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

Qiao Wanyan was deeply moved. She hugged Qiao Wanqing's arm and leaned on her shoulder. "Sister, I understand. I'll arrange for him to meet the family sometime. He's really a good person. You'll definitely be satisfied when you meet him."

Qiao Wanqing's smile deepened. "Great! There are so many outstanding young men in our compound, and my sister didn't even fancy any of them, but she's taken a liking to him. He must be an excellent person. You should compare them carefully later."

"Okay!" Qiao Wanyan said happily.

The two sisters chatted intimately for a while. When lunch was ready downstairs, their aunt called them down to eat. Qiao Wanqing took the child downstairs, and their aunt saw that the two girls were very affectionate, showing no signs of a falling out.

Auntie was a little incredulous. Had Qiao Wanqing also been persuaded?

"Wanwan, how was your chat?"

Qiao Wanqing handed the child to Qiao Wanyan and pulled her aunt to the kitchen, whispering, "We were talking quite well, Aunt. Your strong opposition now is just pushing Wanyan towards the other side. She won't realize it at this point. The stronger your opposition, the more determined she will be. She'll feel that she's doing something great, protecting her sacred love."

Aunt: "..."

"She's really into it. If you try to separate them now, they'll stick together even tighter and unite against you. At this point, you're their common enemy, and you can't separate them."

The aunt was anxious. "What should we do? Am I just going to stand by and watch my daughter be schemed against? That guy did it on purpose. He must have been trying to win Yanyan over because she's well-off. With such a poor family background, at his age, he's either been married before or too poor to find a wife back in his hometown."

Qiao Wanqing tugged at her aunt's sleeve and comforted her, "I know it's too early to draw conclusions. We haven't even met Zhang Yu in person. But I've listened to all that talk about how outstanding and good to her, and I still can't figure out what's so outstanding or good about him."

"But the reality right now is that the more you vehemently oppose it, the stronger their relationship will become, and the more inseparable they will be. You can't push your daughter out and cause a rift with yourself. You have to pull your daughter back to stand on your side. You are mother and daughter. You have to shift the conflict between the two of them, instead of putting the conflict between you and your daughter."

My aunt frowned. "What do you mean? What am I supposed to do?"

"That's right, don't object to them being together for now."

"How can that be?" Auntie's voice rose considerably.

Qiao Wanqing quickly comforted her, "Oh dear, I told you, it's only temporary. She hasn't even met him yet, and you're so vehemently opposed. Yanyan will definitely be unhappy. She's so into it right now, we have to give her some time to adjust."

"Why don't we just stop them from getting married for now? As long as they're not married, there's still time."

Auntie frowned, pacing anxiously. "I want to too, but do you know what that brat said? She said that boy is getting old and should get married, otherwise he'll be too old to stay single forever. What kind of talk is that? She's only thinking about men."

Qiao Wanqing laughed and said, "Then you should bring her back and make her think about herself! For example, if she says that again, you can say that you can't bear to part with her and want to keep her for a couple more years. A young woman is happiest when she's unmarried. You can stay at your parents' house and don't have to do anything. I don't object to you two dating, so you can continue dating! He loves you so much, how could he bear to let you get married so young? Can't he even wait a couple more years? He's been a bachelor for over twenty years, can't he wait a couple more years for her? Doesn't he value her that much?"

Aunt: "..."

"See, the conflict has been shifted. The conflict between the two of you has been transferred to the conflict between the two of them. Conflicts lead to arguments, arguments easily lead to quarrels, and with more quarrels, they will naturally break up."

Aunt: "..."

She was a little confused. "But...but...what if she insists on getting married?"

"Let's do the math for her again. Tell her you said you'd give the boy two more years to prepare for marrying her. Is the house ready? What about the wedding expenses, the cost of raising children? Yan Yan spent all her salary before the wedding. If the man hasn't prepared these things, won't she have to work, get pregnant, and spend her salary on the household expenses after marriage? Can she handle that? It breaks my heart to see my daughter suffer so much. Waiting two more years, giving Zhang Yu some time to earn more money, is the best thing for Yan Yan. He loves Yan Yan so much, doesn't he understand this basic responsibility?"

