Chapter 44: Returning Home

The next day, Lu Liang opened his eyes to the sound of melodious zither music coming from next door.

The space beside him on the pillow was empty, reminding him of last night. Even though they had been busy until late, Zhang Qian had still quietly slipped away to sleep with her daughter.

Although she didn't state the reason, Lu Liang could easily guess that she probably didn't want to affect the child's developing worldview.

Lu Liang dressed and stepped out of the bedroom. Zhang Qian was busy in the kitchen, where a lavish brunch was already prepared on the table.

She wore a loose T-shirt and high-waisted jeans, her makeup exquisitely done, as if she had just returned from going out.

Zhang Qian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gently, "The bathroom is on the left. The toothbrush and towel on the sink are brand new."

At that moment, the zither music suddenly stopped, and the little girl cautiously poked her head out. "Uncle, you sure know how to sleep."

A guzheng stood inside her room, and her ten fingers were wrapped in fake nail-like fingerpicks.

Perplexed, Lu Liang looked at the wall clock and was startled to see it was already eleven o'clock, almost noon.

"I saw how soundly you were sleeping, so I didn't wake you up. Everything you asked for has been bought and put in your car's trunk."

Zhang Qian wiped the water from her hands, taking a gold card and a long receipt from her bag. "It came to a little over sixty thousand."

"You just keep it for me for now. Who knows, I might need your help shopping again next time."

Lu Liang stretched lazily and headed toward the bathroom.

Ever since he started working out, except for those few days when he was trading London gold, he had never slept until midday.

This just proved how wonderfully comfortable last night had been.

Zhang Qian's home was small, but cozy.

Silently putting away the gold card, Zhang Qian looked at her daughter. "Xiao Guai, go wash your hands and get ready to eat. Uncle is going out later, so let's have lunch a bit early."

Hearing that Lu Liang was leaving, the little girl hurriedly removed her fingerpicks and ran to the bathroom door. "Uncle Lu, where are you going?"

"Xiao Guai!" Zhang Qian frowned and scolded gently.

She knew she couldn't compare to younger girls; the only thing she could do was avoid putting any pressure on Lu Liang.

"It's fine."

Lu Liang smiled and shook his head, scooping the little girl up with one arm. "Uncle has to go home for a bit. You need to listen to your mom while you're at home, okay?"

"Then when are you coming back?"

"In three or five days, I suppose."

"Will you still come and see Xiao Guai?"

The little girl resembled her mother greatly; her eyes were large and watery, as if they could speak.

Right now, those eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Of course I will. Uncle will even bring you a gift."

Lu Liang rubbed the little girl's cheek with the fresh stubble from last night, eliciting a string of giggles from her.

Seeing this, Zhang Qian's gaze grew even softer.

Leaning close to Lu Liang's ear, the little girl whispered, "Uncle Lu, I don't want a gift. Can you tell Mom not to make me play the guzheng? I don't like it."

"Then tell Uncle what you do like." Lu Liang looked at her ten little fingers; a few of them were slightly red and swollen.

The little girl shook her head. "I don't know."

"Then we won't play the guzheng anymore. But if you find something you like in the future, you must tell Uncle."

Lu Liang looked at Zhang Qian, who wore a stern expression and refused to budge. "Learning a few more talents will make middle school admissions easier later on."

"She's only in first grade now, she still has five years. If she can't get in by then, I'll take care of it."

Lu Liang tried to persuade her earnestly, "Besides, she already has enough homework every day. Let her rest properly during her time off."

Seeing the expectation in the little girl's eyes, Zhang Qian sighed helplessly. "She'll only take one lesson a week from now on. At least so she doesn't forget how."

Before Lu Liang could even speak, the little girl excitedly kissed him on the cheek and cheered, "Yay~"

Lu Liang suddenly realized: "Perhaps she does like it, but practicing for too long turned it into a burden."

Zhang Qian fell silent, suddenly realizing that she understood her daughter less after raising her for seven years than Lu Liang did.

"After all, anxiety stems from over-caring."

Lu Liang offered words of comfort, holding the little girl in one arm while taking Zhang Qian's hand with the other. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

"Then I want to eat big prawns! Mom bought my favorite big prawns this morning. Thank you, Mom."

Although the little girl claimed she loved prawns, the moment she shelled one, she instinctively placed it into her mother's bowl first.

Sucking on her little fingers and tilting her head, she looked at Lu Liang. "Uncle Lu, do you like big prawns?"

"Uncle likes it when Xiao Guai peels them for him."

Lu Liang joked with a smile, playfully nudging Zhang Qian with his foot.

