flstandardbreds Chapter 287 The Sucker
Chapter 287 The Sucker
Liu Ling subconsciously picked at her ear. "Lu Mingnan's third uncle is fair in his dealings, yet you want him to help you take someone else's place? Aren't you afraid that Lu Mingnan's family won't like you? Aren't you worried that if you ask him to disregard his own reputation to help you, you can forget about marrying into the Lu family?"
What outrageous remarks!
Cheng Ruolan, however, didn't think she had done anything wrong at all, and retorted earnestly, "That's why I didn't say anything. But even though I didn't say anything, knowing that I was almost a teacher, Lu Yuanqing wasn't willing to lend me a hand. He probably still doesn't like me. Is he against me and Lu Mingnan?"
Liu Ling didn't know how she got from the teacher's quota to the issue of liking her, but she was certain of one thing: Cheng Ruolan was definitely out of her mind.
"I haven't heard anything about the Lu family disliking it, so don't overthink it!" At this point, Liu Ling had completely lost the desire to talk to Cheng Ruolan.
This person must be mentally ill.
She could actually ask Lu Yuanqing to help her snatch a teacher's spot without any sense of shame.
If Lu Yuanqing weren't an upright person, he wouldn't have done such a thing.
What if someone else had actually done that for Cheng Ruolan?
What would the people who could have been accepted think?
People who earned their spots through their own abilities lost them just because they didn't have connections?
How can people accept such an outcome?
The key point is that Cheng Ruolan is not ashamed at all, but rather proud of it.
She even felt that since they had a good relationship, she should help her.
They have absolutely no sense of shame.
Liu Ling felt a little contempt for Cheng Ruolan.
Of course, Lu Mingnan did not agree to Cheng Ruolan's gentle advances, which gave Liu Ling a better impression of him.
Although he has the potential to be a sucker, at least he's a good person.
Cheng Ruolan pouted in dissatisfaction.
She wanted to argue, but Liu Ling didn't give her a chance and got up and left the room.
With nowhere to vent her anger, Cheng Ruolan angrily tugged at the small green dragon bamboo weaving in her hand.
Whether it was because she used too much force or for some other reason, the small bamboo weaving of the Azure Dragon just came apart a little.
Cheng Ruolan was taken aback, then hurriedly picked up a small bamboo piece that had popped out, wanting to stuff it in, but couldn't find the right spot.
Cheng Ruolan burst into tears.
uncomfortable.
This was a gift from Lu Mingnan, and she felt bad because she had broken it.
……
Cheng Ruolan was no longer concerned about the quota; her mind was filled with thoughts of how to fix the little green dragon bamboo craft that Lu Mingnan had given her, which she had ruined.
Meanwhile, Lu Mingnan returned home in a less than happy mood.
As soon as he arrived at the gate, before even entering, Lu Mingnan smelled the aroma of food. There were several voices in the main room, all of them cheerful and laughing.
What a good day!
Hearing his family's laughter, Lu Mingnan's sullen face relaxed, and he entered the house with a smile on his face.
The first thing you see is Cheng Xiaobao and Lu Mingzhong each holding a baby, while Lu Mingbei is chasing after them, wanting to hold a baby too.
"Give me a hug, Lu Mingzhong. You've been hugging me for three minutes now. It's time to switch."
"Pah, who told you I only hugged for three minutes?"
"I don't care, that's what I said."
"Hmph, you're blaming me for being slow?"
Lu Mingnan knew what was going on as soon as he saw the scene.
There are now two babies in the family.
Therefore, everyone in the family dotes on the two babies.
Specifically, this manifests as wanting to give away any good things one sees.
Babies who don't cry or fuss and aren't shy around strangers are often the ones everyone wants to hold.
Lu Mingbei and the other two were no exception.
Every day after school, the first thing I do is run to Cheng Xia's and Lu Yuanbo's houses to hug and kiss the baby.
Whenever Lu Mingdong and Lu Yuanbo bring their family over, the three of them would vie to hold them.
Lu Mingnan didn't stop walking. He smiled and said, "It seems we still don't have enough children. Fourth Uncle, Brother Xiaodong, you need to hurry up! At least we should each have one!"
As Lu Mingnan spoke, he took Tuantuan from Cheng Xiaobao's hands.
Cheng Xiaobao looked at his empty hands, "..."
Lu Mingbei usually likes to compete with Lu Mingzhong, so he can usually hold the baby and play with him for a long time.
Lu Mingdong snorted coldly, "Why don't you just work hard yourself?"