Aunt: "..."

She pursed her lips, as if she had opened the door to a new world. "I've spoiled Yanyan. If I really said that, with her muddled mind, she might ask us to pay for it, ask the family to subsidize it, or even ask me to help take care of the child. She'll definitely do that if she has no other choice."

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow. "The child is being raised by your mother-in-law's family? Isn't that being a kept man? Didn't you say Zhang Yu is very outstanding? What outstanding man can't support his wife and children and relies on his mother-in-law's family? Look at the young men in our compound, which one can't support their child and relies on their mother-in-law's subsidies? Are you still going to be able to hang out in our compound? You'll be laughed at in the future!"

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Aunt: "..."

Qiao Wanqing laughed and said, "In short, if the other party is really a good person and he didn't intentionally scheme against Yanyan, then these things are his responsibility, and he will definitely be prepared. Whether you agree or not, we can consider it later. If he really is scheming against Yanyan and wants to live off her, then he definitely won't be prepared for these things and is just waiting to leech off our family!"

"You just need to steer the conversation towards this. He definitely doesn't have it, so the conflict will be diverted. Isn't Yanyan afraid of being laughed at by everyone around her?"

Aunt felt like she had suddenly unlocked her full potential. She grabbed Qiao Wanqing's hand and said, "Yes, yes, I'll give it a try. Maybe this will work. You young people are so resourceful. This brat has been arguing with me for so long, and she won't listen to anything I say."

Qiao Wanqing went to the side to serve the dishes, saying, "Aunt, you're just worried. When it comes to feelings, you shouldn't force a breakup. You should calm your daughter down first, then find an opportunity to meet that guy. If he's really a wicked person, breaking them up won't be difficult, will it?"

"If the person turns out to be a good person, then it means that Yanyan has good taste."

Auntie breathed a sigh of relief. "You're right. I know what to do. That brat, I just don't believe it."

The two carried the food out. There weren't many people at home at noon, just the aunt and the two sisters. After lunch, they watched TV in the living room for a while, chatted with Qiao Wanqing, and then went back home, agreeing to meet again on the weekend.

In the afternoon, the children usually take a nap. After feeding the triplets formula at home and waiting for them to fall asleep, Qiao Wanqing went out for a walk to familiarize herself with the surroundings.

The compound is very large, and the area outside the main gate is quite bustling. There are several bus routes right outside the gate, and nearby there are supply and marketing cooperatives, department stores, grocery stores, cinemas, state-run restaurants, and so on. Basic living needs can be met here.

She went to buy some seasonings and ingredients, some of which she had thrown away during the move. The new housekeeper here didn't really know her tastes, so she cooked relatively conservatively, which she didn't like. She would buy some of her favorite ingredients and explain to her when she got back.

While Qiao Wanqing was busy adapting to her new environment, Qiao Yuanhe had just completed a mission in Beichuan and, after a few days of rest, came to visit his parents to reunite with them.

Qiao's father was always very busy and rarely came home, so the two of them had been living in the textile factory's residential compound where Xu Hui had been assigned. They hadn't lived there for a long time since the research institute's house was returned to them.

Xu Hui had to go to work, and since Qiao Yanshuo was home today, the father and son went to buy Xu Hui's favorite dishes and cooked together at home. They had only cooked half of the meal when Yao Yulan arrived.

She received news of Qiao Yuanhe's return and dressed up specially, wearing a pure white dress, her hair permed into waves, looking youthful yet charming, and with makeup on, she looked much prettier than usual.

"Yuanhe, you're back! That's wonderful! I heard from the neighbors and I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect you to actually come back. Uncle, let me cook. Cooking is a woman's job. Why should you men do it?"

Qiao Yanshuo looked at the girl, then at his son, and sighed softly.

He rarely goes home and doesn't know this girl very well. Although his impression of her isn't great, it's not bad either. His son is already so grown up, and if they don't get married soon, he'll be really anxious.

"No need for you, go sit in the living room, I can handle the food." Mr. Qiao said politely, how could he really let a guest come in and cook!

