My Taoist nun girlfriend is from the Republic of China era, 1942.

Chapter 169 Favors on the First Day of the Lunar New Year (Part 2)
The doorbell rang again.

Uncle Qian glanced at the access control screen and whispered, "Sir, it's someone from the Dong family."

Lu Yuan nodded: "Please invite them in."

This time, it wasn't just one person, but three.

The leader was an elderly man nearing seventy, with gray hair but a vigorous spirit, wearing a brand-new black Chinese-style cotton-padded jacket, the buttons fastened meticulously.

He was slightly overweight and had a slight smile on his face; he was his grandmother's older brother, Dong Junhao.

Following behind him was a middle-aged man around fifty years old, with a stocky build, dressed in designer casual wear, and a bright gold watch on his wrist that was quite eye-catching.

Dong Junhao's only son, Dong Zhiqiang.

Dong Zhiqiang carried gift boxes of various sizes, all elaborately packaged, which looked particularly grand compared to Gao Jianmin's simple cloth bag.

Behind him was a young man in his early twenties, his youngest son, Dong Hong.

She looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but her brows showed a hint of spoiled arrogance, and she seemed indifferent to everything around her.

"Little Yuan, your great-uncle is so glad to finally see you!"

As soon as he entered the foyer, Dong Junhao spoke loudly, as warmly as if he were a long-lost relative.

Lu Yuan stepped forward with a polite smile: "Uncle, Uncle... Happy New Year. It's cold outside, please come in."

His gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Dong Junhao. His attitude was polite, but that was all.

"Hey, good, good!"

Dong Junhao came up and wanted to pat Lu Yuan's shoulder, but halfway up his hand, he seemed to realize it was inappropriate and instead grabbed Lu Yuan's hand and shook it vigorously.

"You're really good-looking, just like your mother, and also like your grandmother when she was young!"

Chen Xiaomiao stood not far away, holding the child.

She could sense that this family's aura was completely different from that of the Professor Gao from before.

If Gao Jianmin came to ask for favors out of guilt, then this family seemed to be coming to acknowledge their kinship as a matter of course.

"Dad, please come in and sit down. I'll get your things."

Dong Zhiqiang handed the gifts to the servants who came to greet him, and said to Lu Yuan with a smile, "Xiao Yuan, I am your uncle Zhiqiang, and this is my son Dong Hong. You young people should get to know each other better."

Dong Hong lazily raised his eyelids, gave Lu Yuan a wry smile, and called him "cousin" as a greeting.

Uncle Qian led the three to sit on the main sofa and served them hot tea.

Dong Junhao sat down with an air of authority, his gaze falling on Chen Xiaomiao and the child in her arms, and asked with a smile, "And this is...?"

"My wife, Chen Xiaomiao. This is my son, Lu Yang," Lu Yuan introduced briefly.

"Oh my, you even have great-grandchildren!"

Dong Junhao slapped his thigh, his smile widening: "Great news, great news! Our Dong family is finally thriving!"

The atmosphere instantly became awkward after he said that.

Lu Yuan's surname is Lu, and his son's surname is also Lu. What connection does he have with the Dong family?
Dong Zhiqiang seemed to realize that his father's words were inappropriate, and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Dad, look at you, you talk nonsense when you're happy. Xiaoyuan, don't mind him, the old man is just happy to see the child."

He then took out a gift box from his bag, stood up, and handed it to Chen Xiaomiao: "Little sister, nice to meet you, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Chen Xiaomiao held the child and looked at Lu Yuan for help.

Lu Yuan nodded almost imperceptibly to her.

Chen Xiaomiao then reached out and took it, whispering, "Thank you, Uncle."

After exchanging pleasantries, Dong Junhao took a sip of tea and began to reminisce about the past and present.

"Speaking of which, your maternal grandmother was the most beloved daughter in our family back then. She was beautiful and well-educated, and so many people came to propose marriage that the doorstep was almost worn down... Unfortunately, she was stubborn and had a falling out with the family for your maternal grandfather, and they didn't have any contact for many years."

He sighed deeply, his face full of regret: "The relationship only eased a bit after your mother was born."

I remember when Lanlan was little, she would follow me around calling "Uncle, Uncle" all the time, as clever as a little monkey..."

He rambled on, lost in memories of the past.

Lu Yuan listened quietly, without interrupting or responding. He would occasionally pick up his teacup, his gaze lingering behind the rising steam, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Chen Xiaomiao, holding Lu Yang who seemed about to cry, quietly got up, gave Lu Yuan a wink, and went back to the bedroom first.

Seeing the atmosphere gradually cooling down, Dong Zhiqiang finally couldn't sit still any longer. He cleared his throat and steered the conversation toward serious matters.

“Xiao Yuan, look, we’re all family. Your maternal grandmother is my aunt, and your mother is my cousin. We haven’t been visiting each other much in the past, which is not right. We should keep in touch more often from now on.”

He paused, then changed the subject: "To be honest, I run my own small company doing some civil engineering. The market hasn't been good these past few years, and business is tough..."

coming.

