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

Xu Hui really didn't know this. "I don't know the specifics, but she does appear in Beichuan often. She even came to the army to see your older brother. I've also seen her a few times at the factory. She even came to see me, saying she wanted to come and see me or something. Judging from her behavior, she just wanted to get acquainted with me and win my favor."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Why is a college student who is still in school not staying at school but constantly running around chasing men?

Qiao Yuanhe has been quite busy lately. He goes out almost every day off. He's a 30-year-old man and he wants to settle down, so he's been actively looking for a girlfriend.

However, things didn't go as he hoped, and he couldn't find the girl he wanted.

I came to my sister's house today to see the children. Qiao Wanqing was chatting with Xu Hui when she saw her older brother come over.

Xu Hui saw her son and quickly waved, "Come here, I was just talking to you!"

Qiao Yuanhe sat down on the sofa. "What's wrong? What did you say about me?"

Xu Hui glared and said, "What else could it be? Your marriage, of course! You and that Yao Yulan..."

"There's nothing between us. I've already made it clear that I don't like her, I won't marry her, and we don't need to have any contact anymore."

Xu Hui: "..."

She stood there stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to react. "No, this...this is it? They broke up already? So fast?"

Qiao Yuanhe corrected, "We were never together, so it doesn't count as a breakup."

Xu Hui: "..."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Seeing that his mother and sister seemed a little confused, Qiao Yuanhe also felt puzzled. "Is it strange? We agreed from the beginning that we were just going to get to know each other and see how things went. We hadn't officially defined our relationship yet. How could we easily agree to date someone when we weren't even familiar with each other? We've only met a few times in total."

"I made it clear to her two months ago that we weren't a good match, and told her to focus on her studies at school and not to come looking for me again."

Xu Hui's pupils dilated in shock. "What did you say? You two broke up two months ago?"

Qiao Yuanhe nodded.

Xu Hui was speechless. "I've seen that girl frequently at the factory these past two months. She even came to my house to see me. Her attitude was obvious; she was trying to please me, her mother-in-law. She probably still has feelings for you. How far have things progressed between you two?"

Qiao Yuanhe said seriously, "No step. We just got to know each other and had some contact. We didn't officially establish a relationship. I reported my blind dates to my boss. I would submit a formal relationship report if we were to establish a relationship. I told my boss when I decided to end it. It's over now."

Xu Hui: "..."

This was handled with utmost care!

Qiao Wanqing asked curiously, "So... now that it's over with this one, what's next? Do you have any new targets? I heard from Mom that you wanted to get married yourself. If you have that plan, then you should meet more people. Get your neighbors, your comrades, and your parents' friends involved. We'll definitely find a girl who will satisfy you."

Qiao Yuanhe replied seriously, "I know. I've been going on blind dates every day off lately, asking relatives and friends to introduce me to potential partners. My schedule is packed. I believe I'll find a suitable girl to marry soon. I was supposed to meet one more person today, but I heard that Mom is here, so I came back early to see you all."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Xu Hui: "..."

The mother and daughter were so shocked that they didn't react for a long time.

Qiao Wanqing looked at her older brother. In her memory, her older brother was very smart and always had a high EQ. How come this person in front of her is her older brother?

Why does he seem a bit wooden?

"Big brother, aren't you being a little too serious?"

Qiao Yuanhe laughed, "Where's the seriousness? I'm seriously trying to find a solution to this problem and overcome this difficulty. I'm not young anymore, and it's time for me to get married. I've thought about the conditions I want, and I've asked my relatives and friends to introduce me to girls based on these conditions. With a quick screening, I'm sure I can find a girl I like."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Why does this look like a planned operation?

"What kind of person are you looking for?" Qiao Wanqing asked.

Qiao Yuanhe answered very seriously, "Under 25 years old, undergraduate degree, big eyes, fair skin, over 1.6 meters tall, appearance doesn't have to be outstanding but can't be ugly either, cheerful personality, able to enjoy life and endure hardship, strong and opinionated, not too delicate."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

That's a very clear goal; she certainly meets the criteria for being a military wife.

