Chapter 230

Chapter 230: Shot While Lying Down

As soon as Du An Rao said this, everyone was stunned.

Old Madam Fu was the first to come back to her senses. She asked excitedly: “An An, is what you said true?”

“Of course it’s true. When have I ever lied to you?”

“No, no, you never have. Anything that comes from your mouth must be true. Rui Xiang, did you hear that? All those things in the past have nothing to do with you. You were just unlucky and happened to run into them. It was not your fault.”

By the end, Old Madam Fu’s eyes were red and full of tears.

Because of his background, Fu Rui Xiang had been criticized since he was a child. When he was first brought back to the Fu family, he was only a few years old, yet he was already dull and quiet, not willing to talk.

Kids his age liked to run and play, but he acted like he had already seen everything in life and had no interest in anything.

At that time, she and her husband both worried that something had gone wrong with this child, and that he might stay that way for the rest of his life.

It was her eldest son who, for more than ten years, took him everywhere, stayed by his side, and used sincerity and patience to melt away the shell he had built because of all the gossip that had hurt him.

He taught him how to be happy, how to feel sad, how to get angry, how to be playful, and how to be willful, so he could return to this world like a normal person.

But right when he was at his happiest, everything suddenly went downhill.

He lost the nephew he had looked forward to for so long, lost his gentle and kind sister-in-law, and even lost the brother who had played the role of a father and pulled him out of the muddy swamp.

It felt like everything went back to the starting point. The nightmare from years ago came back again, saying that he just did not fit in with this world.

After that, on the surface he did not seem that different, but Old Madam Fu knew that there was a thorn stuck in his heart, one that could tear his heart to pieces.

All these years, besides the two elders and the apprentices and workers in the shop, Fu Rui Xiang did not have any close friends, let alone getting married and having children.

The two elders knew very well that it was not that he did not want those things. He did not dare.

He was afraid that the two elders would be reminded of the past if he did, and he was also afraid of outside gossip saying that an adopted son was trying to grab the Fu family’s property. That was one side of it.

But most of all, he was scared that one day his wife and children would suddenly die like his parents, his brother, his sister-in-law, and his nephew, as if they were… cursed to death by him.

Fu Rui Xiang stood there in a daze and did not make a sound. It was not that he had not heard Old Madam’s words, and it was not that he did not believe Du An Rao. But after being called hard-fated and a jinx for decades, even he had given up and believed he really was something unlucky that harmed others.

And now someone was telling him that none of it was his fault. He had just been unlucky and met people who were already fated to have accidents, and he had taken the blame for it.

After staring blankly for a long time, it was like Fu Rui Xiang finally found his voice again. His hoarse voice asked: “Are you sure nothing will happen again?”

Of course, he was not talking about himself. He meant the people around him, the people he loved and cared about.

This big man in his forties was full of uneasiness and doubt as he spoke. Seeing this, the two elders felt their noses sting again.

Luckily, Du An Rao did not let them down. She smiled slightly and said: “Of course. I said it before even when Mr. Fu had not been found yet. His natal chart and fortune match very well with your family. Your family’s luck was already rising. Now that he has been found and added to the family, you will influence each other. One plus one will be more than two. Your family will only get better and better in the future.”

“Good, good, good. You are right. Everything you say is right. Grandmother believes you, and everyone believes you.” Old Madam Fu held Du An Rao’s hand tightly. The more she looked at her, the more she liked her.

The elders had suffered for most of their lives. When they were old, they liked to hear nice words like this. Besides, what Du An Rao said was not wrong. If a family has no younger generation, that is one thing. But once there is, the whole family’s mood and fortune become closely tied to that younger generation.

The two of them were already old. In the future, the Fu family would only have Fu Rui Xiang and Fu Si Li left. As long as the two of them lived well and could support and care for each other after the elders were gone, then this family would be fine.

“Speaking of that, An An, you are an adult now, right? Have you thought about coming to City B to study? It is fine if you do not study here. You can still come and look around. City B has many famous sites and old places worth visiting.”

As Old Madam Fu spoke, she suddenly pulled over the precious grandson she had just acknowledged. Her meaning was clear without words.

“Just right, Si Li has not been busy lately. If there is anywhere you want to go, contact him anytime. Let him be your driver and your playmate. Don’t be polite with him.”

Fu Si Li said: “…” [Grandmother, this is way too obvious. Having me be her driver and playmate but not saying tour guide… So you do know I just came back and do not know City B at all, yet you still tell her to call me anytime. Are you trying to pit her or me? And I am not free, really not free. I still have to rush to the airport later and fly back to the crew for filming!]

Du An Rao said: “Huh?” [Help, what is going on! How did a normal topic end up going this way? I am still young. I really do not want the elders starting to urge me to get married this early!]

Du Bi Xiao and Xi Jing Yue also had not expected things to go that way. Seeing Du An Rao’s whole body stiffen, her face turn uneasy, and her whole person silently sending out a help signal, Xi Jing Yue was the first to step forward and pull her over.

“Didn’t you say your granduncle needed you for something, and you had to go back right after lunch?”

Du An Rao froze for a moment, then quickly nodded: “Right, right, I almost forgot if you did not say it! Grandpa Fu, Granny Wu, and Uncle Fu, when I left home, my grandfather told me he needed me in the afternoon and told me to come back right after lunch. If there is nothing else, we will go first. When we have time later, we will come back to eat at your place again. Then I will bring my grandfather and grandmother with me.”

Fu Rui Xiang also seemed startled by his old mother’s wild actions. To stop her from saying something shocking again, he quickly added: “All right, all right. When you want to come, remember to tell me in advance. I will personally make my best dishes to treat you.”

“That would be great. But when the time comes, you cannot waive the bill for me again. If I keep eating here for free, I really will have no face to come again.”

For today’s meal, in the end Du An Rao could not win against the Fu family and let Fu Rui Xiang treat them.

But if she let them treat her every single time she came, she knew she was not that thick-skinned!

Du An Rao and Xi Jing Yue almost ran out as if their backs were on fire. She did not notice the way Old Madam Fu’s eyes kept moving between her and Xi Jing Yue.

“So that is how it is.”

Fu Si Li only thought she was still scheming and quickly tried to advise her: “Grandmother, please stop trying to match people up like that. Miss Du is still young. You will scare her.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Grandma Fu shot him a look full of dislike.

This kid did not even know how to rush to show goodwill before others. He would probably end up like his uncle, an old leftover bachelor. How could both of them be this useless!

Thinking this, Grandma Fu gave both uncle and nephew a fierce eye-roll.

Fu Si Li: “…”

Fu Rui Xiang: “…” [I really got shot while lying down this time!]