Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 19: What if it's all the truth?

Lu Lili looked at him in astonishment, her tone turning cold: "Cousin, you've changed. Among all our relatives, you had the best grades in school, but I never expected you to become like this. Our relationship of over ten years is worthless in your eyes. Indeed, Li Wei is foolish and always puts up with me. If I said I wanted a divorce for the sake of the children, he would definitely agree."

As she spoke, tears streamed down Lu Lili's face, and she choked out, "But I will never leave him, no matter what. The poor have their way of living, and the rich have theirs. If he recovers, he's my everything. If he becomes disabled, I'll take care of him. If he dies, I'll spend the rest of my life raising the children."

Lu Jingjing grasped her hand, tears streaming down her face like pearls falling from a broken string: "Sister, don't say anymore, brother-in-law will definitely be alright."

Fu Jianhua sighed: "I was just saying that, but you got so worked up, like I was a bad guy. It's all for your own good! Don't tell Li Wei about this later, I'm afraid he'll come and beat me up."

Lu Lili glared at him and said, "Didn't you say Li Wei was stupid?"

"Sigh! That's why I'm afraid. People who are bad at studying are prone to impulsiveness; it's hereditary in his family."

Lu Jingjing pouted: "My brother-in-law isn't stupid. He learns everything quickly. He was able to repair home appliances independently in just one month. When he had a falling out with the chef at his restaurant, he started cooking the dishes himself."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. We can still brag about the other things. He cooks? You could beat a bunch of salt sellers to death! A restaurant that was barely surviving lost all its regular customers after he cooked for a few days. If it weren't for the customers developing a psychological aversion to the food, would your restaurant have gone out of business?"

Lu Jingjing blushed, but continued to stubbornly insist, "That's because he wasn't given a chance. He'll get better with more practice."

Fu Jianhua scoffed, "Before you say that, examine your conscience. You were helping out as a waiter during summer vacation, so why are you going home for meals?"

"You went to the hospital and dragged me and your sister-in-law out to eat. I drank two whole thermos flasks of water when I got back. How could you be so mean?!"

"My colleague asked me, 'I heard your pretty cousin opened a restaurant. Why don't we go and try her cooking to show our support?' I didn't dare to agree."

Lu Jingjing stammered, "But they hired another chef later, didn't they?"

"Haha, the guy came, but the owner, Brother Wei, glared at him and yelled at him for not cleaning the dishes properly. He drove him away in a few days and didn't even dare to ask for his wages. Sigh! Actually, with his meticulous nature, he could really do a good job if he knew how to cook. Many big restaurants aren't as clean as his."

Changing the subject, Fu Jianhua waved his hand: "Let's not dwell on this stubbornness. Have Lu Feng get his boss to keep an eye on this. I'll figure something out here; if we don't make those thugs bleed a little, they won't know the consequences of beating people."

Lu Lili looked at him and sighed, "As long as Li Wei is alright, money doesn't matter. Second brother, could you also ask the department? Earning money isn't easy for anyone these days, so don't add extra charges."

Fu Jianhua said impatiently, "The hospital has its own rules. Do you think this is a vegetable market? I have plenty of ways to spend more money, but saving money? It's not that easy. If the department isn't profitable, everyone will be struggling."

Lu Jingjing asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you were saving lives and healing the wounded? Why does it sound like you're doing business, talking about profits?"

Fu Jianhua said helplessly, "I told you you're naive, and you wouldn't listen. Have you gone crazy from studying? Would you work if I didn't pay you? Why did you ask about social insurance and housing fund before you even started? Doesn't your company care about profits?"

Lu Jingjing muttered unconvinced, "Aren't you a public institution? Are you just going to write 'People's' in those big characters for fun?"

Fu Jianhua laughed in exasperation: "It's a good thing you didn't go into a public institution back then. With your IQ, you'd be getting sold out and still be helping the seller count the money!"

Lu Jingjing rolled her eyes at her cousin: "I'm going to take the civil service exam next year. In this lousy workplace, there are always people giving me lewd looks."

