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

After saying this, Aunt Qiao's old face became even uglier.

The Xu family! The Xu family!

That was the Xu family, who were many times richer than the Qiao family.

They had heard of the Xu family while they were abroad, and they even went to visit them because of their kinship. Unfortunately, by then, Xu's maternal grandfather had already returned to China with his men, and they were unable to find him.

Some of the Xu family's children are abroad, but they are all illegitimate children. The Xu family doesn't know any of these people. Although they haven't offended the Xu family, they don't know them either, so naturally they won't help them.

Thinking of the Xu family's wealth, Aunt Qiao felt a pang of jealousy.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Qiao Wanqing continued, "Grandma, why aren't you saying anything? Don't you believe me? The Qiao family did give me some dowry, but I spent it all. The Xu family gave me a bigger dowry, and my maternal grandfather dotes on me. Oh, Grandma, it's true! Just because your granddaughter isn't worth much doesn't mean my maternal grandfather doesn't love me. I... uh..."

Her smile froze, and she looked embarrassedly at the young people chatting and laughing beside her. "By the way, are any of your grandchildren here?"

Everyone: "..."

"Pfft...cough cough cough..." Qiao Yuanzhong burst out laughing, but dared not laugh, and could only pretend to cough to cover up his embarrassment.

"Alright, this is your elder, so say no more."

These words were spoken by Grandpa Qiao. After all, she was his own sister, so he gave her some face. Besides, what Qiao Wanqing meant was that the Xu family was richer than their Qiao family.

He didn't like hearing that.

The Xu family's social standing is not as high as the Qiao family's.

Since Grandpa had said so, Qiao Wanqing naturally stopped talking. Grandpa Qiao was not happy about this matter, so he didn't give Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou any special treatment and said directly, "You younger generation should go and have a get-together. Your uncle and I still have things to talk about."

He got up and led several important people upstairs to the study.

Those who went with him included his illegitimate sons and daughters who had returned from abroad, Aunt Qiao, and her son. The most crucial task, of course, was that of Uncle Qiao. Then, Qiao Yuanzhong and Qiao Yuanbo were also called along.

Grandma Qiao followed suit.

Grandpa Qiao frowned. "What are you doing up here? Go check on the food in the kitchen..."

"Your daughter's busy in the kitchen. As the head of the household, am I supposed to cook myself? If your sister can go, why can't I? My son and grandson are here!"

Grandpa Qiao was silent for a while, and Uncle Qiao didn't object, so Grandma Qiao went upstairs with him.

She wanted to go too. Why shouldn't she go? She wanted to go and hear what these people were up to.

Several important figures went upstairs. Qiao Wanlin was surrounded by a group of juniors, like a star surrounded by the moon. In contrast, Qiao Wanqing's side was much quieter.

She glanced over smugly, but Qiao Wanqing ignored her and continued playing with her child. Children at this age are curious about everything and like to touch this and that, sometimes making a mess everywhere. There were so many people and so many things today, so she had to keep an eye on things.

Lu Mingzhou sat beside her, and the two of them each looked at one of the children.

He looked at his wife and felt a pang of sympathy for her. Wanwan used to be quite pampered in this family, right? Now that she had married him, she was considered worthless and had no status in the family anymore.

"Would you like to go for a walk? I see the flowers in the yard are growing very well, would you like to go take a look?"

Qiao Wanqing looked up and met his gaze, which was filled with both heartache and guilt. She smiled slightly and said, "It's too hot outside. I don't want to go."

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

He thought his wife wouldn't want to face this environment and would want to leave temporarily, but he didn't expect her to stay.

Seeing his reaction, Qiao Wanqing's smile deepened. "It's just a meal. You didn't know my family very well before, so this is a good opportunity to get to know them. No matter what the relationship is like, we'll still have to keep in touch in the future. It's good to keep things in mind so that if something happens to you someday, you won't even recognize them."

Lu Mingzhou nodded. "I understand."

Qiao Wanqing moved closer to him, a hint of playfulness in her big eyes, "Actually, there are many I don't recognize either."

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

Seeing the couple standing there contentedly as if nothing had happened, Qiao Wanlin became displeased. "Qiao Wanqing, why aren't you talking to us? Have you lost touch with us after all these years of being married down?"

As she spoke, Qiao Wanlin laughed, "Actually, it's okay. I'm your older sister, and I'll definitely help you. As long as you actively integrate into our circle, we'll still have common topics to discuss in the future. After all, we're family, aren't we?"

