Chapter 27 (1/2): Genealogy

“No way, I thought she was pretty good to you. How come your kindness didn’t get rewarded?”

“Exactly, your niece even fought for us to get the basketball court. You should at least thank her.”

The classmates all looked at Lu Shuo with strange expressions.

The kid was so young yet dared to stand up for his uncle.

That showed real loyalty.

Where else could you find such a niece?

“No, you don’t understand—”

Lu Shuo wanted to explain, but no one was listening.

He could only cover his head and head to the infirmary.

He still didn’t understand why Bai Xia stood up for him.

Surely she didn’t really think she could beat a fifth grader, did she?

That meant this little brat really was quite loyal, much better than those classmates who always avoided the upper grades.

On the ride home that afternoon, he glanced sideways at the person next to him who seemed hesitant to speak, looking around nervously.

“Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

Bai Xia turned off her tablet and gave him a sidelong glance.

“If you have a problem, go see a doctor. Don’t avoid treatment.”

“You’re the one with the problem!”

He snorted coldly, then looked out the window, but couldn’t help muttering, “Why did you help me today…?”

Mom said Bai Xia would compete with him for the inheritance in the future, and he couldn’t let her corrupt him.

But Great-Grandpa left so much money, a little more or less wouldn’t matter.

Great-Grandpa wouldn’t leave not a penny for him, after all.

Besides, he still had his dad.

Dad’s money was definitely all for him.

“You got beaten up. If the whole class knows my servant is bullied, where’s my face?”

Bai Xia kept scrolling on her tablet.

Now the whole class knew her little uncle liked to fight.

Upon hearing this, Lu Shuo curled his lips without a word.

This brat just wanted to take advantage of him.

Forget it, why bother arguing with a first grader?

He was in a higher grade; he should be magnanimous.

As her little uncle, he should take care of his niece, but Bai Xia didn’t seem to need his care—instead, she was tutoring him with his homework.

These little brats were truly strange!

That evening, Lu Qihui, Yao Yun, and the others weren’t home.

Maybe after hearing about the school incident from the butler, Lu Jinnian looked at the bandage on Lu Shuo’s head as if he was used to his frequent fights.

“I heard you fought again today? And you still didn’t win?”

Lu Jinnian sipped his soup leisurely.

Lu Shuo was forced to eat a vegetable salad, which felt like chewing grass, muttering to himself, “They’re fifth graders, older than me.”

“School is a place for reason, not fighting. If you have reason, you can ask the teacher to intervene. Once you resort to violence, even if you are right, you lose your justification. In everything you do, you must stand on the side of reason. That way, no matter how things turn out, there’s room to maneuver,” Lu Jinnian said slowly.

Lu Shuo mumbled a soft “oh” while chewing his grass.

Bai Xia, biting into a chicken drumstick, suddenly looked up and said, “That’s brute behavior.”

Lu Jinnian wasn’t wrong.

Whatever you do, you need to hold the moral high ground. It’s like ancient warfare—you have to justify your cause; otherwise, no matter what, you don’t have the moral strength.

“Xia Xia is right. You’re a family; you need to take care of and support each other. That’s how a family prospers. Don’t be like your dad, who has no sense of family at all,” Lu Jinnian said seriously, looking at the two kids.

The older two were impossible to educate.

If he were not still alive, the family would have long since fallen apart.

The father wasn’t much of a father, and the sons weren’t like sons—no one knew what they were.

“Understood, Great-Grandpa. I won’t bother with him,” Bai Xia smiled.

Lu Shuo snorted coldly, “I’m not going to stoop to a little brat’s level.”

Bai Xia glared at him displeased.

“No manners, Mr. Lu.”

Looking at the vegetables in front of him, Lu Shuo found them hard to swallow.

He had no choice but to stand, “Miss, eat more. Let’s see how much you can eat by yourself.”

After saying that, as if fearing Bai Xia would scold him, he quickly ran upstairs.

“Chairman, Mr. Song Yuehua is here,” the butler suddenly announced.

Hearing this, Lu Jinnian frowned slightly.

What good could come from the Song family visiting at this time?

Seeing his great-granddaughter watching him, he smiled warmly and reminded, “Keep eating and pay attention to your nutrition.”

Afterward, he leaned on his cane and slowly walked to the living room.

Song Yuehua was already seated on the sofa, servants having served tea.

He looked calm and leisurely as he sipped the tea.

“So, are you expecting grandchildren? It’s not even the first birthday banquet yet. Isn’t sending invitations this early a bit premature?”

Lu Jinnian smiled faintly as he took the seat of honor.

The butler brought a box and handed walnuts to the elder.

As if ignoring the sarcasm in his tone, Song Yuehua frowned, “I’d like to have children and enjoy their company. At my age, I think of a house full of sons and daughters. But the younger generation thinks differently. Whether there will be grandchildren or not is still uncertain.”

Lu Jinnian remained expressionless, cracking walnuts, then mused, “Young people are always so independent-minded. You can keep having children; raise them for another ten or twenty years, and you’ll have successors again.”

Coming at this moment meant they were clearly here for his great-granddaughter.

They really hadn’t given up.

Hearing this, Song Yuehua’s expression changed.

“What are you talking about? At my age, how can I have more children? All my hair is fake now. Unlike Qihui, who’s still vigorous enough for a second child. I think that boy Shuo is pretty sturdy.”

Lu Jinnian said nothing, just casually tossed a walnut into the box, clearly disliking this topic.

“So, you’re already thinking about my great-granddaughter again?”

His face betrayed no emotion.

The butler stepped back several paces, signaling other servants not to approach the living room.

Song Yuehua took another sip of tea and sighed heavily.

