Math professor returns to routine

Chapter 517 Grandfather-Grandson Relationship

After walking for nearly ten minutes along the mountain path, we could see a dense forest in the distance, with figures flashing by from time to time, and we could vaguely hear intermittent conversations.

The group immediately quickened their pace.

arrive at the destination.

Lu Jingshu immediately broke free from Lu Jianyan's embrace and ran towards her grandfather.

"grandfather!"

Her sweet, coquettish cries attracted the attention of most people, including her grandfather.

As Lu Jingshu ran towards him, Grandpa's lips unconsciously curled up into a kind smile.

"Xiao Shu!" Grandpa squatted down and picked Lu Jing Shu up after she bumped into him. "How was it? Did you have fun shoveling the mountain?"

"Fun!"

"Have you helped with any work for everyone?"

"Yes! I took a big apple out of the box!" Lu Jingshu waved her little hands, making a large circle. "It's this big!"

"Our little Shu is amazing!" Grandpa pinched Lu Jing Shu's nose, noticing the unusual look on her face. "Hey? Shu, why are your eyes so red? Were you crying just now?"

"I didn't cry, but some sand got into my eyes."

"Oh, I see. Grandpa will blow on it for you."

Lu You was having a hard time keeping up.

At such a young age, he has already developed the ability to lie through his teeth; I wonder who he learned it from.

One side of the cemetery.

Lien Chan stopped hoeing. He saw Lu You in the crowd and was overjoyed. He subconsciously raised his hand to greet her.

Halfway up his hand, he realized there were many adults around, and it wouldn't be appropriate to call out to Lu You alone. He silently lowered his hand, secretly hoping that Lu You would notice him instead.

Perhaps Lien Chan's true feelings were conveyed, or perhaps it was simply a coincidence.

Lu You spotted the small, thin Lian Zhan among a group of adults. He was holding a hoe and looking at her.

The two met their eyes.

Lien Chan immediately waved his hand, looking excited.

Lu You smiled and waved in response.

"I need to say hello to the new member of the family, are you coming?"

"A new member?" Tang Wan recalled their brief conversation in the car that morning. "That guy named Lien Chan?"

"Yes, he admires people who are good at studying."

"Then I have no choice but to go."

The two crossed a grassy area, entered the cemetery, and came to Lien Chan.

Lien Chan straightened his back, adjusted his posture, and took the initiative to greet him.

"Good afternoon, Teacher Lu."

teacher?

Tang Wan had heard others call Lu You "god," "big shot," "academic genius," "freak," "handsome guy," and "handsome man" before, but this was the first time the teacher had ever heard it.

"good afternoon."

Lu You responded and then looked Lian Zhan up and down.

The person who was clean and tidy in the morning has now become somewhat slovenly, covered in mud and dust, especially on their shoes, trouser legs, and hands, which are almost a completely different color.

"Judging from your appearance, you've done quite a bit of work!"

Lien Chan smiled shyly, patted his clothes, kicking up a cloud of dust, and said, "I didn't do anything; it was all thanks to everyone."

"Let me introduce you." Lu You gestured with his hand, "This is my girlfriend, Tang Wan, whom I've mentioned to you before."

"Hello." Tang Wan waved to Lien Chan with a friendly smile.

Lien Chan shrank his neck, held up the hoe handle to block his way, and looked at Tang Wan from bottom to top.

"You... hello."

Tang Wan was taken aback by his evasive manner.

Why are you avoiding me?

Do I look scary?

Lu You pursed her lips, desperately suppressing the laughter surging within her.

Lien Chan is shy and reserved, and it's likely that he hasn't had much contact with a woman as beautiful as Tang Wan before, which is why he appeared so reserved and withdrawn.

“If you have any problems with your studies, just go to her. She and I both went to the Capital University. Moreover, before high school, she was much better than me in her studies. She was the top student in the city in the high school entrance exam.”

Lien Chan's eyes widened suddenly, his guardedness and fear turning into surprise and inquiry.

"Really?"

"Nonsense! I was clearly in the top three, when did I become the city's top scorer?"

Tang Wan rolled her eyes at Lu You, and the unintentional charm she revealed startled Lian Zhan, who quickly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at her.