Qiao Wanqing blinked and asked with a smile, "What kind of circles does my second cousin usually hang out with? The deputy commander's wife's circle?"

Qiao Wanlin: "..."

Her smug expression froze instantly, her face turning red, then white, then red again, finally becoming ashen.

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

He quickly lowered his head, pursed his lips tightly, and tried hard to suppress his laughter.

Honey, you'll have no friends if you keep such a sharp tongue.

Qiao Wanyan jumped in to help her sister out of the predicament. She was essentially a fence-sitter. When there was no conflict, Qiao Wanqing was naturally her sister. But with Qiao Wanlin around, Qiao Wanqing became her cousin. Naturally, she would side with her own sister, especially since this sister was the second sister who married the best in the family!

"Cousin, how can you talk like that? What kind of family is my second sister's in-laws? Do you think the man she married is any bad? You only see what's in front of you, you have no foresight at all. Can you compare to my second sister's husband's family?"

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow. "So you're quite farsighted! What kind of family did you choose to marry into?"

Qiao Wanyan's smile froze. For the first time, she felt inferior because she had chosen someone like Zhang Yu. Her reason told her that she shouldn't feel this way, that Zhang Yu was also very outstanding. But at this moment, even her former rationality couldn't convince herself.

Qiao Wanlin was naturally aware of Zhang Yu's existence, and glared fiercely at her younger sister, calling her a good-for-nothing.

The conversation couldn't continue, and both sisters turned ashen with anger.

Qiao Wanlin said with a grim expression, "It seems you have a lot of confidence in your husband's future!"

Qiao Wanqing said indifferently, "Actually, I don't have much confidence. I'm just taking it easy. After all, I know my husband's family doesn't have a strong background. My husband has to rely on himself. He rose to power on the battlefield in his early years. Nobody knows what he will become in the future."

"But I think my second cousin definitely has a lot of confidence in her man."

Qiao Wanlin really disliked her indifferent attitude. Continuing to provoke her was not good, and giving up was not good either. There was always a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton, which was very unpleasant.

"snort!"

She snorted coldly, ignored Qiao Wanqing, and continued chatting with the other younger people.

It was the compliments from these people that made her feel more at ease.

The living room was still lively, but Qiao Wanqing's place was still very quiet. Actually, there were still a few people in the crowd who wanted to talk to Qiao Wanqing. After all, Qiao Wanlin was not so easy to please. Besides, not everyone present was a fool. Qiao Wanlin was showing off, and as Qiao Wanqing had just said, Qiao Wanlin's man was only a deputy regimental commander.

Deputy Regiment Commander!

This is not simple for an ordinary person, but given Qiao Wanlin's situation, considering how powerful her in-laws are, and the fact that her husband is only a deputy regimental commander at his age, he is probably not a core member, or at least not someone the family is grooming for advancement.

As for Lu Mingzhou, who was standing next to Qiao Wanqing, judging from the tone of the sisters just now, it seemed that he held a higher position, but his family background was not as good as Qiao Wanlin's husband.

Qiao Wanqing also has a wealthy maternal grandfather who has already invested in and built a factory. He is an overseas Chinese, which is very precious. When they return to China, don't they receive preferential treatment?

Despite their thoughts, no one showed too much enthusiasm towards Qiao Wanqing because of Qiao Wanlin. After all, it was their first meeting, and they weren't familiar with each other, plus Qiao Wanlin was watching from the side.

Not only does she have a powerful in-law family, but she is also Uncle Qiao's biological daughter. Uncle Qiao is the most powerful person in the Qiao family now.

Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou sat quietly to one side, waiting for dinner. People came and went in the living room. Some people came up to talk to Qiao Wanqing, but they didn't say much. They just said a few words to leave an impression and then left.

Qiao Wanqing responded with a smile, saying that she was also observing the temperaments and purposes of these people.

Lunch was prepared and three large tables were set up. The elders sat at the main table, as did Qiao Yuanzhong and Qiao Wanlin. Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou were not so lucky and were seated at another table.

The couple sat together with their child, eating while also taking care of the child's meal.

Qiao Yuanbo was also at their table. The last time they met, Qiao Yuanbo was very curious about Lu Mingzhou's position. This time, he already knew, but it was his uncle who told him.

To say I'm not envious would be a lie. At such a young age, to receive the treatment of a full division commander is something you can't find many like him in the entire army. Even those who have been on the battlefield and made meritorious contributions are still very few who can achieve what he has.

