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

Qiao Wanqing admired the items for a while, then happily packed them all into her spatial storage. She thought that in a few years, as the social atmosphere would become more open, these items could be made into jewelry and worn. She was thrilled!

Aside from the jewelry, the rest of the items in the trunk were everyday items, things that would be useful in this era. Most of them were fabrics, yarn, some furs, and a few sets of clothes and shoes.

The most expensive items were two fur coats, made of the finest leather, which would be very warm to wear in winter.

After tidying up, Qiao Wanqing saw that it was almost time and quickly went to make dinner.

First, start cooking the rice. Then, kill and clean the smaller fish. Tonight, I'll make braised fish. Once it's almost done stewing, wash some mushrooms and add them in; the broth will be even more delicious.

The meal was ready, but Lu Mingzhou hadn't returned yet. Before it got dark, Qiao Wanqing cleaned the mushrooms and set them aside to air dry. There were so many, they definitely couldn't finish them all in a short time, and they would easily grow mold if they weren't dried.

Lu Mingzhou didn't return until it was completely dark.

Hearing the voice, Qiao Wanqing looked up, her eyes brightening. "You're back!"

Qiao Wanqing was in the living room. The lights were on, and a television was on. The warm light and the sound of the television created a cozy, homey atmosphere. Lu Mingzhou felt a warm glow inside knowing someone was waiting for him as soon as he got home.

"Where did all these mushrooms come from?"

Looking at his wife again, Lu Mingzhou was somewhat surprised. His sweet and soft wife was wearing very ordinary coarse cloth clothes, and there were still a lot of grass stains and mud on her body.

"Wife, where have you been? What happened to you? Why are you in this state?"

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "I went up the mountain! Look, so many mushrooms, I picked them all. Oh, and I caught two fish on my way back. The big one is over there, and I cooked the small one. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Go wash your hands and eat."

Lu Mingzhou went to wash his hands in the yard and was stunned when he saw the big fish in the pool!

The fish had been stunned by Qiao Wanqing, and after returning, it was put into the pool. Qiao Wanqing added a lot of water, intending to keep it alive for now and deal with it the next day. So she added some spiritual spring water to the water, and after a while, the fish gradually recovered.

Lu Mingzhou asked curiously, "How did you catch such a big fish?"

"I was passing by the river and saw a group of fish gathered on the bank, so I threw a stone at them and hit two of them."

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

What luck!

The two washed their hands and ate. Qiao Wanqing didn't cook any other dishes, just a fish, which was enough for the two of them. They ate it all up, which is the best result for a cook, so that they can finish the food just right and avoid having to put leftovers in the refrigerator.

Lu Mingzhou took the initiative to clear away the dishes, and the two chatted in the yard while digesting their food.

"Should we have a banquet for our wedding?" Qiao Wanqing asked.

Lu Mingzhou nodded, "Yes, but I'm thinking we should invite them after we get married. That way, when my parents are still at home, it will be easier to cook. Right now, it's just you at home, and you definitely won't be able to manage."

Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the man's thoughtfulness.

Male chauvinism was even more prevalent in this era than in later generations. Even decades later, many men don't think about these details. They often like to invite a bunch of brothers home for dinner, but the key is that they never lift a finger themselves.

In this day and age, men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers, and the kitchen is almost universally considered to be a woman's job. Since Lu Mingzhou has to work during the day, she has to cook when he invites guests.

"So... approximately how many people? How many tables do you need?"

"Around thirty people, that'll need to prepare three tables."

Qiao Wanqing thought for a moment and said, "Three tables isn't too many. Let's prepare them ourselves. The wedding is still a few days away. It's rare for people in the military to get married and not have a banquet for so many days, right? Besides, it's too much trouble for my parents to travel a long way to attend the wedding and then have to busy themselves with hosting the banquet. It's a rare opportunity for them to come, so let's just treat it as a good get-together. If you have a lot of relatives, it will take four or five tables in total, which seems a bit excessive. What if someone goesssips? It won't be good for you."

Lu Mingzhou frowned, thinking about it, and realized that people usually hold a banquet when they get married, and don't keep putting it off.

He had just gotten married when people asked him when he was going to treat everyone to a meal.

The wedding is still more than ten days away!

"Then we won't wait for them. I'll have the orderly come and help."

This level of service usually has guards and orderly personnel who can come to help when needed, and they can even provide a nanny. However, Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou just got married and have a small family, so they don't need them for the time being and didn't ask for one.

Qiao Wanqing thought about it and then refused.

"I'll do it myself. We can't afford to be extravagant these days, and we don't need to make anything too fancy for our guests, right? I can prepare some simple dishes in advance, so we should have enough time."

Unlike later banquets, which emphasize flavor and sophistication and require a wide variety of dishes to avoid being ridiculed, hosting a banquet now is much simpler. Two or three meat dishes are considered good, along with a few vegetable dishes. All three tables should have the same dishes, with each dish served in a larger portion, which should be sufficient.

Lu Mingzhou turned to look at her. The girl's face showed a cautious and obedient expression, which she probably didn't even realize herself.

"Were you frightened by what happened recently? Bai Zhengxiong is dead, and your home is safe. Don't think too much about it anymore. You'll be busy all day with three tables of food."

A flash of malice crossed Lu Mingzhou's eyes. That bastard Bai Zhengxiong scared his girl so badly; it's too good for him to leave her with a whole corpse.

Lu Mingzhou reached out and took her hand, comforting her, "Your family matters are all settled now, and you're married to me. I'll protect you, so you don't need to be so careful. If you get too busy in the future, just ask the orderly. I'm usually very busy and don't have much time to spend at home with you. If you have to do everything yourself, it might be okay now, but what will it be like when we have children?"

"You get this kind of treatment once you reach a certain level. As long as you don't go too far, there's nothing wrong with it."

Wearing this uniform means you're destined to neglect your family. Being away from home year-round is the norm, and military wives handle all the big and small matters at home themselves. Only those with high enough rank can hire a nanny. Some families have to ask relatives to come and help, doing the work of a nanny, but they can't be officially called nannies.

Lu Mingzhou's actions surprised and delighted Qiao Wanqing. She had thought that, having just come from the eye of the storm, he would ask her to be "frugal and simple" for a while to avoid having a bad influence on him. She never expected him to be so considerate of her.