recognizing you as my father."

This naturally pleased Lu Hongjun. Through today's probing, she knew that Lu Hongjun must have secretly saved up a substantial amount. So, on the surface, she still had to play the role of the good daughter, which would make it easier to fleece him and seek his help for business troubles in the future. As for the Xie Family, unless it was a matter of life and death, she wouldn't visit them.

Lu Hongjun felt comforted by her words. His daughter was still very filial. He sighed and said, "Don't worry, they won't come over."

After what had happened yesterday, he knew that there was no chance for reconciliation between the two parties. Now, he just hoped that they would leave each other alone, and as for the future, that would be dealt with when the time came.

Lu Jiaxin changed the subject, "Dad, Xue Mao can't sit still and wants to continue with the stall."

Lu Hongjun said, "It's hard to find work these days. He's uneducated, young, and an outsider, so it's difficult to find a suitable job for now. Since he can support himself with a stall, let him do that for the time being."

With a large number of educated youths returning to the city, the jobs available in the Forty-nine City were increasingly scarce. If Lu Jiaxin needed a job, he would definitely do everything in his power to find one for her. But when it came to Xue Mao, he felt that giving him some money would be enough to repay his kindness. However, since Lu Jiaxin had said she would repay the favor herself the previous day, he didn't bring it up.

Lu Jiaxin specifically mentioned this matter, obviously with an intention in mind, "Dad, I want to buy a tricycle, so it's easier to set up the stall when going out. Otherwise, moving all the heavy stuff back and forth is just too exhausting."

Lu Hongjun looked at her intently.

Lu Jiaxin's heart almost leaped out of her chest. Could it be that he noticed she was different from her original self and had begun to suspect her identity? But she soon calmed down; ever since Lu Hongjun had remarried, his mind had been on Ding Jing, and he paid less attention to his original daughter. Moreover, given the previous upheaval, it was unlikely that he would suspect her.

Lu Hongjun indeed felt that she was very different from before. In the past, his daughter never cared about money, but now she seemed to value it above all else. However, thinking about how she struggled to even eat in the Ancient Capital and was forced to set up a street stall, Lu Hongjun's heart softened, "Xinxin, it's good that you have a plan in mind. But I am your father; you should directly ask for whatever you want in the future, instead of beating around the bush."

Lu Jiaxin heaved a sigh of relief; it wasn't about her identity after all. She lowered her head, pretending to be upset, and said, "These past few years, you have only favored that mother and daughter pair of vipers and not cared for me. I'm worried that if I keep asking you for things, you'll get annoyed with me."

Lu Hongjun chuckled at that and said, "You are my daughter, my only child. Whatever you want, I will definitely buy it for you as long as I can afford it. However, Xinxin, remember that Aunt Ding is the one who will spend the rest of her life with me, whereas you will grow up and have your own family. I have to consider her feelings more. But don't worry, everything of mine will be yours eventually."

Lu Jiaxin snorted, "I'm not a three-year-old child, there's no need to cajole me with such talk."

What she held in her hands would truly belong to her; everything else was just empty talk. Of course, if he genuinely intended to leave everything to her in the future that would be ideal; if not, it didn't matter. As the old saying goes, relying on mountains will see them fall, relying on the gods will see them age, relying on oneself is the true path.

Lu Hongjun said with a reproachful tone, "You girl, when has your father ever broken a promise to you from the time you were little until now?"

Lu Jiaxin pretended to be surprised and skeptical, "You're not cajoling me, and you will really leave the family property to me in the future, not to that mother and daughter pair of vipers?"

Lu Hongjun said, "I'll leave the larger portion to you, and the smaller to your Aunt Ding. I am much older than she is, so I'm bound to pass away before her. I have to leave her something for security."

Lu Jiaxin said disgustedly, "I don't want to hear those two names. If you can't do that, there's no need for us to see each other again."

Their relationship had become irreparable, and Lu Hongjun didn't want to irritate his daughter further over this matter. "I can't promise that. It would be unnatural not to mention them out of habit."

Lu Jiaxin turned her head away, refusing to speak to him.

When they arrived on Radiance Road and Lu Hongjun walked into the house, he was quite surprised. He had thought it really was a small house, but it turned out to be quite large. However, he quickly figured out the reason behind it.

Lu Hongjun said, "This house, it was the Xie Family who helped you buy it, right?"

Lu Jiaxin didn't deny it, and to deter him from setting his sights on the Xie Family, she purposely said, "Mom said unless it's a matter of life and death, I'm not allowed to look for the Xie Family for help."

The Xie Family was the biggest support Mrs. Lu had left her, untouchable by anyone, including Lu Hongjun himself.

Lu Hongjun's expression faltered, but he quickly regained his composure. "Such a house isn't easy to buy. We should go over and thank them for such a big favor."

Lu Jiaxin stayed silent, sometimes silence represented refusal.

Lu Hongjun had heard through the grapevine that the higher-ups intended to have him take a step back next year. He didn't wish to do so; he wanted to stay in his position until retirement. If the Xie Family was willing to help him, then there would be no problem. But his daughter was harboring resentment right now, so he needed to bide his time and sweet-talk her later.

Lu Hongjun stayed for less than ten minutes and then left.

Xue Mao whispered, "Sis, is he really your dad? He doesn't seem like it to me."

"I take after my grandmother."

It really was fate. Not only was the girl's name the same as hers, but her appearance also bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance. The differences lay in the distinct temperaments. She thought, perhaps this was why she could inhabit this body.

Xue Mao explained, "I didn't mean appearance, sis. I was talking about his attitude. His new wife and your stepsister treat you so badly, yet he doesn't hold them accountable and even let you move out. Now he comes over, stays for a short while, and leaves without helping you get settled."

Lu Jiaxin explained with a smile, "He let me move out because he knows that I can't live with that woman without coming to blows. As for not helping me settle in, having Fifth Brother help me fix up the place is enough; he doesn't need to exert himself."

"What kind of father is that, leaving everything to others and not taking care of anything himself?"

Lu Jiaxin spoke justly, "He might not have exerted effort, but he did give money. And just now he agreed to buy you a tricycle, which will make it much easier for you to set up your stall in the future."

Through these two conversations, she had come to see that to Lu Hongjun, himself was the most important, followed by his wife and child. Ding Jing was not only gentle and pretty, but most important of all, she was young. He was counting on her to take care of him in his later years, so he would always side with her in any conflict. Still, he would placate his daughter in private to keep her from holding a grudge against him, enabling him to enjoy family harmony in the future. It had to be said, he was very calculating; the original owner of this body had never held it against him until her death.

Hearing this, Xue Mao didn't continue the subject.