Even with his family background, he couldn't achieve it.

But to say that he is overly optimistic about Lu Mingzhou's future would be an overstatement.

Because Lu Mingzhou's family background was too poor, and he himself didn't have much of a foundation. He didn't even graduate from a proper military academy and hadn't read many books. Although he had received training at the military academy last time, being uneducated is being uneducated, and it can't change the fact that he hadn't read many books in the past.

The fact that someone like him rises quickly in the early stages only shows that he is brave enough. Being good at fighting doesn't mean he can command. To get ahead, you need to look at his command skills, background, and methods. Qiao Yuanbo guessed that it would be difficult for someone like Lu Mingzhou to get ahead. He might have to rely on seniority to get ahead in the future.

There are plenty of people who are very strong in the early stages but then can't keep up and get eliminated.

Qiao Yuanbo thought to himself that Lu Mingzhou was already incredibly lucky to have reached his father's position before retiring.

He's only receiving the benefits of a full division commander right now, but he's not actually a full division commander in rank. It's not impossible for him to retire at the full division commander level, but even then, his rank wouldn't be as high as his father's!

Grandpa didn't seem to value him much, and I guess that's what he thought too.

After finishing their meal, they continued chatting. Uncle Qiao didn't leave, and they couldn't possibly leave. Uncle Qiao realized this, so he smiled and said goodbye to the two elders.

After Uncle Qiao's family left, people gradually left as well. But Qiao Wanqing was still sitting there.

Grandpa Qiao looked at Qiao Wanqing, "Aren't you going back?"

Qiao Wanqing looked at her grandmother and said, "I want to talk to Grandma for a while before I leave."

Seeing that Grandpa Qiao was silent, Qiao Wanqing said, "Grandpa must be tired. If you need a nap, then go ahead. I'll talk to Grandma for a bit. There are still some dishes and chopsticks in the kitchen that haven't been washed yet. I'll help clean them up later and then go back."

Grandpa Qiao nodded, got up and went upstairs. He always took a nap whenever he wasn't working. He was getting old, and his body couldn't take it without proper care.

Grandma Qiao didn't look well all day. Qiao Wanqing held her hand and said, "Grandma, you've lived a whole life. You're not young anymore. Don't take things to heart. In the future, focus on yourself and take good care of yourself. That's the right thing to do."

Grandma Qiao patted her granddaughter's hand, "Grandma understands."

She glanced at Lu Mingzhou and said gently, "Lu is a good person, Grandma can tell. You two have a good relationship, so live a good life together from now on."

Lu Mingzhou immediately replied sweetly, "Grandma, don't worry, I'll treat Wanwan well. We have a very good relationship!"

These words made Grandma Qiao laugh. "Good, it's good that the relationship is good."

As she spoke, she sighed, "Xiao Lu, take the child to play in the yard for a while. I want to have a private chat with Wanwan. I'll let you go back later. It's rare for you to have a day off, so go back and spend more time together as a couple."

Lu Mingzhou agreed and took the child to the yard.

The living room was empty. Qiao Wanqing stood up. "Grandma, go to the kitchen. I'll wash the dishes. What do you want to say?"

Grandma Qiao stopped her, "No need, I'll wash up later. I've gotten used to it over the years."

Qiao Wanqing disagreed, saying, "You have so many children! Even if one or two can't be relied upon, there are bound to be a few who can. My father always taught me back in Beichuan to visit you more often when I came to Beijing. With me here, why would you need to do anything personally?"

Qiao Wanqing got up and went to the kitchen.

There was a pile of bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen. Although Aunt San and the others were not of high status, they were still illegitimate children. How could they possibly have any feelings for Grandma? On the surface, there was nothing she could do. With so many people gathering, she could only lead the younger generation in cooking. But once they were done, everyone was leaving and no one would take care of them, so naturally she wouldn't take the initiative to clean up.

Qiao Wanqing was quietly washing dishes in the kitchen.

"Grandma, you're not young anymore. You should hire a housekeeper. This house is so big; it needs someone to clean it."

Grandma Qiao's voice was muffled, "Your grandfather's job is special, he doesn't trust outsiders, and he's worried about letting outsiders come in."

Qiao Wanqing opened her mouth, wanting to say that her grandfather was a researcher and was rarely home throughout the year, so her grandmother had always lived in the house.

But she couldn't say it out loud, because she knew that this was just her grandmother's excuse. Her grandmother couldn't go against her grandfather's wishes.