Qiao Yuanhe continued, "I've already told Dad to ask his friends if anyone has a daughter like that. I've also called my grandparents and uncle, asking them to find me one in Beijing. My grandparents live in the university town, so there must be a lot of girls like that there. If I find a suitable one, I'll go to Beijing for a blind date."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Xu Hui sighed, oh well, this son of hers doesn't need her to worry about him at all; he's very independent and has his own ideas.

Since he had said that, Xu Hui knew that Yao Yulan was completely out of the running.

"Since you have such ideas, then Mom won't stop you. But be careful lately. Yao Yulan hasn't given up on you yet. Given your special status, if you don't like her, you must keep your distance. If someone schemes against you, you won't be able to escape."

Qiao Yuanhe frowned, feeling a little annoyed at the thought of Yao Yulan.

"I understand, I'll be careful."

Two months later, in May 1981, Grandpa Xu returned with his team. After inspecting several cities, they decided on the cities to invest in. China is so big that it is impossible for one factory to cover the whole country.

The Xu family's businesses used to be spread all over the country, with development in Shanghai and Beijing. However, Beichuan was their ancestral home and the place where their roots were located, so Xu's maternal grandfather had a slightly different feeling towards Beichuan.

Unfortunately, the policies and business environment in the south are better, so after careful consideration, Grandpa Xu finally decided to start investing in the south.

Northern cities don't yet have such a good environment, so Grandpa Xu originally wanted to start in Beichuan, but in the end, he gave up.

Let's start with the south, and then follow up on the north.

During his trip south, the old man also sold some treasures to Hong Kong businessmen, foreign merchants, and overseas Chinese who had returned to China. He now has plenty of cash on hand and is full of confidence.

Upon returning, he bought a three-story house in Beichuan City with a front and back yard.

On this day off, the old man invited everyone over to visit and get familiar with the place. They said they wouldn't be living in the old house anymore; he and his wife would be living here from now on.

Lu Mingzhou and Qiao Wanqing came over with the child. As soon as Qiao Wanqing saw the house, she smiled.

Lu Mingzhou asked her, "What's wrong?"

"This used to be the Xu family's house. My grandfather really cherishes the past; he actually bought the house back."

Lu Mingzhou asked curiously, "You've lived here before?"

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "I guess so, but it wasn't for long. I was still very young then. Later, I went to Beijing with my family for a while, and then I went to Shanghai. Finally, I went abroad."

The house was well-preserved and had been cleaned up; it still looked just like Qiao Wanqing remembered it. Many of the pieces of furniture were newly purchased. Grandpa Xu invited everyone to sit down.

"We're all eating here today. It's rare for us to get together like this. Let's have a good get-together while I'm still here. My wife and I will be heading south soon, and we won't have many chances to see each other anymore."

Everyone sat down in turn and exchanged a few words. Grandpa Xu said to Qiao Wanqing, "Little Wan, Grandpa has decided to build a large garment factory in Guangzhou. The land has been selected, and construction will begin soon. Do you want to participate? Grandpa will give you some shares."

All eyes immediately turned to Qiao Wanqing.

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "Can I also take a stake?"

Grandpa Xu nodded and said kindly, "Of course I can. I'm so old, and all I did to start this business was for you kids. I watched you grow up; you've been by my side since you were little, so of course you can participate."

"Here's what we'll do. You studied design abroad before, and you know a thing or two about fashion design. Once the factory is built, you can draw some design drafts for it. The design department will give you a position. It's so far away, you don't have to go to work every day. Just draw some designs and send them over. Your grandfather will pay you a salary every month. As for the shares, I'll give you five percent first. You don't need to put any money in it; your grandfather will cover it."

Qiao Wanqing smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Grandpa. I will definitely work hard in the future."

Five percent of the shares may not seem like much, but she wouldn't complain if it were given to her for free.

Lu Mingzhou, sitting to the side, was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that Grandpa Xu would give so much so that they could acquire so many shares without even having to put up any capital. He knew that the Xu family had a lot of grandchildren, but probably not many would receive the same treatment as Qiao Wanqing.

The two thanked their grandfather, who waved his hand and said, "It's a gift from an elder, so you younger generation should just accept it. No need to be polite. You two are young and promising, so live a good life in the future. Xiao Lu, treat Wanwan well and don't let her suffer any grievances. That's the greatest way you can repay us."

Lu Mingzhou quickly agreed, "Grandpa, don't worry, I will treat Wanwan well."

