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

Zhang Wanting immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes brightening. Although she tried to hide it, Qiao Wanqing still noticed. She frowned slightly. "You like him?"

Zhang Wanting was startled. "No... absolutely not..."

Meeting Qiao Wanqing's gaze, she lowered her head and whispered, "I...I didn't mean to, Wanwan. If you liked him, I definitely wouldn't take him away, but since you don't like him, then I..."

Qiao Wanqing sighed. "Tingting, it's your freedom to like whoever you want. I've never liked Chen Jin. I just... don't really approve of you continuing to like him. You saw what happened to my family this time. The Chen family is unreliable. That family has some character issues. Besides, his mother ran into me a while ago, and she acted like a shrew. She thought I betrayed her son after I got married, and she acted like an elder in front of me."

"It's obvious they think my family has fallen on hard times and want to control me, waiting for me to beg them. Even if I beg them, they might not agree, but the fact that I married someone else without asking them has infuriated her. You're unlikely to have a good outcome with someone like that. You should think it over carefully."

Zhang Wanting nodded after hearing this, "I understand, I will consider it."

Judging from her expression, Qiao Wanqing knew that she probably hadn't really listened to what she was saying.

She felt helpless, but there was nothing she could do. When it comes to love, many girls won't give up until they hit a brick wall.

If she says too much, Zhang Wanting might blame her.

After the wedding, Qiao Wanqing was going to check out her mother's new apartment. Her uncle, Xu Wei, left without saying goodbye. Watching his departing figure, Qiao Wanqing knew that he probably hadn't come back to attend her wedding. He likely had other business to attend to and was just stopping by for a meal.

Her maternal grandparents, aunt, aunt, and even cousin's wife all prepared dowries for her. Her paternal grandparents, other siblings from the Qiao family, and even some people from the Xu family, although unable to attend the wedding, sent her gifts to express their blessings.

Only my eldest uncle came empty-handed!

They probably felt that their niece had married into such a family that she was no longer a worthwhile investment!

Qiao Wanqing curled her lips into a sneer, then turned and went to find her mother.

No one needs Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou to see them off; they can all go back on their own. This is the city center, and there are plenty of buses.

Xu Huixin works in a textile factory, a super large state-owned textile factory with more than 30,000 employees, and it is very wealthy.

Xu Hui's assigned apartment was quite nice. It was in a five-story building in an area where cadres lived. She was assigned a three-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor, with a kitchen and a bathroom. It was quite spacious for the couple.

Xu Hui and her husband just moved in yesterday, and some places haven't been tidied up yet. When Qiao Wanqing came over and saw them, she was delighted!

"Mom, you've allocated such a big house! That's wonderful! Now my brother and I will have a place to stay when we come over."

Xu Hui chuckled. "You might come visit me when you have time, but don't count on your brother. He's always in the army; you'll hardly ever see him."

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "That's good too. Both rooms are mine now. I'll come often and switch between the two rooms."

Xu Hui clapped her hands and laughed, "Okay, whatever you want, stay however you like."

After saying that, she looked at her aunt, her sister-in-law, and Qiao Yuanzhong, "Are you guys moving in tonight?"

Previously, the Xu family's old house was too small for her to live in, but now that she has a house here, she no longer needs to go to the family compound, since Qiao Wanqing is married now.

Aunt Qiao was willing to move in, but her younger sister Qiao Xin and Qiao Yuanzhong were not.

Qiao Xin took Qiao Wanqing's hand. "I want to go see Wanwan. I haven't had a chance to talk to her properly yet. Why don't you let Wanwan stay here for a couple of days?"

Qiao Yuanzhong: "I want to go to the family compound and have a friendly match with my brother-in-law."

Aunt Qiao: "..."

Everyone: "..."

The aunt was furious and slapped her troublesome eldest son, saying, "Can't you just behave for a few days? You come to visit as a guest, and you have to fight with people?"

Qiao Yuanzhong disagreed, "That's not fighting, that's sparring."

Qiao Wanqing laughed heartily, "Alright, Aunt, if my brother wants to go, then he can go. There are plenty of rooms over there, enough room for everyone. The Lu family members also have to go back to work, so they shouldn't stay too long. It'll only be a matter of a couple of days. Does my brother have a long vacation? If he'd like, he can stay here for a few more days."

Qiao Yuanzhong was on leave and was somewhat tempted by the offer. He really wanted to stay here for a few more days. He wasn't from this military region and wasn't very familiar with the people here. Staying a few more days would give him more opportunities to spar with them.

This brother-in-law is experienced in battle, and he really wants to have a good talk with him.

"Okay, I'll stay here for a few more days."

Auntie was unhappy. "No, your aunt and I have to go back the day after tomorrow. It's not safe for the two of us women if you don't come with us."

Qiao Yanshuo then spoke up, "Sister-in-law, I'll go back with you two. I've been working here for the past few years, and now that I have more free time, it's a good opportunity to go back and visit you two."

Aunt Qiao: "..."

Qiao Yuanzhong grinned and said, "Then it's settled, Mom. You, Aunt, and Uncle will go back together. I'll stay here a few more days. I still have some comrades here. It's rare for me to come all this way, so I want to see them. Once I've finished my business, I'll go back on my own."

And so, the matter was settled.

Xu Hui pulled Qiao Wanqing into the house and quietly asked, "How have you been these past few days? Has your mother-in-law been giving you any trouble? She seemed like a nice person to me today, but your sister-in-law is no pushover."

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "My mother-in-law is not bad. At least for now, she seems to be someone who wants us to live a good life. She brought a lot of things from her hometown and is very generous. She works at the supply and marketing cooperative in her hometown, and both she and her husband have high salaries. Their children are also successful, so they are quite well-off. She is not a stingy person, and Lu Mingzhou does not need to help the family."

Xu Hui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "That's good. As long as your in-laws are nice, life will go on. As for your sister-in-law, don't worry about her. They should be going back to their hometown in the next few days. You won't be living together anymore, so there won't be any major problems."

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "Don't worry, Mom, I'm not a pushover. I won't be bullied so easily. My third sister-in-law does like to cause trouble. To be honest, she caused trouble as soon as she arrived, but I dealt with her."

Qiao Wanqing told her what had happened in the past two days, and Xu Hui nodded repeatedly, relieved!

"I knew it, my daughter isn't so easy to bully."

"You did the right thing. They're just sisters-in-law, don't take it so seriously. As long as you're filial to your parents-in-law, even if you're a little temperamental or have some conflicts with your sisters-in-law, Xiao Lu won't care. You're already married. You can ignore other things, but you must take good care of your relationship with your husband."