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

Lu Mingzhou's voice was unreadable, he only said, "Her family is indeed very well-off. Her uncle works in the Capital Military Region, her grandfather is also working for the country, and her father was originally the same, but recently his health has not been good, and with the recent unstable situation, he simply resigned and went home. After a while, when the storm passes and the situation stabilizes, with their family's strength, they will definitely be able to get back to work."

"Mom, Wanwan's background is that of a daughter of a prominent family in the past. If it weren't for the intense power struggle at the higher-ups that implicated her family, I wouldn't have had the chance to marry her. Even so, there's a long line of men in the army who want to marry her. As for her temper..."

Lu Mingzhou laughed, "Mom, she's a girl the family has carefully nurtured. The elders in the family are all very capable. How could she be bullied by just anyone? If she were that kind of girl, marrying her would only be a burden to me."

"As a young lady from a prominent family, she naturally has a temper and will never let anyone bully her. She is usually well-educated and has excellent manners, so you don't need to worry about her character, Mom. I've liked her for a long time and put a lot of effort into pursuing her, so I know what kind of person she is very well. If Third Sister-in-law doesn't offend her, she won't do anything, and she might even be very amiable."

"I'm young and have a shallow foundation, yet I'm in a high position. Too many people want to find fault with me. If they can't get to me directly, they'll most likely target my family. Wanwan must have realized that Third Sister-in-law is the kind of family member who's easy to cause trouble, so she didn't hold back from the start and had to suppress her."

Lu Mingzhou carefully instructed, "Mom, Wanwan comes from a noble family and has grown up in the circles of power. Her own family is large, as is her maternal grandparents' family, a very complicated extended family. Even so, Wanwan, a girl, is loved by the elders of both families. Her maternal grandfather treats her even better than his own granddaughter. She knows better than any of us how to navigate the circles of power and wealth. So, you don't need to be surprised by her way of handling things. Someone like Third Sister-in-law, after being taught a lesson by her, will probably be much more obedient afterward. Even if she wants to cause trouble, she will only dare to cause trouble at home and won't take it outside."

Lu Mingzhou understood his parents well. He knew that his parents cared about his future, and that as long as Qiao Wanqing was beneficial to his future, they would tolerate her even if she had some personality problems.

Sure enough, when Lu's parents heard this, they were initially shocked that Qiao Wanqing's family background was so good, but then they agreed with their son's words.

That's true. It's not easy for my son these days. He's so young and he's already in a high position. I don't know how many people are watching him. Qiao Wanqing is someone in that circle. She must know a lot. With a daughter-in-law like that, my son will have a smoother time.

"We know. She seems quite nice to us, treating us all very politely. She even praised me for bringing so many things. Her family has also made very thoughtful arrangements. Your relationship is good, which is more important than anything else."

Seeing his parents' attitude, Lu Mingzhou felt relieved. Both sides were his closest relatives, and he absolutely did not want any conflict between his parents and his wife.

Lu Mingzhou took a box out of the cabinet containing four thousand yuan and some receipts. He handed the box to his parents. "Mom, take this money. I promised Wanwan's parents that I would give two thousand yuan as a bride price. If they need anything else, we can talk about it when you come. Now that you're here, I'll arrange for the two families to meet. Then you can give them three thousand yuan. Use the other thousand to buy something for Wanwan. If the Qiao family needs anything else, use this to buy it too. Give it to them secretly, don't make a fuss."

Miao Cuiying was startled. "Where did you get so much money? You're married now, didn't you give your savings to your wife?"

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

"Here you go. This is my secret stash of money, specially saved for this wedding. Please don't tell Wanwan."

Miao Cuiying glared at her son and pushed him back.

"Your dad and I brought the money. We agreed that we would pay for the wedding. We also pay for the bride price for the children's weddings in the family. It's the same for you. Mom knows you're doing well, living in such a big house. The army even provided you with furniture and appliances. But you earned all of this by fighting through gunfire. It's not easy for you to make it on your own. Keep the money for yourself. You'll definitely need it a lot in the future. Mom has enough money for your wedding."

Lu Mingzhou said with some guilt, "Mom, you've raised me for so many years, and I haven't been able to repay you in any way. How can I feel at ease if you spend so much of your money on my wedding? Don't worry, I'm not short of money. You can keep this money. I've already bought most of the wedding supplies. Even if the Qiao family has any other requests, they shouldn't ask for too much. Keep the rest of the money as a gift from your son to you."

Miao Cuiying glanced at her son and said, "Mom is very rich and doesn't need your little bit of money."

Lu Mingzhou: "..."

Mr. Lu chuckled, "Alright, take it back and keep it for yourself. Your wife's family is well-off, so her living expenses will definitely be higher. When you have children in the future, there will be even more expenses. Your mother and I have enough money, and we'll cover the wedding expenses."

Since his parents said so, Lu Mingzhou took the money back. His parents' salaries were indeed good, and they probably didn't need the money. He would buy some things and send them back to his parents to show his filial piety.

After discussing the wedding arrangements with the two elders, it was quite late before they all went back to rest.

In the bedroom, Qiao Wanqing had already washed up and was leaning against the headboard knitting a sweater.

Lu Mingzhou lifted the covers and sat down. Seeing that the sweater she was knitting had changed color again, he asked, "Is the previous one finished?"

He remembered that Qiao Wanqing had knitted a gray one before, saying it was for him, but now she had clearly started another one, this one being military green.

Qiao Wanqing twisted the yarn around and replied, "No! I can knit different kinds so I won't get tired of it. This is for my mother-in-law."

Lu Mingzhou paused, then asked in surprise, "Did you knit this for my mother?"

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "Yes, I just glanced at it, but the size should be fine. Let's start by knitting a basic piece. Tomorrow, secretly take my mother-in-law's clothes and let me measure her. I'll finish knitting it before the end of the year and send it back to her as a surprise."

Lu Mingzhou sat down beside her, looking at her, "What made you decide to knit a sweater for my mother?"

Qiao Wanqing casually said, "She brought so many things over, I thought she must be a mother-in-law who cares about us a lot. She's good to us, so naturally I should be good to her too. We're not home most of the time and can't really help the elderly with anything. Most importantly..."

Qiao Wanqing turned to look at him and gave him a sweet smile. "You helped me when my parents had their accident. Now that your parents are here, I will naturally treat them well too. Knitting sweaters is a big project. I still need to knit some for you. The weather is not hot now, so it's a good time to knit. By the time summer is over, you should both have finished knitting them, so you can wear them at the end of the year."