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

Qiao Wanyan said discontentedly, "Sister, look at what she said, she's clearly dissatisfied..."

"What is she dissatisfied with? What does her satisfaction have to do with you? Everyone has their own thoughts and pursuits. Everyone should be responsible for their own choices. Even if she doesn't like your boyfriend, so what? You like him, that's all that matters."

"She only asked a few questions because you're my sister. I already scolded her and told her to shut up, so don't bother arguing with her. It's pointless."

Qiao Wanyan was furious that her older sister wasn't on her side but was instead siding with someone else. Zhang Yu was one of her people, and even though Lu Mingyue hadn't said it explicitly, her attitude was clear: she looked down on Zhang Yu.

If someone doesn't like Zhang Yu, then they don't like her either. Qiao Wanyan felt offended.

"Why does she look down on Zhang Yu? She's just a peasant, from the countryside, and she looks down on Zhang Yu's family background?"

Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu both looked over, their expressions somewhat unpleasant, but they remained silent out of respect for Qiao Wanqing.

Qiao Wanqing narrowed her eyes. She knew her cousin very well and knew that these words were not only directed at Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu, but more accurately, at the Lu family.

When the Qiao and Xu families learned that she was marrying Lu Mingzhou, they both looked down on him, thinking he was just a peasant with no education or family background, and that she was losing money by marrying him.

Naturally, looking down on the Lu family became a subconscious consensus among everyone. However, the Qiao family's situation was special at the time, and her attitude was very clear, so no one showed it.

Now that Lu Mingyue has said a few things that displease her, her contempt is practically overflowing.

Qiao Wanqing said coldly, "That's enough. Stop being so persistent. She didn't say anything."

Qiao Wanyan was still dissatisfied. In her eyes, Lu Mingyue had no right to look down on her man. "Where am I being unreasonable? I'm just stating the facts. The Lu family are just poor people. Why should they look down on Zhang Yu? Now that you've bought a house for their family to live in, isn't all that money from the Qiao family? If they were so high and mighty, why would they come to Beijing to live in your house?"

Qiao Wanqing looked at her younger sister, her eyes turning cold. "Shut up. Judging from your tone, you look down on the Lu family. So what if you look down on the Lu family? You still married someone like Zhang Yu yourself, and the Zhang family's conditions aren't even as good as the Lu family's. You keep talking about peasants. If you despise peasants so much, why did you marry one?"

Qiao Wanyan opened her mouth, then suddenly felt a surge of anger. "Sister, whose side are you on? Zhang Yu is my boyfriend. How can you talk about him like that? My family has treated him so badly. Haven't you thought about how it will affect our relationship?"

Qiao Wanqing sneered, "Then whose side are you on? You look down on the Lu family so much, belittling them in front of your brother-in-law, brother, and sister-in-law. Didn't you think it would affect my relationship with your brother-in-law?"

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

"Tell me, which side are you on? Are you siding with your parents' family or your husband's family?"

Qiao Wanyan was so choked up that she couldn't utter a single word.

She felt that Qiao Wanqing should side with her family and with her, but if she side with her family, wouldn't that put her on the opposite side from Zhang Yu?

She was somewhat exasperated. "Sister, I thought you were the one who understood me best in this family. Didn't you marry someone you liked? The Lu family's social standing is far inferior to our Qiao family's, yet you still married him. Why do you look down on my Zhang Yu now?"

Qiao Wanqing: "I never said I looked down on your Zhang Yu. In the entire Qiao family, I'm the only one who hasn't explicitly opposed you two being together, right? When did I ever tell you I looked down on him?"

"But……"

"Besides, when I married your brother-in-law, I didn't go around proving to everyone that my choice was right, nor did I seek anyone's approval. Even if others thought I made the wrong choice and that the Lu family wasn't good enough for our Qiao family, I didn't argue with anyone. I chose this path, and I'm willing to take responsibility for it. What about you?"

"What are you trying to prove by being so persistent?"

Qiao Wanyan was speechless for a long time, sitting there sullenly, feeling uncomfortable all over.

Zhang Yu comforted her, "Don't be upset, it's not a big deal. I will work hard in the future and I will definitely treat you well."

Zhang Yu was very polite to Qiao Wanqing, especially after learning that she was the only one in the entire Qiao family who didn't object to him being with Qiao Wanyan, and that she herself had married a man from the countryside. His attitude towards her became even better.

