1970s: My childhood sweetheart ran away, and I turned around and married the wildest chief.

He had just finished checking his house when a guard came to find him, saying that there was something going on at the military base and that his superior wanted to see him and had him go there immediately.

Lu Mingzhou frowned, and Qiao Wanqing reassured him, "It's alright, I'll take care of things at home, so you can go without worry."

Lu Mingzhou was silent for two seconds, then stepped forward and took Qiao Wanqing's hand. "Then you take good care of yourself and the children at home. When I come back, I'll go with you to register the children's birth. Our youngest son... will take your surname."

Qiao Wanqing was stunned!

Lu Mingzhou patted her hand and left with the guard.

Qiao Wanqing stood at the front door of the living room, watching his departing figure. The car had already arrived at the door. Before getting into the car, the man turned back and glanced at her, his dark eyes filled with a hint of a smile and starlight.

Qiao Wanqing stood there, watching the car drive away.

The three children were born safely. She had thought about letting one of the children take her surname, but this time there were two sons and a daughter. If she had to choose, she would prefer her daughter to take her surname. She always felt that boys would go to find their fathers when they grew up. She couldn't change the patriarchal environment that favored boys over girls in the next few decades. It would be difficult for boys to empathize with their mothers if they grew up in this environment, not to mention that their biological fathers would most likely be in a high position of power.

Even if she wins, the child will eventually go to find his father when he grows up. Why bother?

But his first daughter already took his surname, so Lu Mingzhou probably wouldn't agree if his younger daughter also took the surname Qiao.

After thinking about it for a long time, she finally decided to give up.

Life is only a hundred years or so, and she longed for a smoother and happier life. Lu Mingzhou treated her very well, and in the years since their marriage, she could say she had been very happy. Sometimes she would think, "Forget it, why bother challenging the world?"

But deep down, I just couldn't accept it!

Therefore, she did not register the child's birth immediately after the child was born.

In this day and age, many people don't register their newborns immediately, so her actions weren't particularly unusual. She just hadn't expected Lu Mingzhou to say those things.

Did he figure it out, or did he already have this idea all along?

No matter what, Qiao Wanqing was happy at this moment. The man she married should understand her, understand her inner desires and helplessness, respect and cherish her, so he was willing to make some concessions to fulfill her wishes!

She recalled that night four years ago, when he knew she was only so eager to marry him to increase her bargaining power, but he still agreed. Was he worried that she was too young and might act impulsively and take risks? So, he took the risk!

……

Qiao Wanqing's health gradually improved, and she was able to move around freely. She just needed to continue to rest and recover her energy. At this time, as long as she didn't stay up all night taking care of the baby, she could manage. However, she still didn't go out and only stayed at home, preparing to complete her three-month postpartum confinement period and take good care of herself.

Grandparents left quickly, taking Wang Lichun and Feng Liqiu with them. On her day off, Xu Hui came to visit her at the family compound. Seeing five children in the house with only two adults caring for them, she frowned and asked worriedly, "Have you arranged for housekeeping? When will they arrive?"

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "I've applied, and they should be here in the next few days. Did Grandpa tell you?"

Lu Mingzhou must have sensed something when he made those arrangements, so she quickly told her grandparents. The two elderly people packed their bags and ran away with their people, determined not to leave any trouble behind.

Given their identities, they should be fine for now, but if someone is deliberately targeting them, then it's hard to say.

Xu Hui nodded, "I told you, your grandfather came to tell me specifically that you want to see me, and that I should rest and find some time to come over as soon as possible."

Xu Hui closed the door. The three babies were inside, while the two younger ones were playing in the yard with Qi Ya. The house was safe. Xu Hui lowered her voice and asked, "What happened? Your grandfather is very worried. He specifically sent someone to Beijing to tell your uncle about this so everyone could be prepared. I was so scared. Is someone trying to harm Xiao Lu?"

Qiao Wanqing quickly reassured her mother, "Mom, don't worry. Lu Mingzhou didn't say much, but he did this because he must have some suspicions. Besides, I was worried about the Gu family's nanny last time. Gu Xun... is Lu Mingzhou's rival. A privileged young man from a good family, but in the end he can't compare to a country bumpkin. Anyone would feel unbalanced."

