Capítulo 447: Chapter 447: Transformation
Mrs. Lu was somewhat disappointed in her.
Pointing at her, she angrily said, “You just had to be greedy for small gains!”
Lu Hailing sat down next to her, “Mom, what do you suggest we do? The Qu Family saw everything. Which decent family’s daughter in this neighborhood would fancy him? He’s the only one in the family drawing a salary, supporting such a large crowd of sick and disabled, and he even has two kids to take care of as well. His mother, you can tell, is not easy to get along with—her eyes always darting around, as if she’s scheming something. Just thinking about people like them scares me.”
Mrs. Lu furrowed her brows and did not say anything.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
The two women glanced at each other, and Lu Hailing went out to open the door; it was Qu Fang.
Lu Hailing reflexively tried to close the door. She was afraid of being seen.
Qu Fang quickly reached out to stop it.
Lu Hailing hurriedly asked, “What are you doing?”
“Lu Hailing, I came to see if you were back yet. If you hadn’t returned, I was planning to pick you up,” Qu Fang said, looking firmly at Lu Hailing with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face.
Lu Hailing was dumbfounded. Though skilled at observing others and feigning appearances, she was nearly at a loss for words in this situation. Normally quick-witted, she now stuttered, “What did you call me? Lu Hailing?”
Mrs. Lu came over from the bed and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, “Mr. Qu, what do you mean by this?”
Under her scrutinizing gaze, Qu Fang touched the back of his head and said softly, “Auntie, you already know what happened in the yard today. I—I’d like to date Hailing.”
Lu Hailing almost screamed, “Date? When did I agree to that? Wait, weren’t you dating Yingzi?”
Qu Fang shook his head, “I was never dating Yingzi. I’ve always liked you. The movie ticket was given to you by Yingzi at my request. I’ve borrowed things from Yingzi’s place a few times before and we spoke a little. You had just moved here and we hadn’t spoken much. I—I was afraid you’d reject me, so I asked Yingzi to help by giving you a movie ticket. If you wanted to, we could go see the movie together; if not, then… But you accepted it, and I am glad! Hailing, my feelings for you are sincere!”
Lu Hailing was flabbergasted!
This man was even better at making up stories than she was!
The movie ticket was clearly one she had found, clearly one he had given to Yingzi!
“You’re lying! That movie ticket was given to Yingzi!”
Qu Fang sighed, “The ticket was indeed something I asked her to give you.”
“No, it’s not, it’s not!” Lu Hailing shook her head hurriedly, “You were clearly dating Yingzi! You gave her the movie ticket, but her brother found out and threw it out of the door, and I picked it up! I just thought that since nobody was going, it would be a waste not to use it, so I went to see the movie. Who knew it would lead to all this? Don’t slander me! I never agreed to anything—I have nothing to do with you!”
“That day, I sincerely liked you, we’re also quite compatible—we live in the same courtyard, work at the same factory, don’t you see?”
“Get out of here!” Lu Hailing looked around, picked up a broom by the door, and swung it at Qu Fang.
Qu Fang quickly retreated, still shouting, “Lu Hailing, Lu Hailing, I was wrong. Don’t hit me; I will agree to whatever you want!”
His voice was quite loud. Given the rumors already circulating about them, many gossip-hungry neighbors had started to pay attention. When Qu Fang arrived at the door of the Lu family, some had already noticed and pulled others to watch the excitement.
Now, with Qu Fang shouting like this, the neighbors finally had a reason to come out, asking, “Oh, what happened?”
“You two young ones, what are you doing? You were fine this morning. Speak nicely, don’t fight.”
“Lu Hailing, if there is anything wrong with Mr. Qu, just tell us openly. We’ve been neighbors for nearly ten years. If he really did something wrong, we’ll confront him.”
“It’s nothing serious; I just had a little argument with Lu Hailing. I’ll coax her and it’ll be fine,” Qu Fang said to everyone with a smile.
Mrs. Lu held her daughter down and hurriedly came out, “Everyone, please don’t misunderstand, our Hailing isn’t dating him. Mr. Qu here just wants to pursue our Hailing, but we haven’t agreed. Our Hailing already has a fiancé back in the countryside. That movie ticket was from Yingzi next door; Yingzi gave it to her without saying much—just good sisters inviting each other to a movie. Being old-fashioned, we didn’t think much of it until she went there and ended up sitting next to Mr. Qu, and then Xiao Tong and a few other guys saw them, which must have led to this misunderstanding.”
Hearing Mrs. Lu say this, everyone looked perplexed. What’s really going on between these two? One says yes, another says no, leaving everyone confused.
Everyone also looked at Qu Fang, waiting for his response.
Qu Fang shook his head, a hurt expression on his face, his voice low, “Auntie, I know I’m not yet successful enough to meet your standards, but could you give me a chance, please? I promise I’ll work hard to improve myself, and I’ll treat Hailing well.” He spoke only these heartfelt words without further explanation.
“Mr. Qu has grown up before my eyes; he’s not someone who would lie. Mrs. Lu, look at these two young people—they match well in looks and jobs. Just give them a chance.”
“Right, the Qu family’s conditions are not that bad, much better than those who are still farming. He has an urban residence permit, graduated from junior high school, and is a grade-one skilled worker at our factory. He can easily support a family, is well-built and upright. Isn’t it all about marrying a reliable man? Everyone wants the best, but you also have to be realistic about your own conditions.”
“Lu family’s daughter, Hailing has a rural residence, right? It seems her current job is only temporary. If she marries Qu Fang and transfers her residence registration here, won’t she quickly become a full-time employee?”
“You’re right. If not for the Qu family’s solid reputation, he would have used this as a talking point already. Just consider it.”
The neighbors’ persuasions, the contemptuous glances—it felt like slaps on the faces of the mother and daughter.
Their faces turned green and red in sync.
It seemed the courtyard’s ‘old-timers’ were ganging up on the two newcomers.
Qu Fang, knowing how to smooth things over, saw the unhappy expressions on their faces and quickly spoke up, “Lu Hailing has had a long day at work. Auntie, why don’t you go back and have some dinner with her first? We can talk about our matter later.”