A charming widow in her 70s married a factory manager and raised his children.

Lu Congyue's eyes darted around, and he flipped over, pinning Zhuang Qingxiang down and kissing her again.

He kissed her and coaxed her, saying, "Qingxiang, my good wife, why don't you go ask Sister Shang for me? You're women, you can communicate with her more easily than I can..."

Zhuang Qingxiang was furious when she heard this. She racked her brains to help him find a solution, but he actually tried to push her out.

"I don't want to, you know perfectly well how she feels about me..."

Before she could finish her protest, Lu Congyue silenced her again. After a while, he continued to plead with her, but she continued to refuse, and he continued to silence her.

After much teasing and playful banter, things escalated to the point where Zhuang Qingxiang was gently held in his arms and finally gave in to his nagging.

However, the two of them were at a loss as to how to contact Shanghua.

Lu Congyue was determined not to contact Shang Hua, and Zhuang Qingxiang was also unwilling to do so.

"Sister Shang already dislikes me. If I call her first, she'll definitely think I have ulterior motives. Do you think she'd confide in me? Don't be ridiculous."

Besides, isn't it crazy to call someone to ask about the inside story of their divorce and whether they physically assaulted their widowed sister-in-law?

Unless two people happen to meet and chat, they can only find out about each other without leaving a trace.

Lu Congyue scratched his head, wondering if he should call Shang Jiang and ask him to bring Shang Hua over.

But before this idea could be fully formed, news came that the Commerce Bureau had an exchange activity with the Eastern Province, and Lu Congyue was going to lead a team there.

Wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity to take my wife and kids to Dong Province to visit Uncle Shang, and also to see Shang Hua and Shang Jiang?

Lu Congyue immediately submitted a report, then told Zhuang Qingxiang, got a letter of introduction, bought train tickets, and set off for Dong Province with his wife and children.

After settling into a guesthouse in Fenghuai City, Dong Province, Lu Congyue told Zhuang Qingxiang and the children to rest first, while he went to the department store to buy some gifts.

In the evening, he took Zhuang Qingxiang and the three children to the gate of the military compound.

After registration, someone notified the Shang family, and soon guards came to take them there.

As soon as he entered, Shang Jianjun stepped forward and patted Lu Congyue on the shoulder.

"Well, lad, after we parted ways in the capital last time, I thought I wouldn't see you for months. I didn't expect you to come back so soon!"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Zhuang Qingxiang and the three children beside her.

"Is this your wife and child?"

"Yes, this is my wife, Zhuang Qingxiang. This is my eldest daughter, Lu Yue, nicknamed Yueyue. And these two rascals, this one is called Fang Donghua, and that one is called Lu Chenglin. You've met them before."

Zhuang Qingxiang smiled and said, "Uncle Shang, hello. You can just call me Xiao Zhuang."

Shang Jianjun nodded, then smiled and scooped up the two boys and held them in his arms.

"Fang Donghua and Lu Chenglin, not bad, they've raised both children well."

Little Lu Yue looked timidly at Zhuang Qingxiang, who smiled and nodded slightly. Only then did Little Lu Yue muster up the courage to call out, "Hello, Grandpa Shang."

"Alright, alright, little girl, come in quickly." Shang Jianjun said with a smile, carrying the two boys and leading the way into the living room.

The group sat down in the living room, and tea was immediately served.

Shang Jianjun said, "Coming here in this sweltering heat must be quite a ordeal, right? Have some tea to cool down."

After Lu Congyue and the others thanked him and took a couple of sips of tea, Shang Jianjun continued chatting with Lu Congyue: "Why did you suddenly come over?"

"I had work to do, so I brought my wife and kids along for you to see," Lu Congyue said with a smile. "By the way, where are Aunt Ren and Sister Shang?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Jianjun's smile faded somewhat.

"Your Aunt Ren took Shanghua to find a match. She'll probably be back soon. I don't know if the match will go well."

"Oh? That's good news! What are their conditions?" Lu Congyue asked.

"It's alright. He's also in the military, and he's always been rooted in the military. He's neglected his family. His wife had a lover and filed for divorce, but he didn't try to stop her. He's been single ever since."

Clearly, Shang Jianjun had thoroughly investigated the other party and only introduced him to his daughter after deeming him suitable.

When Lu Congyue heard that the conditions were quite suitable, he really hoped that they could get together.

They chatted for a while when they heard a noise at the door. Sure enough, Ren Zhen and Shang Hua had returned, and neither of them looked too happy.

Upon seeing so many people in the house, the two of them were stunned for a moment, then immediately put on smiling faces.

"Isn't this Cong Yue?" Ren Zhen exclaimed with delight. "It's been so long since I've seen you! You've changed, become more mature and composed. I heard you're doing well at work and got promoted again?"

Lu Congyue smiled sheepishly, said a few modest words, and then introduced Zhuang Qingxiang and the children again.

Regardless of what she was thinking, Ren Zhen outwardly gave Lu Congyue face, praising Zhuang Qingxiang and the children extensively before asking them to stay for dinner while she went to the kitchen to prepare the meal herself.

Shang Hua still didn't have a good look on Zhuang Qingxiang's face, but he treated Xiao Chenglin differently, picking him up and coaxing him to call for help.

Seeing her like that, Shang Jianjun was furious.

Three children, but you're only holding and playing with one of them. What does that mean?

How embarrassing must this be for Zhuang Qingxiang and the other two children?

"Shanghua!" he said irritably, "How did the fortune telling go today?"

Shang Hua froze, his face turning cold: "No good, Dad. Can you please stop playing matchmaker? Peng Wanzhou is five years younger than me, what kind of nonsense is this?!"

Lu Congyue: "..."

Shang Hua's tone was so sharp that Shang Jianjun's wasn't much better: "So what if he's five years younger than you? Cong Yue is three years younger than you, and you're still..."

Suddenly realizing that Lu Congyue's wife was still there, Shang Jianjun quickly changed his tune: "A woman five years older than you is like a golden brick, what's wrong with that? Peng Wanzhou is my soldier, I know him, he's an honest and reliable young man!"

"Dad!" Shang Hua was both ashamed and angry, especially since she had talked about her marriage in front of Zhuang Qingxiang and Lu Congyue. She felt extremely embarrassed.

"Can we talk about this later?" she said, blushing. "We have guests at home today, let's not talk about that."

"You know we have guests? Aren't you going to treat Xiao Zhuang well? You're the same age, you should get to know each other better." Shang Jianjun said irritably, directly instructing his daughter to spend more time with Zhuang Qingxiang.

He knew how much his daughter disliked Zhuang Qingxiang, but since Lu Congyue had set his sights on this woman, he could only try to build a good relationship with her, since the two families would still have to interact in the future.

He liked his younger nephew Lu Congyue and hoped that his own children could have long-term relationships with others, learn from each other, encourage each other, and make progress together.

Shang Hua didn't want to get close to Zhuang Qingxiang at all, but in this situation, in order to shut her father up, she had no choice but to take the initiative to greet Zhuang Qingxiang.

"It must have been tough traveling with three kids, right?"

Even when they expressed concern, their words were dry and devoid of emotion.