Chapter 45: The Best Reinforcement

"Uncle, uncle, we want to ride in the car too."

Seeing Lu Liang about to leave, his two nephews hurriedly ran back out. Lu Ya shot them a glare and snapped, "Get back inside!"

The two children scurried back into the house like mice dodging a cat, not daring to look back. Lu Liang clapped in admiration, "My sister, still as fierce as ever."

Uncharacteristically, Lu Ya didn't get mad. A rare trace of long-lost gentleness surfaced in the depths of her eyes: "Ah-liang, you seem to have changed a lot lately."

Her younger brother had been a very lively boy since childhood, but ever since he got married, he had gradually grown silent.

Even though both brother and sister had started their own families and in recent years only met once a year, she could sense that the pressure from his wife and family was simply too heavy for Lu Liang. Yet, she had been unable to help him with anything. Now that Lu Liang had returned to the carefree young man he used to be, Lu Ya was genuinely happy.

"Sister, please get in."

Lu Liang walked halfway around the car, imitating hotel concierge Tan Tao, and very chivalrously opened the front passenger door.

"Show-off," Lu Ya chuckled, scolding him playfully.

A deep, low roar echoed as the yellow Lamborghini Urus carried the siblings toward home.

Nearby neighbors came out one after another to see what was happening. Seeing Lu Ya getting into the car, someone couldn't help asking, "Who is that? Why did sister-in-law get in a car with him?"

Someone else chimed in, "That looks like Lu Ya's younger brother, the one working in Shanghai."

"Isn't that car a Raging Bull? Costs a few million, right? Old Luo, did your brother-in-law strike it rich?"

Luo Haitong retorted unhappily, "Whether he struck it rich is his own business. Why are you all sticking your noses into it?"

"You can't put it that way. When a man achieves greatness, even his dogs and chickens ascend to heaven. Look, aren't you smoking Soft Chunghwa cigarettes now because of him?"

Luo Haitong glared at the man, had no choice but to hand out a few cigarettes, and then waved his hand to disperse the crowd, "Go on, back to whatever you were doing."

...

Meanwhile, Lu Liang was driving along the rural road leading back to the village.

Lu Ya asked him how much the car cost. Lu Liang gave a vague reply, saying it was probably several hundred thousand yuan, only to receive a playful punch from her.

Lu Ya picked up her phone and said indignantly, "Do you take me for a bumpkin? A car worth over three million yuan, and you call it several hundred thousand?"

She couldn't help starting to worry. He had bought a luxury car worth more than three million yuan in just a few months—could the money possibly be obtained legally?

Lu Ya said with utmost seriousness, "Just in case something happens one day, if you can run, you better run right away. I'm here at home to take care of Mom and Dad."

Lu Liang suddenly laughed, "Sis, don't you worry. This money is 100% legitimate; otherwise, how would I dare start a company?"

"Hah, the Second Uncle Wu from the neighboring village said the exact same thing back then, and after he was arrested, people found out he was selling counterfeit liquor."

"Your imagination is running wild. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Lu Liang smiled bitterly. There weren't many people who could completely keep him in check, but Lu Ya definitely counted as one. After all, when they were kids, their parents were busy, and boys of the same age tended to mature later than girls. The only reason he had grown up safe and sound was entirely thanks to his sister's mercy in sparing his life.

Lu Ya suddenly looked ahead and said softly, "Now that you have money, don't just think about yourself; keep Mom and Dad in mind too."

Luhe Village, where they were born, was just up ahead. In the rural areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, keeping up with the Joneses was a widespread trend, and every household had built three- or four-story Western-style villas. Even if families had no money, they would borrow to build one. Yet, right in the middle of these villas stood an old one-and-a-half-story single-family house, looking remarkably out of place sandwiched between the towering buildings.

"I will," Lu Liang nodded heavily.

That single-story house was his and his sister's childhood home, and by now it must have been thirty-two years old. They had actually considered tearing it down and rebuilding in the past, but Lu Liang had stayed in Shanghai and planned to settle down there. Their parents supported his choice and even helped pitch in to cover the down payment, so naturally, there was no money left to renovate the old house.

At eight o'clock on a summer evening, it was one of the most active hours for the rural intelligence network.

The siblings' home was not far from the river, and the pavilion by the river served as one of the primary intelligence hubs. A yellow SUV that looked exceedingly expensive flashed past, instantly sparking heated discussions among the villagers.

"Was that car a Jinbei minibus?"

"A Jinbei my foot! You can tell by the name Jinbei that it's just a regular van, and that logo is a Golden Bull."

"Golden Bull? How does that compare to BMW and Mercedes?"

"It's probably not as good, right?"

"No way, why does it look even more expensive than Fengchun's X3?"

