After talking for a long time, father and daughter finished their conversation, and Lu Jinhuan gained a much clearer understanding of the He family.
He Congnan had been outstanding since childhood. The He family’s elders had always raised him as the future head of the family.
But when he was twenty, he was diagnosed with infertility.
To the He family, it was like a cruel joke.
Over the years, they sought out countless renowned doctors in hopes of curing him.
Eventually, after one disappointment after another, they slowly gave up.
He Xiangbei, on the other hand, had not joined the military. Instead, he used the He family’s connections to secure an easy administrative position at a steel factory, coasting through life.
He simply wasn’t capable of carrying on the family’s generations of honor.
So Old Master He planned to choose one of his grandsons as the family’s future heir instead.
Unexpectedly, Lu Jinyun gave birth to a daughter and suffered complications that left her unable to conceive again for several years.
If this had been before…
After hearing all of that, Lu Jinhuan would certainly have been intimidated by the thought of marrying into such a powerful family.
But now?
Hehe…
She had a priceless treasure on her side!
The next day, Lu Zhao left his youngest son, Lu Jin’an, at his mother-in-law’s house before setting off with Li Haili and Lu Jinhuan on a train bound for Beijing.
It had been Lu Jinyun’s request not to bring the boy.
In her letter, she repeatedly emphasized that bringing too many relatives would make it look as though they were coming to sponge off the He family, causing them to look down on the Lus even more.
Lu Jinhuan understood the real reason.
Her half-brother had been spoiled rotten by Aunt Li.
Not only had he eaten himself into a chubby, overweight thirteen-year-old, but he also cursed constantly, always referring to himself as “your father” in an arrogant, swaggering manner.
Frankly, he was an embarrassment in polite company.
But neither her father nor Aunt Li corrected him.
As his older sister, she had even less right to interfere.
The train rattled along for an entire day and night.
Finally, with a long whistle, it slowly pulled into Beijing Station.
The moment she stepped off the train, Lu Jinhuan inhaled the icy air and immediately shivered.
Lu Zhao quickly took off his own coat and draped it over her shoulders.
“Huan’er, hurry and put this on. Don’t catch a cold.”
Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
“Dad… it’s already March. Why is it still so cold here?”
She had grown up in the misty waterways of Jiangnan.
Even in Suzhou, winter temperatures rarely dropped below zero or minus one or two degrees Celsius.
By March, flowers were already blooming in her hometown.
The north was simply freezing.
If she really married and moved here…
She wasn’t sure she could ever adapt to this climate.
Li Haili glanced at her with obvious disdain.
“Just get used to it. Your sister was born and raised in the south too, and she’s lived here for two years already. You’re the only one who’s so delicate.”
Lu Jinhuan secretly pouted.
She quietly refused to accept that criticism.
After joining the song-and-dance troupe at seventeen, Lu Jinyun had traveled around performing all year long.
Besides, Lu Jinyun had always been sturdier and physically stronger than she was.
After leaving the station, the three checked into a guesthouse near the train station and rented two rooms.
This, too, had been Lu Jinyun’s instruction.
She had repeatedly stressed in her letters that after arriving, they had to freshen up and change into their best clothes before visiting the He family.
They absolutely could not embarrass her.
For that reason, Li Haili had specially bought Lu Jinhuan a brand-new outfit.
Unfortunately, Suzhou didn’t sell heavy winter coats.
After washing up, Lu Jinhuan immediately rejected Li Haili’s “kindness.”
“Aunt Li, these clothes are too thin.”
“If I go outside wearing this, my nose will probably freeze and start running.”
“Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
Lu Jinhuan possessed the gentle temperament typical of girls from Jiangnan.
Even her speech carried the soft, melodious Wu dialect accent, sweet and delicate, every word sounding tender and gentle.
After thinking it over, Li Haili reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. Wait here.”
“I’ll go look around the nearby stores and buy you a thicker coat.”
