Zhou Lanqin helped her daughter-in-law peel a bunch of chestnuts, and grabbed a lot of cakes to go to the kitchen for Bai Shuixian to eat. Then she took over the cooking work. The two mothers-in-law talked and reminisced in the kitchen.

"Have a meal."

Half an hour later, Zhou Lanqin came out and called out. Seeing her daughter-in-law standing up to clear the table, she immediately stepped forward to stop her: "Linglong, take a rest. Let the two brothers clean up."

The dishes tonight were quite sumptuous, with a large pot of boiled fish in a rich, milky soup, a bowl of ginger-fried duck, a serving of twice-cooked pork to go well with rice, a serving of braised tofu, and two light vegetarian dishes, filling up the table.

"Oh, Aunt Bai's dishes are so delicious and fragrant. I'm drooling just looking at them."

Lu Jingyang filled each person's bowl with rice and chatted with Lu Jingchuan, "After I came back from the disaster area, I went to my grandparents' house every day to eat."

Zhou Lanqin served soup to her daughter-in-law and said with a smile: "When Jingyang went to the disaster area to provide support, I also went on a business trip to Northeast China for ten days. I was too busy to cook when I came back. We haven't cooked at home for a long time. Your grandma has been cooking for me these days. I eat at work, and Jingyang has been eating at his grandparents' house during these days when he is resting at home."

Although Zhou Lanqin has been divorced from Lu Nanzheng for more than ten years, she still gets along well with her former parents-in-law, sisters-in-law, and aunts. They often visit each other and address them in the same way, always calling them "Mom and Dad." The relationship between the Zhou and Lu families has not deteriorated because of their divorce.

"Jingchuan, Linglong, Mom knows you've returned to Beijing quietly this time because you must have something important to attend to. You should finish your current tasks first, and then take some time to visit your grandparents."

"Your grandfather has been feeling unwell lately. He was hospitalized for three days and has lost a lot of weight compared to the beginning of the year."

Lu Jingchuan hadn't had time to ask about family matters before, so he started asking, "What's wrong with Grandpa's health? Have you had a detailed checkup?"

"There's no serious problem with my health. It's just a common elderly disease. I was hospitalized this time because I was angry." Zhou Lanqin sighed.

"Who made you angry?" Lu Jingchuan asked.

"Lu Qiuhe."

Lu Qiuhe is the eldest daughter of Lu Nanzheng and his current wife Ruan Yumian. They have three daughters after marriage. The eldest, Lu Qiuhe, is 17 years old this year, the second, Lu Qiuju, is 15 years old, and the youngest, Lu Qiuting, is 12 years old.

The two elders of the Lu family had many children, four sons and two daughters. Lu Nanzheng was the second oldest. He joined the army when he was young and made many military achievements on the battlefield when he was young. He was also a man full of ideals and ambitions, and was placed with high hopes by old man Lu.

Later, he married Zhou Lanqin and had two sons. With the support of his parents and his father-in-law's family, his future was originally bright.

When his career was about to take another step forward, Ruan Yumian appeared beside him, and his life began to change from then on.

Ruan Yumian's personality was the complete opposite of Zhou Lanqin's. Back then, she was gentle, considerate, charming, and understanding, idolizing and relying on him like a hero. Zhou Lanqin, on the other hand, came from a military family and was bold, ambitious, and independent. Although the couple treated each other with respect, they always felt a veil between them.

Lu Nanzheng did not betray his marriage at that time, but bad rumors were spread between him and Ruan Yumian. In addition, Ruan Yumian was scheming and deliberately misleading Zhou Lanqin, and Zhou Lanqin was a person who could not tolerate any sand in her eyes. Gradually, cracks appeared in their marriage.

The fuse for their divorce was that three-year-old Lu Jingyang was abducted by a kidnapper while playing outside. Zhou Lanqin frantically searched for him, while Lu Nanzheng accepted Ruan Yumian's private invitation to listen to her singing performance in the troupe.

Although Lu Jingyang was found safely, this incident made Zhou Lanqin completely disappointed with Lu Nanzheng. She was the one who initiated the divorce. Lu Nanzheng felt guilty and left the house with nothing. He agreed to all the conditions she proposed.

After they divorced, Nguyen Ngoc Mian's family immediately took the opportunity to work behind the scenes, giving advice to their daughter and making the matter a hot topic.

The incident became a big deal and rumors spread throughout the circle, so Lu Nanzheng had no choice but to marry Ruan Yumian.

The two elders of the Lu family were well aware of the Ruan family's wishful thinking, and were very disappointed with Lu Nanzheng. From then on, they declared that they would no longer care about his affairs, and also announced to the outside world that Ruan Yumian would never be allowed to enter the Lu family's gate. They did not recognize her as their daughter-in-law, and even if she died, she would not be allowed to kowtow in the mourning hall.

The tough attitude of the two elders of the Lu family severely slapped the Ruan family and Ruan Yumian in the face, and made them a laughing stock in the circle. They were often laughed at and watched by others.

Lu Nanzheng felt that he was unworthy of his parents' cultivation and his former father-in-law's support, so he took the initiative to apply for demobilization and followed the army's arrangement to work in the water conservancy department.

In recent years, he would take his three daughters to visit the Lu family during the holidays. As it concerned his career prospects and his three daughters' studies and work, he had never asked his parents for help, nor did he allow his three daughters to ask.

Ruan Yumian has been making a lot of calculations over the years. She and her family have not benefited from the Lu family at all, and now she hopes that her three daughters will benefit from it. However, every time this matter is mentioned, Lu Nanzheng gets angry and loses his temper. The two of them often quarrel, and the little affection they had for each other has long been gone.

Especially recently, regarding the matter of their eldest daughter Lu Qiuhe, the two had an unprecedented dispute. Lu Nanzheng moved into the company dormitory with his luggage and began to live separately from her.

Lu Jingchuan had no contact with his three half-sisters. He would only see them occasionally during the holidays, but he would never take the initiative to talk to them. However, he would hear the elders talk about their affairs, but these had nothing to do with him, so he never said anything about them.

Seeing that Lu Qiuhe had made Grandpa sick with anger, he asked, "What did she do?"

"She was on the list of second-generation rich people who were deported during the last disaster relief operation."

Lu Jingyang only found out about this after he came back. At that time, they were busy saving lives and delivering supplies, and did not pay much attention to the newspapers. They had no idea that Lu Qiuhe had also gone to the disaster area, and was sent back and criticized in the newspaper as soon as she arrived.

Gong Linglong was somewhat familiar with the name Lu Qiuhe. She blinked and asked her mother-in-law, "Mom, Lu Qiuhe's last name is also Lu. What's her relationship to us?"

"Jingchuan and his half-sisters. Lu Qiuhe is the eldest, and she has two younger sisters, Lu Qiuju and Lu Qiutong."

Gong Linglong said "Oh" and asked, "Does this Lu Qiuhe have an oval face, a pair of round almond eyes, two long black braids, and a small black mole on her nose?"

"right."

Zhou Lanqin nodded and asked her, "Linglong, have you seen it?"

“Yes, I have. I have seen it in the disaster area.”

Gong Linglong smiled awkwardly and told them the truth, "I was hauling supplies at the train station when she and others stopped a car on the roadside. She was carrying a suitcase and wearing a short skirt. I don't know where she got her legs dirty with mud. She asked me for water to take a shower and even bossed me around to take them to the disaster area."

"Drinking water was extremely scarce in the disaster area at the time. We were very frugal with our drinking, let alone showering. I rolled my eyes at her and said a few insults. Later, I reported them to Commander-in-Chief Han J, who had them sent back as troublemakers."