At six in the morning, Lu Ming’an woke up on time.
Hearing the steady breathing beside him, he unconsciously lightened his movements as he got up.
Lu Ming’an kissed the corner of Lin Zhitang’s lips and smiled dotingly.
The moment he caught sight of a pair of snow-white legs, his breathing faltered. He reached out to pull the blanket back over Lin Zhitang before quickly leaving the room.
Around the same time, Lu Xingguo also got up. Looking at Lu Ming’an, who had just finished washing up, he said, “Ming’an, come on, let’s spar a little.”
“Sure.”
By the time Lin Zhitang woke up, it was already nine-thirty in the morning. The only person left in the living room was Lu Ming’an, who was reading a book.
Hearing movement, Lu Ming’an looked up at her. “Tangtang, come eat some breakfast.”
“Ming’an-ge, why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You were tired from the train ride, so I let you sleep a little longer. Don’t worry, Dad and Mom won’t say anything.”
“Alright then.”
Lin Zhitang would not deliberately change herself just to make the Lu family happy. Saying even that much already sounded insincere enough to her. Cheerfully, she went to eat breakfast.
Father Lu had already gone to work.
Elder Brother Lu was an engineer at a machinery factory and had also gone to work.
Mother Lu and Sister-in-law Lu were not working, but at this hour they had not yet returned from grocery shopping.
“Tangtang, we’re going to Grandpa’s place for lunch at noon. Mom and Sister-in-law will head there directly after buying groceries.”
“Okay.”
After breakfast, Lin Zhitang returned to the room to organize her luggage and took out the gifts she had prepared for the Lu family, placing them aside.
Not long afterward, she and Lu Ming’an headed to the military compound.
Although Old Master Lu had already retired, his former position had been quite high, so the state had allocated him a two-story house.
It was September. On the left side of the courtyard grew some vegetables, while on the right stood a silver osmanthus tree.
Layer upon layer of pale yellow blossoms bloomed brilliantly.
The faint fragrance of osmanthus drifted into the air, refreshing the senses.
One side was everyday life; the other side was poetry.
As the breeze blew past, osmanthus petals fluttered down. Standing beneath the tree, Lin Zhitang looked breathtakingly beautiful.
“Ming’an, why are you standing in the courtyard instead of bringing Zhitang inside?”
Mother Lu and the others were already busy in the kitchen. Hearing the commotion, Mother Lu wiped her hands on the floral apron tied around her waist and walked out.
“Mom,” Lin Zhitang called sweetly.
“Nothing much. Mom, where’s Grandpa?”
“He’s upstairs. Bring Tangtang up to see him. Tangtang, go chat with Grandpa for a while first.”
“Mm.”
Lu Ming’an brought Lin Zhitang into the study.
“Grandpa.”
Lu Ming’an sized up Old Master Lu, who was practicing calligraphy. Judging from appearances, his spirits seemed fairly good.
Old Master Lu’s health was not good. His body was aged, and he still suffered from lingering injuries from his years on the battlefield.
After retiring, he had stayed in the compound to recuperate. Usually, he spent his time drinking tea and chatting with old comrades.
“This must be Tangtang. What a graceful young lady,” Old Master Lu said while looking at Lin Zhitang standing beside his grandson.
“Hello, Grandpa.”
“Good, good. Come sit down. Did you rest well yesterday?”
Only after Old Master Lu sat down did Lin Zhitang take a seat on the stool beside him. Lu Ming’an sat next to her.
Seeing the affection between the two, Old Master Lu’s eyes filled with relief and joy. He knew the brat had not lied to him—the two genuinely cared for each other.
The old man thought of something… then silently shook his head.
So what if her background was less than ideal? He had devoted his entire life to serving the country. Could he really fail to protect one little girl? Besides, if there truly had been a problem, no matter how great the debt of gratitude, he would never gamble the fate of such a large family on it.
“Grandpa, I brought you some medicinal wine. It’s different from ordinary alcohol—you can drink this regularly.”
“Ah, having a granddaughter-in-law is wonderful. This old man only has a few hobbies left, but they won’t let me drink or eat meat. It’s unbearable.”
“Grandpa, you should listen to the doctor…”
The old man clutched his head. “Stop nagging already, honestly…”
Lu Ming’an smiled helplessly. The older the old man got, the more childish he became.
Lin Zhitang secretly covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“Dad, having a granddaughter-in-law really has improved your spirits, huh?”
Father Lu’s voice came from the doorway.
“Dad,” Lin Zhitang and Lu Ming’an both stood up to greet him.
“Of course it has. Having such a beautiful granddaughter-in-law—come on, Tangtang girl, let’s go downstairs and eat.”
“Okay, Grandpa.”
