novelraw Chapter 279: Offering Oneself as Collateral for Debt
Chapter 279: Offering Oneself as Collateral for Debt
I’ve heard that Uncle was cured by Xu Xiangbei, and Lu Daquan looked at Xu Xiangbei in astonishment.
He couldn’t believe that the young man before him, who seemed so ordinary and was about his age, could be a miraculous doctor.
Lu Daan looked suspiciously at his cousin, "Weren’t you supposed to be training at the club? How did you come back so soon? Are you slacking off again? You always complain about not being put on the field, but if I were the coach, I wouldn’t let you play either because you’re so inconsistent."
Speaking of club training, Lu Daquan’s face turned gloomy. He threw his worn-out sneakers into the corner and stretched out his hand to Xu Xiangbei, "Give me a cigarette."
Xu Xiangbei handed over a cigarette, and Lu Daquan started smoking with a troubled look on his face, ignoring his cousin Lu Daan’s questioning.
At that moment, Lu Daan noticed the bruises on his cousin’s face and asked irritably, "Did you get into a fight with your teammates again? You can’t change your bad temper and should learn to get along with others. Be more tolerant."
Even though Lu Daquan’s expression was grim, he spoke with a carefree, bold tone, "I didn’t fight with my teammates; I fought the coach and the entire team. I got expelled."
Xu Xiangbei laughed; it seemed all Lu Family members were made from the same mold, all hot-tempered. Not related by blood, they wouldn’t come together. Lu Xiaomei got expelled from the basketball team for hitting the coach, and this cousin got expelled for hitting the soccer coach and the entire team.
Seeing everyone looking at him mockingly, even Lu Xiaomei with a contemptuous expression, Lu Daquan hurriedly defended himself.
He explained indignantly, "The second season of the Club Cup is coming up, and the coach wanted us to do a fitness test to select the main players. With my stamina and skills, I could definitely be a main player. After the test, I got first place but still wasn’t selected, saying I was too individualistic and couldn’t cooperate with the team. That’s unjust blame. Everyone knew I wasn’t picked because I didn’t bribe the coach. Those with worse stamina than mine were selected, and I was so angry that I hit the coach."
Xu Xiangbei exhaled some smoke and asked curiously, "With your Lu Family Fist skills, the coach should never even touch you, so what’s with the bruises on your face?"
Being asked this, Lu Daquan showed a proud and resentful expression, "After I hit the coach, those who always sucked up to him swarmed in and joined him in hitting me. A dozen of them against me alone. I accidentally got punched by someone, but they all ended up lying on the ground and couldn’t get up. My Lu Family Fist is not to be underestimated."
Lu Zhigang laughed, "Xiaodai, if you could learn all thirty-six moves of the Lu Family Fist taught by Uncle, not just a dozen but even dozens could fight you without landing a punch."
Lu Daquan blushed a bit, having focused entirely on soccer and neglected practicing martial arts.
Xu Xiangbei found Lu Daquan quite interesting. Though a bit reckless, he was straightforward and brave. Xu smiled and asked, "Which team do you play for?"
Lu Daquan replied indifferently, "A small club, Mountain Peak Club, probably you’ve never heard of it."
"I don’t know how well you play, but I know someone from the team at Qinghai Club, David, and I also know their President Huang. He mentioned last time that they’re short on players. You could give it a try there."
Hearing it’s Qinghai Club, Lu Daquan instantly became excited, approaching Xu Xiangbei with a bright smile, his firm and dark face full of gratitude.
"You know David and President Huang from Qinghai Club? Wow, if I can get into Qinghai Club, I’ll buy you fried chicken legs for a whole month."
Xu Xiangbei waved his hand, laughing, "I don’t eat fried food, but thanks for the offer. I’m just introducing you, whether they recruit you or not depends on your abilities and not on me."
Xu Xiangbei checked his watch; it was getting late, and he needed to go to Earth’s famous Labor Market to find a lifestyle assistant for Gu Xinyan.
"Uncle Lu, the meridians in your legs have healed, so now it’s up to you. It’ll take about a month to regain walking ability, but you need to walk more every day and practice martial arts to restore your former grace. I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be leaving."
Seeing Xu Xiangbei about to leave, Lu Zhigang and his daughter exchanged glances. Lu Xiaomei quickly grabbed a bag from the table and tightly followed Xu Xiangbei out of the alley.
Seeing Lu Xiaomei following him, Xu Xiangbei thought she was seeing him off and smiled, "You don’t need to see me off, go back, I’ll leave by myself."
But Lu Xiaomei stopped Xu Xiangbei, bowed to him, her face flushed, "Brother Xu, our family spent all the money on my father’s treatment and we’re out of money. I plan to wash clothes and cook for you, act as a housekeeper, to offset the medical expenses."
Xu Xiangbei was at a loss between laughter and tears, "It doesn’t matter if you don’t have money, you don’t need to wash clothes, cook, and act as a housekeeper for me. It’s unnecessary, Lu Xiaomei. Go back."
Lu Xiaomei stubbornly held Xu Xiangbei’s arm, "Brother Xu, today I am determined to follow you, wherever you go, I’ll follow. I’ll do everything: wash clothes, cook, clean, knit sweaters, sew quilts. Just let me be your housekeeper."
Xu Xiangbei was left helpless; he didn’t need a housekeeper, but he knew it might be possible to persuade others, but Lu Xiaomei was stubbornly straightforward. She wouldn’t let go unless he agreed.
He suddenly thought of a solution, evaluated Lu Xiaomei from head to toe; tall stature, strong, good at washing clothes and cooking—perfect for being a lifestyle assistant for Gu Xinyan.
"Alright, I agree. You can be my housekeeper."
"Really? Thank you so much, Brother Xu. I know this isn’t ideal, but I’m really out of options."
"I am perfectly capable, without a fixed abode, and don’t really need you as a housekeeper. But I have a friend who’s also a girl; she has mobility issues and is in a wheelchair. She needs a housekeeper to take care of her daily life. You can help her like helping me."
Lu Xiaomei tilted her head, thinking hard. Initially, she didn’t understand much, and her head shook like a rattle.
"No, Mama said I can only be Doctor Xu’s housekeeper, not serve anyone else. I have my dignity."
Xu Xiangbei felt a bit of a headache. Lu Xiaomei was straightforwardly adorable but also too stubborn.
He patiently explained, "Actually, Miss Gu is my future wife, and we belong to the same family. Being my housekeeper means cleaning our house and doing chores, right? Taking care of me means taking care of my family, right? So taking care of my future wife, Gu Xinyan, is entirely justified."