That incident seemed to have left no trace on Liu Qiao. He has always been a man of strong confidence, unlike others who are easily frustrated and devastated by one thing. Now he seems like a military star. Whenever people mention Jiangning Military Region, they will mention Liu Qiao's name.

Liu Qiao went to pick up Chen Yun from get off work. He was not wearing a military uniform. Compared to the straight look in a military uniform, he looked a little lazy, but handsome enough to make people blush. This is why some people don't believe what Lei Qian said. People like him can only be approached by others. Even though he is over 40 years old, he is still charming.

He leaned against the car and saw the woman running towards him with a smile on his face: "Why are you so anxious? Don't be too impatient."

"Didn't you call me and say you were coming to pick me up? Honey, I'm so happy to see you waiting for me here today." Chen Yun took his hand and got into the car.

Although they are getting older, their relationship is still very good.

After Liu Qiao sent her to the passenger seat, he closed the door, got in the car, touched his wife's rosy face, and immediately felt much better.

"Are you hungry? Today your husband will show you his skills."

"Really?" Chen Yun was still a little bit incredulous.

Liu Qiao said with a smile: "Why would I lie to you? If the food I cook later doesn't taste good, don't blame me."

Chen Yun went back with him full of expectations, but she saw people arguing in the family courtyard. It sounded like Xu Lijie was hysterical. They went upstairs, and Cai Qijun sneered while eating melon seeds. When she saw Chen Yun coming up, she said to her, "Sister Yun, that woman is crazy again."

Chen Yun looked over and shrugged, "Didn't Yangyang take a special leave to come back for her birthday? Why are they quarreling?"

Cai Qijun said indifferently: "It's all because of my dead daughter. It's strange to say that Cai Ping is such a bad girl."

She said this as if Cai Ping was not her daughter, and she said this in front of Chen Yun, who looked at Liu Qiao helplessly. Cai Qijun, however, really felt that she and Chen Yun were closer than she and Cai Qijun were. After all, Chen Yun was very good to her, and there was no burden in their relationship.

Chen Yun walked in through the door and shook her head: "Fortunately, our son hasn't gotten over it yet. If he was so desperate, I wouldn't be able to bear it."

Liu Qiao felt guilty after hearing this. He and Lin Jing used to fight each other like this. Now he knows how difficult it is for parents. People really have double standards. If it happened to his own son, Liu Qiao would not want him to be so disobedient.

He immediately changed the subject, "Why don't you take a look at the steak I bought first? I'll make you a grilled steak today."

Chen Yun looked at him worriedly: "Honey, this is a bit difficult? Are you really sure you want to do it?"

Liu Qiao was also unsure in his heart, but he acted calmly in front of Chen Yun: "My dear wife, go watch TV, it's my turn to watch today." He pushed Chen Yun out and closed the kitchen door.

Feng Yu secretly asked Chen Yun: "What weird thing is Liu Qiao going to do today?"

Chen Yun also found it funny to hear her mother-in-law ask this question. Perhaps in Feng Yu's heart, Liu Qiao is really a man who does whatever he wants. This person who is fearless even when facing a great crisis outside is still an immature person in the eyes of his family at home.

Chen Yun hurriedly said, "She said she would cook for us today." She secretly changed "I" to "we".

The mother-in-law was also happy to hear this. Feng Yu said in a weird tone, "He brags about how good he is at cooking every day, but this is the first time I've seen him cook for us."

Actually, Liu Qiao did cook when he was in Beijing, but that was several years ago. He has never cooked since his parents came here.

**

On the other side, Zhong Yang and his mother were at loggerheads. There were broken plates under the table. Xu Lijie pointed at him, her face pale. "I know, I know you acted like this just for her, right?"

Her words were too harsh, and completely different from her previous behavior as a government official. Zhong Yang couldn't help but frown when he heard it: "Mom, why do you have to say such harsh words? I am just friends with Cai Ping now, and we haven't taken it any further. She and I don't have much contact now, I just came back to celebrate your birthday."

He knew that he had to wait until he was admitted to university to have the capital. Was his mother against him having a girlfriend? Actually, not really. If he was with Xiao Lan, his mother would probably be able to fetch Xiao Lan's footbath water.

