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

After hearing what his father said, Lu Mingzhou knew that what Lu Minghui said was definitely false, as there were too many loopholes.

"If this little bit of money can make him a division commander, then the army would be full of privileged children. If his father-in-law really paid the lion's share, why would he send him back to ask you for this 10,000 yuan? If he's so capable, having already paid the lion's share, why would he be short of 10,000? Wouldn't it be better to just pay it and have this son-in-law completely side with him? Why bother sending him back for this little bit of money? What if he develops a father-son relationship with you?"

"Either he's making excuses to ask for money, or he's been blinded by his past rapid promotions and thinks it's only right for him to be promoted again, forgetting his current age and seniority. Besides, if he's going to ask you for money, at least come up with a reason that you can believe. With a brain like that, how can he be a teacher? Don't ruin people's lives."

Mr. Lu: "..."

Mr. Lu remained silent. He knew that Lu Mingzhou's words made sense, and he also knew that his eldest son's words were full of loopholes, but he also understood that some of them must be true.

He was worried about his fourth son's future!

"Some of what he said must be true. That Xu Li should really be Xu Sheng's daughter."

Lu Mingzhou laughed casually, "Xu Sheng's daughter can't be his only one. If she were truly cherished, she probably wouldn't have married him. Apart from his education, he's just a peasant. His father would definitely find him a nobleman of equal social standing, and he'd even ask for ten thousand yuan back. It's hard to say what Xu Li's situation is!"

Finally, Lu Mingzhou concluded, "Anyway, Dad, you have to understand, firstly, your eldest son will definitely target me, so it doesn't matter whether I give him this ten thousand yuan or not."

"Secondly, Dad, you haven't seen your eldest son for many years. How much do you really know about him? Now he's actually thinking about spending money to get a promotion, his mind is full of these things. Does he have any future?"

"Third, ten thousand yuan is not a small amount. If you really give it to him, who knows what he will do with it? What if something happens and you are implicated? With so much money, won't the higher-ups think you are embezzling? In that case, our whole family will be implicated, and we might even be demoted or executed. In any case, if something happens, you will definitely lose your position."

"Fourth, what you should be considering isn't whether this ten thousand can appease him. Instead of giving him ten thousand to make him give up on dealing with me, you should give me the ten thousand so that when I'm being targeted, I can spend some money to bribe certain people to help me. That would be much more reliable!"

Mr. Lu: "..."

Enraged, Mr. Lu kicked him, yelling, "You brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? You've been waiting for me all this time!"

Lu Mingzhou was kicked, but his legs didn't budge; they were very sturdy.

Mr. Lu was increasingly satisfied with what he saw.

Actually, when the eldest brother said those words, he never intended to give away the money.

Just like the fourth brother said, whether or not the money is given, the eldest brother will always treat the fourth brother as an enemy, so whether or not the money is given is not very meaningful.

It's better to give the money to Lao Si than to him. At least Lao Si can find someone to help him when he encounters difficulties. Even if he is really in trouble, Lao Si's position means he is unlikely to lose his life. At most, he will have to leave the army. If this money is given to him, he can have a good life in the future.

The eldest son couldn't come up with a plausible reason for lying to him, which disappointed Lu's father.

Ultimately, this son probably looked down on him, not treating him as a seasoned veteran who had seen the world, but rather as a complete country bumpkin who thought he was easy to fool.

This made Mr. Lu very unhappy.

The family is wealthy, with more than just 10,000 yuan. Both he and his father have some valuable possessions, so they could easily afford to give it to him. However, as Lu Mingzhou said, he was worried that his eldest son might go astray and implicate the whole family.

A soldier who had attended university and whose starting point was much higher than that of ordinary people, and with his father-in-law's support, instead of working hard and achieving something, he was thinking about these crooked ways, which greatly disappointed Lu's father.

He patted Lu Mingzhou on the shoulder with relief, "Alright, I'll think it over. Your mom and the others have gone to the health center, right? I'll go check on them."

As he spoke, Mr. Lu walked out.

He asked Li Dongmei to pack the food for the group so he could take it to the health center.

Lu Mingzhou thought to himself, "Dad, let me go with you. Mingzhu was kicked pretty hard. She's a girl, and I'm worried she might have some aftereffects."

Mr. Lu's expression was rather unpleasant, because he also felt that Lu Minghui had no bottom line when it came to his actions.

Even disregarding their sibling relationship, Lu Minghui was a soldier, and he shouldn't have been so cruel to Lu Mingzhu.

Over the years, due to the conflict from back then, there have indeed been fights between the two sides. Lu Mingqian even fought with several of the women. However, Miao Cuiying's children have never laid a hand on a woman so severely. Even when the women fought, Miao Cuiying's son never joined in to hit anyone.

Miao Cuiying has many children. If she really wanted to be ruthless, who knows what would have become of Lu Mingqian by now? How could she still be jumping around like this?

That was to give him face. We've had our share of fights and squabbles, but nothing too extreme.

Lu Minghui went too far this time.

"You stay home and take care of your wife, I'll go check on her."

Thinking of his daughter-in-law who had just returned, Mr. Lu sighed again. What a disgrace!

"You...go and explain this to your wife properly, don't let her..." dislike you!

Lu Mingzhou's face immediately darkened; he understood the look in his father's eyes.

Indeed, it's embarrassing!

西屋

While Lu Mingzhou was talking to his father, Qiao Wanqing had already strolled around the yard for a while to digest her food, and was now lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze.

After getting pregnant, she became much lazier. The energetic girl who used to be so active now just wants to lie down after eating.

Lu Mingzhou came in and saw that his wife seemed to be thinking about something. He pursed his lips and said cautiously, "Honey, are you sleepy? I'll go get you some water to wash your feet, okay? Wash them and rest first, alright?"

Qiao Wanqing turned to look at him, her expression and tone so cautious!

She almost laughed, but she held it in.

"Okay, let's get the water warmer and soak our feet."

Lu Mingzhou immediately went to prepare water for washing his feet. He came in shortly afterward with a basin of cold water. He took the kettle from the kang (heated brick bed), poured in some hot water, and tested the water temperature with his hand.

"alright!"

He helped Qiao Wanqing sit up, reached out to take off her socks, and put her feet into the basin of water.

He washed his wife's feet gently, massaged them, and gave them a little massage. Qiao Wanqing felt incredibly comfortable.

"Honey, did I scare you today? We're not usually like this in our family. It must be because I got promoted and married such a beautiful wife like you that they're all jealous and resentful, which is why my mom couldn't help but hit someone. Please don't take it to heart, okay?"

Qiao Wanqing: "..."