Chapter 160
Guaizi ran to the front yard, and Lu Gu also walked out. There were too many dogs at home, so he instinctively shouted to stop them, afraid they might scare people. He himself had been afraid of dogs in the past, and although the dogs at home were well-behaved, they weren’t so gentle with strangers.
In the backyard, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing heard the commotion and looked up toward the front. Because it was too far away and blocked by the house, they couldn’t see who had come for a while.
"I’ll go take a look," Shen Xuanqing said while brushing the yellow mud off his hands.
Before Lu Gu could step out from under the eaves of the main room, he saw Lu Daxiang peeking into the yard from the gate. He froze, never expecting the visitor to be Lu Daxiang, and his mind went blank.
Guaizi and Dahei barked fiercely at the outsider, while Dahui, heeding Lu Gu’s earlier command, only stood guard warily. The two puppies’ barks sounded much more high-pitched, but with the big dogs by their side, they had plenty of courage.
Faced with so many fierce-looking dogs, Lu Daxiang didn’t dare take a single step inside. Only when he saw Lu Gu emerge from the main room did his eyes widen in surprise - it turned out the rumors were true. The Shen family had money now, lived well, and even spared food and clothes for Lu Gu, whom they had bought.
He craned his neck forward and called out with a shameless grin, "Guzi, it’s me, your dad."
Lu Gu’s lips parted slightly, the word "dad" forming on his lips out of habit from years of calling him that. But then he remembered how Lu Daxiang had ignored him, even teamed up with Du Hehua to drag him back, lock him in the woodshed, beat him, and force him into a substitute marriage. That word "dad" never left his mouth. He closed his lips again, his face visibly pale.
The two stood in silence for a while. Seeing that Lu Gu wouldn’t even call him "dad," Lu Daxiang rubbed his hands awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. But knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t dare lose his temper or act authoritative. Since the day Lu Gu had been sold to the Shen family, he hadn’t seen this son even once. Now that he was here to test the waters, how could he afford to offend Lu Gu?
Shen Xuanqing, who had just walked in from behind the main room, only saw Lu Gu’s back. Standing motionless, Lu Gu blocked his view of the person at the gate, and no words were exchanged, only the dogs barking. Puzzled, Shen Xuanqing asked, "Who’s here?"
Hearing his voice, Lu Daxiang’s heart trembled in fear. He immediately pulled his head back and took two steps backward but forced himself to stay put despite his terror.
Back then, Shen Xuanqing had broken one of his legs, and it had taken over half a year to heal. If it weren’t for his envy of such a large estate and the rumors that the Shen family had raised hundreds of rabbits - all of which meant money, he would’ve fled at the sound of that demon’s voice.
Hearing Shen Xuanqing’s voice, Lu Gu seemed to find his anchor. Pressing his lips together, he turned around without a word and walked toward Shen Xuanqing.
Lu Daxiang had never beaten him, but when Lu Gu had refused to be a substitute bride and tried to run away, it was Lu Daxiang and Du Hehua who had dragged him back. Seeing Lu Daxiang now brought back all those memories - the suffocating darkness that had nearly drowned him, the resentment clogging his chest, stuck in his throat like a lump of cotton, making it impossible to speak.
Only after coming to the Shen family, where he had never suffered abuse or scolding again, did he realize just how unbearable his past life had been. Comparing the two, he knew exactly who had treated him well.
Shen Xuanqing strode forward, and when he saw who was at the gate, his brow furrowed, his expression turning cold.
Seeing Lu Gu’s pale face, he gripped Lu Gu’s wrist firmly and said in a low voice, "Don’t be afraid. I’ll send him away."
Lu Gu couldn’t speak, only nodding. Since they had sold him off, he naturally didn’t want to see Lu Daxiang. Now that Shen Xuanqing was beside him, his hand warm and strong around his wrist, it was like a dose of reassurance, helping him regain his thoughts. Without a doubt, Lu Daxiang’s visit today meant trouble. It was best to send him away quickly before things escalated.
Shen Xuanqing took a few steps into the yard, not stopping Guaizi and Dahei from barking. With a cold expression, he said, "You here to get beaten again?"
He showed no mercy, immediately delivering a harsh rebuff that made Lu Daxiang’s hands tremble. The leg that had finally healed began to ache faintly.
"We agreed back then, Lu Gu was sold to me, and from that day on, he has no ties to your Lu family. The deal was settled, money and goods exchanged. Now get lost." Shen Xuanqing stopped in the yard, not stepping closer. His disgust for the Lu family was boundless - the sooner he left, the better.
His bluntness made even the thick-skinned Lu Daxiang flush with humiliation, nearly being told to his face to "get lost." He wanted to curse back, but fear of Shen Xuanqing actually beating him made him swallow his words.
Lu Daxiang’s face twisted through several expressions before he finally forced an ingratiating smile. His posture, never upright to begin with, hunched even further in fear, making him look even more pitiful as he tried to appease Shen Xuanqing: "Ah, my good son-in-law, it’s been so long. Why not invite me in?"
He had meant to say "your father-in-law," but seeing Shen Xuanqing’s expression, he didn’t dare.
Shen Xuanqing sneered. This old fool really had no shame.
Even Lu Gu, standing motionless in the main room, felt his face burn with secondhand embarrassment, a sense of absurdity rising in his chest. This was his father? Back then, the Lu family had fought fiercely with the Shen family, greedily keeping the betrothal gift of twenty taels of silver and refusing to return it, relying on Lu Wen’s connection to the Li family’s influence. And now he had the nerve to call Shen Xuanqing "son-in-law"?
His face burned, and tears of anger welled up in his eyes at Lu Daxiang’s shamelessness.
"Your son-in-law is at the Li family in town. There’s no son-in-law here," Shen Xuanqing mocked, losing patience. "If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for what happens next."
Having suffered greatly at Shen Xuanqing’s hands before, Lu Daxiang trembled at his words, scratching his cheek awkwardly. But his eyes kept darting to the long backyard behind the main room. Though he couldn’t see all of it, the mud walls stretched far enough that one could easily farm or plant crops inside - it must be huge.
Even in town, let alone the countryside, no one had such a large estate. The sight made his eyes burn with envy.
Getting nowhere with Shen Xuanqing, he glanced at him nervously before calling out to Lu Gu: "Guzi, are you just going to ignore your dad? It’s the middle of winter, and I haven’t eaten in days! And Xiao Wu, yes, Xiao Wu! He’s just a kid, and he’s starving too!"
"Xiao Wu grew up with you watching over him. How can you abandon your own little brother?"
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