The next morning, the large restaurant next to Wangfu Street was bustling with activity from early morning.
The hotel staff, as well as members of the Lu family, were coming and going.
The 70th birthday banquet for Mr. Lu officially began at noon.
This birthday banquet was quite grand, not because of its extravagance, expensive food and drinks, or delicacies, but because it had a large number of guests.
Previously, on his birthdays that weren't his full birthdays, Old Master Lu would have a meal with his family members on the day of his birthday.
The Lu family hasn't held any banquets in the past ten years or so, except for his sixtieth birthday.
In his own words, Mr. Lu was seventy years old and had lived enough.
He fought in battles when he was young, but now his health isn't great. So, on his birthday, he invited old friends to get together.
Another reason is to hold a banquet to liven things up and allow the third-generation young people from each family to get to know each other, as their older generation is about to pass away.
Before 10 a.m., the banquet hall of the grand hotel was already filled with guests, arriving in twos and threes.
The Lu family was the first to arrive. The eldest son, Lu Zhengde, and his wife, Du Lan, greeted the guests at the door.
The fifth brother, Lu Zhengren, was responsible for registering the gifts given by guests, while his wife, Wu Chanjuan, liaised with the kitchen manager and kept a close eye on the drinks and dishes.
The second grandfather of the Lu family's second branch was accompanying his eldest brother in the reception room behind the banquet hall.
The third son of the second wife, Lu Zheng'an, and his wife, and the fourth son, Lu Zhenghong, and his wife, were also in the banquet hall outside, entertaining guests.
The Lu family's in-laws also arrived quite early, especially the daughter's in-laws.
The second son, Lu Zhengnan, married into the Shen family, and the sixth son, Lu Zhengyi, married into the Xue family; both families have now arrived.
Meanwhile, the third generation of the Lu family, including several grandchildren, and Lu Jinyang from the second son's family, accompanied some young couples as guests, along with his fiancée Wang Yunhui.
Lu Yiyang, the eldest daughter of the eldest son, and Lu Leyang, the fourth daughter, were sisters who accompanied the unmarried girls of their respective families.
The people we haven't seen in the banquet hall yet are Lu Zhengjing, the seventh son of the Lu family, and Lu Zeyang, the fifth son's son.
Entering the banquet hall, Lu Zhengnan turned around and looked around again. She didn't see Lao Qi, so she cautiously entered the reception room.
"Father, it's me, and my second uncle is here too."
"Father, where's our seventh son? Is he really dating someone? Whose daughter is she?"
The story of Lao Qi pursuing a female college student has become the talk of the town in the family compound, but no one knows which family the girl belongs to.
Lu Zhengnan tried to ask his son Changxing about it, but he knew nothing about it.
She came in to find her father, not only to inquire about the seventh son, but also to see if Xia Ruolan still had a chance to become her brother's wife.
Also, she wanted to talk to her father about something.
Thanks to her father's birthday, Lu Zhengnan was finally released from quarantine; she had previously been forbidden from returning to her parents' home.
Perfect timing! She can go back to her parents' home after the banquet.
After considering for a moment, Lu Zhengnan smiled and said ingratiatingly, "Father, I need to talk to you about something when I get home tonight. It's about your grandson Changxing and his wife."
My daughter-in-law, Li Hualin, has been complaining of feeling sleepy and tired lately; it's probably impossible to hide the fact that she's pregnant.
"Zhengnan, what have you done now? Changxing is your own son, have you betrayed him again?!"
Old Master Lu raised his eyes, his gaze serious, and glared at Lu Zhengnan.
Seeing her guilty expression, his eyelids twitched involuntarily; he had a bad feeling.
"Hehe, Father, how could that be? You yourself said he is my own son."
I'll tell you more tonight. I'll go out now to help my older brother and the others greet the guests.
Lu Zhengnan's eyes darted around, his words were evasive and vague, and then he turned and ran out, patting his chest as he did so.
At this moment, the old men from the Jiang family, the Deng family, the Zhang family, and Old Master Liu all arrived, followed by their guards.
