Although Su Ci didn’t want to return to her troublesome parental home from the bottom of her heart, according to the customs of the 1970s, a new bride paying a “return visit” was a big deal.
She had been married for five days, and Su Ci felt she had to make the trip.
If she didn’t go, the gossip would be merciless, and Lu Si would be accused of “lacking manners.”
“I’ll go! I must go!” Su Ci muttered through gritted teeth while rummaging through the enormous wardrobe. “Not just go—I’ll go in style and make those mother and daughter furious!”
Lu Si sat in his wheelchair, watching Su Ci fumble with a Chekiang cotton floral dress, then toss it aside in disgust, finally picking a pale blue “blouson” dress he had bought her at the Friendship Store, paired with a pair of white leather shoes.
“Old Lu, you need to change too.” Su Ci’s eyes landed on him.
At home, Lu Si usually wore loose old military pants and a white vest, a kind of decadent wildness.
But not today. Today, they were going to battle.
Half an hour later, Lu Si emerged in a perfectly pressed dark green officer’s uniform, the top button fastened, shoulder boards gleaming in the sunlight. Su Ci couldn’t help but whistle. “Tsk tsk, Commander Lu, it’s just a leg injury—but if you could walk, the girls in the compound would be lining up all the way to Tiananmen!”
Lu Si’s ears reddened at her teasing. He snorted coldly and adjusted his cuffs, his back standing straighter than usual.
To back Su Ci up, he had specifically called a military jeep.
In an era when even bicycles were rare, a jeep rolling into the alley was the ultimate Versailles-level luxury.
At the entrance of Su’s courtyard building, Liu Guilan was already waiting to watch the show.
She had deliberately gathered some neighbors and said with a mocking tone, “Ah, my poor Ci Ci married a disabled man. Who knows if she’ll even be able to come back today? That Commander Lu has a temper—he might not even let her out the door…”
Before her words could finish, a majestic jeep kicked up dust as it stopped below.
The door opened, and a guard named Xiao Zhang jumped down, quickly unloading the wheelchair and respectfully carrying Lu Si out and settling him.
Then, like a proud little peacock, Su Ci supported Lu Si’s hand and elegantly stepped down.
“Mom! Did you think I wouldn’t make it back?” Su Ci removed her sunglasses (actually Lu Si’s windproof goggles) and smiled radiantly. “Sorry! Old Lu insisted on coming back with me, and he brought so many things the car was almost full.”
Xiao Zhang efficiently started unloading: premium Maotai liquor, packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, boxes of canned fruits, and even a huge chunk of pork that could blind anyone from the back seat.
Liu Guilan’s face turned green instantly, while the neighbors’ eyes gleamed.
“Oh my god, the Lu family really values Su Ci?”
“Who says Commander Lu is fierce? Look at him looking at his wife—could pull strings from a piano!”
Lu Si sat in his wheelchair, exuding authority, eyes coldly scanning Liu Guilan. “Mother-in-law, shall we come in?”
Hearing “mother-in-law” made Liu Guilan’s back chill, as if being scolded by a commanding officer.
At the Su family dining table, the atmosphere was tense.
Su Ci’s father, Su Daqiang, a simple (or rather, timid) worker, looked at the table full of high-end gifts and beamed, continuously pouring wine for Lu Si.
Liu Guilan and Su Yan, on the other hand, were like wax in their mouths.
Especially Su Yan—looking at Su Ci’s expensive dress and then at Lu Si, still stunning even in a wheelchair, jealousy made her chopsticks feel ready to snap.
“Sis, your dress is beautiful, but isn’t it inconvenient for chores? I heard brother-in-law isn’t well, so you have to handle both home and work. Wearing such fine clothes could easily get them dirty,” Su Yan said, feigning concern but really mocking.
Su Ci, offering Lu Si a piece of braised pork, didn’t even look up. “Ah, little sister, you don’t understand. My Old Lu cares for me. The house has a part-time helper (actually, just Lu Si doing the chores himself), so I just have to look beautiful. Besides, if this dress gets dirty, I can throw it—Old Lu says, out with the old, in with the new.”
Lu Si cooperatively “hmmed,” picking the fatty meat from his bowl and giving the lean meat to Su Ci. “Eat more, you’re too thin.”
Liu Guilan couldn’t hold back. Her tone dripping with mockery, she said, “Ci Ci, one mustn’t be too lazy. The Lu family is wealthy, but one cannot live off it forever. Your sister has taken over your job and is about to become a permanent employee. You, doing nothing day after day—what will you do when you’re older?”
She was flaunting that Su Yan had snatched the original owner’s job.
Su Ci put down her chopsticks, about to respond, when Lu Si slammed his wine glass on the table. Bang! Silence fell over the room.
“Mother-in-law, what you said is incorrect,” Lu Si said, his voice low, radiating authority. “Su Ci married me to enjoy life. My allowance is more than enough to support her. As for work…”
He sneered, his gaze like a knife toward Su Yan. “I hear Comrade Su Yan’s job spot originally belonged to Su Ci? Since Comrade Su Yan is so ambitious and doesn’t want to live off others, why not return the spot to Su Ci? The military district has a civilian position open—though it’s not as good as a factory’s iron rice bowl, it’ll do.”
Su Yan’s face went pale.
That was a permanent job at the textile factory! Returning it meant she’d have to go to the countryside!
“No, no… I didn’t mean that…” Liu Guilan panicked.
“Then shut up,” Lu Si said succinctly.
After the meal, as they were leaving, Su Ci’s next move was brilliant.
She instructed Xiao Zhang to load half of the gifts back into the car.
Facing Liu Guilan’s stunned expression, Su Ci smoothed her hair and declared, “Mom, I saw the kitchen rice jar full earlier, so I brought this rice back. And the wine—Dad has high blood pressure, so I’ll give it to Old Lu for foot baths. (Lu Si: ?) We’re family, no need to be formal!”
The jeep drove off triumphantly, leaving the Su household in chaos and Liu Guilan nearly having a heart attack from anger.
In the car, Su Ci laughed, leaning into Lu Si’s arms. “Old Lu, you were so handsome just now! Especially that ‘then shut up’—so CEO-level domineering!”
Lu Si looked down at the little woman in his arms, lips curving slightly, and calmly asked, “CEO-level domineering? What’s that?”
“It’s a compliment! It means a man who’s really impressive!”