That's right, the Lu family was indeed thriving and populous.
Setting aside Lu Jingming and his two siblings, on the day of their engagement, over twenty of their uncles, aunts, and cousins alone showed up.
There were still others who couldn't make it in time because they lived too far away or were too busy with work.
However, since Xu Yanxia had only just tasted the forbidden fruit with Lu Jingming the night before, she couldn't help but blush a little upon hearing such words.
Her mother-in-law smiled and told her, "Although this is our wish as parents, we also know that you're still young. If you want to focus on your career for the next few years, that's completely fine. Don't feel too pressured. No matter what, your father and I will support you."
"Mhm."
Xu Yanxia nodded, smiled, and thanked her mother-in-law again, carefully placing the family heirloom into her bag.
After that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drank tea for a while longer and chatted about the specific details of the wedding. Before they knew it, two or three hours had passed.
By the time Lu Jingming returned all the way from the company, the sun was already setting in the west.
After parking the car, he strode into the living room, but he didn't see Xu Yanxia or his mother. So, he tried calling out, "Mom? Xiao Xia? Where are you?"
A response quickly came from the second floor. Xu Yanxia popped her head out from upstairs to look at him and said, "We're up here. You're back?"
"Yeah,"
Lu Jingming nodded, then smiled and asked her, "What are you two doing upstairs?"
As his voice fell, he saw his mother and his wife walking downstairs together. His mother, Mrs. Shen, said, "What else could we be doing? Chatting about what it means to be a daughter-in-law of the Lu family, of course."
As she spoke, she also asked him, "Did you come back by yourself? Where's your dad?"
Today was Monday, so naturally, the company was a bit busier. But since he hadn't gone to work this morning, he had temporarily asked his dad, Chairman Lu, to fill in for him.
Although he had rushed over in the afternoon, his dad had stayed at the company to handle a few things and hadn't come back immediately.
Lu Jingming said, "I drove myself. Dad left first in Uncle Zhao's car. Has he not arrived yet?"
"No,"
Xu Yanxia told him. "You're the first one back."
"Then maybe I drove too fast."
Lu Jingming said, then smiled and asked her, "Did you and Mom have a good chat this afternoon?"
"Of course."
Xu Yanxia smiled back and told him, "Mom told me a lot of fun stories and even gave me a family heirloom."
This made Lu Jingming let out an "Oh?" and he instantly became curious, saying, "Our family has an heirloom? How come I didn't know?"
His mother, Mrs. Shen, replied, "Of course you wouldn't know. It's for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family!"
Unexpectedly, just as she finished speaking, another figure stepped into the living room.
It was the third son, Lu Jingyao, who had just returned from school.
"Mom, bro, sister-in-law,"
Lu Jingyao greeted them one by one, then asked curiously, "What were you guys just talking about? What family heirloom?"
Xu Yanxia was speechless.
Oh no, had she caused trouble?
She shouldn't have mentioned this to Lu Jingming just now.
...After all, it was for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family. Her brother-in-law's future wife wouldn't get one.
Who knew her mother-in-law would just casually wave her hand and say to Third Brother Lu, "It's none of your business. This is a secret between me and your sister-in-law."
"What? A secret between you and my sister-in-law?"
Third Brother Lu looked quite unconvinced and added, "Then how come my brother knows too?"
As he spoke, he leaned in mysteriously, lowered his voice, and said, "Just tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone else. What kind of family heirloom do we actually have?"
Xu Yanxia remained speechless.
This was too awkward. Were they really going to make the "secret" to the Lu family's thriving population public?
Fortunately, just then, her husband Lu Jingming spoke up, telling his gossip-hungry younger brother, "The family heirloom is me."
"Mom gave me to your sister-in-law."
Pfft...
Xu Yanxia almost burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Shen, nodded cooperatively from the side and said, "Your brother is right. You are all my treasures. Once I've raised you well, I'll give you away to my daughters-in-law one by one. Now that I've finally managed to give your brother away, you're next."
Pfft, Xu Yanxia really did laugh out loud this time.
Right at that moment, her husband Lu Jingming nodded and added, "You should focus on your studies and your competitions first. You have to be capable for someone to want you."
"Are you serious?"
Third Brother Lu still looked completely unconvinced.
However, before anyone could speak, Chairman Lu entered the living room.
He was carrying a bag in his hand, which seemed to contain something delicious and was faintly emitting a savory aroma.
Xu Yanxia quickly followed the two brothers in calling out "Dad," while Mrs. Shen asked her husband, "What's that you're carrying?"
Chairman Lu smiled and said, "Didn't I have dinner with Old Zhou at his Plum Blossom Villa the day before yesterday? I tasted their roast chicken and thought it was pretty good, so I specifically brought two back for Xiao Xia to try."
However, as his voice fell, the third son, Lu Jingyao, frowned and said, "Dad, could this roast chicken possibly be as good as the one my sister-in-law makes?"
Who knew his mother, Mrs. Shen, would immediately shoot him a glare and say, "You talk too much! Even if it's not as good as your sister-in-law's, isn't it the thought from your dad that counts?"
"That's right,"
Chairman Lu also quickly said to Xu Yanxia, "There's nothing special about how this chicken is cooked, it's just freshly slaughtered and roasted so it's quite fresh. It should be pretty good."
Xu Yanxia smiled and nodded, saying, "It smells delicious. Thank you, Dad. I'll take it to Uncle Wang so he can plate it."
Saying that, she took the bag from her father-in-law's hand.
The third son, Lu Jingyao, whose emotional intelligence had rapidly returned, immediately spoke up, "Sister-in-law, let me do it."
He then took the roast chicken from her hands and hurried into the kitchen.
Soon, Uncle Wang's dishes in the kitchen were also ready and were placed one by one onto the dining room table.
Just then, another car drove into the yard. Once it parked steadily, the second child, Lu Jingxi, got out and strode into the living room.
She first habitually called out to her mom and dad, but once she caught a glimpse of Xu Yanxia in the dining room, Queen Xixi immediately ran over to her, hugged her tightly, and said happily, "Babe, you're here! Good heavens, how long has it been since I saw you at home!!!"
However, as soon as her voice fell, before Xu Yanxia could say anything, the voices of her dad, her mom, and her brother rang out in unison from the side—
"Call her sister-in-law!"
...
The Lu family had an exceptionally lively meal.
Xu Yanxia, who had her husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law taking turns putting food in her bowl, also ate exceptionally full.
By the time the family finished dinner amidst talking and laughing, the sky had already grown dark.
Because she had agreed with her brother Xu Zhanpeng during the day to go back and tell their grandparents about their mother, Xu Yanxia bid farewell to her father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law, and returned to their residence in East Bank Garden with Lu Jingming.
When they arrived, her brother and sister-in-law were already there, but they hadn't said anything yet as they were waiting for her.
Now that the whole family was gathered, Xu Yanxia exchanged a glance with her brother, then spoke to her grandparents and aunt, "Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie, we need to tell you something. Please try not to get too emotional."
"My mom is back."
As the words faded, Grandpa, Grandma, and Auntie all froze in shock, exactly as expected.