He nudged his son with his elbow, gesturing for him to hurry up and go out to resolve the matter.

Yao Yulan stood at the kitchen door, gazing longingly at Qiao Yuanhe, her eyes overflowing with affection.

Qiao Yuanhe felt helpless and somewhat impatient, but he suppressed his emotions and went out anyway.

In the living room, Qiao Yuanhe's voice was cold. "Comrade Yao Yulan, I think I've made myself very clear to you. I have no intention of becoming your revolutionary partner. We've only met two or three times, and there's not much affection between us. You should focus on your studies. Getting into university isn't easy, so you should cherish it."

Yao Yulan bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "Why? We were doing so well before. Why do you suddenly not like me anymore? What did I do wrong?"

Qiao Yuanhe sighed, "I'm not saying you're good or bad, it's just that I don't like you. You're too young and still have to go to school. First, I don't have any feelings for you. Second, I want to find someone I can marry as soon as possible, and you obviously can't."

"Sure, I can!" Yao Yulan exclaimed eagerly. "I'm an adult, I can marry you!"

Qiao Yuanhe frowned. "You're still in college."

"You can get married in college. And if you're in a hurry, I can take a leave of absence. Anyway, I'll have to find a job after graduation. My dad is the factory manager of a textile factory, so he won't be short of a job for me."

Qiao Yuanhe frowned even more deeply. "University is a paradise that many people dream of. Do you know how many people work hard for many years and still can't get in? After graduation, the country will assign you a job. University doesn't charge tuition or living expenses, and it even provides subsidies. The country spends so much effort to cultivate you so that you can contribute to the country's development, not so that you can go and play."

Yao Yulan was extremely aggrieved, "But I love you. A person can't betray their love for their career!"

Qiao Yuanhe: "..."

"Are you saying you're willing to give up your future career for me?"

Yao Yulan nodded quickly, "Yes! I like you. In my heart, you are the most important. For you, I can give up some less important choices."

Qiao Yuanhe felt that the girl in front of him was particularly contradictory. "When my sister's children were around during the day, you were saying that my sister had such good qualities, yet she married a man and had so many children, it was such a waste, she deserved a better life and her own value. How come when it comes to you, you're saying you want to give up your studies to marry me?"

Yao Yulan: "..."

She was momentarily stunned, never expecting Qiao Yuanhe to ask such a question.

But can you even compare them?

How can Lu Mingzhou be compared to Qiao Yuanhe?

She heard from her father that the Qiao family was a prominent family in Beichuan City, with many businesses in Shanghai and Beijing. Qiao's eldest uncle held a high position in Beijing, and the family was very powerful. Now, her maternal grandfather's family were overseas Chinese and planned to invest in Beichuan City in the future. With such a wealthy and powerful family, and Qiao Yuanhe being so outstanding, of course she had to seize the opportunity!

In life, we study hard to get a good degree, but isn't the ultimate goal to find a good job?

Isn't the ultimate goal of finding a good job to marry a better man and have a better life?

Now that a better man and a richer life are right in front of her, why would she give it up?

"You deserve it! Lu Mingzhou is different from you. Your sister was born into such a good family, choosing him was a step down, a way of helping others. You and I are different. We are a perfect match. It's rare to meet someone you truly love in your life. Should I give up just because of some other things?"

"What if I never meet someone as good as you again?"

Qiao Yuanhe: "..."

What to do? Just let it be!

I don't like you!

Qiao Yuanhe's voice grew colder, "I've already made myself very clear. I don't like you, I won't marry you, please don't bother me anymore. There are only my father and me, the two men, at home. Please go back!"

Yao Yulan's eyes immediately reddened. "I'm not leaving. This is a new society now. I came openly and honestly, in broad daylight. What can you do? We just haven't had enough contact. If we meet a few more times, you'll definitely like me."

Qiao Yuanhe: "..."

"What's wrong?"

The two were at an impasse when Xu Hui entered the house and saw the situation as soon as she stepped inside.

Yao Yulan was overjoyed. "Auntie, you're back! I've come to see you all."