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

While chopping meat, Lu Ming'an smiled upon hearing this and replied, "I've been going to his clinic for treatment on time. The old doctor said my treatment is very effective. I feel much more energetic lately, and I'm sleeping extremely well. I used to get headaches occasionally, but I haven't had one in a long time. I'm much better!"

He knew he had been injured since he was a child, and his parents never gave up on treatment. Over the years, he had gotten used to it, so he didn't shy away from his condition.

Qiao Wanqing said with relief, "That's good. Old Master Zhou's medical skills are very impressive. If you go to him for treatment on time, he might be able to cure all your aftereffects!"

Lu Ming'an was also looking forward to it.

He knew he was a bit slow, but he didn't really realize how slow he was. He used to live in the countryside with his parents and family, so he didn't feel it very obviously, but the headaches were real. Now this doctor is very good. If he can be cured and he won't have any more headaches, that would be great!

As they were talking, Mr. Lu returned.

He returned with a big smile, saying, "This location is really good. The surrounding transportation is very convenient, and there are many people. It's a waste to have such a small steamed bun shop here. We should expand and add more varieties. In the future, we should make soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, noodles, wontons, dumplings, and the like. There are many people here, so we won't have to worry about not having customers."

Miao Cuiying said speechlessly, "Do you think we don't want to? There are four shops here. Even if we do all the things you mentioned, there's enough space. The problem is that the raw materials are too difficult to obtain. If we really want to supply all the types of goods you mentioned, how many people would have to work? I guess we'd have to find ways to scramble for meat every day."

In 1981, even in Beijing, supplies were still restricted, and various ration coupons were very important. You had to use coupons to buy things. If you needed coupons for everything, sales would definitely not go up because customers didn't have that many coupons.

If you don't want tickets, then we have to find a way to collect supplies, which is no easy task.

Mr. Lu didn't seem to care. "So what if there are more people? There are so many villages around, why worry about not having enough supplies? We can try to find a solution at the meat processing plant. Besides, there are plenty of people in our hometown. As long as they're willing to help, we're sure we'll find someone."

Miao Cuiying wanted to roll her eyes again. "Give me a break! Those people back home are like bandits. If they knew we had such a big store and lived in such a big house in Beijing, wouldn't they flock to Beijing in droves? Just feeding them would be a problem. How many meals would we have to eat every day?"

"Besides, if they find out, even if we don't need that many people here, what will you do if they say they're looking for work and want to stay here temporarily? Kick them out?"

Mr. Lu: "..."

Miao Cuiying snorted coldly, "Save your breath, don't cause trouble. I'll help the second son out here first. Let me tell you, even if we're going to help people back home, we'll have to wait until our son has earned some money."

"This house is for Wanwan. Once we make some money, we'll buy a house for our second son first. We still have a third son in the family. What do you think he'll think when he finds out that our second son has established himself in Beijing?"

"Even if you dislike them, they're still our children. We've had seven more kids. Do you think raising so many kids is free? The eldest is already a teenager; he'll be ready for marriage in a few years. If you're going to support the Lu family's main branch, there's no reason you shouldn't support your own children, right? Are you suggesting we bring the third son's family along too? Just thinking about his seven or eight kids gives me a headache!"

Mr. Lu: "..."

He thought about his bunch of kids at home, and realized he was in for a headache too!

He quickly waved his hand and said, "I won't look anymore. I'll just keep doing this for now. You can help out here. If you can keep doing this and business is good, I'll come over next year."

Miao Cuiying raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Can you really let go of your position?"

Mr. Lu hesitated. He was the head of a local business in his hometown and had been running it for many years. The Lu family was a prominent clan in the area, and he still wielded considerable influence there.

Now that the market has been opened up again, Mr. Lu believes that if he stays in his hometown, he will definitely be among the first to get rich, and may even be able to help many of the descendants in his clan.

But his hometown is, after all, a rural area, and he is well aware of the gap between rural and urban areas. He had served in the army in his early years and had experienced life in the city firsthand.

"We'll see. You should focus on building your business here first. If there are enough opportunities in the city and you can make something of yourself here, then you can just throw away your status back home. Besides, if I really succeed in the city, I'll still have status when I go back home."

Miao Cuiying was delighted; it was rare for the old man to be willing to leave his hometown!

Since that's the case, she's determined to find a way to get the old man out. She doesn't want to go back to her hometown at all; she gets angry just being under the same sky as that old lady from the Lu family.

Qiao Wanqing ate at the shop again that evening. After dinner, before it got dark, she quickly took the child home to the family compound.

Three days later, Qiao Wanqing received a call from Miao Cuiying, who said that Lu Mingyu was bringing his girlfriend back and asked her to come and meet her.

Qiao Wanqing had been writing her novel so much these past few days that she was really getting agitated, so she decided to go and join in the fun. She left the triplets at home with Qi Ya and her third aunt, and rode her bicycle over with the twins.

Qiao Wanqing arrived at a moderate time, and not long after she arrived, Lu Mingyu led his men inside.

The moment Qiao Wanqing saw the girl, her eyes lit up. Wow, what a beauty!

No wonder Lu Mingyu couldn't bear to part with him despite his poor conditions; his appearance was indeed far superior to that of ordinary people.

This girl is about 1.65 meters tall. In this day and age, especially in Yunnan Province, this height is considered quite outstanding. She has a slender figure, fair skin, and a small head with many facial features.

She exudes a strong scholarly air, and is full of innocent naivety, untouched by the harsh realities of society. This quality is truly rare, as she appears non-threatening and easily arouses a man's protective instincts.

This kind of girl is liked by both men and women.

To be honest, she's not a top-tier beauty, but her temperament is really good and very eye-catching.

Qiao Wanqing was somewhat surprised. From what Lu Mingyu had said, she had thought he was a very strong and capable girl, but she didn't expect him to be like this.

She doesn't seem to have much energy at all; instead, she looks like a delicate flower that needs protection.

However, appearances don't fully represent personality. Qiao Wanqing only glanced at people like that. To truly understand someone's character, one still needs to get to know them.

Everyone present except Lu Mingyue was very surprised; they really didn't expect this girl to be like this.

It was clear that Lu Mingyu liked her very much. After she entered the room, Lu Mingyu introduced her, "Mom and Dad, this is Yuqing, Li Yuqing."