Chapter 157: Mu Leng Calls!
After the fine rain stopped, Lu Cheng wiped the water stains off his electric scooter before standing still and making a phone call.
“Mom, I’m not coming back for dinner today!” At 5:35 PM, Lu Cheng got off work on time and called Tian Hui to report again.
However, what Lu Cheng didn’t expect was that Professor Chen Song, who had already left, deliberately turned back a few hundred steps to get closer and look at him.
His gaze was as if he were looking at something peculiar.
But seeing Lu Cheng on the phone, he didn’t speak, only tapped Lu Cheng with his index finger, then swayed away, swaying and swaying.
After all, in the past, Lu Cheng wouldn’t leave the ward before midnight, but now he was getting off work punctually at 5:30.
It has to be said, this thing called love can make both the spirit and the body doubly captivated; this was Professor Chen Song’s thought at the moment…
Lu Cheng was quite thick-skinned and didn’t even blush. After hanging up Tian Hui’s phone, he rode his electric scooter to pick up Mu Nanshu.
At 6:10 PM, Lu Cheng saw Mu Nanshu at the entrance of the county bus station. He signaled her to sit on the back seat and put on a helmet before asking, “Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?”
“Ah, I thought my grandpa was still at home. After I ran back, I found out he had gone to Jishi City to visit friends, so it was a wasted trip.”
“It’s fine to visit other relatives, no need to stay overnight.”
Mu Nanshu said, then chuckled again, “Half an hour after I called my grandpa, my dad called, saying he was scolded badly by grandpa.”
“My dad and grandpa will probably be back tonight.”
Lu Cheng said, “Then Uncle Mu must have been scolded badly.”
Mu Nanshu had been abroad for so many years, and she was the only granddaughter. She went back to Long County specifically to see her grandpa, but he wasn’t home. The problem was Mu Leng hadn’t mentioned it to the old man.
Mu Nanshu’s father, Mu Leng, had three siblings. Among his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, except for Mu Nanshu, all the others were sons, so she was very precious.
“Then what about your uncle? Didn’t he ask you to stay overnight?” Lu Cheng asked.
Mu Nanshu shifted her sitting position slightly backward, but since there was nowhere else to adjust, she also blushed and hugged Lu Cheng’s sturdy shoulder.
“Don’t mention my uncle. He intended to keep me and even wanted to set me up on a blind date.”
“The blind date is with my aunt’s nephew.” Mu Nanshu’s tone was slightly annoyed.
“Is that the one who got a civil servant position in Jishi City?” Lu Cheng asked.
Mu Nanshu said, “Yes! The most infuriating thing is that he always brings you up as a reference.”
“What is this…” Mu Nanshu’s tone suddenly became exceptionally sharp.
Lu Cheng said, “Perhaps in their eyes, I’m doing much worse than her nephew now, so a comparison like this is normal.”
“The key is, you’re just too sought after.” Lu Cheng made a joke.
Mu Nanshu said, “Never mind that he’s my aunt’s nephew; he’s just a small shareholder in Jishi City, acting like he’s impossible to find in the world.”
“I really don’t know where he gets his confidence…”
“So angry?” Lu Cheng also heard that Mu Nanshu was in a particularly bad mood.
Mu Nanshu didn’t reply anymore, just let her hands slide down, completely wrapping around Lu Cheng’s waist, her thoughts unknown.
Lu Cheng didn’t ask any further questions.
Lu Cheng originally wanted to take Mu Nanshu out to eat, but when they passed the market, Mu Nanshu asked Lu Cheng to buy groceries, and Lu Cheng complied.
One jin of beef ribs, one chicken, half a jin of eggplant, one cabbage, plus some side dishes.
…
As soon as they arrived home, Mu Nanshu used her fingerprint to open the security door. As Lu Cheng heard his phone ringing, the door opened.
The caller ID showed Mu Leng, Mu Nanshu’s father.
Lu Cheng just lit up the phone screen for Mu Nanshu, and she proactively said, “Then I’ll start cooking and preparing the dishes. You can cut them after your call.”
“Okay!”
Then, Lu Cheng answered the phone, “Uncle Mu, have you eaten dinner yet?”
Mu Leng: “No time to eat yet, just got scolded. Sigh…”
After Mu Leng sighed, he smiled and asked, “Xiao Lu, how did you and Xiao Shu decide things between you?”
“Back then, your parents and I were quite confused. Xiao Shu suddenly said she wanted to go abroad, so the engagement matter became impossible to finalize.”
