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

The woman in front of me is one of my two unmarried cousins.

Qiao Wanyan cried, her face streaked with tears. "Mom, you're so materialistic! You're the ones who say you can't just look at a man's conditions when he marries. Besides, family burdens are meant to be shared. Once I marry him, I'll naturally have to fulfill the responsibilities of a daughter-in-law. He's got hands and feet, why should I be the one to support him?"

"Aunt!" Qiao Wanqing called out as she entered.

When Aunt saw Qiao Wanqing, she glared at her daughter and quickly invited Qiao Wanqing in.

"Wanwan's here, come in quickly. Oh my, these twins are so beautiful. Come in and talk to your sister. I don't know what's wrong with her, she's suddenly become incredibly stupid, and no matter how much I scold her, it's no use."

Qiao Wanqing told the two children to call for help and let them play aside. She then asked her aunt, "What happened? Why are they arguing?"

The aunt was furious. "What else could it be? This brat started dating someone outside, and then came back and told me she wanted to marry that man. If she had dated someone decent, that would be one thing, but she chose someone who's full of trouble. How could I just watch her jump into a fire pit? That's why we started arguing!"

Qiao Wanyan was indignant and plopped down next to Qiao Wanqing. "Sister, don't listen to my mom's nonsense. My boyfriend is a very good person. He treats me very well. We fell in love on our own. Besides, marrying down isn't unusual in our family. Didn't you marry down yourself? Lu Mingzhou is from the countryside too. Why didn't Mom and Dad object back then? You two are doing quite well now!"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

Is there still something she has to do here?

Her aunt was so angry she wanted to hit her. "How can you compare them? Wanwan has been married for so many years, and Xiao Lu still treats her very well. She even has two children who take our Qiao family name. Can the one you found compare?"

"Why can't we compare?" Qiao Wanyan became more and more indignant as she was scolded. "Now that we have the one-child policy, we can only have one child. Who can still have the mother's surname? Was it the same for my cousin back then?"

"Your brother-in-law was young and promising, and his salary was high. He was very outstanding back then. Even if we hadn't encountered any difficulties, or even if we had been at our peak, marrying someone like your brother-in-law wouldn't have been a disgrace. If you can find me someone like that, I'll immediately agree to let you marry him."

Aunt was furious. How could Lu Mingzhou be the same back then?

She built her career herself, and she's definitely accomplished at a young age. Look at her current treatment; it's only been a few years, and she's already in Beijing, being given important tasks. Can her daughter compare?

Qiao Wanyan was still very unconvinced and sat on the sofa with her puffed-up cheeks. "I don't care, I just like Zhang Yu, and I've made up my mind about him for life."

The eldest aunt was so angry that she fell backward and immediately tried to hit Qiao Wanyan.

Qiao Wanqing quickly stopped her, "Aunt, calm down and talk to her properly. This is your daughter, whom you've doted on since she was little. Don't you feel bad if you hit her? Talk to her nicely. Yanyan isn't stupid; she knows right from wrong."

Qiao Wanqing pulled her cousin aside and said, "Tell me, what happened between you and Zhang Yu? How did you manage to upset your aunt like this?"

Qiao Wanyan said in a smoky voice, "My mother is a snob. She thinks that the boyfriend I found is not good enough, that he can't bring her face or honor, and that she wants to use me to arrange a marriage."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

The aunt, furious, chased after her again, ready to hit her. "Shut up, you brat! Are you trying to rip my heart out? What have I ever done to wrong you since you were little? I've always cherished you, afraid you'd suffer even the slightest hardship, and this is how you repay me?"

These words were extremely hurtful to my aunt, and she was so angry that her eyes turned red.

Qiao Wanqing quickly pulled her cousin away, saying, "How can you talk like that? That's your mother. She's always doted on you since you were little. Would she ever hurt you?" While talking to her cousin, she said to her aunt, "Aunt, I'll go talk to her. Don't be angry. Calm down first. I'll go teach her a lesson."

Qiao Wanqing pulled her cousin upstairs, and the two children wanted to come along, so Qiao Wanqing took them with her.

After entering Qiao Wanyan's room and closing the door, he said, "Tell me, let me see what's going on."

Qiao Wanyan looked up. "Sister, you have to help me."

