novellhall Chapter 345 Who knows if she's innocent?
Chapter 345 Who knows if she's innocent?
Xiao Luyue's questions were different from usual, which surprised Zhuang Qingxiang.
She knew this child was always sensitive to malice and kindness, but was this the first time she had met Sister Shang? And from what she had heard from Lu Congyue, Sister Shang was a very good person.
"Yueyue, what's wrong? Don't you like Aunt Shang?"
Xiao Luyue pursed her lips tightly, shook her head, and then nodded.
"She doesn't like me and my brothers," she whispered.
Zhuang Qingxiang's heart sank.
Was Shang Hua being that obvious?
Did Lu Congyue not notice?
At this moment, Lu Congyue had already taken Shang Hua to his office to talk.
Although he considered them relatives, one was surnamed Lu and the other Shang, and since they were a lone man and woman, they had to avoid suspicion. After thinking it over, the office was the only suitable place for them.
"Sister Shang, Cheng Lin is indeed my son."
Lu Congyue readily admitted it, and without Shang Hua even needing to ask, he told the whole story.
Shang Hua frowned deeply upon hearing this, and finally slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"This village chief surnamed Qian actually plotted against you? Plotting against a government official is an heinous crime, and you're just going to let it go like that?"
Lu Congyue smiled wryly: "I haven't really let it go, but I can only give her a slight punishment. This matter has been a huge blow to my wife, and she is even less willing to let a word of it out."
Shang Hua's face was icy: "Didn't you ever consider that there might be some other reason why she wouldn't let you divulge even a whisper of this? Perhaps she was originally one of the perpetrators!"
She simply couldn't believe that a woman could marry a man without knowing he had a hidden illness, and she certainly couldn't believe that she could be slept with by someone else without realizing it.
In her view, unless the woman herself was a participant.
Either they wanted a child to establish themselves in the Qian family, or they wanted to climb the social ladder.
Compared to a farmer from Dongya Village, Lu Congyue was clearly a better choice.
As it turned out, the woman succeeded, transforming herself from a village woman into the wife of a state cadre.
Shang Hua: "Cong Yue, this woman isn't right for you. Keep the child, and get rid of her!"
"Sister Shang!" Lu Congyue frowned. "She's my lover, the mother of my child!"
"She became the mother of your child and your lover through improper means! And her background is questionable! Congyue, you can't be so naive; it will cost you dearly! Her biological father is a traitor who betrayed the country, a spy who infiltrated our territory! Under these circumstances, do you really believe she is innocent?"
Shang Hua practically pointed at Lu Congyue's forehead and accused him of being seduced by his good looks.
Such a disdainful tone and commanding manner was the one that Lu Congyue was familiar with from Sister Shang. He used to think that Sister Shang was giving him well-intentioned advice, but now it only made him feel depressed and angry.
"Sister Shang, you've only met her once, yet you're jumping to conclusions like this. Don't you think you're being too hasty?!"
"I've seen more people and experienced more things than you have. I've seen plenty of people like this!" Shang Hua waved his hand. "Alright, let's not discuss this anymore. Just do as I say! Even if my father were here, he would make the same decision! Cong Yue, we're doing this for your own good. Don't make a mistake."
Shang Hua felt she had made herself clear enough, and based on her understanding of Lu Congyue, he would obediently listen to her.
Actually, she had even better news to tell him, but she would wait until he had resolved the matter and sent that woman away.
"Sister Shang, I'm sorry, I can't do it." Lu Congyue pursed his lips and said earnestly, "She is the wife I have chosen. We will walk the revolutionary path hand in hand and be of one heart forever."
Shang Hua was taken aback, then suddenly stood up, glaring angrily at Lu Congyue: "Congyue, are you ignoring me?"
"Sister Shang, I'm over thirty years old, and I'm responsible for my own life!" Lu Congyue said sincerely. "I only hope to receive Uncle Shang's and your blessings in this matter. If not... it's okay."
Even without anyone's blessings, he and Zhuang Qingxiang will still be happy.
The two parted on bad terms. Shang Hua left angrily, while Lu Congyue hesitated for a moment before following him. He only left after confirming that Shang Hua had safely returned to the guesthouse.
As soon as he left, Shang Hua appeared at the entrance of the guesthouse, watching his departing figure with satisfaction.
Fine, since he still remembered to bring her back, I won't be angry with him.
He was three years younger than her, so he still needed her guidance at all times; she couldn't hold a grudge against him.
A failed marriage made her realize that suicidal behavior is useless.
Marrying a man who loves you and listens to your every whim will bring you happiness.
Lu Congyue returned home, rubbed his face, and walked in with a big smile.
"Honey, I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
Zhuang Qingxiang was playing with the three children when she heard him making noise, and asked in surprise, "You didn't eat out?"
"No," Lu Congyue smiled. "Sister Shang has something to do, so I just dropped her off and came right back."
Zhuang Qingxiang remained silent for a moment.
She didn't say that when she was taking her three children for a walk, someone told her that Lu Congyue had brought a woman to his office, and that the woman was young, beautiful, and had a strong presence, and was obviously not an ordinary person.
"Wash your hands, I'll go make you something," Zhuang Qingxiang said softly.
Lu Congyue responded and went to wash his hands before returning to play with the three children.
Soon, Zhuang Qingxiang finished preparing dinner. While Lu Congyue was eating, the three children came over to eat a bite or two.
Lu Congyue chuckled as he fed this person a bite, then fed that person a bite...
Zhuang Qingxiang watched and couldn't help but say, "You eat yours, don't worry about them, they've already eaten."
"It's okay to eat a little more after you've already eaten. Just a taste, you won't get too full," Lu Congyue said dismissively.
These days, you don't hear of any child being stuffed after eating too much, since you have to carefully budget your food rations every month.
However, Lu Congyue did not expect that his two sons were still young and did not know when they were full. He would feed them a bite, let them play for a while, and repeat this cycle. In this way, they actually ate too much. By midnight, both sons started to have fevers.
Both children were crying and had fevers at the same time. Zhuang Qingxiang was very anxious. Lu Congyue quickly picked up one of them, tied it to his body with a strap, and then had Zhuang Qingxiang hold the other one on the back seat. He rode his bicycle anxiously to the hospital.
Both of them looked rather unwell, worried about their two younger children and also concerned about Xiao Luyue, who was home alone.
Both children had a fever of 38.5℃, and the doctor recommended hospitalization. After a whole night of fussing, Xiao Donghua's fever subsided, but Xiao Chenglin's condition did not improve.
After daybreak, the doctor suggested taking Xiao Donghua home to avoid him getting infected at the hospital, while Xiao Chenglin continued to be hospitalized to see if the fever was caused by other reasons.
Lu Congyue then asked Zhuang Qingxiang to take Xiao Donghua back so he could rest, while he would take care of him here.
Zhuang Qingxiang agreed to the plan. She was really worried about her daughter at home, and she felt very reassured leaving the child with Lu Congyue.