“That’s right, you’re not young anymore. If you want a baby, go have one yourself.” Lu Yuanbo said as he stepped forward and carried his daughter back.
Now it was Lu Mingnan's turn to look at himself empty-handed with an innocent expression.
"Hehe, speaking of which, Xiao Nan, I heard you're dating a former educated youth. How's it going? Will we be able to attend your wedding this year?" Cheng He, who had been sitting and drinking tea, asked with a smile.
Although Lu Mingdong became a son-in-law who moved into the daughter's family home.
However, since the two families lived in the same village and were close, they naturally gained a reputation for living in the Cheng family's house with Lu Mingdong.
However, the relationship between the Lu family and the Cheng family did not become distant; on the contrary, they became even closer.
They can get together for a meal for any occasion.
Today is Lu Mingbei and Lu Mingzhong's birthday.
Lu Yuanqing had already instructed Lu Yuanbo, who was going to the commune today, to buy a lot of good things to bring home, just to cook a sumptuous dinner and have the whole family get together.
It could have been done at noon.
It just so happens that there's an exam coming up!
Some people were chatting in the main room, while others were busy in the kitchen.
Head chefs Xie Qianyu and Cheng Xia, along with Cheng Jun and Lu Yuanqing, assisted in the cooking.
Not long after Lu Mingnan arrived home, Lu Yuanqing also returned from his private plot, carrying vegetables he had grown himself.
"It's almost time, which of you will go to Uncle Zhao's and Uncle's house to call for help?" Lu Yuanqing casually assigned the task.
It's been like this for years. Whenever something good happens and he wants to cook something delicious, he'll have someone invite the other two families.
Lu Yuanqing and his family always remembered that when they were on the verge of starvation, it was Lu Guobin who brought them some food, allowing them to survive.
As for Zhao Zhongcai, the two families were close.
"I'll go!" Lu Mingnan decisively raised his hand and ran out of the house without waiting for Lu Yuanqing to say anything.
Immediately, everyone in the room burst into laughter.
Lu Yuanqing was left alone, carrying the groceries he had brought back, looking at him with a completely bewildered expression.
Why are you laughing like that?
"Haha, Second Brother Cheng kept asking Xiao Nan about his marriage, and the kid got shy!" Lu Yuanbo explained with a laugh.
Lu Yuanqing raised an eyebrow, understanding.
"You're too young, or maybe you're just too shy. You didn't even think to take this opportunity to announce your wedding date." Cheng He laughed until his stomach hurt.
Lu Yuanqing rolled his eyes at him speechlessly, "You, as an elder, are making fun of a child, how dare you say that?"
Cheng He didn't think it was a big deal at all. "So what? If it were me, I wouldn't wait even a day longer to marry her."
Cheng Xia, who had been busy in the kitchen, had just come out when she heard Cheng He's words and couldn't help but say, "Grandma said that you blushed when you saw Mom, Dad. When you went on your blind date, no one needed to ask you what you thought. They could just tell what you were thinking by looking at your flushed face."
"Then, after both sides were satisfied, Grandma said that every time you went out on a date with Mom, you were only shy and didn't know how to chat at all, which made Mom think that you were not satisfied with her, and she was even planning to tell Grandma to give up."
Cheng He: "..." 6!
Everyone: "..." Oh no!
Cheng He: "Your grandma is talking nonsense." He's a tough guy; he would never do something so shameful or embarrassing.
Cheng Xia: "...Are you making this up? Didn't Grandma say that after you found out Mom wanted to break off the engagement, you were so scared that you ran straight to Mom, but you were too tongue-tied to explain clearly and even made Mom cry!"
Cheng He: "..."
Everyone: "..."
"Pfft!"
Laughter always stands out in the silence.
As if they had discovered something, everyone looked toward the source of the laughter.
After laughing, Cheng Xiaobao suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly covered his mouth.
Pfft!!!
Immediately, everyone burst into laughter.
Cheng Xia suddenly realized that she had revealed Cheng He's embarrassing story; her sweet little darling had let the cat out of the bag.
Feeling embarrassed, she subconsciously looked at Lu Mingdong.
A distinct smile appeared on the other person's face, which usually didn't show much emotion.
She glared at him, a little embarrassed and annoyed.
Lu Mingdong saw it and responded with a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth.
Cheng Xia felt she couldn't stay in the main room any longer, so she quickly took the dishes from Lu Yuanqing's hands and turned to go into the kitchen.
……
In the countryside, no one cares about a child's birthday.
