Chapter 203: Why Didn’t You Say Sooner?

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Why Didn’t You Say Sooner?

"That’s still no reason for her to target Wanwan."

Lu Zhengchuan’s voice was devoid of inflection. "I’m just notifying you. This is the last time I’m going to talk about this. If I hear of any more conflict over this issue, I won’t meddle in the Zhang family’s business anymore. We’ll go back to how it was before—less contact. A gift for the New Year and holidays will suffice."

Aunt Zhang was no longer angry, just genuinely afraid.

’Lu Zhengchuan’s disposition was, in truth, quite cold.’

’When he first joined the army, he was only a boy in his teens. Back then, he’d still write home once a month.’

’Later, as he got a little older, that became once every three months.’

’After he became an adult, it was down to one a year. Even if she wanted to find him, she probably couldn’t. He was always away on a mission.’

’This coldness only changed after he married Su Wan, and she moved to live with him at the base.’

She definitely didn’t want to go back to that. After all, her nephew, Lu Zhengchuan, had helped the family a great deal. Besides, having a successful relative saved them a lot of trouble in the village. Hadn’t she seen how the village chief and the town officials all greeted her with smiles?

"We won’t target Su Wan. I’ll definitely give Xiao Hong a good talking-to. Zhengchuan, please don’t be angry. If you hear even one more word of gossip from anyone, you can hold me responsible."

This was exactly the effect Lu Zhengchuan wanted.

"Then, Aunt Zhang, this is my final warning."

Aunt Zhang’s heart soured. She felt the bitter sting of a nephew who had married a wife and forgotten the aunt who raised him.

After all, she had helped raise Lu Zhengchuan.

His words now were undeniably chilling, but the thought of her nephew’s silent treatment made her stifle her resentment and instantly force a smile.

’What was a little disappointment compared to the silent treatment!’

"Of course, of course."

Lu Zhengchuan was about to hang up.

Aunt Zhang quickly stopped him. "Zhengchuan, about Xiao Yun’s marriage... is her boyfriend, Zhao Yuan, really scheming against her?"

"Even if I say he is, you won’t believe me. You and Zhang Yun are both holding on to wishful thinking. In that case, it’s your own business. Don’t go to Wanwan about it anymore. If it weren’t for my sake, she wouldn’t have taken on so many thankless tasks to begin with." Lu Zhengchuan didn’t mince his words.

Aunt Zhang’s face turned shades of white and red from his verbal assault, yet she couldn’t offer a single word of rebuttal. She really had been thinking that way.

"Alright, alright, alright, you kid... Um, how are Tuantuan and Yuanyuan doing? Someone in the village found a beehive recently, so I bought some honey. I’ll mail it to Wanwan and the children."

As long as her own three daughters weren’t involved, Aunt Zhang was more than willing to try and curry favor with Su Wan.

’In truth, she never meant to scheme. But what could she do? Her own daughters were struggling, and it was hard not to feel resentful.’

"Aunt Zhang, there’s no need for the honey. I’m sure Eldest Sister-in-law Su has already bought some."

Aunt Zhang gave an awkward laugh.

"That’s from the Su family. It has nothing to do with the Lu Family or the Zhang family."

"That’s Wanwan’s family. The Su family has given her more money than you can imagine. Wanwan isn’t without a family to back her up. They’re all very united, which is why they have the promising future they do now."

Aunt Zhang fell silent, a mix of jealousy and bitterness welling up inside her.

"...The Su family is so lucky."

"Yes. The Su family has an incredibly filial daughter. She came to the Capital to work and managed to lift her parents up with her."

"You could have had a filial nephew’s wife, too."

Lu Zhengchuan’s sarcasm made Aunt Zhang feel even worse.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer and blurted out what was on her mind. "Then tell Wanwan to help out the sisters, Xiao Hong and Xiao Xia!"

"Help? How? You have a good amount of money on hand now, don’t you? Mr. Lu gave you and Uncle money, and he got your three daughters their jobs."

"And that doesn’t count as help? To this day, I still don’t know how to repay that favor to him. After all, I’m a soldier; the regulations are strict."

"If I could use my position to pull strings for you, wouldn’t that mean other officers could do the same? Do you think there would be any fairness left in the world?"

"Or are you saying you hope I get reported and discharged from the army?"

That last sentence extinguished the last embers of resentment in Aunt Zhang’s heart.

’That’s right. When she really thought about it, her family’s good fortune was all thanks to Lu Zhengchuan.’

’Without her nephew, their family would only be poorer.’

’After all, the Zhang family had only survived the crisis back then by relying on the inheritance from Lu Zhengchuan’s mother.’

"No, no, no, I won’t cause any more trouble. I’ll keep Xiao Hong in line. But... if I wanted to start my own little business, selling things in town or the county, would that be okay?"

"Starting a business wasn’t something Wanwan or I helped with. The Su Family managed that on their own. You only hear from Zhang Yun how well the Su family is doing now, but you don’t know that my father-in-law and mother-in-law originally came here to scrape together money to help Wanwan through her difficult pregnancy."

"Just the medical care for her pregnancy cost nearly five thousand yuan. We didn’t have enough money at the time. It all came from what my father-in-law and mother-in-law earned from their business."

"Aunt Zhang, don’t just look at what others have gained. You need to look at what they’ve put in."

Lu Zhengchuan’s heartfelt words made Aunt Zhang feel thoroughly ashamed.

She had always doted on her nephew. Now, after his scolding, any ideas her daughter had instigated were completely gone from her mind.

"I understand now. The Zhang family can do business too. The connections we have are just to keep others from bullying us. We have to do everything else ourselves, or it won’t last."

"It’s good that you understand. After all, you have some starting capital now. Frankly, you’re in a much better position than the Su family was when they started."

"Aunt Zhang, I believe you can do it. In the future, I, your nephew, might end up being the poorest one in the family. After all, I only get my military pay, a fixed income every month."

"Once Wanwan graduates and starts working, I’m afraid I’ll have even less standing in front of the Su family."

Aunt Zhang opened her mouth, unable to understand how her nephew, with his brilliant prospects, could sound so diminished in front of Su Wan and the Su family.

"I... I understand."

Aunt Zhang hung up the phone with Lu Zhengchuan, her heart deeply unsettled. She immediately made another call to Zhang Yun.

Zhang Yun was called away from her desk to take the call and sounded a little annoyed. "Mom, if this isn’t important, I’m going back to work."

"Work? What work? Your cousin can barely hold his head up in front of the Su family, and all you can think about is yourself! Don’t you forget how you got that job in the first place," Aunt Zhang berated her.

Zhang Yun was stunned by the scolding. "What do you mean, cousin can’t hold his head up?"

Aunt Zhang asked, "Is the Su family’s business doing very well? Things are really looking up for them, right?"

"Yes, I’m the one who told you that."

Before Zhang Yun had mentioned it, Aunt Zhang had assumed the Su Family could barely afford to eat in the Capital.

After all, country folk who came to the city without jobs usually couldn’t last long. At the time, she had even marveled at how deep the Su family’s pockets must be.

"And your sister-in-law is doing exceptionally well in school, right? She’ll get a job as soon as she graduates?"

"She’s already working in a lab even before graduating, and the university even pays her a salary," Zhang Yun added.

That one sentence was enough to make Aunt Zhang furious. "Why didn’t you tell me your sister-in-law was so capable?"

"...I didn’t?"