After all, this was definitely not an obstacle to his marriage with Qiao Wanyan; she was such a good catch, so he naturally wouldn't offend her.

"Sister, don't be angry. Yanyan is young and doesn't understand some things. I apologize on her behalf. Don't worry, I will take good care of Yanyan from now on. I will work hard and won't let Yanyan suffer."

"I will handle my own family matters. Even if I come to Beijing in the future, my sister and I will take care of me. My younger brother and sister will repay us when they grow up. It's just a little tough for now, but it will get better soon."

Qiao Wanqing looked at Zhang Yu. His eyebrows and eyes were very handsome, but deep in his eyes was scheming. All he said was nonsense, not a single word of which was practical.

"You two can handle your own affairs. You don't need the whole world to approve of you. Your province is indeed too far away for us. It's normal that your family doesn't approve. Nobody would approve of you two."

"If you really choose to be together, you'll have to live your own lives from now on. It's perfectly normal to encounter people who don't respect you in life. If you can't even handle this, you'll suffer a lot more in the future!"

Zhang Yu frowned, somewhat confused by Qiao Wanqing's words.

Something felt off to him. Did his cousin's words mean she supported them or opposed them?

Qiao Wanyan's expression remained unpleasant, but Qiao Wanqing ignored her and continued eating and feeding the baby. Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu never expected things to escalate into an argument. Lu Mingyue felt endless regret in her heart; would it kill her to keep her mouth shut?

I won't say anything more from now on.

Qi Ya, watching from the side, dared not interrupt.

After the meal, Qiao Wanqing paid the bill. The meal cost over seventy yuan, which surprised Lu Mingyue. "So expensive?"

Qiao Wanqing laughed and said, "We ordered so many dishes and several ducks, so the price will naturally be high. It's okay, as long as you enjoy your meal. Don't always be so frugal at school. You have to spend money when you need to. You have such heavy study loads every day. If you don't get enough nutrition, your body won't be able to handle it."

Lu Mingyue immediately replied, "I eat very well at school, so it won't harm my health."

Qiao Wanqing was quite at ease with her sister-in-law; she was relatively worry-free. "Did you date anyone at school?"

Lu Mingyue immediately shook her head, "No."

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow. "With looks like that, doesn't anyone have a crush on you?"

Lu Mingyue blushed slightly. "Yes, I do, but I don't dare to date. I have to study every day, and the teachers don't allow dating. If the teachers find out, they'll have a talk with us."

Qiao Wanqing thought about it and realized that college students in this era were really not allowed to date.

Whether it's the school or the teachers and students, everyone feels that the opportunity to learn is hard-won, so everyone should seize the opportunity to study hard. Why are you coming to school to date?

How can you be so irresponsible?

Although students sometimes talk about it among themselves, it's usually in private and very discreet. If a teacher finds out, they'll take the student in for a talk, fearing that the student is too young and it might interfere with their studies.

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "Then study hard first. You have such a good academic background, and it wasn't easy for you to get in. You can't waste it. You'll be a cadre when you graduate. When that happens, your superiors or your school's professors will introduce you to potential partners."

Lu Mingyue blushed slightly and nodded obediently, "Okay, I understand."

Qiao Wanqing looked at her cousin and Zhang Yu, "I'm going to the nearby department store to shop. Where are you guys going?"

Qiao Wanyan, seemingly lost in thought, suddenly looked up and said, "Let's go to the department store too."

Qiao Wanqing didn't ask any further questions; she wasn't interested in knowing other people's complicated thoughts.

Qiao Wanqing held one child, while Lu Mingyu held the other, as they boarded a bus and headed to a nearby department store.

Qiao Wanqing came to look at furniture. The newly bought house needed to be furnished so that her second son's family would have a place to stay when they came to visit. The furniture section of the department store was on the fourth floor, so Qiao Wanqing went straight there after arriving.

Qiao Wanyan glanced at it and followed. Zhang Yu didn't know what she was going to do, but after his gaze swept over Qiao Wanqing a few times, he followed as well.

The fourth floor has a good selection of furniture of all kinds. Most of it is handmade by domestic craftsmen, some are standard models produced by furniture factories, and some are imported styles, but they are rare and ridiculously expensive.

Foreign goods are generally more commonly found in Friendship Stores, and less so in department stores.

Qiao Wanyan sidled up to her again, her tone cheeky. "Sis, why are you buying furniture? You probably don't need any more, do you?"