Qiao Wanqing said helplessly, "Love is indeed important. I'm young too, so I naturally understand a young girl's thoughts. As long as this man isn't someone who's here to harm you, I'll definitely help you. But don't forget, you're my sister, and I'll definitely care about you the most. So if something bad happens to you, if I think it's a pit of fire, I can't bear to see you jump in."

These words immediately made Qiao Wanyan feel much closer to her older sister. She took Qiao Wanqing's hand, and the two sisters sat down on the edge of the bed and began to whisper to each other.

"He's from Guizhou Province and has been working in Beijing. He's 28 years old this year. I've known him for half a year, and he's always been very good to me. I thought we'd been dating for a few months, so I came back and told my mom that we should meet each other. But as soon as my mom heard about his conditions, she immediately objected. She said I'd been deceived. She said, 'I've been with him for months, don't I know how he treats me?' My mom just looks down on him because his family is from the countryside, and she thinks it would be a disgrace for me to marry him."

If my aunt heard this, she'd probably be furious.

What's his family situation?

Qiao Wanyan frowned slightly. "One of my older sisters married and moved to the capital. We also have two younger brothers and two younger sisters back in our hometown, all of whom are still in school. Our parents are still alive."

Qiao Wanqing: "...Anything else?"

Qiao Wanyan shook her head, "I don't know much, and I haven't asked that many questions. Anyway, we're married and I don't have to go to his hometown, so why bother?"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

"So... what does he do for work now? When did he come to the capital?"

"I'm currently working as a technician in a textile factory. I came to Beijing two years ago."

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow. "A technician? That's impressive!"

Qiao Wanyan immediately smiled, "Of course, I knew it..."

Before she could finish her boasting, Qiao Wanqing interrupted, "He's twenty-eight this year, and twenty-six two years ago. At his age, he's still unmarried in his hometown? People get married very young in the countryside, right?"

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

She was a little unhappy. "Zhang Yu is so outstanding, he's a man with ambition. How could he possibly be interested in a village girl from his hometown?"

Qiao Wanqing said half-jokingly, "You can't say that. He's outstanding and ambitious, so he looks down on country girls. But what about you? You're not outstanding and have no ambition, so you're attracted to this country boy?"

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

"Sis, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Qiao Wanqing shrugged. "I was just saying that in the heat of the moment! Everyone has aspirations. In my heart, you are the outstanding one. You have a good family background, you are good-looking, you are a local from Beijing, you are young, you have no family burdens, and you have a good job. What a wonderful young lady you are. When you praise him like this, it makes it seem like you are not as good as him. I don't like to hear that."

Qiao Wanyan was immediately delighted. "Sister, you still love me the most. But Zhang Yu is really a good person. He used to work in a factory back in our hometown, and now that he's in Beijing, he's become a technician in no time. He's a very ambitious person, and most importantly, he's good to me. I'm sure I'll be happy with him."

Qiao Wanqing nodded. "Hearing you praise him so much, I'm getting a little curious. How is he so good to you? How can he make my smart and proud little sister like him so much? Tell me about it?"

She asked jokingly, as if she were envious of her friend's boyfriend treating her well.

Sure enough, Qiao Wanyan immediately launched into a long, rambling speech.

"After we met, he pursued me cautiously yet passionately. He often asked me to go for walks and would cook for me himself. Sister, you don't know how shocked I was. He was a grown man who could cook! Although his skills weren't that great, he always tried his best. And in the six months since we met, his cooking skills have gotten better and better."

"When I had a cold, he made me ginger water and brought it to my workplace. He even did my laundry. He's so thoughtful. I've never met such a gentle man. Just imagine, if I married him, I wouldn't have to do anything at home. I'd be pampered by him all the time. I feel so happy just thinking about it."

Qiao Wanqing: "..."

"Anything else?" Qiao Wanqing asked.

Qiao Wanyan was taken aback. "What else?"

"How good is he to you? You described him as so outstanding, I thought he was very capable. But it's all just these little things in life! The housekeeper can do these things too. Is there anything else? If you don't give me some typical examples, how can I speak up for you in front of your aunt?"

Qiao Wanyan: "...Isn't that enough? How much more typical do you want it to be? Besides, a nanny can do...a nanny...how can that be the same? How can he be the same as a nanny? My mom cooks for my dad herself, and these nannies can do that too, are they the same?"

