Chapter 12
Lu Erbai was a little dumbfounded. He squinted his eyes for a long time before recognizing who the person in front of him was.
He was shocked and asked in disbelief, “You are… Miss Shu?”
“It’s me, Uncle Lu. It’s been a long time.” Shu Yu stood before them and greeted them with a smile.
All three people before her were just like Sanya, looking sallow and fragile, wearing patched-up and loose clothes. Lu Erbai looked even more haggard than he had been a year ago. He did not look like a man in his early thirties at all.
Lu Erbai seemed a little embarrassed. He squeezed out a smile and nodded. “Ah, y-yes, it’s been a long time. Um, Miss Shu, why are you here? Is there something you need from me?”
Shu Yu’s gaze lingered on his left leg. Then, she turned her body sideways and said, “Indeed, but this is not a good place to talk. Let’s go inside.”
“Yes, yes, yes, let’s go in.” Lu Erbai agreed.
The old lady opened her mouth and thought, “Why does this girl not seem to take herself as an outsider? This is our home, yet she speaks as if she is the owner.”
She and Lu Erbai’s wife, Madam Ruan, helped Lu Erbai into the living room.
Sanya followed them closely. When she saw that they had all sat down, she ran to the kitchen to pour water and placed a bowl in front of each of them.
Shu Yu looked at the other bowls and saw that her bowl was only slightly chipped, while the others had bowls that were covered in cracks. At that point, she was a little embarrassed to drink the water.
Lu Erbai seemed to have noticed her gaze and became even more nervous. He said in a low voice, “We lead a simple life and have no tea leaves. Miss Shu, I hope you don’t mind.”
“Uncle Lu, you’re too kind. This spring water is very sweet. I like this more than tea.”
Lu Erbai heaved a noticeable sigh of relief. He rubbed his hands. “That’s good, that’s good.”
He lowered his head and realized that the old lady was nudging his arm, signaling him with her eyes while saying in a low voice, “Well, introduce her. Who is this girl? How do you know her? How come I’ve never heard you mention her before?”
Lu Erbai came to his senses, but before he could speak, Shu Yu spoke up first, “My name is Shu Yu. When I fell off a cliff a year ago, it was Uncle Lu who saved me. At that time, I was seriously injured and in a coma. When I was finally able to get out of bed, Uncle Lu had left. I don’t know where Uncle Lu lives, so I didn’t get to thank him personally. I’m really sorry.”
Now, Shu Yu was glad that she had thought for two more seconds in the county and gone to buy some meat and sweets. Otherwise, if she came empty-handed and found out that Lu Erbai was not only her biological father but also her savior, she would really be embarrassed.
She pushed the meat and sweets to them. “I came in a hurry and it was late, so I only bought these things. Later…”
Before she could finish his sentence, Lu Erbai waved his hand. “No need. There’s no need. You’ve already given me money back then, and that’s enough. Where’s the need for you to go out of your way to buy these things and bring them over? There’s really no need for that.”
The moment he finished speaking, the old lady glared at him.
The old lady pulled the meat and sweets towards herself and chided Lu Erbai, “Erbai, are you stupid? This is her kindness. If you don’t accept it, Miss Shu will feel uneasy. Besides, the meat and sweets couldn’t be returned. You’re injured, and the doctor said you need more nourishment too. How long has it been since you’ve eaten meat? Dahu and Sanya haven’t eaten any decent sweets either.”