"Duh, a BMW X3 only costs a little over 300,000, but this one must be close to 4 million."

A knowledgeable young man simply couldn't listen to any more nonsense. He stared at the car, his mouth practically watering.

A Lamborghini Urus—the dream car of every man.

"4 million? You're exaggerating."

"Why did that car park at Hammer's house?"

"Holy crap, isn't that Hammer's eldest daughter? And his youngest son?"

Curious to get a closer look, the villagers gradually gathered around.

"Third Granduncle, Uncle Laochun... out enjoying the evening breeze?"

Lu Liang greeted several elders he recognized, and regardless of whether he knew them or not, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed them out all around.

"Soft Chunghwa? Hammer's boy must have struck it rich lately."

Lu Liang's father was named Lu Jiancheng, but almost no one in the village used his given name; they all called him Lu Hammer. The story went that back when he was young, he fought someone with a hammer, achieved instant fame from that single battle, and the nickname had stuck for forty or fifty years. Since Lu Liang was his son, he was naturally called Little Hammer. It wasn't meant as mockery; it was simply that the elders didn't know the names of the younger generation, only their parents, so everyone was referred to as "so-and-so's kid."

"Just running a small business," Lu Liang opened the trunk and took out two packs of Soft Chunghwa for the two elderly elders he knew. He added, "Third Granduncle, Uncle Laochun, enjoy the breeze. My sister and I are going inside first."

Upon receiving the cigarettes, the old men beamed from ear to ear and told the crowd, "Alright, disperse, disperse."

Uncle Laochun called out to Lu Liang, "Little Hammer, come over to my place for tea when you have time."

"Yeah, okay."

Carrying large and small bags, Lu Liang and Lu Ya pushed open the front door directly. In the countryside, as long as someone was home, doors were rarely locked except when sleeping at night.

Their parents were watching TV inside, the volume so loud that they hadn't even heard the commotion outside.

Seeing the siblings, the parents were momentarily stunned. "Why are both of you back?"

The father reacted first and hurriedly closed the front door—family scandals shouldn't be aired in public—completely failing to notice the car parked outside.

The mother was still asking, "Where is Wenjing?"

Lu Liang paused, then repeated what he had just told his sister, temporarily omitting the part about selling the house and striking it rich. After all, his mother had high blood pressure and should be allowed to process one piece of news at a time before hearing the next.

His mother's face immediately flushed with anger, "How could you get a divorce, and just like that, keeping it a secret from me?"

Seeing that the mood was turning sour, Lu Ya stepped forward to comfort her, "Mom, didn't you say that ever since Wenjing went to Shanghai with Ah-liang, she's been getting lazier and lazier? Honestly, Ah-liang divorcing her is practically a blessing."

"Besides, look at how handsome my younger brother is—do you think he'll have trouble finding a wife? Nowadays, men who have been married twice are even more sought after."

Lu Ya had her own special ways of handling their mother, whose attention was instantly diverted: "Sought after my foot! Do you know how much money your brother spent to get married in the first place? Who's going to marry him now that he has no money?"

Lu Ya said with a mischievous smile, "Then have you ever thought that your younger brother might have struck it rich? By then, you'll have a line of girls queuing up to be your daughter-in-law."

"Stop constantly daydreaming about getting rich. All Mom hopes for is that you two can live in peace and stability," their mother said earnestly.

"Well, I guess peace and stability are out of the question now," Lu Ya said in a teasing and relaxed tone, gesturing with her chin toward the small surveillance camera next to the television.

She smiled and said, "Didn't you guys notice that Ah-liang drove me here in a car?"

"When did he buy a car?"

Not just the mother; the father was dumbfounded too. He only knew about Lu Liang's divorce and had no idea he had bought a car.

"Confession brings leniency, resistance brings strictness."

Putting on a stern face, Lu Ya suddenly sided with their parents, yet still secretly flashed an "OK" sign to Lu Liang. The biggest bombshell had already been defused by her; as long as he made a frank confession now, he would be treated leniently. After all, the parents' intense reaction to the divorce was purely out of fear that their child might end up lonely and old all by himself. But if he had money, things would be completely different.

"You sold your house and started a company?" The parents' expressions were an exact replica of Lu Ya's just moments before.

They harbored the exact same worry as Lu Ya, fearing the money was obtained illegally and that he might be arrested one day to eat government-provided meals.

Lu Liang explained for a long time, and having no other choice, he finally pulled up Qcc.com on his phone: "Look, Tianxing Capital. I am the legal representative, I am the shareholder, and the registered subscribed capital is a full 6 million yuan."

"If my money wasn't acquired legally, how would I dare openly start a company? That would just be walking right into a trap."