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

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lu was first shocked, then amused and angrily laughed, "Ten thousand? Are you sure it's that number?"

Lu Minghui pursed his lips. "I'm sure. Those people are not low-ranking. If you want them to speak on your behalf, you always have to bring some gifts when you visit. These days, expensive gifts are not cheap."

Mr. Lu was so angry that he could hardly stop laughing.

"Ten thousand! Ha! Ten thousand! How can you even say that?"

He underestimated his son!

"What kind of family are we? Do you even know how much ten thousand is? You've been out there for so many years, do you even have ten thousand in savings? You're asking for ten thousand right off the bat, boss, do you really think the world revolves around you, that you can get whatever you want from anyone?"

Lu Minghui remained standing there, his expression cold and stubborn. "Dad, I have no choice. This is already the lowest I can say. Ten thousand yuan may seem like a lot to you, but to those people, it's nothing at all."

"Actually, my father-in-law paid the bulk of the cost, but I'm just his son-in-law, not his son. I can't expect him to pay for everything, can I?"

"So what? Because you're my son, I should pay for it?"

Lu Minghui remained silent.

Mr. Lu was so angry that he couldn't even sit on the kang (a heated brick bed); he was completely unable to sit still.

"No, I'm just a commune leader, not the King of Heaven. I don't have the ability to make you rich and powerful. Get out of here, now!"

Having said it, Lu Minghui felt no burden at all and said directly, "Dad, think it through. I've said it before, Lili's father is a military leader who dotes on her and won't let her suffer such humiliation."

"This is a crucial period for my promotion, and I need money to build relationships. My father-in-law has already covered the bulk of it. If the Lu family doesn't contribute anything, my father-in-law's impression of the Lu family will only worsen."

"You served in the army for many years, and now you've been the commune leader for so many years. You can definitely come up with ten thousand yuan. You wouldn't give up Lao Si's future for such a small amount of money, would you?"

As he spoke, Lu Minghui stepped forward and said sincerely, "Dad, I know you feel sorry for Lao Si. You have to find a way to get this money, no matter what. It concerns Lao Si's future, and I don't want his future to be ruined. After all, he's my brother. I have a younger brother who's doing so well, and that makes me proud. In the future, we brothers might even be able to help each other in the army."

"But I can't get past Lili. If you can give me ten thousand yuan to pave the way for my future, I'll be better off, and Lili will be better off too. For the sake of my promotion, I'll talk to her nicely, and maybe she won't pursue the matter of being beaten up today?"

Looking at his eldest son, Mr. Lu knew that he was about to completely turn against the family. Ten thousand?

Ha ha!

This includes all of their family's money!

With his savings over the years, Miao Cuiying's salary over the years, Lao Si's savings over the years, and even Qiao Wanqing, who clearly comes from a good family, all these people combined could still scrape together 10,000 yuan.

Even if it's not enough, he can borrow more and eventually make up the difference.

He wants to empty his home.

Sure enough, no matter how well it's disguised, it can't hide the venomous fangs inside.

My sister is so young, yet she dares to harm people. He wants to take everything from this family as soon as he opens his mouth.

"Who is your father-in-law?"

Lu Minghui frowned. "Why are you asking this?"

"Ha!" Mr. Lu laughed angrily. "What? The child I raised has run away, got a promotion and comes back asking me for money, but when it comes to loyalty, he's all on his side, more loyal than a dog. Don't you think I know who he really is?"

Lu Minghui's expression changed, becoming extremely ugly.

His insults were really awful.

Mr. Lu ignored him and continued, "You're asking for ten thousand right off the bat. How do I know if this father-in-law even exists? Or if he really has the ability to make you a division commander at thirty-five? I know a lot of veterans in the military. As long as you name someone, I'll know who they are."

Lu Minghui pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and then told him anyway. There was nothing to hide, and if Lu Mingzhou wanted to investigate, he would definitely be able to find out.

"Have you heard of Xu Sheng, the deputy commander of our army? He's no ordinary man. He's got a lot of achievements to his name. Lili is his daughter. If I hadn't had a military academy degree, I wouldn't have been able to marry his daughter."

Mr. Lu remained silent for a long time, standing there with his hands behind his back, his back to Lu Minghui.

It went on for so long that Lu Minghui grew impatient before his father finally said, "You can go out now, I need to think about it."

Lu Minghui was delighted, but then felt it was ironic.

Ten thousand!

No matter how much his sister argues when she comes back, his father is reluctant to give her money. Now that his fourth son's future is threatened, he's willing to give her 10,000 yuan.

Lu Minghui stopped pressuring him; he could clearly sense that his father's attitude had softened. Besides, even if his father were willing to give it to him, it would take time to raise the money; he couldn't possibly come up with it right now.

He nodded. "Okay, Dad, you should think it over. I have a long vacation this time and can stay in my hometown for a long time. As long as you are willing to pay, I don't mind waiting for ten days or half a month."

"Lili was beaten so badly that she didn't want to stay at home for the time being, so I sent her to stay at a guesthouse."

Lu's father didn't speak, and Lu Minghui left on his own. He saw everyone in the living room having a "happy" meal. Lu Minghui glanced at Lu Mingzhou, his eyes filled with obvious disdain and smugness.

Ten thousand yuan almost emptied the family's savings of many years, even including Lu Mingzhou's own hard-earned savings. His father even had to borrow money. Once he took that ten thousand yuan, the family would have nothing left.

If you fight him, in the end, won't this family still belong to him?

snort!

Lu Minghui went to pick up Xu Li and the two children, and left the Lu family in the dark.

Lu Mingzhou had been keeping a close eye on the situation in the east room. Although the two people were deliberately lowering their voices, his hearing and eyesight had improved a lot in the past few months, and he still managed to hear a little bit, though he wasn't entirely sure.

He saw the look Lu Minghui gave him as he left—a look of smugness and disdain, like that of a victorious general looking down on his defeated opponent.

Thinking back on his previous guesses, Lu Mingzhou frowned, got up and went to the east room.

This Lu Minghui is probably threatening his father.

When Lu Mingzhou entered the east room, he saw his father standing in front of the writing desk by the window, looking at the two family photos on it.

Two completely different family photos.

One photo is of him with Miao Cuiying and their children; the other is of him with Lu Mingqian and Lu Minghui, a brother and sister.

Lu Mingzhou remembered that this was many years ago when his father wanted to take a family photo. He originally wanted everyone to be together, but neither Miao Cuiying nor Lu Mingqian and Lu Minghui wanted to be in the photo together, so they ended up taking the photo separately.

In fact, they weren't even filmed on the same day.

Lu Mingzhou walked over. "Dad, what did he say to you?"