"I must have misremembered!" Lu You never pretended to be stubborn when she misremembered things.

Tang Wan looked at Lien Chan again and said, "The top scorer in the city back then was a friend of ours. He was an exceptionally good student. Last year, he was in the top ten in the province in the college entrance examination, and he was just a few points away from becoming the top scorer in the province. Now he is studying in Wudaokou, which is next to us."

Lien Chan opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Before coming to the Lu family, he could only learn about college students from television and other people's stories, but now he is meeting top students one after another.

"Teacher Lu, are all the people you know this good at studying?"

Lu You pondered for a moment and said, "People of the same kind gather together, and things of the same kind group together. For example, when you live in the countryside, most of the uncles, aunts, grandparents, and other relatives you know probably know how to farm, right?"

Lien Chan nodded.

"Similarly, if you have excellent grades and are admitted to a good high school, you will naturally be surrounded by classmates who are also good at studying."

"Understood, I will definitely study hard and get into a high school in the city!" Lien Chan said with his head held high and his tone firm.

"come on."

Lu You patted Lian Zhan on the shoulder to encourage him.

Although he was not optimistic that Lien Chan would achieve his goal, he believed that having a goal and working hard to achieve it was absolutely commendable.

The three of them didn't chat for long before Grandpa told everyone to get back to work.

"Everyone, give it your all! Let's finish this grave quickly so we can go back for dinner!"

Everyone echoed their agreement, full of enthusiasm.

Lu You, on the other hand, walked out of the crowd, went to the big tree next to him, found a cardboard box, unfolded it, spread it on the grass, and then sat down comfortably.

Grandpa began instructing everyone on their work. Due to the large number of people, he was overwhelmed, much like a traffic policeman directing traffic at an intersection during peak hours, constantly running around.

After a while, the work got back on track. Grandpa took a break from his busy schedule, took out his water glass and took a sip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu You sitting slumped under the tree, doing nothing. His brows immediately furrowed.

"That's outrageous!"

Lu You crossed her legs, her dark pupils reflecting the figures of Tang Wan and Lian Zhan.

In terms of being pleasing to the eye, Tang Wan is top-notch, with an impeccable figure and face. However, when it comes to work efficiency, Lien Chan is far superior to her.

Each stroke of the hoe was quick and precise, with just the right amount of force applied, resulting in almost no waste.

Looking at Tang Wan again, the land and slopes she had ravaged were almost like they'd been chewed by a dog, full of potholes and uneven surfaces.

However, Lu You only thought about it to himself and didn't intend to tease Tang Wan in front of her, after all, he was also terrible at using a hoe.

Moreover, Tang Wan is a native city dweller who usually does housework and gardening. It's already quite good that she's willing to use a hoe, let alone be skilled enough. It's just asking for trouble.

Suddenly, Lu You's vision went black. When she looked up, she saw her grandfather's angry face.

Eyes wide open, brows furrowed, lips pursed into a tight arc.

Lu You could faintly smell the gunpowder smoke from the lit bomb fuse.

"You're a grown man, and you're just slacking off here instead of doing any work, leaving it all to women. Is that even acceptable?"

Lu You's rebellious spirit was stirred up. She sat up straight, met her grandfather's gaze, and replied, "What's wrong with women? Can't women do housework? Are you prejudiced against women?"

Grandpa's lips twitched slightly, and his expression darkened further.

"Wanwan is your girlfriend. Don't you feel any remorse making her do chores for you?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, so why does my conscience hurt?" Lu You held up five fingers. "Take this one with you. We dug up a total of five graves today. I helped with three of them, and she helped with the other two. So I still have one left over. What's the problem?"

Grandpa was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but considering there were many people around and it would have a bad influence, he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

"When parents entrust their daughter to you, they hope she can enjoy a good life with you, not suffer with you!"

"Ha, you're really going to suffer!" Lu You sneered. "It's just weeding two graves, not like digging coal in a kiln. It's less than twenty minutes of work in total. How can that be considered suffering?"

“Other people treat their girlfriends with utmost care and affection, like they’re precious treasures, practically worshipping them on an altar. But you are different.” Grandpa pointed at Lu You sharply, his tone full of disappointment. “You want to be lazy, so you make your girlfriend carry a hoe and do the work. I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

“Others are others, and I am me. Don’t impose other people’s ways of getting along on me.” Lu You remained calm and unmoved. “There’s one thing I need to correct: I never asked Tang Wan to do my work. She brought it up herself. You need to understand that.”