“And while I’m out, I’ll notify Xiaoyun that we’ve arrived.”
Her precious daughter had only given birth to a girl.
That alone had lowered her standing in the He family.
On top of that, her sharp-tongued sister-in-law mocked her every day with sarcastic remarks.
If she didn’t find someone to support her daughter soon…
Xiaoyun’s life would become unbearable.
For her daughter’s happiness
She would endure anything.
Lu Jinhuan smiled sweetly.
“Thank you, Aunt Li.”
“Could you also buy me two bottles of the face cream women use here? The wind is so harsh that I’m afraid it’ll chap my skin.”
Li Haili glared at her resentfully.
For some reason…
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this wretched girl had become prettier over the past two days.
She clearly still had the same face.
Yet something about her felt completely different.
Just look at that skin.
It was so soft and delicate it looked as though water would drip out if someone pinched it.
It was almost as if she’d taken some miraculous elixir.
An hour later, Lu Jinhuan emerged wearing her newly purchased light-gray quilted cotton jacket, beige trousers, cream-colored cotton shoes, and a plain scarf wrapped around her neck.
She felt warm from head to toe.
There wasn’t a single bright color on her outfit.
Yet her large expressive eyes were lively and beautiful.
Every movement she made radiated warmth and gentleness.
Combined with her soft Jiangnan accent, she embodied the graceful elegance unique to southern women.
Li Haili was very satisfied.
In a private letter, her daughter had written that the He family’s eldest son was proud, rebellious, and extremely arrogant.
He had seen far too many bold, spirited northern women.
None of them interested him in the slightest.
Perhaps this soft little “white rabbit” would catch his attention.
And if he still wasn’t interested…
Then they’d have no choice but to resort to desperate measures.
Lu Zhao was nervous as well.
Two years earlier, he had attended Lu Jinyun’s wedding.
Every member of the He family had greeted him with impeccable courtesy.
But behind those polite smiles…
Their eyes had been cold and distant.
He could clearly tell that they looked down on his family.
Only two years had passed, and now he was shamelessly bringing another daughter to their doorstep.
The He family would probably despise them even more for such behavior.
But whenever he thought about his ordinary, unremarkable son…
He forced himself to endure the humiliation.
He didn’t want his youngest son to live an ordinary life
Taking over his father’s factory job when he came of age and remaining an insignificant nobody forever.
He wanted the Lu family’s bloodline to establish itself in Beijing…
To lead future generations of the Lu family into the ranks of society’s elite.
With their own hidden motives, the husband and wife led a wide-eyed, curious Lu Jinhuan toward the military residential compound.
From a distance, they spotted two men waiting outside the entrance.
One of them stood over 185 centimeters tall.
His broad shoulders and straight posture gave him an imposing presence.
His sharply defined features were cold and rugged.
His dark eyes were calm yet piercing.
The coarse masculinity typical of northern men blended naturally into his handsome face, creating an overwhelming aura of authority.
The other man was slightly shorter.
He resembled the first man by about fifty percent.
Unlike the first, however, he carried himself casually.
Standing there with a lazy slouch, he wore an arrogant expression filled with impatience and annoyance, every inch of him radiating wild, unruly confidence.
Neither man spoke.
Instead, Lu Zhao and Li Haili hurried forward, smiling obsequiously as they pulled the slightly bewildered Lu Jinhuan along.
“My, my! It’s only been two years, and my son-in-law looks even more impressive!”
As Li Haili greeted them, she secretly tugged hard on Lu Jinhuan’s sleeve, signaling for her to greet them as well.
The imposing man who had been staring at her without blinking his very presence exuding authority made Lu Jinhuan so nervous that her whole body stiffened.
Only after receiving a reminder from the system did she force herself to smile, revealing a perfect row of eight teeth.
“H-Hello… Commander He… Brother-in-law He…”
Her voice was soft and gentle, as light as a feather.
Yet it brushed heavily against He Congnan’s heart.