Chapter 8

The Lu family's second branch had no idea the He family was coming over for a formal meeting—no one had told them.

When Professor He and his eldest son arrived in a jeep, Lu Er and his wife were still working in the fields.

At home, Lu Congge was reading a book, while Lu Miao sat beside him, watching him read.

The jeep caught everyone's attention as it pulled up at the entrance of the village.

When Professor He and his son, both carrying large bags filled with gifts, entered the Lu Er's home, Lu Er and his wife, who were working with the team finally heard about it.

Someone had deliberately gone to tell them after learning their daughter might marry into the city. They came with the intention of leaving a good impression.

Qiao Yanxiang felt a mix of emotions. In the past, no one ever bothered to notify them about anything. Now that their daughter might marry well, suddenly people remembered to keep them in the loop.

Lu Er, however, had a different worry. Glancing at the patched-up clothes he had on, he fretted about showing up in front of their future in-laws and son-in-law dressed like this. What if it affected his daughter’s chances?

He sighed inwardly. His wife had even made him a new outfit for this very occasion. And now? They were caught completely off guard.

Still, no matter how poorly dressed he was, they needed to hurry home.

On the way back, Qiao Yanxiang fixed her hair and even splashed her face with water at the stream they passed.

Lu Er copied her movements and did his best to tidy himself up as well.

As they reached the front door, they could hear voices from inside.

Too late. The guests had already arrived.

The main room had good lighting and a cross breeze that made it pleasantly cool.

With no TV or radio at home, reading Lu Congge’s high school textbooks was a fine way to pass the time.

The front door creaked open, and the moment it did, Lu Miao and Lu Congge looked up.

Two well-dressed men carrying gifts walked in.

Lu Miao immediately recognized the white-haired elder in front as Professor He. Though unsure why he was visiting, she quickly stood up to open the door and invite them in.

There were only two guests—Professor He and a middle-aged man who looked like his son.

“Only Sanshui and Xiao Wu are home? Your parents are out?” Professor He asked.

Lu Miao played dumb. “We didn’t know you were coming. They went to the team office to work and probably won’t be back until around noon. Did you need them for something? Should I go fetch them?”

Hearing that, Lu Congge’s pupils shrank in panic.

Nooo, sis—please don’t leave me alone with strangers!

The middle-aged man looked around the main room after entering, then studied the siblings.

Finally, his eyes fell on two books placed on a stool, angled in such a way that made it clear both of them had been reading just before the visitors arrived.

He briefly wondered if they were just pretending to read to impress them—but their clothes were clearly simple and everyday wear.

If this was an act, it was a very convincing one.

“My grandparents are home. I could take you over to see them?” Lu Miao offered.

Professor He smiled and shook his head. “No need. I just came from next door—I’ve already seen them.”

Lu Miao invited them to sit, then sent Lu Congge to the vegetable patch behind the house to pick a watermelon.

“The watermelons we grow ourselves are really sweet this year—there hasn’t been much rain.”

Professor He nodded, “The thin-skinned melons grown in our team’s sandy soil are delicious. I’ve never had sweeter ones anywhere else. I’ve missed them.”

Thanks to Lu Miao’s instructions, Lu Congge washed the knife twice before cutting the watermelon.

As Professor He ate, he sighed in delight. “Xiao Wu has really grown! Just in the blink of an eye!”

His son, the middle-aged man, was a bit awkward eating watermelon in front of others.

While Professor He was already on his second slice, he hadn’t even finished his first.

Professor He wiped his mouth. “Yep, this is exactly the taste I remembered.”

“I saw you two were reading high school books earlier—Xiao Wu is in high school now?”

Feeling a bit shy in front of these important-looking guests, Lu Congge replied, “I’m going to start high school in the county this September.”

“That’s great,” Professor He said with a smile. “College entrance exams are back now—you should aim for Beicheng University. Then you can come eat at our place anytime.”

A sentence with double meaning—not only about meals, but about family ties, too. If Lu Miao married into their family, visiting back and forth would be much easier.