"Zhou Hong's jealousy of me is a bit outrageous. I suspect that Gu Xun may have deliberately provoked her in front of her. It is actually very easy for a man, especially a shrewd man, to drive his woman crazy without making a sound. If Zhou Hong really did something to our family, Gu Xun can still divorce her as a matter of course after being caught."

Xu Hui and her daughter sat on the small sofa and sighed, "The jealousy between men is much more terrifying than that between women. Xiao Lu is so young, it won't affect him at all in the short term."

Qiao Wanqing chuckled, "You said it yourself, it's only for a short time. It will definitely have an impact in the long run. However, we haven't confirmed yet whether the Gu family really has this intention. Power struggles are always bloody, and Lu Mingzhou is only suspicious."

"Such a large military region has several competitors, and Gu Xun is not the only one who wants to bring him down."

Xu Hui patted her daughter's hand, "These kinds of things can happen anytime. In this position, there's no way you won't face competition. Since he's said that, tidy up the house and be careful during this time."

Qiao Wanqing said confidently, "I've already cleaned up the house. I only kept things that I can afford. Anything that shouldn't be there has already been cleared out. I called you here so that you could clean up too. There are some things that you shouldn't take out for now."

Xu Hui laughed and said, "Your grandfather is so fast, there's no need to worry at all. He cleaned everything up as soon as he got back. Unless they frame us, they can't hurt us. What we're worried about now is whether they'll target Xiao Lu or us family members if they really want to make a move."

Qiao Wanqing shrugged and said helplessly, "I don't know then. We can only wait and see what the other side does. I also hope that Lu Mingzhou can keep it under control, and it would be best if this didn't happen at all, so we can live peacefully for a few years. But these are not things we can decide. Even if Lu Mingzhou wants to avoid it, the other side may not be willing!"

The mother and daughter talked for a long time inside the house, and only felt relieved after confirming that there were no loopholes in the house.

Qiao Wanqing seemed much more relaxed and started talking about how Lu Mingzhou had asked his youngest son to take her surname.

"Really?" Xu Hui asked in shock.

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "Yes, he said it before he left. He said he would come back and help me register the child's birth."

Xu Huixi jumped up and paced back and forth in the room. "Oh, that's great! Your brother is such a disappointment. He hasn't gotten married all these years, and we don't even know where this child is. I heard about the one-child policy, and it's driving me crazy. Even if your brother gets married now, he probably won't be able to have a second child. It's infuriating!"

They have few children. Qiao Yuanhe is already 29 this year. If he had gotten married earlier, he would have several children by now. Unfortunately, they haven't gotten married yet, which makes Xu Hui very angry.

Now that family planning has started to be promoted, Xu Hui is even angrier. She is a rich woman with property to inherit, but her son has never gotten married or had children. If there are too few children in the family, how will they compete with other families?

Xu Hui was already very happy that her daughter had one of her surnames. She had thought about it when the triplets were born, but since her daughter didn't mention it, she didn't either.

Unexpectedly, things have taken a turn for the better, and the son-in-law has taken the initiative to bring it up.

Qiao Wanqing thought about it and realized it was indeed a bit risky. In the early 1980s, it wasn't very strict, and having a second child was still possible. But later it became stricter, and back then, wanting to have a second child would mean losing your job.

"Has your brother really not had a girlfriend all these years? Last time at the hospital, the way he looked, after seeing the triplets being born, he probably wanted children. Why don't you... try to set him up? The policy has only just started, and it shouldn't be so strict in the first few years. Maybe your brother can even have a second child."

Xu Hui's eyes lit up. She sat down next to her daughter and said, "How about I introduce you to someone from our factory?"

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "That's good. It's better to find a job with a good family background. For my brother's job, it's better to find something safer. Don't think that family background is less important now. It still has an impact during the political review. In the future, when he is promoted in the military, people with good family background will definitely be given priority."

"Remember to find a girl from China. Haven't some overseas Chinese returned to China this year? They have a high status now, but it might not be a good thing for us. My brother is in the military, so don't let him find someone with a controversial status. It would be best if he came from a working-class family in China."

Xu Hui smiled and said, "I know, I'll definitely find him someone from a respectable family."

Xu Hui herself had suffered enough from being a capitalist, but there was nothing she could do about it; she enjoyed the privileged life of a capitalist's daughter, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Speaking of overseas Chinese, Xu Hui has met quite a few recently. She said to her daughter, "It seems like they're trying to attract investment now, welcoming overseas Chinese to invest back in China. Some of our old relatives want to come back, but I don't know if your grandfather will let them. I wonder if this will affect your situation."

