Lu Zhen got up at once when he saw them. “Mom.”
Lin Zhou, on the other hand, did not know where to even put her hands. After thinking about it, she hesitantly greeted the old madam. Her children meekly said, “Granny.”
Matriarch Lu hummed an acknowledgment as she looked at the twin siblings. Although she was not exactly affable toward them, her attitude was not as cold as before. The tension within Lu Yang and Lu Yi ebbed away.
Lu Shangjin, however, was still feeling quite confused, for he had never expected Gu Mang to be so favored by his mother. All it took was a mention of Gu Mang, her future granddaughter-in-law, to appease her anger to the point where she even came out to meet his wife and children.
The old madam walked over to the sofa and sat down at the main seat. As she adjusted the shawl on her shoulders, she looked at Lin Zhou. “Sit.”
Startled, Lin Zhou answered, “Yes. Thank you, old madam.”
Everyone took their seats. Lu Chengzhou led Gu Mang to the single sofa and shared the seat, sitting very close to each other.
While Lu Zhan poured a cup of tea for the old lady, she looked at Lu Shangjin and said concisely, “Lu Yang will defer his studies and stay at Red Scorpion for five years.”
Lin Zhou lifted her head in confusion when she heard that, wondering if Matriarch Lu had acknowledged Lu Yang as her grandson since all the direct descendants of the Lu family had to undergo training at Red Scorpion. When neither she nor her husband gave a response, the old lady’s voice became slightly frigid. “What? Are you not willing to let him go?”
Lu Shangjin immediately snapped to his senses and answered, “No, that’s not it. We’ll do as you say, mom.”
Lu Yang did not say anything about the elders’ decision. Nodding her head, the matriarch turned her gaze to his twin sister. “Lu Yi, do you want to go to Red Scorpion or continue studying at Capital University?”
“I’ll stay at Capital University and complete my studies first, grandma,” replied Lu Yi in a respectful manner.
Matriarch Lu made no comments about it and just waved her hand in irritation. “Alright, that’s it. You may all go back.”
…
At Second Old Master Lu’s courtyard.
“Come again? She arranged for Lu Yang to go to Red Scorpion?!” Second Old Master Lu almost lost his composure when he heard that. That means she’s allowing Lu Shangjin to return to the family!
His secretary continued, “Word has it that the matriarch did not make things difficult for anyone nor did she argue with them. She let them leave after settling Lu Yang and Lu Yi’s affairs.”
Fourth Old Master Lu slammed his teacup on the coffee table out of fury. “Didn’t you say that she flared up at Lu Chengzhou?”
“She did, but she only yelled at him that one time,” answered the secretary with mixed emotions.
With a frown on his face, Fourth Old Master Lu said through clenched teeth, “Didn’t she suspect anything when Gu Mang said that she’s had Lu Shangjin and his family’s backs?” That fellow was up to no good when he brought her here to treat our mother! We all thought that she’d tell them to scram! Not only did nothing happen to them, she’s also forgiven Lu Shangjin for what happened in the past!
The secretary did not dare say anything as the Fourth Old Master poured himself another cup of tea and drank it all in one go to suppress his anger.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps could be heard coming from outside. Lu Ruoshui, along with a few other people from the branch families, entered the house moments later. He asked sullenly, “Second Brother, have you heard the news?”
“Yes,” replied Second Old Master Lu.
Lu Ruoshui sat down on the sofa before asking, “What are you going to do about it?” We won’t be able to get Lu Shangjin on our side since he’s on Lu Zhan’s side.
The Second Madam pursed her lips. “She’s probably only allowing it for Gu Mang’s sake.”
Lu Chengzhou’s intention had been as clear as daylight when he brought Lu Shangjin and his family back. If they could guess that it was for Gu Mang’s sake, the shrewd old lady surely could as well. Even though she scolded her grandson, she did nothing about it in the end. There was no way they could believe it had nothing to do with Gu Mang.
“Is she even worthy of it? If she didn’t have Lu Chengzhou protecting her, a girl like her could never be worthy of the Lu family. Not even in her next lifetimes,” sneered Lu Ruoshui.
Sitting in the corner of the sofa, Second Old Master Lu instructed the secretary, “Go find out how Gu Mang is doing at Capital University.”
His fourth brother froze when he heard that. “Are you intending to deal with her?”
Second Old Master Lu’s face was cold and dark as he kept silent.
…
As Lu Zhan was heading to Red Scorpion’s main base, he left the residence together with his son and the rest of the group.
Still feeling worried about his mother’s condition, Lu Shangjin turned to his left to look at Gu Mang. “Are you sure my mother is okay?”
With her fiancé’s jacket draped over her, she slowly walked forward while humming an assent.
Lu Zhan knew better than anyone else that his mother was no longer angry over what happened back then and that she could not put down her pride to build bridges with his sixth brother and his family. His son and Gu Mang, however, had given her an out this time.
Lu Yang did not know that Gu Mang had operated on his grandmother before, so when he heard his father asking her about the old lady’s condition, he could not help but scratch his head in confusion. Even if Sister Mang is a genius, there’s no way she could become a miracle doctor after attending university for a month, could she?
