Chapter 34: The Three Carts of Dowry Shock the Capital; The Truth Is Revealed: I Am a Powerful Family!
A few days later, news spread like wildfire throughout the Lu family compound.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Su Wanqing, is invited to give an academic report at the General Hospital of the Military Region.
The news was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples once again.
The way the servants in the house looked at Su Wanqing completely changed.
From initial disdain to later reverence, now only the purest worship remains.
To be able to lecture to a group of top experts in a place like the General Hospital of the Military Region, what extraordinary ability and honor that is!
Lu Zhanyun and his wife completely gave up and stayed in their courtyard all day, not daring to even step out of the gate.
They finally realized a fact: Su Wanqing had risen with the wind and transformed into a dragon in the clouds, an existence they could never reach in their entire lives.
Only Lu Yao, like a happy little sparrow, chattered around Su Wanqing all day long.
"Sister-in-law, are you really going to give a lecture to those old experts? Just about how you cured Grandpa's headaches? You'd better show some real skills and impress them all!"
Su Wanqing smiled at her teasing and could only nod in response.
She and Lu Zhanting discussed it late at night. The academic report was her first step in establishing herself, but it wasn't enough.
To legitimize her future business empire, she needs one crucial element—a glamorous entrance that will silence all criticism.
The vast wealth in her space couldn't have appeared out of thin air.
She needed a trigger, a plausible excuse.
The day before she was to go to the General Hospital of the Military Region, this opportunity came to her of its own accord.
That morning, the sky was clear and blue.
A muffled car engine roared suddenly from outside the tightly closed vermilion gate of the Lu family compound.
The guard in the gatehouse poked his head out, and the next second, he froze.
Three green military trucks slowly came to a stop.
The wheels were deeply stuck, leaving obvious ruts, indicating that the cargo loaded on the vehicle was surprisingly heavy.
A young soldier with a straight posture jumped out of the cab of the truck at the head of the group.
He strode to the door and gave the guard a standard military salute.
"Hello comrade, we've come from the Logistics Department of the Southern Military Region. We've been entrusted to transport a batch of furniture for Comrade Su Wanqing. Here is the list of goods; please check it."
The soldier said, handing over a form stamped with a red seal.
The guard took the form, and his mind went completely blank.
Furniture?
Is it for the eldest young mistress, Su Wanqing?
Were they transported from the south in three military trucks?
He looked at the three trucks that almost blocked out the sun, then looked down at the list in his hand, and felt that everything in front of him was so unreal.
He dared not delay, and turned around to run wildly into the main courtyard, forgetting even to catch his breath.
"Commander! Commander! Three military vehicles have arrived at the gate! They say... they say they're delivering the eldest young mistress's dowry!"
When he shouted those words, his voice was completely distorted with excitement and nervousness.
At that time, the Lu family was having morning tea in the main hall.
Lu Zhenguo, the old lady, Su Wanqing, Lu Zhanting, and Lu Yao were all present.
The guard's shout seemed to freeze the aroma of tea that filled the room.
"Dowry?" The old lady's teacup trembled, and she looked at Su Wanqing in surprise. "Wanqing, your family... someone sent you something?"
In the minds of everyone in the Lu family, Su Wanqing was an orphan with no parents, a rootless and adrift girl.
When she married into the family, her only belongings were a few faded old clothes, which was also the sore spot that Liu Yuzhen and her ilk had been attacking her for.
How did three truckloads of dowry suddenly appear out of nowhere?
A sharp glint flashed in Lu Zhenguo's deep eyes as he scrutinized Su Wanqing, awaiting her explanation.
Lu Yao jumped right next to Su Wanqing, lowered her voice, and asked with a face full of questions, "Sister-in-law, what's going on? Where did you get your dowry?"
Su Wanqing's face showed a perfectly timed look of surprise, mixed with a hint of uncertain bewilderment.
She stood up and looked at Lu Zhenguo and the old lady, whose faces were full of confusion.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I don't really know much about this either."
She paused slightly, as if organizing her thoughts.
“My maternal grandfather’s family used to practice medicine in the south. Before the liberation, they were a well-known family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and thus accumulated some wealth. Later, due to the turbulent times, my maternal grandparents passed away early, and the family fortune declined.”
"Before I got married, I wrote to several distant cousins in my hometown, asking them to help sort through the old things my grandfather left behind. If there was anything useful, they were to try to send it to Beijing. I originally thought it would be just one or two small packages at most, but I never expected..."
She looked towards the doorway, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief even to herself.
"Perhaps one of my uncles has some connections in the military logistics department, and happened to be passing through the capital on a transport mission, so... he just helped me transport it over."
This explanation, though only partially true, is perfectly plausible.