"You suggested it yourself?" Grandpa frowned, clearly not believing him.

"You can ask him directly."

Grandpa went straight to Tang Wan and asked her about it.

Tang Wan's answer was the same as Lu You's; she really wanted to do some work and contribute to the ancestors.

Grandpa returned to Lu You's side, his face expressionless.

"Got it? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Lu You spread his hands, a victor's smile on his face.

Grandpa snorted coldly, his expression remaining stern.

He may have lost before, but it's impossible for him to back down, especially not to his own grandson.

"I really don't know how you managed to find such a great girlfriend as Wanwan."

"Why? Because I'm handsome, rich, and academically excellent."

"Without me, you are nothing!"

"That's true."

The grandfather and grandson exchanged a few words, but the matter ended with the grandfather being called away.

With the concerted efforts of both teams, the grave was cleared away at a very fast pace, and the subsequent offerings, incense burning, and worship were also successfully completed.

After finishing their business, the group tidied up and returned to the small temple they had come from, where they joined another group of people.

Dozens of people gathered together, chatting and sharing their experiences of digging up graves, making it more lively than a vegetable market.

"There are police officers guarding the entrance to our mountain road. Do you have any?"

"Yes, of course there is. There's even a fire truck parked here."

"I was stopped and checked when I passed by, but luckily I didn't buy any firecrackers."

"I heard that a guy from the next village secretly brought firecrackers up the mountain, set the mountain on fire, and his whole family was taken away. I don't know if it's true or not."

"I don't know if anyone was arrested, but the mountain definitely caught fire. The black smoke was billowing straight into the sky, and you could see it from several kilometers away!"

While they were chatting enthusiastically, Lu You carried the drowsy Lu Jingshu on her back and walked with Tang Wan toward the car.

As the three approached, the car sensed the key on Lu You's person, turned on its lights, and popped out the door handles.

Tang Wan stepped forward, opened the back door, and helped Lu You move the person to the back seat.

Lu Jingshu turned over, smacked her lips twice, and fell into a deep sleep.

Tang Wan found a coat and covered her with it, closed the car door, and turned to face Lu You.

"Honey, did you just have a fight with Grandpa?"

"Did you see it?"

Tang Wan nodded and asked, "How did you two start arguing?"

Lu You didn't hide anything and told the truth: "He can't stand me being idle. He thinks I'm bullying and abusing you, forcing you to work."

"Oops, this is a huge misunderstanding!"

Tang Wan instantly understood why her grandfather had come over and asked her if she was doing it voluntarily while she was happily hoeing the ground.

"I'm going to go and explain things to Grandpa right now!" Tang Wan said hurriedly, about to leave.

Lu You acted quickly, grabbing Tang Wan's wrist and freezing her in place.

"That's not necessary."

"This misunderstanding has affected your family relationships, how can it be unnecessary?"

Lu You took Tang Wan's hands and saw her own reflection in her eyes. "I've already explained the misunderstanding, so you don't need to worry. As for family relationships, my grandfather and I have always had a strained relationship. He can't stand my laziness, and I also dislike his meddling. It's been like this for a long time."

"Haven't you thought about getting along better with Grandpa?"

"Get on my good side?" Lu You chuckled, as if he had heard an amusing joke. "The old guy has been on the battlefield, carried guns and cannons, and has taken at least a few lives. His bones are harder than diamonds. Why would he bow down to me?"

"Perhaps you could apologize first?"

"Should I back down first?" Lu You shook off Tang Wan's hand, her gentle expression vanishing instantly, replaced by coldness and resistance. "You might as well just shoot me dead."

"Grandfather and grandson don't hold grudges overnight."

"We have no grudge, but we also have no reason to be close." Seeing that Tang Wan was about to speak again, Lu You cut her off directly. "Alright, my relationship with Grandpa is like a broken and pieced-backed piece of glass. It looks like a whole piece, but it's actually full of cracks and is destined to be irreparable. So don't worry about it."

(End of this chapter)