Lu Yuan put down his teacup, looked up at him, and said calmly, "Uncle, please speak frankly."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under Lu Yuan's gaze, Dong Zhiqiang rubbed his hands and chuckled dryly, "It's like this... Recently, there's a large-scale infrastructure project in a new district of XX City, and I'd like to give it a try."

However, my company is not large and my qualifications are not good enough, so I couldn't even pass the first round of screening.

I was thinking, since my uncle had a wide network of connections, and you've taken over his business, could you try helping him out?

Lu Yuan didn't rush to speak. He refilled the half-empty teacup in front of Dong Zhiqiang with water, his movements unhurried and the water flowing silently.

“Uncle.” Lu Yuan put down the teapot and finally looked up at him, his gaze calm and unwavering: “When my grandfather was in business, he valued two things the most: rules and ability.”

Dong Zhiqiang's smile froze. "The project you're talking about is quite large, and it must involve many complex aspects."

Lu Yuan continued, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "I just took over my grandfather's estate, and I'm still learning a lot of things. I'm a novice."

"If I rashly intervene on your behalf, not only will I break the rules, but if something goes wrong, it will only make things worse for you."

Dong Zhiqiang's heart skipped a beat; he knew the deal was probably going to fall through.

He chuckled twice, still trying to persuade him further: "Xiao Yuan, that's not how it works. This is just family members helping each other out, it's not about rules or regulations."

Besides, don't worry about my abilities. Your uncle has been in this business for over ten years, so I have plenty of experience..."

"okay."

The old man interrupted his son, his voice muffled, devoid of the enthusiasm he had shown when he first entered.

"Everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't force them. Xiao Yuan has just taken over the family business, so it's only right that he be cautious."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the living room before finally settling on Lu Yuan, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "It's a pity your grandmother passed away so young..."

Without waiting for Lu Yuan's response, he waved to his son and grandson, "Let's go, don't delay Xiao Yuan's New Year."

Dong Zhiqiang quickly stood up, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Well... Xiao Yuan, we'll be going now. Let's keep in touch."

Dong Hong, who had been mostly silent, stood up and kept his head down, scrolling through his phone the whole time, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Lu Yuan politely escorted them to the entrance: "Uncle, Uncle, take care."

Uncle Qian led the servants to return the pile of fancy gifts to Dong Zhiqiang's car intact, the whole process was quiet and efficient.

The car door closed, the engine noise faded into the distance, and the large house returned to tranquility.

Lu Yuan returned to the living room, picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

After calming her son down to sleep, Chen Xiaomiao returned to the living room.

"gone?"

"gone."

"They seem unhappy to me." Chen Xiaomiao asked, puzzled, "Lu Yuan, didn't that Professor Gao promise to help ask him?"

Why did you refuse outright when it came to this relative?

In her simple mind, relatives are always closer than outsiders.

Lu Yuan turned his head and patiently explained, "It's different. Professor Gao's grandson passed the professional courses and language exams on his own merit, but he encountered a hurdle in getting a tutor."

All I can do is ask around for him and give him a fair chance to compete. Whether he succeeds in the end depends on him. That's called giving him a push.

He paused, his tone becoming serious.

"But the Dong family is different. They want me to use my grandfather's connections to get a project that they are not qualified for at all."

This isn't giving a push, it's forcing growth, or even using connections.

"Construction projects often involve tens or hundreds of millions of yuan. If something goes wrong, who will be responsible? They might just walk away, leaving me to clean up the mess."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded as if she understood: "I get it. One is earning a living through his skills, and the other is trying to make a fortune through dishonest means."

"That's pretty much what it means."

Lu Yuan smiled with satisfaction, realizing that his wife was indeed very perceptive.

A short while later, Uncle Qian, who had seen the guest out, returned silently.

"gentlemen."

"what happened?"

Uncle Qian held a small velvet box in his hands and handed it to Lu Yuan.

"Sir, just before Mr. Dong got into the car, he handed this to me, saying that... he said it was left to me by the old lady before she passed away."

Upon opening the box, a jade pendant lay quietly inside.

The jade pendant is made of high-quality Hetian white jade and is carved into the shape of twin lotus flowers. The style is somewhat old-fashioned, but after being worn for many years, the jade has become warm and translucent, with some wear marks on the edges.

Lu Yuan recognized the jade pendant; in the few photos of his grandmother, she always wore it close to her body.

Uncle Qian added in a low voice, "Mr. Dong said that this is a token of the old lady's affection for her family."

A thought represents an opportunity to speak.

In the past, it was Chen Shu who spoke to him; now it's Lu Yuan who has spoken to him.

Lu Yuan slammed the box shut and tossed it onto the coffee table.

He had planned everything meticulously, anticipating that the Dong family would come seeking benefits, and he had prepared his response. However, he hadn't anticipated that his grandmother, whom he had never met, would leave such a way out for her family at the end of her life.

A profound favor that cannot be measured by rules or ability.

Looking at the undisguised exhaustion on her husband's face, Chen Xiaomiao felt a sudden tightness in her heart.

She doesn't understand business projects or social niceties, but she sees things clearly and feels heartache for those involved.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, my husband seems very, very tired...

(End of this chapter)