Lin Zhitang supported the old man as they chatted while walking downstairs, with Lu Ming’an and his father following behind.
When they arrived at the dining room, Mother Lu and Sister-in-law Lu were already waiting. Everyone took their seats.
“Let’s eat.”
Suddenly, Lu Xingguo asked, “Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Eldest Sister, and Little Sister aren’t coming back?”
Old Master Lu had three sons and two daughters. Lu Xingguo ranked third and had two sons: Lu Mingze and Lu Ming’an.
Among all his children, the ones who angered Old Master Lu the most were his second son Lu Weiguo and his daughter Lu Yuanshuang. Those two families were also the ones most dissatisfied with Lin Zhitang.
“Hmph.”
“Can’t food堵住 your mouth? Why bring them up?”
“If they want to come, they’ll come. Do I have to personally invite them?”
The sudden outburst from the old man silenced everyone at the table.
“Alright, alright, we won’t mention it. Why get angry? Let’s eat first,” Father Lu quickly soothed him, afraid the old man might work himself up too much.
“Dad, I’ve been busy all morning. You can’t refuse to give me face, can you?”
“Grandpa, have a piece of braised pork. It’s fragrant and tender. Didn’t you say they never let you eat meat? Then today you should eat several pieces, otherwise later you won’t get any again.” Lin Zhitang picked up a chunk of braised pork and placed it into Old Master Lu’s bowl.
The old man had not truly been angry to begin with. After a few words from his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson—and especially after hearing Lin Zhitang’s sweet coaxing—his temper immediately faded.
“Really? Then Grandpa needs to eat several more pieces. I’ve been craving it to death.”
The awkward atmosphere at the table instantly disappeared because of Lin Zhitang’s clever intervention.
Soon, the family began eating and chatting happily, Old Master Lu’s hearty laughter carrying far away.
At the same time, at Lu Weiguo’s house—
Wu Hongxia wore a sour expression as she complained unhappily.
“The old man is really biased. Ming’an is suitable for marrying that capitalist young lady too? Yet he wanted our Minghui to marry her instead. When Minghui joined the army, the old man never even helped pave the way for him. He finally earned a promotion through hard work—if he married a wife like that, what would happen to his future?”
Lu Weiguo had never been particularly decisive. He also felt the old man had handled this matter poorly, but since it was his own father, he could not openly criticize him. Nor could he upset his wife, so he simply lowered his head and ate in silence.
“Eat, eat, eat. You really don’t worry about anything. Isn’t Minghui your son too? If his future gets ruined, let’s see if you’ll still be able to eat.”
“Didn’t Ming’an go to pick her up? Then he’s probably the chosen one.”
“Yeah, wasn’t today supposed to be the day we met her at the old house? I wonder if Eldest Sister went back. Doesn’t her family have Chen Rui, who’s also suitable?”
Based on Lu Weiguo’s understanding of the old man, as long as someone met the criteria, he definitely would have considered them all.
“Third Brother is still in the army and won’t be back anytime soon. If the old man asks, we’ll just brush it off.”
…
At Lu Yuanshuang’s house—
“Yuanshuang, didn’t you say we were going to the old man’s place for dinner today?”
Smack.
The chopsticks struck the edge of the bowl with a crisp sound. Lu Yuanshuang rolled her eyes, her face dark with anger.
“What’s there to go for? I only have one son. You think I’d let him marry that capitalist girl?”
Even though the Lu family did not favor sons over daughters, somehow Lu Yuanshuang turned out this way.
Toward her only son, Chen Rui, she treasured him beyond measure—afraid he would melt if held in her mouth, afraid he would break if held in her hands.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be Rui’er. The old man was only asking casually. Don’t overthink it.” Chen Jianhua gently comforted his angry wife and placed some food into her bowl.
“No matter what he’s thinking, I absolutely won’t agree to Rui’er marrying that kind of girl or taking that sort of daughter-in-law.”
Lu Yuanshuang’s tone was firm, as though making a declaration.
Then she lifted her chin proudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m his biological daughter. Even if the old man gets angry, he’d never sever ties with me over an outsider.”
…
Aside from Lu Ming’an’s immediate family and the old master, no one else yet knew that Lu Ming’an and Lin Zhitang had already registered their marriage.
The other branches of the family had no sons of suitable age, so they naturally did not have this concern.
They genuinely did have matters to attend to today, which was why they had not returned for lunch.
Lin Zhitang was not foolish. She understood they likely looked down on her identity and were afraid she would implicate them.
She had never seen her father’s letter, so she did not know who the original marriage candidate had been.
But now the matter was already settled. Since Lu Ming’an’s family did not dislike her, she would not care about anyone else’s opinions either.