Qiao Wanqing laughed and said, "Your analogy is wrong. Your father didn't marry your mother just because she cooked for him."

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

She was a little confused for a moment, feeling that her cousin was wrong, but at the same time, she also felt that her cousin's words made sense. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, and she was very unhappy.

Seeing that she didn't look well, Qiao Wanqing patted her hand and said, "Alright, you're still young. You two have only known each other for half a year, so you definitely don't know him well enough. Besides, you're the one who's with him. I've only heard a few words from you, so I don't know much about him either."

"Marriage is a big deal. It's hard for a girl to go back after she's married once. She'll also have children in the future. With the one-child policy, if you have children with him and then the marriage runs into problems, it will be difficult to have other children in the future. So you must be very careful!"

"You've been pampered and spoiled by our family since childhood. We can't bear to see you suffer. We're worried that this man is just trying to coax you because you're young, beautiful, and naive. We're afraid that his family will have too much burden and you'll suffer because of him. We're all your family, and we would never harm you."

"Don't rush into marriage. A marriage without your parents' blessings is unlikely to be happy. He loves you so much, he certainly wouldn't want a young girl like you to fall out with your family because of him, right? He's outstanding and ambitious. As long as you work hard and are sincere, your mother will definitely see his good qualities in time. What's the rush?"

Qiao Wanyan opened her mouth. What her cousin said made sense, and she was speaking up for her in every way, but it didn't seem like what she had initially wanted to hear.

"So... what should I do next? We're getting married!"

Qiao Wanqing frowned. "Are you in such a hurry to get married?"

Qiao Wanyan opened her mouth, but suddenly didn't know how to answer.

Qiao Wanqing laughed and said, "You're still young. The country is encouraging late marriage and late childbirth these days. You've had such a happy life under your mother's care. Look at me now, with so many kids, they're always making a racket. Wouldn't it be better if you stayed a daughter for a few more years?"

"Besides, he's still in the prime of his career. He's only been in Beijing for two years. Is he prepared for housing? Does he have enough savings? He's such a responsible person; he should take care of his younger siblings back home, right? Is his salary enough? Won't marrying you cost money? He's so good to you; would he bear to see you suffer? Let's not even talk about anything else; he needs to prepare your own housing, a 'three turns and one sound' (a set of three-piece suitcases, a radio, and a watch), furniture, and the expenses when you have children in the future, right?"

"A man who is so ambitious and treats you so well must be prepared. Don't be in such a hurry to get married. It's only been two years. How can you be sure he's all set? Don't put pressure on him. He's been through a lot on his own."

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

Seeing that her cousin's expression had softened, Qiao Wanqing gave her some advice, "Alright, it's a sweet thing to have someone you like. Since you want to marry him, then work hard together, save more money, and your married life will be better. Your mother will see that you two are resourceful and that you won't suffer, so she will naturally agree."

"By then, they might even think you have good taste, finding such a responsible man, and they'll like your son-in-law more and more!"

Qiao Wanyan's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course it's true. Every mother loves her daughter and can't bear to see her suffer even the slightest grievance. If your mother had the chance, she would definitely want her precious daughter to enjoy all the good things in the world. Ideally, her son-in-law would be tall and handsome, have an excellent job, earn a very high salary and spend it all on her daughter, and have wealthy parents who would also subsidize her. She would wish that you would live in a villa as soon as you get married, with a house full of brand-new furniture and appliances, and endless new clothes and money to spend."

Which mother doesn't want her daughter to have a good life?

"Hahahaha..." Qiao Wanqing's witty remarks made Qiao Wanyan laugh heartily. She couldn't help but smile as she imagined that wonderful life.

Seeing that things had gone well enough, Qiao Wanqing patted her hand and said, "Alright, stop mad at your mother. Don't you know how much she's doted on you since you were little? She just doesn't understand your boyfriend. Let your boyfriend handle this. If he wants to marry you, he naturally has to find a way to put your parents at ease. What son-in-law doesn't try to please his mother-in-law? The better he treats his mother-in-law, the more he values ​​you."

"Let us meet sometime in the future. You should also think about your life after marriage and have a good talk with him. Anyway, let me make this clear: I absolutely cannot bear to see my precious sister suffer. If he can't provide you with a good life, then he shouldn't even think about marrying my sister."