Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 168 - 160: Altering the Family Tree

Chapter 168: Chapter 160: Altering the Family Tree

"Let’s head back too," Uncle Lu said, glancing at the pitiful retreating figures with a smile in his eyes. His wife’s elegance had not faded over the years.

After the villagers enjoyed the spectacle, they greeted the departing Lu Family with smiles and dispersed.

The arrival of Chen Hesheng and Zhu Baochai brought a new topic of conversation to Yushu Village, one that people would discuss for some time. Especially the news they had let slip before leaving, which had caused much laughter— the Su Family had the gall of a leopard. What were they thinking, picking a fight with the village head? How could it end well for them?

On the way back, Lu Yun looked at Grandma Lu with admiration. "Grandma, you were so cool just now." She quickly explained when everyone appeared confused, "It means very imposing."

"My daughter has chosen the perfect word. It was indeed very cool and imposing," Aiguo chimed in, playfully linking arms with Grandma Lu, "leaving your son with no room to show his muscle."

"Off with you, you father and daughter and your sweet-talk that could kill without compensation."

Grandma Lu was clearly in a great mood from the flattery, even reaching out to pat Lu Yun’s head, but she directed her words to Aiguo, "Why bother with such people? At the end of the day, they rely on seniority to take advantage. There’s no point in openly confronting them. Getting entangled with them will only lead to more confusion. In the end, whether you win or lose, you’ll be at a disadvantage."

"When I step in, it’s different. I have the seniority, and besides, we are in the right. But what’s the use of reasoning with such people? Isn’t that like winking at the blind? Better to step hard on their sore spot, to make them fearful and not dare to provoke you again."

As Grandma Lu spoke, her gaze drifted towards the distant unknown, as though reminiscing something, "Such people are nothing but the lowest scoundrels. Shameless and skinless, they can only rely on being scoundrels and harass those who refuse to get involved with filth. If you were really determined to fight them, they would be the ones to flee the fastest."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yun couldn’t help but look towards Grandma Lu.

Aiguo, however, knew the stories of his own mother. His grandfather used to repeat over and over how he had witnessed his mother, with a kitchen knife in hand, cursively chasing away a local thug who came to take advantage, leaving the thug unable to lift his head in shame as he fled...

His grandfather had liked her at first sight and had wanted her to become his second daughter-in-law.

After some inquiries, they immediately sent a matchmaker. They also agreed without hesitation to her requirement to bring along her mother. This was because he believed that only a woman as intelligent, resilient, and filial as his mother could protect his family in those chaotic times.

Later on, his grandfather was not disappointed. During the war, his mother had even tricked the enemy with her wit, saving the lives of several nearby villages. And she had modestly credited the heroism to his father, significantly boosting his esteem in the surrounding communities.

Thanks to this reputation, his father managed to gain the trust of many, secretly aiding the Red Army against many enemies and achieving remarkable feats.

After liberation, his father could have left the small village to improve their social standing, but both he and his mother chose to stay. His grandfather had often regretted holding back his most promising son, thinking that his parents didn’t want to leave him. Only now did he truly understand that, apart from his grandfather, they were also unwilling to leave him behind.

Aiguo’s eyes suddenly filled with tears, and his nose felt congested. He dared not speak further, fearing his voice would betray his true emotions.

Yet his emotional fluctuations ultimately didn’t escape the notice of a few people walking nearby. No one wanted to expose him, as Lu Erbo’s wife gently patted his hand, and for a while everyone walked in silence without speaking a word.

Behind them, Lu Dabo and Lu Erbo were smoking their dry pipes and talking.

"I was wondering how those two got the news so quickly that our Aiguo made a fortune. Turns out it was the Su Family stirring trouble behind our backs again. How come that Su Family is never afraid of trouble? Issue after issue, there’s never a moment of peace."

Lu Dabo couldn’t help but sigh again, "It’s said that fame brings trouble, and a fat pig attracts the butcher. Now that Aiguo is making more money than others, he will inevitably attract envy, and I fear more trouble is yet to come."

A true man can withstand the trials of life, only a mediocre person escapes envy.

This saying sprang to Lu Erbo’s mind, and he quietly took a puff from his pipe, preferring it over the cigarettes Aiguo brought back. "What’s there to fear about envy, as long as he hasn’t stolen or robbed?"

"Exactly! It’s said that a tiger does not father a dog. Dad used to say that among the Lu Family it was you and Aiguo who had the most promise. Our father was right, wasn’t he?" Lu Dabo laughed.

"Great Uncle Four came to you as well, didn’t he? What do you think?" Lu Dabo suddenly asked after he finished laughing.

"I haven’t made up my mind yet." Lu Erbo frowned. Great Uncle Four had come to talk to him about changing the family register, asking whether he should put Aiguo back under his name. But he was hesitating and even discussed it with his wife at home. Deep down, he was willing, but then again he was constrained by the promise made all those years ago...

"What is there to think about? Just change it." Lu Dabo took a puff of his pipe and spoke earnestly, "Dad once left a message saying that if one day Aiguo found out, then he should still be switched back under your name. However, in the future, if we could have another child to adopt into the third branch, that would be the best."

"Aibing has been married for so many years and there’s still no news from his wife. Our family isn’t the kind that could cruelly separate children just for the sake of a descendant. Conveniently, Aiguo’s wife is pregnant now, and Aiguo was originally the child of the second branch. We can’t have the third branch benefited at the second branch’s cost, can we?"

"Dad really said that?"

Lu Erbo’s heart eased, and he asked again.

The child in Aiguo’s wife’s belly, whether boy or girl, would be the second branch’s first grandchild. He himself couldn’t bear to register it under the third branch. After all, his own second branch had yet to have a grandchild.

Not to mention what his wife was feeling. Since Great Uncle Four’s visit, she had been sighing frequently, although she never spoke her thoughts outright. But could he not understand the implication?

In this lifetime, they had experienced everything together, yet he never managed to give her a few days of happiness, having owed her more instead. Even if his eldest brother did not speak up today, he was already determined to nod in agreement...