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

Qiao Wanqing nodded. "It's alright. It's already great that my mom can go back to work. I'll go see them tomorrow and get to know them better so I can see where they live."

She figured that Bai Xue must have caused a scene and been caught red-handed, which was why they had such good news.

Things went so smoothly that it seems she doesn't need to be so careful anymore. After all, the Qiao family has been back for two or three years without any problems until this time when they were targeted by Bai Zhengxiong. Now the Bai family is probably too busy to take care of themselves, so her family should be safe.

Qiao Wanqing happily went to take a shower and do her skincare routine in preparation for her wedding.

At this time, Uncle Xu had also arrived in Beichuan City and was at the Xu family's old house. Xu Hui and Qiao Yanshuo had moved to the city, and now only Grandpa Xu, Grandma Xu, and Uncle Xu's family remained in the village.

Uncle Xu came over; the family was talking.

Uncle Xu was furious when he learned that Qiao Wanqing had married such a person.

"This child is too ambitious. Her uncle and I are still alive, why is she in such a hurry to get married? She's a perfectly good young lady. If she's transferred to the capital, or at the very least, sent to the countryside for a while, she shouldn't have to marry into a family like this. We've raised her for so many years, and in the end, it's all for nothing. Can she have a good life after marrying into a family like the Lu family?"

Grandma Xu frowned. "She was still young. We were all locked up at the time. It's normal for a little girl like her to be a bit timid. Who could have known what the Bai family would do? You weren't here. If the Bai family really didn't follow the rules and took her away, it would be too late for us to do anything afterward."

Uncle Xu was still very dissatisfied with the matter. "She's young and timid. Don't spoil her too much. If she were really timid, would she dare to get married on her own?"

Uncle Xu muttered to himself, "That girl is incredibly bold. She's ruthless towards me; she even dared to hit me."

Uncle Xu narrowed his eyes. "She attacked you?"

Uncle Xu nodded, and Aunt Zhao Sumei chimed in, "She not only attacked her second uncle, but also hit our Yanran. That girl is vicious. This isn't just a simple squabble between sisters; she was trying to ruin Yanran. She slashed Yanran's face with a knife. The wound was so big that we took Yanran to see many doctors and she had to be hospitalized for several days before it healed. She almost got a scar."

Uncle Xu turned to look at the old man, "Is this true? Dad, did you reprimand her?"

Grandpa Xu said, "It's true, but I didn't teach him a lesson."

Why?

Grandpa Xu calmly said, "The struggle for the crown prince has always been like this. The second son's family dared to report that we gave Wanwan away as a gift. That girl must know very well that if you dare to ruin her, she dares to ruin you. I raised this girl myself. She is definitely not someone who can be manipulated by others. She was just warning the second son. The reason she didn't really scar Yanran's face is probably because she had already obtained the marriage certificate and knew that she was safe. That's why she showed mercy."

Uncle Xu was furious. "She's a girl, and our Xu family has raised her for so many years. How could she..."

"The Qiao family isn't bad either; they have daughters just as well as the Xu family." Grandpa Xu looked at his eldest son and sighed. "Eldest son, you've always looked down on girls. You were the same way with your sister back then, and you're still the same with Wanwan now. In your eyes, girls are just tools, born to be arranged by you. You raise her, give her a little benefit, and she should be grateful to you. Even if you hurt her, she should be grateful for the family's favor and shouldn't rebel. If you don't change this mindset, you'll definitely suffer a great loss in the future."

Uncle Xu lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "I didn't treat her as a tool, nor did I look down on her. She is just my Xu family's granddaughter, but I treat her no worse than I would treat any other girl in the Xu family. I am considering her future. Father, with Wanwan's talent and beauty, and with the family background of our two families, Wanwan is fully capable of marrying into a top-tier family. What is Lu Mingzhou? He will never be able to reach that threshold in his lifetime."

Grandpa Xu fell silent, because he knew that what his eldest son said was true.

This was one of the reasons why he hadn't arranged a marriage for Qiao Wanqing before.

He did consider many juniors, but most of them were limited to Beichuan City. After all, he had been in Beichuan City for the past two or three years since returning to China, and this was the place he knew best. After looking around, he didn't find anyone he was particularly satisfied with. The only one he could find acceptable was Gu Xun.

Whether it's family background, personal ability, future prospects, or character, he's good overall. The only pity is that he's a bit old, and Wanwan doesn't like him. As for the Chen and Gao families, it's only because he knows those two families better.

To be honest, he wasn't satisfied with any of these people. Qiao Wanqing was the most beautiful, talented, and virtuous girl of her generation, perfectly capable of marrying into a top-tier family. However, the people in this circle were all in the Beijing circle, which he didn't know enough about, so he couldn't give her a thorough evaluation.

Therefore, when Qiao Wanqing said she didn't like the Chen and Gao families, he didn't force her. Since the family he was most satisfied with wasn't there, he even thought that since Wanwan was still young, waiting a few more years would be fine. In two or three years, when the situation in the capital became clearer, he would go there in person to discuss with the Qiao family and find a stable husband for Wanwan.

Who knew it would turn out like this!

After a long silence, Grandpa Xu sighed, "She's already married. She chose someone she liked. Fortunately, Lu Mingzhou is quite capable. With our two families helping him out, his future won't be bad."

"He was willing to risk his future to marry Wanwan under those circumstances, so he must have had some genuine feelings for her."

Uncle Xu scoffed, "Being willing to gamble his future only shows that he's not capable enough. If Wanwan marries into a wealthy family according to our plan, Bai Zhengxiong is simply not worthy of him gambling his future."

Grandpa Xu fell silent again.

Grandma Xu glanced at the father and son, then patted Uncle Xu on the shoulder, saying, "Say less."

Xu Yanran, who had been listening to these words, dug her fingers into her palms. She didn't understand why her family was so biased. Qiao Wanqing was just the granddaughter of the Xu family, but they were all working for her future. She, the legitimate granddaughter of the Xu family, was right here. Why didn't anyone think of her?

She's going to get married too. If Qiao Wanqing, from a top-tier family, can get married, why can't she?

However, Xu Yanran was a little afraid of this uncle, so she didn't dare to speak and looked at her mother instead.

Zhao Sumei naturally understood her daughter's thoughts; she shared the same idea. So, she boldly said, "Wanwan is already married, but our Yanran isn't married yet. She's the rightful granddaughter of the Xu family!"