Xu Hui never expected her father to be so generous, directly giving his daughter so many shares without requiring any initial investment, and even providing her with a position in the design department.

Moreover, and most importantly, this is a factory in the south. They live in Beichuan year-round and can't go to the south at all. She thought that even if the old man would give them shares in the factory in the north, that would be good enough. She didn't expect that he would even give them shares in the factory in the south.

"Dad, where have you chosen the land? When are you planning to start construction?"

"The location is quite good. Because the investment is large enough, the local government has allocated a very good location. If you go to Guangzhou on business in the future, you can go and take a look. Xu Li and Xu Min stayed there and are working on this matter. I've been back for a few days now, and they have already started construction. They are trying to finish building the factory as soon as possible."

"And then what? Dad, once the factory is built, are you and Mom going to the south? Will you come back to the north later?"

Grandpa Xu said, "Of course I'm coming back. The Xu family is here, how could I not come back? This house was bought specifically here. It's spacious, and you can stay here if you want to come in the future."

"The factory in the south is just a short-term plan. In the future, factories will be built in Shanghai, Beichuan, and even Beijing. One factory cannot cover the whole country."

Xu Hui's eyes lit up again. The South was too far away, and she couldn't reach it. But if she came to Beichuan or the capital in the future, she refused to believe that she couldn't get involved.

Even those illegitimate sons and daughters, though under their father's control, still receive real benefits. They manage many of the family's businesses. She can't stray too far from the family. The old man thinks he can use her and then get rid of her? Dream on!

Grandpa Xu glanced at Xu Hui, paused for a moment, and said, "The policies in the North aren't very good right now, but they should catch up in time. I'll definitely come to Beichuan to invest then. You've been here for several years now, so take some time to look around and see which plots of land are suitable. Keep an eye out for them, and we can buy them directly in the future."

Xu Hui's eyes flickered, and she nodded. "I understand. That's easy. I'll arrange it."

After lunch, Qiao Wanqing took the child upstairs to rest. There was a suite reserved for her. Lu Mingzhou stood by the window, looking down at the courtyard. "Wanwan, do you like this kind of house?"

Qiao Wanqing looked up and said, "I like most of the houses that are beautiful and clean."

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

He sat down next to Qiao Wanqing and said with a smile, "These kinds of houses used to be only for rich people. You grew up in this kind of environment, and I thought you would like it more. I was thinking of buying you one when it's more convenient!"

Qiao Wanqing glanced at him and said, "I prefer the general's building in the military compound. I like being a general's wife."

Lu Mingzhou immediately grinned, his teeth practically disappearing from his eyes, "Don't worry, give me some time, and I'll definitely make you a general's wife."

That's more or less.

Qiao Wanqing wasn't so obsessed with becoming a tycoon. She was already entitled to a share of the family fortune and didn't lack money. She could also earn more money in the future. What she wanted more was to protect the power over these assets.

Grandpa Xu didn't stay long after returning. After arranging everything, he went south, and it's estimated that he won't be back for a long time.

Lu Mingzhou also received a transfer order, and his family was to move to the capital.

Qiao Wanqing was somewhat surprised. "You're really going? You've never been there before, have you? These aren't soldiers you trained. Why would you be transferred there?"

Lu Mingzhou didn't say much, only replying, "Don't worry, there are special arrangements, which is a good thing and won't affect my future."

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "Really?"

Lu Mingzhou patted her head. "Of course it's true. You're really going now. You'll be living in the same compound as your uncle, which will make it easier to see your grandparents. Aren't you happy?"

Qiao Wanqing was quite happy, but Xu Hui was not.

"You're leaving too? What's the point of Mom staying here then?"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

"Mom, Dad's still here. You should stay here with him!"

Xu Hui said nonchalantly, "Have your grandfather transfer him there too, so our family can be together."

Qiao Wanqing whispered a reminder, "What about the eldest brother?"

Uh……

Xu Hui was stunned; she had forgotten about her son!

Seeing her mother's expression, Qiao Wanqing laughed out loud. "Alright, alright, I'll take good care of myself. If you want to go, you can wait. Wait until your older brother's blind date goes smoothly, until he gets married and finishes this important life event, then you can go. Otherwise, you're just going to leave like this, are you sure you want to go?"

Xu Hui was really worried.