She simply looked down on Cai Ping. The girl might be very cute in his eyes, but in Xu Lijie's eyes she was extremely glaring.

Xu Lijie was born into a scholarly family and had an inexplicable sense of superiority since childhood. Cai Ping was extremely ordinary, with a complicated life experience. How could she be interested in a burden who was not even wanted by his own father and mother?

Sure enough, after hearing what Zhong Yang said, she sneered and said, "What do you mean by friends? What can you learn from her? As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. You should play with kids like Xiao Lan and Zi Rui. Why do you want to be with that Cai Ping? You can lie to others, but why lie to me?"

Her words made Zhong Yang burst into tears: "Mom, I came back today just to cook a meal for you so that you can have a good birthday, but I didn't mean to make you angry. Besides, I don't think Cai Ping is a bad child. Yes, children like Lan Lan and Zi Rui are good children, but I have a good relationship with them. Do I have to exclude Cai Ping to meet your wishes? If so, I really can't do it."

Xu Lijie was usually very flexible. She could take advantage of Liu Qiao's misfortune and flatter him at the first opportunity. However, she felt that she had the supreme right to control her son. Because everything about him came from her, why should she let that girl get away with all her hard work?

A girl who is only in her teens is so amazing, what will she do in the future? Besides, her Yangyang wants to get into a good university and become an official in the future, so how can she let Cai Ping take advantage of this?

"Are you really going to argue with your mother for this girl?" she said with great sorrow.

Zhong Yang said nothing.

"Kid, you just won't listen to me no matter what I say. Okay, don't come back during holidays in the future. I'll be angry if you come back." Xu Lijie said angrily.

Zhong Yang was also angry with her. He pushed the door and left. Halfway through, he realized that he had forgotten to ask his mother for living expenses. It would not be good to go back. He smiled bitterly and said that he could only find a few friends to borrow some money for the time being.

He wanted to move forward but met Xiao Lan who had followed him out. Xiao Lan originally didn't want to get involved in this mess, but Xu Lijie came to her house every day to cry to Zhang Han these days. With Zhang Han's temper, she would often not take the initiative to refuse others, so Xiao Lan wanted to share her mother's worries. Besides, her relationship with Zhong Yang was originally very good. Zhong Yang had taught her for many years, and she couldn't bear to see Zhong Yang become like this.

"Brother Yangyang~"

Zhong Yang turned around and said, "What's wrong? Lan Lan."

Xiao Lan smiled and said, "I came here specifically to talk to you. You, can't you even tell the difference between the primary and the secondary now?"

Zhong Yang raised his eyebrows: "What do you mean?"

Xiao Lan continued, "In fact, as long as you get into college, Aunt Xu won't be able to control you in the future. The reason why she hates Cai Ping now is mainly because she blames her for all the problems with your declining grades. If you get into a key university and graduate from college, and can support yourself, Aunt Xu won't be able to control you then."

"I've said it before, parents can't control their children. For example, my mother didn't allow me to fall in love too early. The main reason was that she was afraid that I would go astray and affect my future. I can go to college later. Even if they wanted to control me, they couldn't do it."

Zhong Yang took a deep breath: "I know what you said, but I get annoyed every time I hear my mother insist on choosing between her and Cai Ping, or she scolds me. This makes me feel very sorry for her. She didn't do anything wrong. We just wrote a few letters to each other before, and my mother let me do this."

Xiao Lan remained calm after hearing this and continued to persuade him, "Mothers all have this mentality, and they always think their own children are the best. I think you'd better suppress your contact with Cai Ping for now and be obedient. When you become successful in the future, you can decide what kind of person you want to find, right?"

Although she said this, she knew Zhong Yang very well. Zhong Yang was a very good person, except that he was a little too indecisive. If he had been more decisive, Xu Lijie would not have caused so much trouble.

However, Zhong Yang did take her words to heart a little bit, bit his lip and said, "I'll see what my mother says next time I come back."

Xiao Lan smiled and said, "Wait until next time. Go back now. Aunt Xu is waiting for you. Don't worry, I will speak well of you. Aunt Xu will definitely understand."

