CHAPTER 657: CHAPTER 656: FOOLISHLY ASKING FOR A SLAP IN THE FACE

What should you do after offending someone? There’s no other way but to act like their subordinate!

The more Lu Da thought about it, the more disheartened he became, suddenly realizing why the Old Zhou family’s in-laws didn’t intervene in the matter—it was clearly a hot potato!

"Mother, regarding this matter, we’re not the ones holding the reins; it’s them. We need to speak softly and act humbly, and we absolutely must not lose our temper again!" Lu Da took a deep breath and continued: "Mother, you should not get involved anymore, to prevent losing your temper and becoming harsh again."

Old Lady Lu’s face turned red with her eldest son’s words, and it took a long while before she could squeeze out a sentence through clenched teeth: "I’ve finally understood what it means to be bullied by those in power!"

Lu Da told her to rest and had his youngest brother stay by her side, while he and his wife went to another room.

Eldest Sister-in-law Lu poured two bowls of water and gulped them down, saying, "What should we do about this, father?"

"I’ll go over and take another look tomorrow," Lu Da said, his face filled with exhaustion, not even bothering to take off his shoes before lying down on the bed fully clothed.

Eldest Sister-in-law Lu sat down beside him and suggested, "If you ask me, you should find an excuse to go out tomorrow, and then we should just head back home!"

Lu Da suddenly sat up, staring at her intently, and said in a stern voice, "Do you mean to just abandon the matter?"

Eldest Sister-in-law Lu shrunk back slightly, not daring to meet his gaze, and said, "What can we do about it? You saw the situation today; do you still think they’re the helpless mother and daughter that can be bullied by anyone?"

Lu Da remained silent.

How could he not know? Just maintaining the servants in that mansion would cost a fortune, yet they were able to afford it. From this, it seemed they indeed had plenty of silver. With silver comes confidence and the means to employ others. As the saying goes, money talks.

In terms of family wealth, he feared the Lu family might not compare. The Lu family didn’t have the need for so many house servants and maids!

"Things are different now. They’ve become prosperous, and they’re flaunting it. When have you ever seen Zhou Yingmei so assertive?" Eldest Sister-in-law Lu, thinking of Madam Zhou’s manner, said with a tinge of jealousy, "Every time we saw her before, wasn’t she always timid and barely speaking? Now look at her, all emboldened!"

If she hadn’t witnessed it herself, she would hardly believe that was the timid Zhou Yingmei!

"And if we’re talking about familial affection, can our Lu family even compare with the Old Zhou family? But what did the Old Zhou family do? They didn’t care at all, not even about their own son. And here we are, as the Yue Family, so eagerly stepping forward just to get slapped in the face by them! Simply foolish!" Eldest Sister-in-law Lu scoffed coldly.

Lu Da looked at her icily: "That’s my own sister!"

"I know she’s your sister, and your mother has always favored her. But what good has she ever done for our family? All these years, it’s only ever been her reaching out to ask for help. Let’s not even talk about the old matters; just take Zhou Xuennian making the list of scholars, for instance. How much silver did she take from our mother? Don’t you know? If it were well spent, that would be one thing, but that’s a lot of money gone down the drain, and there’s no hope of getting it back now!"

As Eldest Sister-in-law Lu spoke of this matter, her heart ached with pain and continued coldly, "Our Lu family has so many mouths to feed, and we need to arrange marriages for our children. Our silver just vanished, all given to her, Lu Zhenzhu. This Lu family, after all, bears the Lu surname, while a married daughter is like spilled water. For that spilled water, should our whole family have to pay the price? Father, mother may be senile, but you, as the eldest, can’t afford to be muddled!"

"Enough! It’s just about pleading for leniency, and you speak as if we’re headed for ruin!" Lu Da said coldly.

Eldest Sister-in-law Lu’s face darkened: "Well, think of me as a harbinger of doom if you wish. I hope our Lu family remains peaceful and safe."

Lu Da, picking up on the veiled mockery in her words, furrowed his brow deeply.