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

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "I'm fine now. I feel much better after a nap, and I'm not hungry for the time being."

She brushed her teeth by the pool and felt much better. Her father said, "If you want to go for a walk, let Mingzhou take you. You can come back for dinner later."

Qiao Wanqing really wanted to go out for a stroll.

Lu Mingzhou took her outside to look at the surroundings of the commune. The environment here was a bit beyond her comprehension.

She was born in the 1990s in her previous life, in a rural area, and into a relatively poor family. In her mind, the countryside was always poor, backward, and full of desolation and misery. Her biggest wish when she was a child was to study hard and escape that place in the future.

But the commune in front of her surprised her.

There are schools, supply and marketing cooperatives, grain stations, agricultural machinery stations, oil presses, and breeding farms here. There are also agricultural machines in the fields, though not many, but they are there. Under Lu Mingzhou's introduction, Qiao Wanqing also heard that there are even factories here.

The third son, Lu Mingkang, worked in the commune's factory.

If we can hold out for a few more years, the blockade by the two major powers will be lifted, agricultural machinery will become more widespread, fertilizer production will increase, and many people will be able to eat their fill even without having to work so hard.

Qiao Wanqing had no idea about any of this, because she knew that in a few years, the land would be distributed to individual households.

Back then, individual families couldn't afford agricultural machinery; having a cow was considered a luxury. In her past life, she had a very close friend who, before even graduating from elementary school, was prevented from continuing her education by her family and went to herd cattle!

Listening to Lu Mingzhou's introduction, Qiao Wanqing found it quite amazing. She, a modern soul, had been reborn and actually witnessed a rural area in the 1970s.

As the sun gradually set, the temperature suddenly dropped without the warmth of the sunlight, and Lu Mingzhou took her back.

At the Lu family's place, everyone who had gone to work had returned, dinner was ready, and everyone was preparing to eat.

There were many people today, so we ate in the living room of the main house. This time, Qiao Wanqing met Lu Ming'an, the second brother of the Lu family, who was said to have suffered brain damage.

Lu Ming'an was quite good-looking, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and regular features. He must have been a handsome young man when he was young. He was very tall, at least 1.8 meters tall, which must be due to the Lu family's genes. Both his father and Miao Cuiying were quite tall.

Lu Ming'an is thirty-two years old this year, which is not actually that old, but he has been doing farm work for many years, and his face has been weathered and his hands have thick calluses, making him look older than Lu Minghui, who is thirty-five years old.

According to Lu Mingzhou, Lu Erge's illness was deliberately caused by Lu's old lady and Lu Mingqian back then.

Mr. Lu's ex-wife was somewhat similar to the child bride in the Lu family. She was three years older than Mr. Lu and worked hard in the Lu family. She was well managed by Mrs. Lu, but even though she was very hardworking, Mrs. Lu was still very harsh on her.

After giving birth to Lu Minghui, she was forced to work without rest. The weather was very cold at the time. She had just given birth and had to take care of her eldest daughter and her newborn son. They wouldn't boil water for her, so she had to go to the river to wash diapers. She fell ill and passed away after about three months.

Later, Miao Cuiying entered the family and gave birth to three sons: Lu Ming'an, Lu Mingkang, and Lu Mingzhou. Old Mrs. Lu was worried that Miao Cuiying would become too assertive because she had so many sons, so she wanted to control her. Lu Mingqian also felt that her stepmother had given birth to three children, which had taken away her father and her brother's place. So she conspired with Old Mrs. Lu to trick Lu Ming'an into going to her.

The little child was not only forced to drink a bellyful of cold water, but also splashed with cold water all over his body. He was completely soaked, gagged, and tied up in the cellar.

At first, Miao Cuiying thought her child had gone out to play when she didn't see him. But when the child didn't come home, the parents would naturally look for him. They searched all afternoon but couldn't find him, and then searched all night but still couldn't find him.

Miao Cuiying cried her heart out. The child was still not found by the next day. At this time, Grandma Lu was still making sarcastic remarks. Miao Cuiying suddenly had a thought: Could it be that the old lady had harmed the child?

Who says you can't doubt your own grandmother? Who says a grandmother can't hurt her grandson? Isn't it normal for this old lady to dislike Miao Cuiying and her child?

Thinking of this, Miao Cuiying immediately ran home and searched the old lady's house thoroughly. Seeing Miao Cuiying like this, the old lady panicked and even tried to kick Miao Cuiying out!

Finally, Miao Cuiying searched the entire house and found her son in the cellar. He was bound hand and foot, gagged, and had fainted with a flushed face from the fever.

After being taken to the hospital for treatment, the doctor said that the delay was too long and would leave sequelae.

The child's mind wasn't working properly when he woke up; he was very slow to react. It was obvious that he had been mentally impaired by the fever.

The old lady had tormented her son to this extent. At that time, Miao Cuiying, who hadn't slept for days, suddenly unleashed an unprecedented fighting spirit. She ran back and pinned the old lady to the ground, giving her a severe beating. The old lady couldn't take the beating and accused Lu Mingqian of doing it. Miao Cuiying realized that the two of them had conspired together, so she beat the old lady so badly that she broke two of her ribs and couldn't get out of bed for more than two months.

They also beat up Lu Mingqian and Lu Minghui.

At that point, she didn't care whether Lu Minghui was involved or not. She was a beneficiary anyway, and everyone, young and old, was partly trying to protect him. So she beat Lu Minghui up as well.

After that incident, Miao Cuiying took most of the couple's savings and separated the family.

Later, after Lu's father settled down in the army and was allocated a house, she took the children to the army to find her husband, leaving Lu Mingqian and Lu Minghui in their hometown, and forbidding Lu's father from sending living expenses home.

It wasn't until several years later that Lu's father was allowed to send some money back to his hometown to pay for his two children's school fees. But even then, it was only for tuition. It was impossible for Lu's father to give them more living expenses so that they could live a better life.

Miao Cuiying would make a fuss if she received too much.

Miao Cuiying also found a job in the army. Later, when Lu's father was injured and retired, they returned to their hometown and built the courtyard they have today.

This incident caused quite a stir, and everyone in the neighborhood knew about it. From then on, Miao Cuiying had little contact with the old house and ignored the old lady.

Tonight's meal was sumptuous, with chicken, fish, meat, and eggs. Lu Mingzhou and Qiao Wanqing had just washed their hands and sat down when Lu Mingqian, being cheeky, said, "You two finally decided to come back? The whole family is waiting for you two. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can act like royalty. Eat, sleep, sleep, eat... you..."

"No one will think you're mute if you don't speak." Miao Cuiying interrupted her angrily, her disgust for Lu Mingqian was undisguised. "If you can't stand it, get out. Don't disgust me here."