Perhaps it's because I'm a young child that I care about more.
Because on this day, parents seem to be more tolerant of them.
You can even get to eat delicious food.
Foods that are not usually eaten often become commonplace on this day.
Of course, all of this depends on family circumstances.
The same applies to the Lu family.
Within their means, they will create an even more unforgettable birthday experience for the children in their family.
All kinds of fish, pork, chicken, and eggs were served.
You can also receive a birthday gift.
This started with Lu Yuanqing.
He would give them a birthday present every year on their birthdays.
Sometimes it's something they really need at the time, sometimes it's something they like to eat or play, and sometimes when they're too busy to give it to them, they'll be given a red envelope with money inside.
Anyway, Lu Yuanqing always kept them in mind.
Lu Mingbei and Lu Mingzhong will never forget that on their birthdays, their third uncle would buy them lots of food and invite relatives and friends to their home to celebrate.
They will never forget such a rare experience.
Even when they grow up or even get old, these beautiful childhood memories will remain deeply imprinted in their minds, and they will savor them slowly.
……
After celebrating the two little ones' birthdays, the Lu family returned to normal, with everyone busy with their own affairs.
Lu Mingnan, however, could not remain calm.
He remembered what Cheng He and the others said that day, even though it was a joke.
Let's get married!
I get a little excited thinking about it.
After this happened several times, Lu Mingnan knew that he wanted to get married, and wanted to marry Cheng Ruolan.
However, because Cheng Ruolan failed to become a teacher, she is never in a good mood whenever the two meet.
Every time Lu Mingnan asked why, he would hear that it was because he was troubled by not being able to become a teacher.
After this happened several times, Lu Mingnan became annoyed.
Why is Cheng Ruolan still holding onto this matter even though it's all in the past?
Lu Mingnan felt that if things continued like this, something unpleasant might happen, so he decided to have a serious talk with Cheng Ruolan.
But before talking, he wanted to find someone to ask about the situation properly.
Liu Ling looked at the person in front of her, recalling what he had just said, and was speechless and bewildered.
"No, you're dating, Cheng Ruolan is your girlfriend, why don't you ask her when you have questions?"
Liu Ling was speechless and almost laughed.
Lu Mingnan's expression remained unchanged. Even though he keenly sensed a hint of mockery in Liu Ling's tone, he stood calmly and said, "You two are good friends. You spent more time together at the educated youth settlement than I did. And since you're both girls, you must understand what she's thinking better than I do. So I want to ask you, do you know why she cares so much about the teacher's spot?"
Liu Ling blinked, looking a little dazed.
Are she and Cheng Ruolan good friends?
When did this happen?
How could she, as the person involved, not know?
and also……
How did Lu Mingnan figure that out?
Was her relationship with Cheng Ruolan merely a matter of saving face, as they were both sent-down youth?
and also……
"Hey, as her boyfriend, shouldn't you know her better than I do?" Liu Ling was utterly speechless.
When this was mentioned, Lu Mingnan scratched his head sheepishly, then looked puzzled and said, "I don't know either! She's been in a bad mood lately. I know it's because of her failure to be selected, but I just don't understand why she can't accept the established facts. I'm the dumbest one, I don't know how to comfort her. Even though I've thought of many ways to comfort her and tried to do them, it's not very effective."
To be honest, Lu Mingnan was a little tired.
The matter is actually very simple.
He just couldn't understand why Cheng Ruolan kept dwelling on it and why she seemed so sad all the time because she couldn't become a teacher.
What's the big deal?
His third uncle once told him that as long as a person is alive, it is impossible for things to always go smoothly.
There are always things you hope for but can't have.
You can't let one setback in your life make you dwell on failure!
Actually, Lu Yuanqing was reprimanding Lu Yuanbo when he said that.
The original quote was, "It's such a trivial matter that you can't eat or sleep. What's the big deal? You don't even live long anyway."
Lu Mingnan was open-minded; he easily accepted that he might be the most educated person in his family.
It is easy to accept that others are better than oneself.
He also readily accepts that what is not his own, he will never force.
He didn't understand, but Liu Ling understood Cheng Ruolan very well.
She didn't want to get involved in the troubles between young couples.
Her mind wasn't on helping others.
But when she saw Lu Mingnan's troubled face, she subconsciously thought of the time when he helped her carry the basket.
Liu Ling sighed silently to herself, "Oh well, I'll just consider it repaying that favor from last time."
"She just wanted to be a teacher, and she was sad because she didn't become one."