Qiao Wanqing felt quite helpless; she didn't know either.

Her status was what it was; it was the 1980s, and overseas Chinese could be respected at that time, but that was from an economic perspective. She married a soldier and lived in a family compound. Overseas Chinese had lived abroad before, so if no one caused trouble, everything would be fine. But if someone deliberately caused trouble, then it was hard to say.

"This matter can only be left to Lu Mingzhou and my uncle. They know in their hearts that things are not like they were a few years ago. Our family should be safe. If someone really causes trouble, we might be able to start from this angle. Foreign exchange is still very important. If our relatives are willing to return to China to make big investments, then we will probably be very safe."

Xu Hui pursed her lips, "Those people your grandfather can control, he should be able to bring them back, but the rest are another story."

These are things they can't decide for the time being. Over the years, even Grandpa might not be able to completely control those people, let alone Xu Hui and Qiao Wanqing. The mother and daughter talked for a while, understood the situation, and stopped discussing the topic.

Looking at her three sleeping babies, Xu Hui felt sorry for her daughter. "Now that your grandfather and the others are gone, there probably aren't enough people in the family, right? How about... Mommy comes to stay with you!"

Qiao Wanqing shook her head, "No need, you go ahead with your work. I can take care of myself. Besides, Grandpa and the others are only leaving temporarily, it's not like they're never coming back. And right now we're just being a little low-key during this special period, it's not like we can stay like this forever."

"If all else fails, we can find another person from the Lu family's hometown. Lu Mingzhou had already made arrangements for that. If the Xu family's people hadn't arrived, we would have arranged for the Lu family's people to come over."

Qiao Wanqing didn't want her mother to come and take care of her child. Her mother was very capable at work, and she knew that her mother loved her career. There were too many people who could take care of the child, so there was no need for her mother to do it.

"You should cultivate your network well; in a few years, when my children are grown up, I'll need it too."

Xu Hui raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking of starting a business too?"

Qiao Wanqing shrugged. "Of course, why would we miss such a good opportunity? Right now, no matter how outstanding we are, the Xu family's assets won't all go to you. As long as Grandpa can give you the initial investment, that's enough. Mom, believe me, there will be many opportunities in the future. We have the capital, and we will definitely make a lot of money."

"You can fight for the Xu family's assets if you want, but if you really can't get them, don't waste too much energy. The domestic market is huge, so don't focus all your attention on the Xu family; it's not worth it."

Xu Hui nodded. "I've thought about it too. Your eldest uncle is keeping a tight grip on the Xu family's assets. Your grandparents are still in good health now, so he's restrained. But in a few years, when your grandparents get old, there will be no one to keep him in check."

Qiao Wanqing curled her lips. "Grandpa won't leave the whole family business to him alone. Last time the Xu family had trouble, he stayed in Shanghai and didn't even show his face, so he lost his chance."

Xu Hui nodded. "Last time, your grandfather was indeed quite disappointed."

……

Today is a day off, and Xu Hui is staying at her daughter's house to help take care of the children so that her daughter can get some rest. She is always worried that there aren't enough people at home and that the children will disturb her daughter's rest.

Xu Hui originally wanted to stay, but after thinking about the situation at the Lu family, she decided to leave. If someone really tried to harm her son-in-law, it would be better to wait until things calmed down before staying together. Otherwise, if they were all wiped out, there wouldn't even be anyone outside to relay the message.

Qiao Wanqing stayed at home. During the day, she looked after the three children, and at night, Qi Ya and her third aunt took turns caring for them. Lu Mingzhou hadn't come back and no one knew where he had gone.

In the past few days, Qiao Wanqing occasionally walked on the road at the gate and saw Zhou Hong twice. Almost every time, Zhou Hong looked at her with extremely crazy and resentful eyes. Qiao Wanqing gritted her teeth and thought, "Damn it, with that awful look, Gu Xun must be a scumbag!"

At this moment, Qiao Wanqing no longer cared whether she had wronged Gu Xun or was taking her anger out on him. She only knew that with Zhou Hong's wicked nature, Gu Xun, as a soldier, would definitely be able to detect her abnormality. As the eldest grandson's wife of the Gu family, she would never let her become like this.