Most of the furniture and appliances in the family compound were provided by the government. Lu Mingzhou's rank was high enough that he certainly didn't need to buy them himself. Qiao Wanyan knew this perfectly well. She guessed that Qiao Wanqing was buying furniture at this time because it was mostly for the newly purchased house, which was for the Lu family to live in.

Hmph, just wait and see how Lu Mingyue will be able to hold her head up in a moment, and see if she doesn't make her suffer.

Lu Mingyue realized what was happening and immediately became anxious. "Sister-in-law, if you don't need any furniture, then... then you don't need to buy any. Why spend that money? You have several children to raise!"

Qiao Wanyan immediately chimed in, "That's right, sister. You have five children in your family, the burden is so heavy. Your husband's salary alone has to support several of you. Don't spend money recklessly. Although we gave you a dowry, you still need to be careful with it. That was meant for you. You've only been married a few years. What will you do if you spend it all at once?"

Qiao Wanqing glanced at Qiao Wanyan with a sharp look in her eyes, but her voice was calm. "My burden is actually not that heavy. Although I have many children, my parents-in-law have been subsidizing me all these years. I also have two children who have the Qiao family surname. I don't have to support my husband's younger brother and sister. My salary is enough to live on."

Qiao Wanyan: "..."

Her face immediately turned ugly; she felt that this older sister was deliberately saying it to her.

Qiao Wanqing went to look at some ordinary furniture, pointing to some beds and cabinets and saying, "How about those? If we buy them and put them in the room, Second Brother and the others can use them right away when they come over."

Looking at it, Lu Mingyue thought the price was reasonable and immediately said, "That's fine, that's fine, it's already very good, I'll take this one!"

She glanced at the others; many were too expensive. There were cheaper options, but given her sister-in-law's taste, she probably wouldn't like them. So she decided to stick with this one and not look at the expensive ones. Otherwise, if Qiao Wanyan said anything more later, she would feel even more embarrassed.

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "You should also pick out a few things you like. There are many rooms over there, and we'll reserve one for you. You can stay there for a few days during your vacation."

Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu quickly waved their hands, "No need, no need, we'll stay in the dormitory."

Qiao Wanqing ignored them and went to choose by herself. Since she was going to do it, she should do it properly. Such a big courtyard needed people to liven it up. If there were no people, the courtyard would fall into disrepair over time.

Besides, she only treats the Lu family well because Lu Mingzhou has been good to her and her in-laws have been very easy to manage over the years. Her sister-in-law and brother-in-law are decent people, not troublesome, and capable. It only costs a little money, but it's still worth the investment.

She didn't give it to the idiot flower.

They picked out a bed, a wardrobe, a bedside table, a desk, and a chair for Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu, and also provided a complete set for the second son and his wife's room, as well as a set for Miao Cuiying's room.

My second brother's family has a lot of children, and in the past few years, my sister-in-law has given birth to two more boys. Now the family has both boys and girls, and they need a few more cribs. The whole set of furniture cost over 800 yuan. The furniture she bought wasn't particularly high-end, but it wasn't bad either. It was a bit more expensive than ordinary furniture, especially since it was for her mother-in-law, so it definitely had to be of better quality.

Next came pots and pans, which had to be fully equipped, a dining table, chairs and stools for everyday use, a sofa in the main room, a large table, a coffee table, and so on. All in all, it cost more than 500 yuan.

Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu watched with bated breath, "Sister-in-law, that's enough, that's enough, you don't need to buy any more."

Good heavens, they always knew that Fourth Brother was well-off, but they didn't know he was this well-off. Is it really okay for him to spend money like this?

Fourth Brother has to support a whole family, will he still be able to save any money from his salary? Could this money all be his sister-in-law's dowry? Is it all the Qiao family's money?

The two were sweating profusely with anxiety. "These pieces of furniture are so expensive. Let's just buy a few to use for now, and have a carpenter make the rest ourselves. It will be much cheaper. We don't need to buy so many."

Qiao Wanqing didn't care. She used to be a little hesitant to spend money, but now that her grandfather's children had all come back and she had received tens of thousands of yuan in royalties, she had a source of income for the money and felt much more comfortable spending it. Why not spend money if you have it?

They bought a few more clothes for Miao Cuiying and the children before stopping.

She took her clothes with her, but the furniture was delivered to her door. She had bought quite a lot of pots and pans, so she simply paid a little extra to have them delivered along with the furniture.

We agreed on a time, exchanged addresses, paid, and left.