It explains the origin of Su Wanqing's extraordinary medical skills—his family background in medicine.
This also explains the origin of this "dowry"—it is entirely reasonable for a once illustrious family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to leave behind some rich legacy.
"So that's how it is!" The old lady's doubts instantly turned into great joy. "You child, why didn't you say so sooner! Your maternal grandfather's family is a family of doctors, so your medical skills have finally found their roots! Come on, let's go out and see what treasures your grandfather left you!"
Lu Zhenguo remained silent, but his taut jawline visibly relaxed.
His unfathomable gaze lingered on Su Wanqing's face for a few seconds before he stood up and was the first to walk outside.
The group arrived at the gate of the compound in a grand procession.
Three green military trucks, like three silent mountains, were parked there quietly, exuding an invisible sense of oppression.
All the servants in the Lu family compound rushed over upon hearing the news, gathering around from a distance, whispering among themselves, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.
At Lu Zhenguo's signal, the guards opened the heavy courtyard gate.
The leading soldier stepped forward again and handed the list to Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing took the list, glanced at it, and then nodded to the soldiers: "Thank you for your hard work. Just unload the things in the courtyard of the main house."
"yes!"
At the soldier's command, the heavy tarpaulin covering the truck was suddenly ripped off.
Under the sunlight, the camphor wood chests, neatly stacked and secured with brass locks, revealed their true form.
The box is a deep, dark red color, carved with ancient, intertwined floral patterns, and is clearly quite old.
The soldiers began unloading the cargo.
One, two, three...
One heavy box after another was carried into the yard, and soon, in the center of the spacious courtyard, it was piled up into a veritable "mountain of boxes".
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the mysterious boxes.
"Open it and take a look, child," the old lady urged, holding Su Wanqing's hand.
“Okay.” Su Wanqing nodded and took an antique key from her neck, which was threaded onto a red string.
She walked to the front box, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it gently.
“Clatter.”
The crisp sound of the lock being opened resonated in everyone's heart.
Su Wanqing slowly lifted the lid of the box.
In an instant, a collective gasp filled the air.
The first box contained no gold or silver, but a set of medical supplies neatly arranged in a set.
On the top shelf was a long box made of rosewood. When the lid was opened, a set of gold needles of varying lengths lay quietly on the red velvet lining.
The golden needle shimmered with a warm, pure luster in the sunlight, and tiny seal characters were engraved at its tip.
Lu Zhenguo's pupils contracted slightly.
He had seen it in an ancient book's illustrations; it was the long-lost ancient imperial physician's acupuncture technique—"Nine Palaces Golden Needle"!
Beneath the golden needles were small white jade boxes of varying sizes.
Su Wanqing casually opened one.
An extremely rich and domineering ginseng aroma exploded instantly, filling the entire courtyard.
Inside the box lay a wild ginseng, about the size of a palm, with all its hairs and roots intact, its shape resembling a sleeping infant.
This quality is more than ten times better than the so-called century-old "King of Ginseng" he saw last time through special supply channels!
This is no dowry; it's a mobile miniature national treasure trove!
"These... were all left by your maternal grandfather?" Lu Zhenguo's voice carried a hint of tremor that he himself was unaware of.
"Yes," Su Wanqing replied calmly. "My grandfather was obsessed with medicine all his life and loved collecting these things."
As she spoke, she walked toward the second box.
The lid was opened, revealing a dazzling array of lights.
It turned out to be a whole box full of various colored silks.
Su Luo, Hangzhou brocade, Yun brocade, Shu brocade... all kinds of top-quality materials that I had only heard of in legends were piled up in the box like worthless cloth.
The old lady picked up a piece of brocade with trembling hands. The material felt light as if it were nothing, and it was so smooth that it was impossible to leave a trace. The dragon and phoenix patterns on it could even change colors under the light, which was clearly the "Zhuanghua" technique that had been lost for a long time!
The clothes she usually wears are top-quality, specially supplied items, but compared to this piece of cloth, they seem like coarse cloth.
Lu Yao stared wide-eyed, and gently touched the pink Shu brocade. The texture was even more delicate than a young girl's skin.
"My God, sister-in-law, these fabrics are so beautiful! If they were made into cheongsams, they would be absolutely stunning!" she exclaimed sincerely.
Su Wanqing smiled and walked towards the third box.
With a "click," the lid of the box was opened.
The room was filled with dazzling light.
This box is full of jewelry.
A lustrous and translucent mutton fat jade pendant, a jadeite bracelet with an emerald green hue, a phoenix hairpin made of pigeon blood ruby, and a string of exquisite pearl necklaces with a luster comparable to moonlight.
Each piece is exquisitely crafted and priceless.