Mu Leng, being very adept at social graces, first presented his daughter’s shortcomings to Lu Cheng.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng lowered his head and said, “Uncle, it was that both Xiao Shu and I were too young before. We felt like if things didn’t go as expected, the sky would fall.”
“Xiao Shu’s decision to go abroad for further studies was a very correct one.”
“As for me, I’m a bit of a drag on Xiao Shu now, but we are also discussing specific solutions.”
Looking back, Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu back then were indeed not very mature.
Lu Cheng didn’t blame his past self, nor did he blame Mu Nanshu back then.
Mu Leng stated his attitude: “Xiao Lu, you are a good child, smart and sensible. Uncle has always thought highly of you.”
“Therefore, when you and Xiao Shu often played and studied together, Uncle never interfered because I knew you both had your limits.”
“However, now that you’ve grown up, you must understand that if you want to become a family, it’s best not to have too much distance between you.”
“My biggest regret now is not giving Xiao Shu the most ample companionship when she needed it most. Instead, I chose to go out and strive.”
Lu Cheng replied with a smile, “Uncle, please don’t say that. You might think that way, but in reality, your decision back then was not wrong.”
“Economic foundation is also very, very important.”
“Uncle, yes, if a family can’t stay together, it’s a big loss, and I understand that too.”
Mu Leng interrupted Lu Cheng, “If you can’t advance, Xiao Shu said she could step back.”
“I also respect her wishes, but I don’t want you to feel embarrassed and be in a stalemate just because you care too much about your pride.”
“Do you understand what Uncle means?”
Mu Leng’s words made Lu Cheng feel a pang in his heart, yet also a sense of warmth.
This meant that Mu Nanshu had indeed talked it over properly with Mu Leng and the others, and Mu Nanshu’s statement that she could develop in a prefecture-level city was not just a casual remark.
Lu Cheng nodded, “Uncle, I understand. Thank you and Aunt for understanding and supporting us.”
“Actually, to be more precise, it wasn’t that we were particularly ignorant back then; it was that Xiao Shu had such a fierce argument that it was difficult for her to stay.”
“As for me, I’ve always wanted to prove that Xiao Shu’s argument wasn’t in vain, so I became a bit proud and stubborn, refusing to retake the exam.”
“On this matter, I was very childish and a bit vain! But on more core issues, I wouldn’t be particularly stubborn.”
“Back then, it was I who made Nanshu decide to go abroad to study. We can’t completely give up just because of my failure.”
“To say something you might find foolish, if it’s about becoming stubborn, it’s enough for me to be rigid alone; Nanshu is innocent.”
“However, so many years have passed, and the facts have proven that I was indeed very childish. I have proven my failure, and it was a complete failure.”
After Lu Cheng finished speaking, he glanced at Mu Nanshu in the kitchen, “But one thing, Nanshu hasn’t let me lose.”
“Uncle, if there’s really no chance to venture out, and Xiao Shu is still willing, returning would also be a very good option.”
Lu Cheng summarized the events of that year.
Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu had agreed to settle in Magic City, so naturally, they had to take postgraduate entrance exams for Magic City. Lu Cheng, who was first in the written examination, failed the second round!
Can Lu Cheng be blamed? No.
But Mu Nanshu and Lu Cheng were definitely unwilling to accept it, so they had a big fight. The argument was so fierce that Mu Nanshu found it difficult to save face, so Lu Cheng persuaded her to go abroad.
Lu Cheng himself, holding onto the echoes of that argument, had been dragging his feet stubbornly for so many years…
Mu Leng thought for a moment and stopped asking about past events.
Mu Leng knew Mu Nanshu’s personality best. Regarding the events of that year, Mu Leng was helpless; what was he capable of?
Of course, what Mu Leng could do was use his wealth to support his daughter in making the choices she liked.
Mu Leng couldn’t interfere with Lu Cheng’s decisions either.
Lu Cheng’s considerations were well-founded and not exaggerated, which made Mu Leng believe him a little.
Mu Leng then said, “If you need some financial support, Uncle can help you.”
“I heard from Xiao Shu that there are many advanced study classes for doctors like you, which would greatly benefit you.”
Mu Leng also doted on his daughter, but his thinking was relatively progressive. If he couldn’t correct his daughter’s choices, he would think about how to make the person she chose even better.
Of course, the premise for doing so was that Mu Leng knew Lu Cheng was a promising prospect.
If Lu Cheng were a good-for-nothing scoundrel, he wouldn’t rule out breaking Mu Nanshu’s legs and locking her up.
“Uncle, that’s not necessary. I’ve saved quite a bit of money while working all these years,” Lu Cheng said.
