The two of them stepped one after the other into the main hall dining room.
Lu Zhengguo was a deputy director at a machinery factory, so the Lu family’s living conditions were among the best in town.
The breakfast table was full steamed white flour buns, golden fried dough sticks, thick millet porridge, a plate of scrambled eggs, and several small dishes of glossy pickled vegetables.
At the head of the table, Lu Zhengguo wore a pair of glasses and held up a copy of Reference News. Though he appeared to be reading, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes occasionally drifted toward the doorway.
Xu Wenli sat upright with a bowl in hand, her posture elegant, but her expression dark and heavy.
Lu Qianqian, dressed in a brand-new skirt, impatiently poked at a bun with her chopsticks.
As for Lu Ming, usually meticulous about his image as a clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative, he now had dark circles under his eyes, swollen bags, and slumped weakly in his chair like a man without a spine.
After last night’s chaos, he had not only been beaten with a cane by his father but also forced to kneel before the ancestral tablets all night.
If not for his mother urging him to behave in front of his father, he would have already gone back to bed.
Except for the third son, Lu Gang, the entire family was present.
The moment Su Wan and Lu Zhaoye entered, everyone paused, and the already heavy atmosphere gained a sharp edge of tension.
“Dad, Mom, everyone’s eating?”
Su Wan smiled as if she didn’t notice the strange tension at all, breaking the silence.
Aunt Xiujun, the helper, was just bringing in a steaming bamboo basket. Seeing them, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron.
“Oh my, eldest son, Wan girl, come sit. I’ll get you bowls and chopsticks.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Su Wan responded sweetly, then turned and took the “gifts” from Lu Zhaoye.
In her previous life, she had foolishly taken out her best things to please this family, only to have them discarded like trash.
This time, she knew exactly what kind of people the Lu family were she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“According to our customs, a new bride brings gifts for the family on the second day. We should follow proper etiquette.”
As she spoke, she handed out the “gifts” one by one.
“Dad, this is for you.”
She presented a neatly wrapped kraft paper package with both hands.
Lu Zhengguo set down his newspaper, somewhat surprised, and opened it. Inside were a few shriveled wild chrysanthemums mixed with dry grass stems
things Su Wan had pulled out from her pillow.
His brows instantly furrowed.
But Su Wan smiled dutifully.
“Dad, don’t mind it. It’s not expensive tea like Longjing or Maofeng it’s wild chrysanthemum I picked myself. But it’s great for clearing heat and improving eyesight.”
Her tone grew even more concerned.
“You’re a factory leader, always reading documents. Your eyes are the most important. Drink this, and you’ll see people and things more clearly so you won’t get confused or misjudge good and bad people.”
Lu Zhengguo’s fingers stiffened around the packet, his expression turning awkward.
It sounded like concern, but it clearly mocked him for being “blind to right and wrong.”
Yet since it was something for “clearing heat and improving eyesight,” he couldn’t lash out. He suppressed his anger and tossed it aside with a grunt.
“Mm. Thoughtful of you.”
“Mom, this is for you.”
Su Wan turned and handed Xu Wenli two bars of sulfur soap.
The soap smelled pungent and looked yellowish, usually used for heavily soiled laundry or disinfection not at all fitting Xu Wenli’s refined self-image.
Xu Wenli forced a smile.
“Wanwan, this is…?”
“This is sulfur soap, Mom. It cleans the best.”
Su Wan explained sincerely,
“I know you work hard in this household keeping up appearances inside and out. Sometimes there are… unsightly ‘dirty things’ or ‘dirty matters’ in a home. Regular soap can’t clean those properly.”
She even mimed scrubbing with her hands.
“This one’s strong! It’ll scrub away years of grime and keep the Lu family clean and respectable.”
Xu Wenli choked on her anger, her hands trembling.
This was clearly a jab at her for covering up Lu Ming’s messes.
Taking a deep breath to maintain her composure, she forced a tight smile and pushed the soap aside.
“Is that so? Then thank you. I’ll let Aunt Xiujun use it to wash tablecloths.”
Su Wan raised an eyebrow and moved on to Lu Ming, placing a pair of thick cloth insoles in front of him.
“Second brother, I picked these especially for you.”
Her gaze flicked meaningfully toward his knees.
“You may work in an office, but knees are a man’s foundation. I heard you knelt all night before the ancestors? These are thick perfect for cushioning, so your legs won’t give out before you’re even old.”
Lu Ming’s pale face flushed deep red. His teeth clenched as he glared at the insoles
She not only knew about his punishment but mocked him as weak and spineless.
Finally, Su Wan handed something to Lu Qianqian.
“Qianqian, I know you’re an art student who values aesthetics.”
She passed her a stack of rough, yellowed paper.
“This is ‘vintage’ paper I saved for you to practice on. Don’t artists like returning to simplicity? It absorbs ink well. If your drawings don’t work out, you can use it to wipe your tears.”
Lu Qianqian opened it cheap scrap paper worth mere cents.
Furious, she threw it to the ground.
“Su Wan, are you crazy?! Giving me trash like this? Do you think we’re beggars? I use high-quality sketch paper!”
She was about to explode when she suddenly met a pair of cold, dark eyes.
Lu Zhaoye, holding half a bun, was chewing slowly, his gaze slicing toward her like ice, carrying a deadly aura.
Lu Qianqian’s back turned cold. She swallowed her words and shrank back, not daring to speak.
After finishing the round of “gifts,” Su Wan finally sat down, satisfied.
Watching them swallow their anger, unable to react, she felt her appetite grow. She grabbed the biggest bun, broke it open, and the warm aroma of wheat filled the air.
Beside her, Lu Zhaoye acted even more directly. With one long reach, he picked up the plate of golden scrambled eggs and, ignoring the others’ eager looks, shoveled most of it into Su Wan’s bowl.
The little that remained, he dumped into his own bowl, even wiping the oil clean with his bun.
The rest of the family didn’t get a single bite.
“Eat,” Lu Zhaoye said simply.
“Thank you, Brother Zhaoye.”
Su Wan smiled brightly, stuffing a large bite of egg into her mouth, eating with relish and even letting out satisfied sighs.
To the Lu family, this scene was even more infuriating than the “gifts” she had just given.