Song Tingyu's once prized jewelry paled in comparison to these true family heirlooms, instantly becoming nothing more than insignificant glass beads.
Lu Yao picked up a gold filigree hairpin inlaid with rubies. The craftsmanship was so exquisite that the pearls on the tassels were as thin as hair. With a gentle shake, the pearls on the tassels made a pleasant tinkling sound.
She admired it so much that she couldn't put it down, but she also felt that it was too precious to handle, so she quickly and carefully put it back.
If the first three boxes had already shocked everyone to the point of numbness, then...
When the fourth box was opened, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
There were no gasps, no exclamations, only a suffocating silence.
This box contains nothing but...
It was a whole box, neatly stacked... gold bars.
The bright yellow gold bars reflected the most primitive, savage, and dazzling light under the sun.
The immense visual impact left everyone feeling dizzy and breathless.
Next to the gold bars, there were several bags of "Yuan Shikai silver dollars," gleaming silver and surprisingly heavy.
In an era when the average person's monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan, what did a box of gold and silver coins mean?
That was an astronomical sum of wealth that would make any state apparatus take notice.
The servants in the courtyard were all dumbfounded, their mouths agape, drooling without them even noticing.
Lu Zhanyun, mingling in the back of the crowd, felt his legs go weak and he could barely stand. He looked at the box of gold bars, then at Su Wanqing, who had remained calm throughout, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He was incredibly grateful that he had switched sides early; otherwise, given this woman's wealth and cunning, crushing him would have been easier than crushing an ant.
The old lady's mouth hung open, unable to close it for a long time. She held Su Wanqing's hand tightly, feeling that this granddaughter-in-law was the greatest treasure bestowed upon the Lu family by heaven.
Lu Zhenguo, on the other hand, stared intently at Su Wanqing.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions.
There was shock, inquiry, relief, and finally, a hint of apprehension that he himself had not anticipated.
He now finally understood why this girl had always remained neither humble nor arrogant when facing him.
He finally understood why she could so readily refuse the temptations of money and status.
Because she herself possesses immense wealth and unfathomable depth.
All his previous probing, doubts, and attempts to control seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of this box of gold bars.
He finally understood one thing completely.
I underestimated her from the very beginning.
...
The controversy surrounding the dowry continued for several days in the Lu family.
Those boxes were eventually moved into the east wing and locked by Lu Zhanting himself.
Nighttime, in the bedroom.
Lu Zhanting looked at the camphor wood chests that took up half the room, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
He walked over to Su Wanqing, who was reading a medical book under the lamp, and pulled her into his arms from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Speak, Comrade Su, the more you confess, the better. How come I didn't know I married a rich young woman?"
Su Wanqing's ears tickled from his warm breath. She smiled, turned around, and reached out to pinch his well-defined cheek.
"What? You think I'm too rich and it puts a lot of pressure on you?"
"No." Lu Zhanting shook his head, grasped her mischievous hand, and his eyes became serious. "I'm... heartbroken."
His voice was soft, tinged with self-reproach.
"These things, they all came from that place, didn't they? You went to such lengths to bring out so much, just to shut everyone up, to make yourself stand taller in this family, and to live with more confidence."
“My wife shouldn’t have to suffer like this. It’s my fault for not being able to give you the best protection from the beginning.”
Su Wanqing's heart melted instantly.
She reached out and touched his cheek, their eyes met, and she said with utmost seriousness, "Lu Zhanting, look at me. I'm doing this not because I feel wronged. On the contrary, it's because of you that I have the confidence to do all this."
“You’re right, these things were all taken from the space.” She admitted frankly.
"I'm making them public for three reasons."
"First, shut everyone up completely. I want everyone to know that I, Su Wanqing, am not an orphan girl who can be bullied. From now on, anyone who wants to mess with me will have to think twice before they do so."
"Secondly, it paves the way for my future. My cosmetics business and my pharmacy both require a lot of start-up capital and rare medicinal herbs. With this 'dowry,' everything will be legitimate."
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, like a star streaking across the night sky.
"As for the third... this is a declaration. I want to tell everyone, especially those who are still hiding in the shadows behind Liu Yuzhen—I, Su Wanqing, not only have medical skills, but I also have money and resources that they can't even imagine."
"This game has only just begun."
Lu Zhanting listened quietly, his chest filled with shock and unparalleled pride.
His girl is not only intelligent and kind, but also possesses such profound planning and boldness.
He suddenly tightened his arms, pulling her tightly into his embrace, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
“I understand,” he whispered in her ear, in an almost vow-like tone.
"Go for it."
"I am here."
Su Wanqing closed her eyes peacefully in his arms.
She knew that these outrageous dowries were not the end.
Rather, it was the first cornerstone she laid in building her own business empire during the turbulent 1970s.
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