Eldest Brother Lu looked at his sister after hearing her say it was “good news,” wearing an indescribable expression that looked like he’d swallowed something unpleasant.
“What good news… When your sister-in-law and I were discussing whether she and the children should stay, I accidentally overheard them planning that after your sister-in-law divorces me, they would marry her off to the factory director of the Lin family’s eldest son.
That director is older than even our father, ugly as hell, and supposedly has a history of domestic violence.
As for the two children, they planned to sell them for money.
In this situation, even if your sister-in-law wanted to stay, I can’t let her. We’ll all go down to the countryside together—even if we die, we die together. Better than letting her be ruined by those people.”
“Are they really that bad? I never noticed before,” Lu Qingqing said in shock. Were these still family members?
They were more like enemies.
“Because our family never fell from grace before,” Eldest Brother Lu said with a bitter smile. In the past, every time they went to the Lin family, they brought generous gifts.
Even this time, when the Lu family was in trouble, they still brought gifts.
But who could have imagined that the moment they fell into hardship, they would witness true human nature—cold, cruel, and unpredictable.
The smiles they received when delivering gifts were as bright as ever; but once the Lu family’s downfall was known, the schemes behind their backs turned vicious.
Thinking of his wife’s sadness after overhearing those plans, Eldest Brother Lu felt a pang of heartache.
His upbringing prevented him from cursing, but the anger only built up inside him, never dissipating.
After hearing the explanation, Lu Qingqing was speechless. She finally understood why, in her previous life, her sister-in-law and nephews never stayed in the city.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to—it was that they didn’t dare.
With such a blood-sucking family, her sister-in-law must have suffered deeply.
Silently, Lu Qingqing added the Lin family’s name to her mental blacklist, then turned to her second brother.
“What about second sister-in-law? Why didn’t she stay either?”
“Her family isn’t as calculating, but her sister-in-law is hard to deal with.
When they heard our family had fallen, they were afraid I’d ask her to stay with the children. They even said, ‘a married daughter is like spilled water’ and refused to let her return home.
To cut off all her options, they threw out all the gifts we brought and kicked us out.”
Second Brother Lu was also furious when talking about this trip to his wife’s family.
Back when the marriage was arranged, they spoke so sweetly.
When they wanted help from the Lu family, their words were even sweeter—more flattering than anyone.
But the moment the Lu family fell, their true faces were revealed.
As for blaming it all on the sister-in-law’s family, Eldest Brother Lu let out a cold laugh. He didn’t believe it.
It was just a way to stay out of trouble while keeping a backup plan.
If the Lu family ever rose again, they could push all blame onto the daughter-in-law and avoid responsibility.
That scheme was more cunning than a thousand-year-old fox.
After hearing this, Lu Qingqing lowered her head and sneered. Indeed, only when people face hardship do you see their true nature.
Luckily, in her previous life, she had asked many people for help—but never those two families.
And honestly, even if she had, it would have been useless.
The siblings chatted for a while before dinner was ready—rich dishes with fish, meat, soup, and vegetables.
After dinner, the family sat in the living room discussing the next day’s departure.
Lu Qingqing suggested giving gifts to the Red Committee members escorting them.
Whatever else, they had to ensure the journey went smoothly. As long as they arrived safely, no amount of money was too much.
And once they reached their destination, they would continue using money to smooth things over with local officials.
As long as money could solve a problem, there was no need to be stingy. Money was nothing—what mattered was surviving.
If outsiders heard this, they would surely say: as expected of a business-minded family—everything revolves around money.
Just as they were discussing, someone knocked on the courtyard door.
Lu Qingqing put on her coat and walked over. “Who is it?”
“It’s me—Grandma Sun.”
Hearing the voice, she quickened her pace, slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected her so soon.
“Grandma Sun, why are you here?”
She opened the door and saw an elderly woman with a large bundle at her feet and a middle-aged man standing beside her.
The man resembled her about thirty percent and had a very upright gaze.
“I came to visit,” Grandma Sun said, pointing to the man. “This is your Uncle Zheng, my youngest son Zheng Jianshe.”
“Hello Uncle Zheng, please come in.”
“Hello, Qingqing.” He smiled. “That bag is heavy, I’ll carry it.”
“It’s not heavy, I’ve got it.”
She casually lifted it, showing it was indeed light.
Grandma Sun laughed until her eyes narrowed. “Good, good—just like your grandma, a strong girl.”
They entered the courtyard, where the Lu family elders came out after hearing the noise.
They were surprised to see the guests.
“Secretary Zheng, why are you here?” Father Lu asked in shock, stepping forward.
“Factory Director Lu, I came with my mother to visit an old friend. No need to call me Secretary Zheng—just call me Brother Zheng.”
After closing the gate, Lu Qingqing was slightly surprised. He really wasn’t afraid of being implicated.
It seemed Grandma Sun’s phone call had worked.
After some polite exchanges, everyone entered the living room. The sisters-in-law and children went upstairs, leaving the elders to talk.
Grandma Sun held Lu Qingqing’s hand and sighed as she looked at Grandpa Lu.
“Time really flies. You’ve grown old.”
“Yes, we all have,” Grandpa Lu smiled.
His impression of her still lingered on the vibrant, fiery young woman on the battlefield.
Although she now looked like a kind old grandmother, she had once been extremely fiery in temperament—like a chili pepper who would fight at the slightest disagreement.
Only their old battalion commander could keep her in line. She respected no one else—except him, in both strength and intelligence.
As they spoke of the past, the two elders were filled with memories. Those passionate years felt like yesterday.
“If I hadn’t met Qingqing, I wouldn’t even know we lived so close,” Grandma Sun sighed.
“We were separated too suddenly back then—we didn’t even get to leave real names or contact information.”
“At that time, how could we dare? I was working behind enemy lines gathering supplies—one leak could’ve cost lives,” Grandpa Lu said with a gentle smile.
He had no resentment despite the downfall. His presence was calm, steady, weathered by storms.
Everyone listening could only admire them.
These were truly people who had walked out of battlefields drenched in blood and fire.