Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred
Lu Wanli naturally adored his grandson Ruisheng, nodding emphatically, “Good, good, good, this is the bearing our Lu Family children should have.”
Having said that, he addressed Ruiming, “Although you’ve never served in the military, you can’t keep idling your days away. Starting tomorrow, you should join the guards for morning exercises early.”
Huang Suzhen hurriedly said, “Mingming’s leg still isn’t healed.”
Lu Wanli replied, “He can start with his upper body. With the apocalypse upon us, even within the Base, safety isn’t guaranteed. If one day we need to run, and he can’t keep up, how would that be acceptable?”
His words left Huang Suzhen without a response.
Lu Jianshe listened to his nephew and niece-in-law defeat Huang Suzhen and felt a sense of achievent. Although he hadn’t said much, he was filled with the joy of victory.
He said to Lu Wanli, “Dad, it’s getting late, I should also head back.” He wasn’t worried about these two children being bullied here, no one in this house could outmatch them.
Lu Wanli nodded, “Okay, tomorrow you and Su Qing co over for dinner and have a family reunion.”
Lu Jianshe didn’t object, “Mm, we’ll co back for dinner tomorrow night.”
After speaking, he bid farewell to the elders, told Ruisheng and Gu Pan he would see them tomorrow, and then he left for ho, where many good things awaited him.
Once Lu Jianshe had left, Lu Wanli looked at Gu Pan and Ruisheng, “You two, co with to the study, I have sothing to tell you.”
Both were already curious about the third-floor study, which was one of their targets. It certainly contained many important docunts. If one of them could distract the old man, the other could search for information. So they quickly followed Lu Wanli upstairs.
Huang Suzhen and Ruiming were thus left in the living room. The affectionate grandparent and grandchild now felt a bit awkward.
Ruiming softly asked Huang Suzhen, “Grandma, did I embarrass you?”
Huang Suzhen shook her head, “Silly child, no. We don’t have to be like Ruisheng, struggling and fighting to our last breath. Leaving the Base isn’t good; being capable during the apocalypse is not good; it’s dangerous. I just hope you’ll be safe and sound, and later give a great-grandchild, then we’ll be the fortunate ones. We don’t need to work as hard as they do. They’re destined for a life of toil.”
Perhaps saying this made Huang Suzhen feel a bit better; otherwise, she was truly very jealous, intensely jealous.
She didn’t even notice her own self-contradictory words because, indeed, she had been unsettled today. Too long a period of comfort, and she was caught off guard by the two youngsters.
Hearing Huang Suzhen speak this way, Ruiming felt much more at ease, “Grandma, I’ll also work hard in the future. Even if I don’t go out, I should still make you proud.”
Huang Suzhen was pleased her grandson spoke like this, “Mingming is really the most considerate.”
Upstairs in the study, the three sat down on the sofa.
The study was large; facing the door was a window, and by the window stood a desk, covered with docunts.
To the east was a wall of bookshelves, filled to the brim. These didn’t seem like ordinary books. If not mistaken, they were all about agriculture, construction, and various technologies, in other words, books of significant value for future reconstruction.
On the west side were sofas and a coffee table, a more comfortable seating area for discussing matters with guests.
Lu Wanli sat in the middle of the large sofa facing the front, while Gu Pan and Ruisheng took their places on single sofas on each side, one to the north and one to the south.
Tea was set on the table, and Gu Pan refilled everyone’s cups—it wouldn’t do to let the elders pour their own tea.
After replenishing the tea, Lun Wanli was the first to speak, “I just heard about what happened on your journey. I had no idea the two of you were so capable, saving a whole team of people. You’re truly worthy of the Lu family.”
Inside, Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan were thinking, what does this have to do with us being mbers of the Lu family?
However, they couldn’t voice those thoughts out loud. Lu Ruisheng could only respond modestly, “It’s just that we have fought a lot outside and have accumulated so experience.”
Lun Wanli nodded satisfactorily, “Good, good. Intelligent and capable, you are truly promising.”
Then he continued, “I heard so things about you two from your Second Uncle. I was truly surprised by your contributions to the Seventh Base. Tell about your ventures outside, and how you found the fertilized eggs.”
Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan already had a joint version of events to share publicly, so Lu Ruisheng answered, “We have a familiar forest outside, which contains a large cave with openings to the North and South. There’s a variety of wildlife inside. So after the acid rain, we went straight there and found two clutches of eggs.”
Lun Wanli nodded, “You were also lucky. I heard you fought wild pigs three tis? They are very aggressive and often appear in groups. Have either of you ever been injured?”
Gu Pan shook her head, “We only went after solitary pigs. We certainly wouldn’t dare provoke a pack.”
She was blatantly making things up with a straight face.
Lun Wanli took their story seriously, “The two of you are truly young and brave. In the future, don’t rush into danger recklessly.”
Both Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng agreed.
Then Lun Wanli asked them further, “Why did you choose to beco Scavengers so resolutely at the beginning?”
Lu Ruisheng said, “When we were living outside the base, we had our own rhythm and believed there was room for good developnt outside. But we also believed in the base, so we chose to enter and beca Scavengers.”
Lun Wanli strongly agreed, “Good, a clear thought process. Good children, seeing you makes feel that the Lu family’s future is hopeful.”
Having said this, he sighed deeply before speaking again, “Not finding you in those years was Grandfather’s incompetence, causing you to suffer.”
Lu Ruisheng didn’t want to dwell on this subject because he didn’t care about the old man’s guilt or apologies. If the old man hadn’t listened to grandma’s pillow talk, how could he not have found him?
But now he needed to get the old man’s attention to allow Gu Pan a chance to look at the docunts on the desk. Gu Pan had already spoken with the old man, and it was about ti to draw his full attention to himself.
So he moved closer to Lun Wanli, “Grandfather, you don’t need to bla yourself so much. Perhaps so things are simply ant to be. Here I am back, right?”
Lun Wanli looked at his grandson in front of him, feeling truly content, “Good child, I’ve thought of many ways to compensate you, but then you returned during the apocalypse. There’s so little I can offer you now.”
Lu Ruisheng held Lun Wanli’s hand, “Grandfather, I don’t need any compensation. I’m already very happy to have found you; at least I know I’m not a child nobody wanted.”
After saying that, he bowed his head, portraying great sadness, “Grandfather doesn’t know. Back in the orphanage, I would watch the entrance every day, hoping for families to co and adopt. I had a na and a birth date, so I waited every day for my family to co and take back ho. I thought maybe they had so troubles, that’s why they temporarily left in the orphanage. I waited eighteen years until I was of age, and when no one ca, I gave up waiting.”
Lun Wanli’s tears ca down as he listened, and he embraced Lu Ruisheng, “Child, you’ve suffered. These years have truly been hard on you.”
Lu Ruisheng continued to speak of his hardships while embracing Lun Wanli, glancing at Gu Pan and signaling her to hurry.
After all, Lu Ruisheng was not one for dramatic acting, especially when it ca to laying on the emotional family drama.
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