Mu Leng’s tone was gentle, “See, being impulsive again, aren’t you?”
“Some money is better spent sooner for enjoyment. You can borrow it first and repay it later. If you truly have confidence in yourself, even with interest, you won’t care about this money in the future.”
“Unless you yourself have no intention of progressing.”
Lu Cheng was momentarily speechless.
Lu Cheng had expected Mu Leng to look down on him or support him and Mu Nanshu, but he hadn’t expected Mu Leng to say this.
This move caught Lu Cheng a bit off guard.
Seeing Lu Cheng’s silence, Mu Leng continued, “Xiao Lu, some things shouldn’t be said to you, but they just make me uncomfortable to hear.”
“Today, Xiao Shu went back to her hometown and met her uncle and second aunt.”
“Someone else from our hometown called. Her second aunt said that although our family has money, Xiao Shu can’t easily find a partner nearby.”
“Because those who know her well know what happened before. They were going to get engaged, so she’s considered ‘second-hand’ now.”
“Not many people are not picky. Her nephew doesn’t mind, and he has a good job… Hearing this makes my heart feel so heavy…”
The weather was slightly cool, and the empty room had a cold breeze; there was no need to turn on the air conditioner.
Lu Cheng was a bit stunned, “What?”
“Uncle, is there some misunderstanding? How could Xiao Shu’s uncle and aunt say such hurtful things?”
Damn it, Lu Cheng’s brain was twisted.
Mu Nanshu’s own aunt said that her nephew wouldn’t dislike Mu Nanshu because they were family, so they knew her inside out, implying she wasn’t a “broken shoe”???
Even a relative with ten years of brain damage wouldn’t say such venomous words, right?
“Part of the reason is that I had a falling out with his second uncle before, and another part is…”
“Sigh, gossip is terrible.”
“Regardless of whether you admit it or not, Xiao Lu, between two people from the same village, the girl is always at a disadvantage.”
“There’s nothing that can be done about gossip and rumors,” Mu Leng said helplessly.
Mu Leng was very wealthy, but wealth couldn’t control people’s tongues.
To say that Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu were “arrogant” in the past, it wasn’t really so; they were classmates, and going to and from school together was normal.
Mu Leng knew that the relationship between Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu was a pure classmate relationship.
But others didn’t understand…
Mu Leng and his wife were not at home, and Lu Cheng often went to Mu Nanshu’s old house.
They said they were doing homework, but outsiders would wonder if they were doing homework or if it was a man and a woman alone.
Of course, they were young at the time, and such gossip wouldn’t spread among two junior high and high school students unless they wanted Mu Leng to fly into a rage and start chopping people.
But that was back then.
Mu Leng continued, “Of course, Xiao Shu was even more angry when my second brother said Nanshu was picking up scraps, and that you’re just from a county hospital, not even half as good as her wife’s nephew…”
Lu Cheng covered his forehead.
Lu Cheng took a deep breath and calmly said, “Uncle, please don’t be angry. We can’t afford to offend people like that, so we can only avoid them.”
“I don’t know how to evaluate their thinking.”
Lu Cheng himself had uncles and elder uncles, but perhaps their wealth differences were not large, so even his most distant uncle’s family had no conflicts.
They were always polite when they met.
“Xiao Lu, if I hadn’t heard all this today, I really wouldn’t have called to bother you.”
“But you know, Uncle isn’t feeling well,” Mu Leng said, very familiar with Lu Cheng.
When Mu Nanshu was abroad, Mu Leng often came to Lu Cheng’s house for drinks, so he was considered a relatively close elder.
Therefore, it was understandable that Mu Leng was suddenly confiding his troubles to Lu Cheng at this moment.
Lu Cheng thought for a moment and said softly, “Uncle, can I brag to you privately for a moment?”
“It definitely won’t take two years for all this gossip to disappear completely!”
Mu Leng thought for a moment before saying, “Xiao Lu, the important thing isn’t that the gossip is silenced, but that you young people need to choose your path well.”
“To put it bluntly, I have been able to scrutinize your character, Lu Cheng, over the years.”
“If your character were bad, I would have broken Nanshu’s legs long ago!”
“And it’s because you’re a bit sensible that it’s made me hesitate,” Mu Leng finally said something impolite.
Mu Leng was also a native of Long County and had a bit of a rough streak himself.
But even with his rough streak, he couldn’t act recklessly.
Having said this, Mu Leng said, “Let’s leave it at that for now… I’ll come over to have a few drinks with your dad in a while…”
“Okay, Uncle.” Lu Cheng hung up the phone, his gaze momentarily becoming indifferent.