Zhong Yang heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. He followed Xiao Lan back. Xiao Lan first pulled Xu Lijie aside and said, "Aunt Xu, don't be angry with Brother Yang Yang. He prepared a large table of dishes especially for you. He is the only male student in our class who can cook for his parents. He is so filial. You can't be angry for his sake."

After she finished speaking, she said to Zhong Yang, "Brother Yang Yang, you should apologize to Aunt Xu as soon as possible."

She made faces at Xu Lijie and made her laugh, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Lijie pretended to be arrogant and said, "I forgive you this time because of Lanlan's face."

Zhong Yang said in a good-tempered manner: "Yes, I also want to thank Sister Lanlan."

Xiao Lan took the opportunity to close the door and said, "Then you two can talk peacefully. I'm going home first." She hoped that the mother and son would stop quarreling, otherwise Xu Lijie would bother her mother again.

When Xu Lijie saw Xiao Lan leave, she started to ask her son about his well-being again, as if she had forgotten about Cai Ping.

**

Besides, Liu Qiao was frying steaks in the kitchen. He had already fried two steaks, and the third one looked good. He put the cooked broccoli on the burnt parts and cut some purple cabbage on the plate. It was the first time he was so nervous.

In the past, when I cooked for Chen Yun in Jingshi, I always treated it as if I was doing housework. Whether the food tasted good or not was secondary. What mattered most was his attitude towards the meal.

Now he just wants to be romantic and comfort his wife, so his requirements for the dishes are much higher.

When he brought it out, he pretended to be humble: "Wife, my cooking is not tasty. If you think it is not tasty, don't eat it..."

Chen Yun cut a little with a knife and put it in her mouth. The burnt smell rushed into her nose, but she looked up at her husband who was looking at her eagerly, and she smiled brightly: "This steak is so delicious, husband, I just got home from get off work and I'm a little hungry, can you let me eat it alone?"

Seeing how much she enjoyed the food, Liu Qiao was very happy: "This was originally made for you, just eat it all."

Chen Yun ate the whole steak with a smile on her face, which encouraged Liu Qiao even more. He even said, "I'll make steak for you next time."

"Ahem, Brother Liu Qiao. How can I ask you to cook for me every time? I also want you to eat the steak I made." Chen Yun said coquettishly.

After hearing this, Feng Yu understood that his son must have cooked something very bad, but his daughter-in-law ate it all for his son's face. This silly son is usually smarter than anyone, but he can't see through his daughter-in-law's little tricks, and he even clung to her and promised to take her out to eat in the future. But seeing how loving the couple is, Feng Yu is still very happy to see it happen.

People say that men are in their prime at 41. Yet, many men, when they are in their 40s and have both wealth and status, abandon their wives at home and look for excitement outside, while their sons and daughters-in-law are still so loving.

A harmonious family is a happy family. Even the grandchildren have a close relationship with the family. Unlike before, when she and Liu Zhiguo were very busy, the house was basically empty, no one took care of the children, and the parents didn't get together often. Liu Qiao was out of control since he was young.

Liu Zhiguo picked up Zirui and brought him back. When Zirui heard that his father had cooked steak for his mother, he also clamored to eat it.

Feng Yu said, "I have already cooked, you can eat, ah..."

But the brat was not so willing to give up. He said, "My parents haven't taken me to a western restaurant for a long time. My dad finally made steak today, and I must have it. I don't want to eat. Dad, please cook with me once."

Liu Qiao, who had gained confidence today, immediately patted his chest and promised his son, "Baby, Dad will do it with you."

Chen Yun stood up and said, "Do you want me to help?"

Her son might not hide it, so she thought it would be better for her to help.

Liu Qiao said confidently: "Look at you, you just tasted my cooking skills and ate the whole plate. I don't need your help now. You can eat with mom and the others first, I will cook."

With a worried look on her face, Chen Yun had no choice but to concentrate on eating, occasionally glancing at her son who was looking expectant.

When Liu Qiao proudly brought out the steak, Zi Rui cut a piece and put it in his mouth, frowning and saying, "Dad, you cooked it too well and it's a bit salty?"

"Salty? No way. I only put a little salt when I made it just now. Let me taste it." Liu Qiao also cut a piece and put it in his mouth. He immediately spit it out and looked at Chen Yun aggrievedly.