Chapter 34: Keep it simple, be sincere, be direct.
After playing mahjong for several hours in the afternoon, Jiang Qingying and Lu Jinyuan left the Jiang family and went to the Lu family to attend a family banquet.
Jiang Qingying had visited the Lu family's old residence a few times before, usually for Lu family birthday banquets or wedding banquets. This was her first time attending a family banquet as a member of the Lu family.
There were quite a few people attending the family dinner, including Lu Qicheng and his wife, as well as relatives from the collateral branches of the family. Lu Qicheng took her along to greet them. At times like this, even if Jiang Qingying felt bored, she had to keep her expression in check.
After walking around, they returned to the main table. Lu Qicheng and his wife sat in the main seats, followed by her and Lu Jinyuan. Lu Qicheng announced to everyone, "Jinyuan is now married, and from now on, the Lu family will rely on the joint efforts of the two of them."
Anyone with eyes to see knows what this means. The old man hadn't fully relinquished power to Lu Jinyuan before, and this statement was undoubtedly meant to ensure that Lu Jinyuan firmly held onto his position as the head of the Lu family.
Lu Qicheng then added, "I will transfer 10% of my shares to Jin Yuan and 5% to Qing Ying. From now on, they will make all the decisions for the family, unless it is something particularly important that requires my opinion."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present varied: some were shocked, some were confused, some were jealous, and some were secretly angry. All sorts of emotions were present, and their gazes toward Jiang Qingying and Lu Jinyuan were extremely unfriendly.
"According to the Lu family's rules, one must have offspring to inherit the Lu family's property. Qingying received five percent of the Lu family's shares as soon as she joined the family. That's unreasonable."
Jiang Qingying looked towards the source of the voice and saw that it belonged to Lu Yunsong's wife, Li Wanjun. According to seniority, she should address her as "Second Aunt." She chuckled inwardly. If it weren't for the huge annual dividend, she wouldn't care about these shares. She already owned far more shares in the Jiang family than that. Seeing Li Wanjun's reaction, anyone who didn't know better would think the Qing Dynasty had already collapsed. Her thinking was truly traditional to the core. Offspring? Passing down the throne?
However, Li Wanjun's rebuttal was reasonable. The Lu family members would receive corresponding property after marriage, while the daughter-in-law or son-in-law would only receive it after giving birth to children. This property mainly consisted of real estate, shops, land deeds, etc. Jiang Qingying was the first to directly receive shares in the Lu Group.
Moreover, there aren't many people in the Lu family who own shares in the Lu Group. When Lu Qicheng still held power, he owned 60%. Later, to help Lu Jinyuan rise to power, he transferred 40% of his shares to him. Now that the two are married, he transferred 10% of the remaining 20% to Lu Jinyuan and 5% to Jiang Qingying. Even Su Xi herself only owns 5%, so Jiang Qingying has the same share as her, which shows how much Lu Qicheng values her.
Aside from these, the next largest shareholder is Lu Yunsong, who holds 15%. So the person who was most excited just now was naturally his wife, Li Wanjun, for her husband and for her son, Lu Yichuan, who had nothing.
Lu Qicheng looked over silently. He was old, but still had a commanding presence. He had been scheming and fighting in the business world for many years, and was the one who won the power struggle in the Lu family back then. He was like a general who had fought on the battlefield for a long time. A single sharp look from him could make people fear and shudder.
Li Wanjun fell silent instantly. She didn't dare to look Lu Qicheng in the eye, feeling guilty and afraid as she avoided his gaze.
Her husband, Lu Yunsong, had no choice but to smooth things over. "Qingying is the daughter of the Jiang family and the president of the Jiang Group. Everyone knows that she is young, promising, thoughtful, and opinionated. Naturally, she deserves your favor, Uncle." He then poured Lu Qicheng a glass of wine. "Wanjun has always adhered to the family rules. She was just asking a question subconsciously and did not mean to object to you."
Jiang Qingying watched as Lu Yunsong effortlessly defended his wife. On the surface, he appeared gentle and friendly, but in reality, he harbored the heart of a wolf. With a few words, he swayed his wife's opinion and subtly pointed out the conflict to everyone else. He stated, "This doesn't conform to family rules, but it doesn't matter. Your status is high; we can only obey."