Fu Jianhua curled his lip: "Oh ho! You still know someone's leering at you, at least you're not completely stupid. We'll talk about it after you get into college. I'll introduce you to a boyfriend, I guarantee he'll be a hundred times better than the ones you picked yourself."

Lu Jingjing covered her ears: "I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it, nothing you recommend is good."

"Silly girl, what do you know? Sigh! Never mind, talk to your sister-in-law more often. Lili's ideas are outdated. How can you talk about happiness when you can't even afford to eat? Even in ancient times, someone like Li Wei would have to go to war, which is so dangerous! Lili stays at home worrying every day. It's not worth it. To put it nicely, she's a brave and righteous man; to put it bluntly, she's just a simpleton..."

Lu Lili suddenly stood up: "Cousin, you rest! I'm going out for a walk."

"Fine, go ahead!" After the two sisters left, she pouted and muttered, "It's rare for me to tell you the truth, and you don't even like it. If we weren't close relatives, I wouldn't bother saying it. You only like hearing what your second brother says, but the moment you don't like it, you immediately become your cousin."

When they arrived at the open space downstairs, groups of two or three people were strolling around, and the two sisters walked side by side.

"Sis, why is my cousin talking like that!"

Lu Lili smiled: "He thinks he's doing this out of kindness, just like my uncle. You know, people live comfortably because it's hereditary. My uncle's father and Li Wei's grandfather had a feud."

Lu Jingjing's eyes lit up: "How come I didn't know? Tell me quickly."

"There's a lot you don't know! I heard that when the Japanese invaded us, Li Wei's grandfather fought with the 115th Division. My cousin's grandfather, for money, went and followed the Japanese. Everyone knows each other, right? Later, the Japanese surrendered, and Li Wei's grandfather reported this to the government. From then on, his family hated the Li family. I heard that once when they ran into each other while drinking, my uncle even used alcohol to embolden himself to question my grandfather about why he betrayed his fellow villagers."

"Oh! What did the old man say?"

Lili sighed, "His family all have bad tempers. Grandpa slammed his fist on the table and pointed at my uncle, saying, 'Your father is a traitor, and he's not from the same hometown as me, Old Li.'"

"and then?"

"My uncle, of course, defended himself, saying that his father was just running errands for the Japanese to make a living, and that he had no blood on his hands, so he wasn't a traitor. He then accused my grandfather of killing people."

Lu Jingjing's beautiful eyes widened: "This works too?"

Grandpa laughed and said that his uncle's father was a coward and deserved to be punished. He said that he killed the island invaders, and killing animals did not count as killing people.

"Later on, the two families started to compete with each other. My cousin was good at studying, quick-witted, had a good job, and earned a lot of money."

"Your brother-in-law is a haphazard person; sometimes he makes money, and sometimes he loses it all. After we got married, Dad was often ridiculed by his uncle."

Lu Jingjing clapped her hands: "Oh my! I never imagined my brother-in-law's family and my aunt's family had such a feud, it's even more dramatic than what you see on TV. If they start fighting again, my cousin will definitely be a traitor. Hmm? Why didn't my brother-in-law benefit from his grandfather's influence?"

"So my cousin said his family was stupid! The old man didn't want anything and just went home to farm. Later, the government had to come to his door to pay him back wages. Okay, stop talking nonsense. How could there be a war now? Everyone's busy making money and living their lives."

"Yeah!" Lu Jingjing nodded in agreement, "My brother-in-law's family is really stupid."

Lu Lili frowned slightly: "That's called integrity. I heard that when the old man gets angry, even the county magistrate doesn't dare to mess with him, and all the leaders have to go and pay him a New Year's visit."

"Forget it, forget it. It's all old-fashioned stuff. My cousin is stirring up trouble. If my brother-in-law finds out, he'll definitely give him a beating."

"This is a very important relative, please don't let your brother-in-law know! Otherwise, we'll be in a difficult position."

"Um......"