Everyone likes hardworking kids. The middle-aged man smiled along.

But he was more interested in Lu Miao. “Is Sanshui in high school too?”

Lu Miao answered frankly, “I went up to grade seven. After the school situation got messy, I stopped attending.”

In Qiao Yanxiang’s view, girls didn’t need much schooling—just enough to read and write.

With no middle school in the village, students had to walk nearly an hour to the commune every day. When schools started becoming chaotic, she worried her daughter might get bullied and kept her home.

Hearing she didn’t finish middle school, the Professor He's son looked a bit disappointed.

“When I came in, I saw you reading. Could you understand it all?”

Lu Congge’s pride in his sister beat out his fear. “My sister’s amazing. She teaches me everything I don’t understand!”

A kid with that attitude was clearly motivated.

He picked up the book. “This chapter, can you...”

Professor He quickly covered his son’s mouth.

You’d think the man was a teacher, not a doctor. This was a marriage talk—not an exam!

Even so, the son just laughed it off. “The watermelon is really sweet. No wonder you’ve been dreaming about it.”

Right then, Lu Er and his wife finally returned.

Professor He greeted them first. “It’s been a long time, but you both look the same as ever.”

Lu Er hurried to shake his hand. “Thanks to your blessing.”

Professor He made introductions, “This is my eldest son, He Hongyi.”

“Hongyi, this is Lu Captain’s second son, Lu Zhiyuan. I owe my life to the Lu family. Without their help during my time in the countryside, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“You’re too kind,” Lu Er replied.

After the usual polite back-and-forth, Professor He got straight to the point.

“We came today to talk about the two kids’ marriage.”

Direct as ever.

Qiao Yanxiang shot glances at her daughter and son, signaling them to leave the room. Adults needed to talk.

But despite all the eye-wiggling, the clever kids stayed put.

Lu Miao handed her mom a slice of watermelon. “Mom, want some?”

Qiao Yanxiang froze—how could this girl not be even a little shy when they were talking about her own marriage?

“Sanshui’s a lovely girl,” Professor He praised.

Lu Er and his wife humbly replied, “No no, your son is the truly outstanding one,” and the mutual compliments began.

Lu Miao glanced toward the door, curious. “Where’s your grandson?”

Isn’t it weird that he’s not here for a matchmaking meeting?

The father and son shared an awkward smile. “He’s busy with a mission—couldn’t get away.”

Lu Miao suggested, “Maybe we can wait to meet in person when he has time?”

At the mention of meeting, they both looked a bit troubled.

He Mingchuan really was busy.

But that wasn’t the main issue. The real worry was his cold and aloof personality—what if he scared her off?

To be honest, the He men had no complaints about Lu Miao. She wasn’t ugly, didn’t seem unreasonable—she seemed more than fine.

But watching them hesitate, Lu Miao’s heart sank.

Oh no... what if He Mingchuan is super ugly?

If even the male lead looks terrifying, how good can the villain possibly be?

Though both He men looked decent for their age, good-looking parents could still produce unattractive children.

Then they tried to distract her by talking about his high military allowance.

Bribing her with money? How bad must he look?

Too bad—Lu Miao wasn’t that easy to buy.

Just as she was about to find a way to politely back out, Professor He cautiously pulled a photo from his pocket.

He’d cut it out from an old album before leaving, just in case. Mingchuan might be stone-faced and stubborn, but his looks could definitely fool people.

Time to show off the goods.

Matchmaking had two steps—praising your own kid and praising the other person’s. So Professor He started boasting about his grandson—from job skills to appearance, future prospects to character.

He just left out the temperament part.

No need to mention what doesn’t exist.

“This was taken two years ago when he first joined the unit. Got stationed way up north during a rotation.” Tough environment, but at least it kept him out of trouble related to the family’s background. “He transferred back two years ago, so he’s closer to home now.”

Lu Miao leaned in. What a face.

Snowy background, border post behind him, sharp jawline, long legs, tall nose, stern expression.