They were being led by Lu Zhengde through the banquet hall and directly to the entrance of the reception room.
"Old Liu, Uncle Jiang, Uncle Deng, Uncle Zhang, my father is inside, please come in!"
The relationship between the Lu family and the Liu family wasn't actually that good.
Strictly speaking, due to the feud between Lu Zhengnan and Liu's daughter-in-law Feng Lanjiao, the two families basically had no contact.
However, Mr. Lu and Mr. Liu were soldiers during the War of Resistance against Japan and the liberation of the whole country, and they fought side by side. There was no conflict between the older generation.
"Old Lu, I'm here!"
The hospital director, Mr. Xia, arrived right after them as they went in.
After exchanging greetings, the old men sat down to drink tea and chat.
He talked about the hardships he faced in the army, then discussed the current development of the times, reminiscing and feeling deeply moved.
As things gradually progressed, the conversation turned to the sons and grandsons of each family, the importance of having successors, and the joy of having grandchildren.
Among them, Old Master Liu was the quietest. His face was pale, but he felt uncomfortable and uneasy.
"Old Lu, tell me about your seventh son, why haven't I seen him?"
I heard he's a grown man, chasing after a young girl?
When Mr. Jiang asked jokingly, he pretended to be very interested, but in fact he was deliberately changing the subject.
"Old Lu, is your seventh son off picking up his girlfriend?" Old Xia said with a hint of regret.
He knew his granddaughter liked the seventh son of the Lu family, and even though she went on a blind date with Dr. Zhang, she still couldn't let go of him.
"Seventh Brother said he's going to pick up a friend. I don't know who it is, but we'll see soon enough."
Grandpa Lu didn't want to put Grandpa Liu in a difficult position.
He chuckled and, following the lead of Elder Jiang and Elder Xia, began to talk about his youngest son.
They said he had a strange and cold temper, but now that he has amnesia, he has become a rogue and unruly person.
As a father, he couldn't control everything; his children and grandchildren had their own destinies.
The others present smiled in agreement; they all knew the unspoken truth about their family matters.
The Liu family is already showing signs of decline.
Liu Hao, the son of the Liu family, has no proper job, keeps a mistress, and has an illegitimate child, causing a lot of family scandals and jokes.
As for Liu's two grandsons, the eldest grandson, Liu Wenqing, is said to be in business, but what he actually does seems unclear.
In fact, some people, such as Mr. Jiang, have a vague idea of a certain possibility, but for the time being, they cannot alert the enemy.
The second grandson, Liu Wucheng, was a spoiled brat who had been detained for drug use. After his release, he continued his life of eating, drinking, and having fun.
Liu Baozhu, the granddaughter of the Liu family, is considered one of the more prominent grandchildren in the family.
She studied at a humanities university and also opened a clothing factory, learning about business and entrepreneurship.
It was 10:30 o'clock, and more and more customers were arriving.
The younger ones would go to the banquet hall, find one or two familiar friends, have some drinks, and talk about topics that interest young people.
The older folks would first go to the back reception room to drink tea and chat with a few other old men.
Outside the grand hotel, Lu Zeyang was walking in with several classmates and Zhou Qingqing, chatting and laughing.
"Uncle, Aunt, these are my classmates from school."
Lu Zeyang warmly introduced them, "Qingqing, Li Qiang..."
After everyone else had greeted her, Zhou Qingqing, very politely, leaned forward, smiled, and nodded, her eyes crinkling.
"Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, hello, I am Zhou Qingqing. Thank you for the invitation from senior Lu Zeyang to attend your Lu family's birthday banquet."
At this moment, Zhou Qingqing appeared gentle and polite, but was inwardly very excited.
She finally got to meet the Lu family. Although it was in a grand hotel, she was able to meet other members of the Lu family.
Moreover, it was easier to do it here. She subconsciously touched the bag of powder in her pocket.
She had prepared the herbs in advance, a yin-yang balance, and she would add them to the soup later.
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