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

"Alright, stop arguing!" Mr. Lu stopped the two of them.

"Dad, all these years..." Lu Minghui tried to explain, but his father interrupted him, "Alright, that's enough. It's a rare opportunity for everyone to get together, let's eat!"

Lu Minghui pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, and glared fiercely at Lu Mingzhu. Lu Mingzhu was not afraid of him and glared back fiercely.

Everyone lowered their heads to eat. Mr. Lu didn't want to make the atmosphere too tense, so he thought he should talk to everyone to ease the tension. After all, there were still so many children. If the adults were tense, the children would be the first to be affected. It was a rare occasion for them to get together for the New Year, and they couldn't let the children spend the holiday in a state of tension and fear.

Then, upon looking up, they saw the third brother and his wife, dressed like peacocks.

Mr. Lu had been looking at this outfit all day and still couldn't find it pleasing. "Third son, you two have been living quite well these past few years!"

The third son and his wife were beaming with joy, completely oblivious to the underlying meaning in their father's tone. The third son, beaming with excitement, said, "Yes, yes! Dad, I've been very obedient these past few years. The factory has been managed very well. Thanks to my efforts, our factory's profits have increased year by year, and the number of workers has grown year by year. Dad, don't worry, I will definitely work even harder in the future to make our Lu family prosper."

Mr. Lu: "..."

The sales channels are all handled by the fourth son's wife. The factory is only responsible for producing products. They don't need to worry about sales, raw materials, or even the styles. They've all been designed by someone else. And you're still showing off!

Mr. Lu was so angry he couldn't bear to look.

Unfortunately, the couple had been having a very smooth year in recent years, always being praised and flattered in their hometown. They had gotten used to it and didn't realize the meaning behind Mr. Lu's words. Chen Yulian, afraid of being left behind, quickly replied, "Dad, don't worry, my husband and I have worked very hard these past few years. The factory is doing better and better under our management, and I've taken good care of our children. They're almost all grown up now and will be able to get married in a few years. Then you'll have great-grandchildren to hold."

Mr. Lu: "..."

He didn't want to talk anymore.

"Eat, everyone eat!"

Too lazy to say much, Mr. Lu quickly urged everyone to eat. Everyone glanced at the youngest son and his wife, then lowered their heads to eat. However, Mr. Lu had several children, and apart from Lu Minghui, the rest of them were all born to the same mother, so there was no awkward silence. With so many children present, the meal was quite warm and cozy.

After the meal, Miao Cuiying went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, and Li Dongmei and Lu Mingzhu quickly followed her in.

"Mom, go and rest. You've been busy for several days. I can take care of these things." It was Li Dongmei who spoke. In recent years, she had spent the most time with Miao Cuiying. Li Dongmei has always been diligent and filial.

Lu Mingzhu added, "Mom, you go and rest. My sister-in-law and I can tidy up. We don't need so many people."

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Lu Mingzhu's husband, Zhao Yongnian, followed her in. "I'll wash it! Mom, you go and rest, I can handle this."

After saying that, he turned to his wife, Lu Mingzhu, and said, "Mom and Dad are usually busy, and you've been working in the city all year round. It's rare for us to get together. Go and talk to Mom. I'll take care of the washing."

"Second sister-in-law, go and rest too. It's such a long way to come back. We live nearby and arrived a couple of days ago."

Miao Cuiying was certainly pleased with Zhao Yongnian's behavior. Her son-in-law's filial piety, or rather, attentiveness, at least showed that he valued the Lu family as a relative. Whether it was because of her daughter or the Lu family's current strength, it seemed that her daughter wouldn't suffer any mistreatment in that family.

Lu Mingzhu smiled and pulled her mother, "Mom, let's leave it to your son-in-law. He's been busy all year round, so this is a good opportunity for him to show his abilities."

Miao Cuiying smiled broadly, "Alright, alright, Mom knows you're filial. Xiao Xu, then thank you for your hard work."

Lu Mingzhu pulled Miao Cuiying out, and Li Dongmei followed to clear the table of dishes. There were three tables. Qiao Wanqing and Lu Mingzhou were also clearing the table. Chen Yulian saw that Lu Mingzhou and Qiao Wanqing were busy and thought that it was not good for her and her husband to just sit idly by. However, looking at the clothes on her and her husband's clothes, she really couldn't bear to get them dirty, so she sent her son and daughter to help.

"Hurry up and go help! Don't you have any sense of propriety?"

The sons were having a great time when they heard this and were a little reluctant, but under their mother's tyranny, they still got up and went to help.

It has to be said that in recent years, Lu Mingkang and Chen Yulian have become much more observant. In the past, she would never have thought of helping them. But now, with Lu Mingzhou's rise in rank and Qiao Wanqing's investment in building a factory in their hometown, which has brought her a life of wealth, the couple has become much more attentive.

The group quickly finished cleaning up, taking the dishes to the kitchen. Lu Mingzhou stayed there to wash the dishes with Zhao Yongnian, and the two even started chatting.

In the living room, there was a TV, and the children were gathered in a circle. Looking at the children of all ages scattered around the floor, Mr. Lu was very pleased. The women sat on one side, chatting about their lives over the past year, about clothes and jewelry. Chen Yulian was the loudest, gesturing excitedly.

Looking at everything before him, Lu Minghui felt completely out of place. When he saw Lu Mingzhou go to the kitchen to wash the dishes, he felt disdainful and thought that he was lowering his status. Zhao Yongnian was just a son-in-law, and his family was not as good as the Lu family. He needed to rely on the Lu family. Since he had come to the Lu family, he should naturally make a good impression. Washing dishes was only right. What was he doing there?

Xu Li, who was standing next to him, was also very surprised. With Lu Mingzhou's status, he still had to wash dishes when he got home. Wasn't he afraid of losing face?

As expected of country bumpkins, they're just not presentable. When we were clearing the dishes, everyone on her side sat quietly! Xu Li didn't think there was anything wrong with her child not helping. This kind of thing is usually done by the nanny, and since the Lu family doesn't have a nanny now, it should be done by someone of lower status.

But Mr. Lu was very unhappy. He felt that the couple was not only tactless but also didn't know how to raise their children. Lu Minghui's eldest son was about the same age as Lu Mingkang's children. How unreliable were the youngest son and his wife in the past? The child was always running around and jumping. Over the years, he has been disciplined much better and knows how to help his parents with chores. But Lu Minghui's children are just like their parents, with their faces full of arrogance.

Seeing that his father looked unwell and kept glancing at his children, Lu Minghui guessed what his father was thinking. His father was from the countryside and had never experienced life outside. His family had never had maids or servants, so he must think that children should do chores.

Lu Minghui didn't want his children to learn these things, so he tried to change the subject. He glanced at his third son and said, "Third son, I heard that you manage many of the factories back home. How are they doing?"