The little girl was far more sensible and well-behaved than her peers; Zhang Qian shouldn't demand any more of her.

Quickly and skillfully, the little girl shelled another prawn and placed it in Lu Liang's bowl. "Uncle, for you."

"Thank you, Xiao Guai." Lu Liang patted her head.

A smile returned to Zhang Qian's face as she affectionately stroked her daughter's hair as well. "Xiao Guai, you're amazing!"

She had also come to terms with it: compared to other children her age, her daughter was truly sensible and well-behaved.

Lunch ended in a harmonious atmosphere.

After a brief rest, Lu Liang went to the parking lot and popped the trunk—it was packed to the brim.

Zhang Qian had been very thoughtful, attaching a small sticky note to each item indicating who it was for.

The cigarettes and alcohol she bought were domestic top brands, like Soft Zhonghua and Moutai, which immediately made it obvious at a glance that they were expensive.

After all, the worst taboo when giving gifts is buying something very expensive, only for the recipient to consider it cheap due to their own lack of exposure.

"Bye-bye."

Lu Liang bade farewell to Zhang Qian and her daughter, set his navigation, and embarked on his journey home.

The entire trip was over five hundred kilometers, heading all the way south along the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway until the sun began to set.

Having departed at noon, they reached the small town at the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces just as dusk began to fall.

After exiting the highway, Lu Liang drove another half an hour along the national highway until he reached his hometown, Yucheng Town.

Passing by a small grocery store, he saw a family of four happily eating dinner.

Lu Liang parked his car at the entrance and gently tapped on the glass counter. "Boss, a bottle of Coke, please."

"Three yuan..."

The woman put down her chopsticks, suddenly trotted forward, and gave Lu Liang a heavy punch on the chest. "When did you get back?"

Lu Ya, Lu Liang's older sister, was two years older than him. She had married at twenty-five and was now a mother of two.

Lu Liang gasped in a breath of cold air, rubbing his aching chest. "Couldn't you have pulled your punches a bit?"

Lu Ya snorted, "I was already holding back."

The two children also ran over, excitedly hugging Lu Liang's legs. "Uncle... Uncle, did you bring us gifts?"

The older one was a six-year-old boy, and the younger was a four-year-old girl. It had been over four months since they last met, but they hadn't forgotten Lu Liang yet.

"Of course I brought you gifts."

Lu Liang opened the trunk and took out two smartwatches, a set of cosmetics, and a carton each of cigarettes and alcohol.

His brother-in-law, Luo Haitong, walked over and stared blankly at the golden bull projected onto the ground by the car lights. "Liangzi, is this car a Lamborghini?"

"A Lamborghini?" Lu Ya was dumbfounded.

These days, it was normal not to have seen a Lamborghini, but very few people had never heard of one.

Because it was practically a synonym for top-tier sports cars.

Lu Liang smiled, tacitly confirming it.

He put the two watches on his niece and nephew, then handed the cosmetics to his sister. "This is yours. Don't ever say I haven't bought you gifts."

"Brother-in-law, these cigarettes and wine are for you..."

Looking at the Soft Zhonghua and Moutai, Lu Ya finally believed that the car in front of her was indeed the kind of car she thought it was.

She didn't take the cosmetics; instead, her brows furrowed deeply with worry. "Where is Wenjing? And where did you get all this money?"

Lu Liang patted his two nephews' backs, telling them to go back inside to eat, handed his brother-in-law a cigarette, and began recounting recent events.

"Divorced for a long time? Sold the house in Shanghai? And now you're running a company?"

Each piece of news was more explosive than the last. Lu Ya couldn't help asking, "Do Mom and Dad know?"

"Dad knows a bit. Mom probably doesn't."

Lu Liang put an arm around Lu Ya's shoulder. "Besides, you guys never liked Lin Wenjing anyway. Getting divorced now can be considered a good thing."

Lu Ya glared at him. "One thing at a time. You didn't dump your hardworking wife just because you made some money, did you?"

"Sis, I'm your own brother, blood is thicker than water. What kind of person do you take me for?"

Lu Liang protested indignantly, only to receive another slap on the arm.

Pondering for a moment, Lu Ya turned to her husband. "Old Luo, watch the kids. I'm going back to our parents' place with him."

Lu Liang grinned, handing over the cosmetics, cigarettes, and alcohol.

Rural small-town tolerance for divorce was far lower than in big cities; while not quite an unfilial crime, it was close enough.

He didn't usually have much to say to his parents and desperately needed a strong external ally—and his older sister was the best candidate.

"Just take it. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Lu Ya glared fiercely at him. No one knew her brother better than she did; she could see right through his little schemes.