Grandpa Lu, who reached the pinnacle of his life thanks to his son, would stroll around the courtyard several times a day to satisfy his strange sense of accomplishment.
He loved the feeling of being greeted warmly by his neighbors every day when he went out. His peers were polite and envious of him, and the younger generation treated him with great respect. No one dared to offend him.
Over the years, as the eldest son's status has risen higher and higher, the treatment he enjoys has become increasingly better, making the old man feel completely out of control.
I went out for my usual stroll today and got home around lunchtime. I thought my kind daughter-in-law would have already prepared the meal and was waiting for me, but to my surprise, the house was cold and empty, and no one had cooked.
Grandpa Lu frowned. "Where's the eldest son's wife? What's going on? I always thought she was virtuous and sensible, but how come she hasn't cooked yet at this hour? Is this how a daughter-in-law should behave? Does she have no filial piety at all?"
Sitting on the sofa, Old Man Lu's full head of silver hair was neatly combed, and his somewhat mean face was now full of anger. "I don't know where she went. She would usually be cooking in the kitchen by now, but today is strange. She hasn't come back. I called her workplace but no one answered. When she comes back, I'll teach her a lesson."
Given the Lu family's status, they would typically have a domestic helper provided by the government. Every family at this level would have one. The helper would know how to cook, but the Lu family was different from others. The two elders preferred their daughter-in-law's cooking and said they couldn't get used to the helper's cooking.
Normally, if no one else is home, the eldest daughter-in-law has to cook all the meals for the elderly couple. If Sun Min doesn't do these things, the elderly couple will say that she is unfilial and will teach her a series of rules.
Even when guests arrive and a large feast is needed, the nanny will cook, but the daughter-in-law must also personally prepare a few of her signature dishes, as they believe this is the epitome of a good hostess.
Never lifting a finger in the spring?
No way, the two elders would absolutely not approve of such a daughter-in-law.
Meng Fuyan actually knew some things about the Lu family in her previous life. Although Sun Min was very scheming and ruthless when she was young, she never had a good life in the Lu family.
In her past life, she had also suspected Lu Guozhong. After all, he was such a smart and hardworking person who had climbed to a high position. Such people are usually very vigilant. What kind of spy could have been lurking in his house for more than 20 years?
Although Lu Guozhong is often away from home, he still has three children, so he must have had contact with Sun Min, at least in the early years. Logically, he shouldn't have failed to notice.
Later, when she learned about Sun Min's life in the Lu family, she once wondered if Lu Guozhong needed a full-time caregiver to take care of the elderly at home.
Having worked under such an old man for over twenty years, Meng Fuyan in her previous life greatly admired Sun Min's dedication.
Unable to find a daughter-in-law, the elderly couple had no choice but to ask their housekeeper to cook for them while they waited for Sun Min to return. They couldn't let her go hungry indefinitely, as it would be bad for her health.
"Aunt Zhang, go do it. Don't you have any sense? It's this late and you don't even know to prepare lunch? Do I have to call you to get anything done?"
Aunt Zhang felt extremely wronged. "When I tried to do it before, you always complained. What could I do?"
Knowing the two elders' eccentric personalities, Aunt Zhang didn't say anything, but quickly nodded in agreement and went to the kitchen.
At this moment, the three grandsons returned. They were all teenagers, and each one was very mischievous. As soon as they came back, they clamored for food.
"Grandma, I'm hungry! Where's lunch? Have someone bring it up quickly!"
The two elders of the Lu family were overjoyed to see their three lively grandsons. These three were the children of the eldest son's family. Although they were not as old as the children of Lu Jianjun from the second son's family, they were still from the eldest son's family and had grown up by their side. It was their eldest son who brought them the most glory. Therefore, in the eyes of the two elders, these three were their grandsons and the successors of the Lu family.
As for the second wife's children, the two elders disliked the unfilial Qin Qiongying, and they didn't like her sons much either. Now they can hardly remember what those children look like.
"Oh, my dear grandson, you're back! Sit down and rest. Your mother has been out gallivanting around all day. It's so late and she hasn't come home to cook. We're all starving. How about we have some steamed egg custard? Grandma specially asked someone to buy some today."
This is the eldest of the three brothers. He is thirteen years old this year. He is usually the most domineering and greedy. He even tries to take things from his two younger brothers.
He was initially quite unhappy when he heard that no food had been cooked yet, but when he heard that there was steamed egg cake, he became happy again. Looking at the steamed egg cake on the table, he rushed over, grabbed the whole bag, and started eating it.
"My dear grandson, give this to Grandma..."
The old lady, who was about to suggest sharing the food with her grandson, saw him holding the whole bag in his hand. Instead of taking out a piece, he started biting into it. The old lady's smile froze for a moment, and then her anger shifted. "Slow down, slow down, don't choke! Are you starving? It's all your mother's fault for not coming home to cook. Look how hungry my precious grandson is!"
The elderly couple watched their grandson wolf down his food with loving eyes. Soon, their other two grandsons returned. Seeing that there was no food and the egg cakes were all in their older brother's hands, they rushed over and started grabbing them.
The three of them immediately started fighting. Just as the two elders were about to break them up, Lu Guozhong returned with his men. Several armed men came in and, at Lu Guozhong's signal, immediately went up and arrested the three children.
The two elders were startled, and the old lady was even more angry, saying, "Eldest son, what are you doing? They're just children. It's normal for children to fight. What do you mean by this?"
Just as Old Master Lu was about to reprimand his son, Lu Guozhong interrupted him before he could even open his mouth, "Where's Sun Min? Shouldn't she be home at this time?"
After careful consideration, he even called her workplace to check, and only after confirming that she wasn't there did he bring her home, only to find that no one was home.
The old lady frowned. "How would I know? That woman has been pretending to be virtuous all these years. I really didn't see it before. She's so wild. It's already this late and she still hasn't come home to cook. She just needs to be disciplined."
Lu Guozhong glanced at the old lady. To be honest, although Sun Min was an enemy agent, she had been working like a slave for more than ten years in this family in order to gain the trust of the two elders. She was just like a nanny every day, just like a daughter-in-law in the old feudal era.
He did everything very carefully: washing clothes and cooking for the elderly couple, taking care of the children, and attending to their daily needs. He only missed cooking at home once, and the old lady said such things. Even he felt it was a bit excessive.
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