Lu Ling didn't care about this.
She asked: "When did mother do this?"
Lu Cheng recalled briefly and said, "Not long after my father left, something was wrong."
Lu Ling sniffed and then asked, "Have you asked the doctor? What did the doctor say?"
Lu Cheng looked dejected: "We invited countless doctors, but they were unable to do anything. Later, others said that my mother was crazy. But I know that my mother was unwilling to accept the fact that my father was gone."
Lu Ling silently reached out and brushed away any tears on his face, gritted his teeth and said, "It's all my fault. I can't even come back to see my father when he's not here. Otherwise, my mother wouldn't be like this."
Lu Cheng paused, looked down at Lu Ling's reddish eyes, and said, "Sister, although you and Haitang are hiding it from me, I can probably guess that you must not be doing well in the Song family..."
"No, my life is not that miserable," Lu Ling interrupted him, "Compared with the suffering my mother suffered, the grievances I suffered in the Song family are nothing at all. Besides, which woman doesn't get picked on by her mother-in-law when she gets married?"
Lu Cheng's brows narrowed, and the distress in his eyes immediately overflowed: "Sister, I knew you didn't want us to worry, so you lied and said everything was fine! Sister, what about your brother-in-law, will he feel sorry for you? "
When Lu Ling heard this, he didn't know what to say.
Her man is looking forward to her death every day!
But she must not say it.
She had to let Song Wenzhou receive the punishment he deserved before she could escape from the Song family.
Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Sister, if my brother-in-law treats you badly, just come back! Cheng will take care of you from now on. As long as sister and mother can be happy and healthy, I'm not afraid of anything!"
Lu Ling turned to look at Lu Ling's young face and said comfortingly: "A Cheng, you don't have to worry about me. I'm in the Song family. My father-in-law takes good care of me and gave me the power to run the family. Now my mother-in-law can't take advantage of me either." How about it, your brother-in-law is even afraid of me."
Lu Cheng looked dubious when he heard this.
Lu Ling smiled again: "I won't lie to you this time. You can ask Haitang."
Lu Cheng pretended to be angry: "Haitang listens to my sister so much, she will just say whatever my sister says."
Lu Ling smiled bitterly.
"How is the family business?"
Lu Cheng replied: "After my father left, my mother became more and more ill. I gave all the property to Uncle Du to help take care of it."
Lu Ling felt something was wrong when he heard this. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Cheng quickly added: "Sister, don't worry, I will randomly check the accounts every two or three days."
Lu Ling didn't feel relieved after hearing this.
What's the use of just randomly checking the accounts?
If someone has bad intentions, they can make false accounts to deceive their master!
Of course, Lu Ling didn't doubt Butler Du yet.
After all, he had been with the Lu family before Lu Ling was born. If Lu Ling had doubted him from the beginning, it would inevitably give him chills.
But just because he is loyal doesn't mean that all the servants of the Lu family are loyal.
Moreover, Lu Cheng is only thirteen years old now. Before Lu's father passed away, his focus of study was on the imperial examination and he rarely learned how to do business.
Once Mr. Lu goes west, someone will definitely take advantage of him.
Lu Ling asked: "How has the Lu family's business revenue been in the past two years?"
When Lu Cheng heard this, he couldn't help but lower his head.
Lu Ling understood.
Sure enough, when Lu Cheng spoke again, his voice was full of decadence:
"Compared with when my father was around, the tea industry's revenue has dropped by one-third, and the ink industry's revenue has dropped by two-thirds."
He bit his lip and hesitated: "The paper industry, which had negative revenue in the twelfth month of last year, has been... resold by me..."
Lu Ling's heart sank.
She knew that Lu Cheng was just pretending to be good at everything.
"Who did the paper shop sell to?" Lu Ling asked in a deep voice.
Lu Cheng felt a little guilty: "I asked Uncle Du to do it..."
Lu Ling couldn't help frowning when he heard this: "So, Uncle Du is taking care of the family business?"
"Sister, my mother's condition, I...I don't dare to be careless."
So he rarely cares about the Lu family's business.
At this time, Lu Ling had doubts in his heart.
She looked at Lu Cheng and said, "A Cheng, Uncle Du has been with the Lu family for so many years. He helped me a lot when my father was still alive."
"I know, sister, I am very grateful to Uncle Du."
"That's not what I meant." Lu Ling interrupted him, "Logically speaking, Uncle Du has a business mind and shouldn't have managed the Lu family's business so poorly."
Lu Cheng learned something from her and understood immediately.
He opened his eyes wide and asked in disbelief: "Sister, you...you doubt Uncle Du?"
Lu Ling turned around, his eyebrows filled with sorrow. After thinking about it, she added: "I just don't think something is right. Don't let Uncle Du know my suspicions first. You have to wait until I read the account books."
Lu Cheng nodded quickly.
After a moment of silence, Lu Cheng suddenly puffed up his chest and said, "Sister, don't worry, I'm working hard to learn business now, and I will definitely redeem the paper-making Zhuangzi in the future."
Lu Ling looked at his face that was a little childish but also full of fatigue that shouldn't be seen at this age, and felt extremely distressed.
It's not his fault that the Lu family's property turned into a mess.
He was busy taking care of his mother. He traveled to many places to find doctors for his mother's illness and spent a lot of time on her.
She just felt sorry for him struggling to shoulder such a heavy burden at an age when he should be sensual.
Lu Cheng saw his sister feeling gloomy and thought he had let her down because he failed to manage the Lu family's property well. He couldn't help but bow his head and apologize: "Sister, it's all my fault. When my father was still alive, I didn't study with him seriously -"
"A Cheng," Lu Ling interrupted him with a raised face, showing a tough look.
"Sister, I don't need your apology, and you have done nothing wrong. Life is full of changes. No one can change the fact that my father is gone. Although the Lu family's industry is in decline, you and I have grown up. This family does not have a father. , let the eldest sister carry it.
"When my mother is sick, I will find a doctor to diagnose and treat her. I have not fulfilled my responsibilities as a daughter and sister in the past three years. I will make up for it in the future. My father's long-cherished wish is that you can pass the imperial examination and become an official. I know your ambition Also here.
"A horse travels a thousand miles without washing away the dust. From now on, you can just study with peace of mind as before, and I will find a way to support the Lu family's industry.
"My mother was deeply affected by my father's death, but you can't. You are the hope of the Lu family. I hope you remember that you know your fate and are not afraid. You can make a new start every day and follow your heart's will. What's more, Sister will always Behind you."
"Sister..." Lu Cheng was a little stunned.
In his impression, Sister A was still a blushing and shy little girl who would act coquettishly to her parents. But the person standing in front of him now, not only had changed in appearance, but also spoke with confidence and perseverance on his face, which inexplicably made him feel, In the Lu family, as long as Sister A is here, he can feel at ease.