“Actually, Song Xun should have come today, but… I was worried Lu Lin would act rashly, so I came myself to discuss this with you. Xia Xia is part of the Lu family bloodline, that’s undeniable. But she was raised by Song Xun since childhood, so she’s practically half a Song child. I hope Xia Xia can be added to the Song family genealogy. Whatever she deserves in the future won’t be less because of that.”

Knowing his son didn’t plan to have children was a bolt from the blue.

He had lain in bed for days to recover.

But what could he do?

He knew his son’s temper better than anyone.

He couldn’t force him.

Moreover, at his age, he had no plans for a second child.

His health wasn’t what it used to be.

But the Song family branch must not end with him.

If he dies, others would cause chaos.

It was better to prepare early.

Adding her to the genealogy would be a declaration that Xia Xia was a Song child.

So if he passed suddenly, Song Xun wouldn’t be able to control the uncles.

“Add her to the Song genealogy?”

Lu Jinnian suddenly smiled, looking at Song Yuehua leisurely.

“Our Lu family has its own assets. Xia Xia isn’t at the point of calling others ‘dad’ yet.”

“What are you saying? It’s just adding her to the genealogy. Xia Xia’s household registration is still with the Lu family. After all, Xia Xia is Ruan Wen’s daughter. Ruan Wen is already part of the Song family. So Xia Xia can be considered a Song family member too. There’s nothing improper about that. You have many descendants; you should understand my feelings,” Song Yuehua said seriously.

If not for lack of options, he wouldn’t have come this far.

But now that the son doesn’t want children, others would covet the Song family assets.

That foolish boy Song Xun didn’t realize that having no descendants was not just a matter of inheritance.

So many eyes were on the Song family, waiting to swarm and loot.

Lu Jinnian closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.

After a long pause, he said lightly, “Let’s talk about it later. We should respect the child’s opinion too.”

“Of course. Since Song Xun has no descendants, Xia Xia will definitely be groomed as the successor. We’re all one family. At our age, who knows if we’ll even live to see that day,” Song Yuehua sighed, shaking his head.

Lu Jinnian smiled but said nothing.

That was far from settled.

Song Xun still had at least fifty or sixty years ahead.

His great-granddaughter would have to wait a long time to benefit.

They hadn’t talked long when Song Yuehua left.

Lu Jinnian told the butler to call the people in the dining room over.

Song Yuehua spoke plainly but sensibly.

The Song family’s messy affairs were difficult to meddle in.

But if Song Xun really didn’t want children, the assets would eventually pass to Xia Xia.

The Song family was a big prize; it’d be a shame not to partake.

Adding her to the genealogy wasn’t changing her household registration.

It was no big deal.

At most, during festivals, Xia Xia would go to the Song ancestral graves to pay respects.

But the problem was that the other Song family members were not easy to get along with.

Clearing this murky water would inevitably make her the target.

In the past, Lu Jinnian would have agreed without hesitation for his great-granddaughter.

But now, getting old, he only wished for his descendants to be safe and healthy.

Business empires were fleeting; you couldn’t take them with you when you died.

“Great-Grandpa, has Grandpa Song left?”

Bai Xia trotted over to the sofa and sat down.

The tea cups hadn’t been cleared away yet, so Song Yuehua must have just left.

Song Yuehua came because he feared his son would get into a fight.

He wouldn’t be here to discuss her household registration, would he?

“Does Xia Xia like Uncle Song?”

Lu Jinnian asked the little girl kindly.

She blinked seriously.

“Of course I like him. Uncle Song talks gently and respects people. He never scolds or hits anyone. He’s very good to me and mom. Unlike Lu Lin, who hits people at the drop of a hat and has no manners…”

“All right, all right,” Lu Jinnian quickly waved his hand, sensing his great-granddaughter’s opinion of her father was quite negative.

The road to father-daughter reconciliation was still long.

“Your mom is married to Uncle Song. By right, you’re a Song family child too. Grandpa Song just came to ask for you to be added to the genealogy. That means you’ll have to go to their family ancestral hall to pay respects and take on responsibilities. Are you willing?”

Lu Jinnian patiently explained.

Bai Xia thought for a moment.

She hadn’t expected Song Yuehua to come for this.

It really couldn’t be left to Song Xun, or the guy would definitely lose it.

“I’ll listen to Great-Grandpa. Uncle Song is old anyway; I should take care of him in his old age.”

She sat on the sofa, playing with Lu Jinnian’s walnuts.

He ruffled her hair.

“But the Song relatives are fierce. They’ll probably blame Xia Xia for grabbing their inheritance. Aren’t you afraid?”

“The teacher says if people don’t offend me, I don’t offend them. When facing difficulties, you should face them actively. Running away doesn’t solve problems; it just makes conflicts worse,” she said earnestly.

Looking at the obedient, adorable little girl, Lu Jinnian’s eyes filled with pride.

That brat Lu Lin didn’t deserve such a smart daughter.

He must cultivate his great-granddaughter well while he still could.

“All right, Xia Xia is the best,” Lu Jinnian said, handing her a walnut.

“Do you like these? Great-Grandpa will carve you a golden one, okay?”

Butler: “Chairman’s gone mad. Gold is too heavy for Miss to hold.”

“No, let Great-Grandpa play with it. I’m going to do my homework.”

Bai Xia jumped off the sofa and ran upstairs.

As for inheritance, she had always followed one principle: whether others gave or not was their business.

If they did, she’d take it; if not, she’d earn it herself.

But she wouldn’t refuse any opportunity.

She wasn’t without desires.

Just like Yao Yun wanting her son to inherit more assets was only natural.

As long as no one threatened her life, it was fine.

But if anyone dared to act cruelly, she wouldn’t tolerate it.