She immediately sat a little straighter. “Well, when it comes to being busy with national duties, it’s understandable he can’t come back.”

She looked very reasonable.

Seeing her like this, Lu Congge couldn’t help sneaking another look at her.

No one knew their daughter better than Qiao Yanxiang—she realized immediately: Her daughter was interested.

Seriously?! The professor had listed all those conditions and she didn’t even blink. But one glance at his face and she was suddenly on board?

She had raised this girl with so much care—now she was just going to give her away?

She scolded silently: How can you say yes just based on looks?!

“How about meeting again sometime soon?” she asked, trying to slow things down.

Lu Miao gently patted her mother’s hand. “Comrade He is busy serving the Party, the country, and the people. We can’t bother him over personal matters.”

Righteous and considerate—Professor He and his son both looked at her with admiration.

Such awareness. This girl was perfect for their family.

“When he has time, we can just go register the marriage,” Lu Miao added casually.

Professor He agreed without thinking, “Alright.”

Then he realized—wait, did she just say register the marriage?!

Wasn’t this moving a little fast?

Sure, they came here to talk marriage, but straight to the certificate?

The rest of the Lu family was completely stunned—how had they skipped so many steps?

“For national construction, every minute counts—we must not waste even a second!” Lu Miao declared, fist clenched.

He Hongyi was so moved by her determination. “Sanshui, you’re absolutely right. I’ll write to Mingchuan right away, send him your details, and have him apply for marriage approval. Once it’s approved, we’ll have him come back and marry you.”

Lu Miao nodded, “I’ll leave it all in your hands.”

Back then, marriages happened quickly, same-day meetings and registrations weren’t uncommon.

Courting for months or years like people do today? Rare.

Just as the He men were about to discuss the betrothal gifts, a familiar voice rang out from outside:

“Grandpa He, you’re here?”

Qiao Yanxiang’s face instantly darkened. What was she doing here?

Lu Lu, of course, had come to stir up trouble for Lu Miao.

When she was getting married, Lu Miao had disrupted her quilt-making gathering with friends. She hadn’t forgotten that. She held grudges—and today was payback.

She’d overheard Aunt Lu saying the He family was visiting to discuss Lu Miao’s marriage with He Mingchuan.

The original intention was to reassure her daughter—that Lu Miao would soon be married off, so she wouldn’t be a threat to her relationship.

Lu Lu had calculated the travel time from Beicheng to the village. As soon as she finished the chores her mother-in-law had given her that morning, she rushed back.

Her in-laws didn’t own a bike, and she hadn’t been gifted one at her wedding, so she had to walk.

She barely had time to sip water at home before her sister-in-law told her the He men had been next door for a while. She didn’t even finish her drink—just headed straight over to her second uncle’s house.

These two men,well, they were familiar faces.

To Lu Lu, they were cold and harsh people.

Professor He had once been her pillar of support in the He family. She used to complain to him about her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

During her early days of marriage, he even stood up for her.

But the longer she lived with the He family, the colder he became, perhaps he no longer felt the need to keep up appearances.

Lu Lu resented him deeply. He’d brought her into that cold-hearted family and then left her to fend for herself.

She entered with a fake smile, ready to expose Lu Miao’s true nature before the He family agreed to anything.

But the moment she heard what Lu Miao was saying, her smile froze.

Lu Miao was saying: “The woman outside is my cousin from my eldest uncle’s family. She just got married a few days ago.”

“It’s a twist of fate, really. She was originally engaged to Comrade He, but she and my fiancé hit it off at first sight—and they tied the knot just last week.”

Professor He had only heard vague details about Lu Lu not being available—nothing specific.

He’d simply been told that if not Lu Lu, there was still Sanshui.

Lu Lu or Sanshui—it didn’t really matter. Any Lu girl would do.

Now, hearing the full story from Lu Miao’s own mouth and seeing Lu Lu’s expression, he couldn’t help but look at her a little differently.

Lu Lu had just arrived at the door and froze, mid-step.

She had no idea whether to go in or not.

Lu Miao!!! That shameless little witch!!!

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