There's another point: everyone present knows Jiang Qingying and is familiar with her style and free-spirited personality. Isn't this a reminder to her that she should abide by the family rules and set a good example as the matriarch of the Lu family?
The phrase "has ideas and opinions" is actually a veiled way of saying that she acts assertively and is stubborn.
“I suddenly remembered the proposal that my second uncle’s team put forward a few days ago. Many senior executives in the group, including myself, felt it was too conservative and the approach was too traditional and outdated.” Lu Jinyuan added some food to Jiang Qingying’s plate, her favorite shrimp oil water bamboo shoots and shredded chicken. He then changed the subject: “The Lu family’s family rules, which have been passed down for hundreds of years, are naturally of great importance in nurturing future generations. However, times are changing, and sticking to old rules and remaining unchanged is not a good thing. Right, Grandpa?”
Lu Qicheng took a sip of baijiu, which was taken as tacit agreement. "As I just said, I will no longer concern myself with trivial matters from now on."
Lu Jinyuan's eyes were extremely cold as he looked at Lu Yunsong and said rather insincerely, "As a junior, I suggest that Second Uncle not be too rigid."
Lu Yunsong pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying his best to hold back, "You naturally have your reasons, but what I'm upholding isn't necessarily wrong."
Jiang Qingying glanced at Lu Jinyuan beside her and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile. This guy... publicly reprimanding his elders without any restraint, speaking coldly and without any nonsense. It has to be said that, at times, her style of doing things is very similar to his. If they offend them, they don't care about other people's opinions. They will directly scold and pour cold water on people, and they are too lazy to be polite at all.
"You've probably forgotten that Qingying and I are now in charge."
"...Of course I haven't forgotten."
"That's good." Lu Jinyuan glanced at Jiang Qingying, who had been staring at him, and looked down at her with his eyes, gesturing for her to eat. Then he said in a deep voice, "We decide all the big and small matters at home, and other people's suggestions are just for reference."
These words are essentially saying that I am now in charge, I abide by the family rules, and I can naturally change them; it's none of anyone else's business.
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After dinner, Lu Jinyuan and Jiang Qingying returned to their marital home.
On the way back, Jiang Qingying asked, "Is it okay if we don't live in the old house after we get married?"
Lu Jinyuan shook his head and said softly, "It's okay. Although there are many people and things to do at home, we basically manage our own family matters. If things get out of hand, it will definitely not do us any good. If anything happens, Uncle Qi will notify us immediately."
"Oh." Jiang Qingying responded and then fell silent. This meal was truly unpleasant. A group of hypocritical people, with smiles on their faces but knives in their hearts, made her extremely disgusted.
There's a saying that's incredibly naive, but it's very fitting right now.
Can't things be simpler, more sincere, and more direct?
Those people didn't seem to mind the tiring act.
Even she, as a spectator, felt exhausted.
Lu Jinyuan saw that she was resting with her eyes closed, looking somewhat tired. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes gradually became deep.
Within a single day, she ate two meals at the two families, and the atmospheres of the two families were completely different. Jiang Qingying was also very different. She could be free and easy at the Jiang family, but at the Lu family, she had to put on the face she wore in the business world when dealing with everyone.
"Qingying."
Lu Jinyuan suddenly called her name. His voice was always very captivating, and his deep, slightly husky tone made the atmosphere in the car subtly change.
She opened her eyes and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
Lu Jinyuan stared into her dark eyes, his gaze straight and unwavering, and his thin lips parted slightly: "If you don't like being at the Lu family, we'll go there less often in the future."
Jiang Qingying fell silent.
She naturally heard what he said, and the two of them were not far apart, but his eyes were somewhat obscure and she couldn't discern the emotion in his words.
"It's not that I don't like it," Jiang Qingying said with a half-smile. "But since I've chosen to marry you, these things are unavoidable, and they're not even my rivals." Besides, wasn't this agreed upon before the wedding?
Upon hearing this, Lu Jinyuan simply hummed in agreement, indicating that he respected her opinion.
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