A crazy beauty has an island, and a powerful figure from that era dotes on her.

When the Tao family of four arrived at the gate of the compound carrying large and small bags, they were dumbfounded.

The guards at the gate wouldn't let them in at all.

No matter how much they pleaded, the guard remained unmoved.

Looking at the tightly closed gate, the Tao family felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.

Tao Zhou went to the Lu family with Lu Xingning, so the guards naturally didn't question or stop him.

"Xiao Zhou, go and call Xing Ning!" Tao Yong made the decision immediately.

"Okay, then wait here for me for a moment, I'll be right back." Tao Zhou handed the things in his hand to Tao Xiaoyue.

Tao Xiaoyue was already angry because she was forced to leave before dawn to queue for snacks, and now that she was blocked outside the compound, the anger she had been suppressing suddenly flared up.

"Knowing we were coming, they didn't even say they were coming to greet us," she muttered under her breath, her face darkening.

"Shut up!" Tao Yong glanced in the direction where the guard was standing, lowered his voice, and warned sternly.

Tao Xiaoyue immediately wilted.

"You better behave yourself later. If you dare to throw a tantrum and ruin your brother's plans, you'll see what I do to you when we get back," Tao Yong said with a dark face.

People in that area all said Tao Yong had a good temper, always smiling at everyone, and was a kind old man. But only the Tao family knew just how bad Tao Yong's temper really was.

"Stop talking, there are people over there!" Liu Hailan advised.

Tao Yong then gave up.

There was a public phone booth not far outside the compound, and Tao Zhou quickly finished his call and returned.

"Has it been connected?" Liu Hailan asked.

"The call went through, Xingning will be out to meet us soon." Tao Zhou nodded with a happy expression.

Tao Yong, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Liu Hailan's face also showed joy.

The Tao family members all straightened their backs secretly, seemingly wanting to face the Lu family in the best possible condition.

Everyone thought Lu Xingning's time would be three to five minutes.

Ten minutes passed.

The tightly closed door didn't react at all.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Just when the Tao family thought they were going to be stood up, the small door next to the guard slowly opened.

The Tao family's gazes swept over in an instant.

Being stared at like that by the Tao family made Lu Xingning a little nervous.

"Dad, Mom, this is Xingning. Xingning, these are my parents, and this is my little sister, Tao Xiaoyue. You can just call her Xiaoyue," Tao Zhou introduced with a smile.

"Uncle, Aunt, Xiaoyue..." Lu Xingning greeted them first.

"Yes!" Tao Yong nodded with a smile.

They showed no displeasure at the long wait.

"What a good child!" Liu Hailan smiled with a loving expression.

"Sister Xingning!" Tao Xiaoyue greeted her with a smile.

She looked so well-behaved.

When Lu Xingning led the group inside, they realized why Lu Xingning's journey had taken so long.

It's just too big.

It stretches as far as the eye can see, with no end in sight.

Even in the dead of winter, the courtyard was filled with flowers, just like springtime.

The roadside was filled with the fragrance of various unknown flowers.

Those flowers were even more beautiful and dazzling.

Along the way, Tao Xiaoyue looked left and right.

"Sister Xingning, are there flowers blooming in the courtyard all year round?" Tao Xiaoyue blinked, looking completely innocent and naive.

“Okay!” Lu Xingning nodded.

"Each season has its own flowers, so you can see them all year round."

"Sister Xingning, the compound is so beautiful!" Tao Xiaoyue praised sincerely.

Lu Xingning smiled.

Perhaps due to visual fatigue from looking at it for too long, she felt that the compound was nothing special.

When Lu Xingning led the Tao family inside, the old man and woman were tending to the flowers and plants in the yard.

Lu Yaozong and his son Lu Yujing were working on documents in their study on the second floor.

The old man and woman seemed not to hear anything, and continued tending to the flowers and plants with their heads down.

“Grandpa, Grandma…” Lu Xingning called softly.

When Lu Xingning got home yesterday, she reluctantly told him that the Tao family was coming today.

The old man, the old woman, Lu Yaozong, and Qin Mengjie didn't react much.

I just said I'd take a look first.

They didn't say anything else.

Even when Wang Ma went out to buy groceries in the morning, no one reminded her to prepare more vegetables.

He was clearly very dissatisfied with this marriage.

The old man and woman slowly raised their heads to look at the newcomer.

Neither of them showed any emotion on their faces, neither sad nor happy.

It was just a simple eye contact, but the Tao family members were all terrified.

I feel inexplicably nervous.

"Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu..." Tao Yong said respectfully.

"Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu..." Liu Hailan also called out respectfully.

"Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu..." Tao Zhou and Tao Xiaoyue called out sweetly.

"Come in and sit down!" Old Master Lu put down the scissors in his hand and stepped into the house.

The old lady glanced at the group, said nothing, and followed them inside.

"Uncle, Aunt, Xiaoyue, it's cold outside, please come inside and sit down!" Lu Xingning could only try her best to smooth things over.

That's just how her husband and wife are.

The Tao family members naturally didn't dare to give Lu Xingning a hard time, and followed her in with smiles as they sat down.

Even if the old man and woman hadn't kicked them out yet, the Tao family would have no choice but to get out as fast as they could.

Trying to achieve upward social mobility through marriage is not that easy.

Aunt Wang and Sister Chen quickly brewed tea and brought it up.

The tea soup is bright red and has a rich aroma.

It looks like good tea.

The Tao family had never even seen it, let alone drunk it.

Qin Mengjie kept her head down, knitting a sweater, looking completely indifferent.

It was as if the people who came to her door today were not her future in-laws, but a family of strangers who came to freeload.

If the Lu family didn't speak, the Tao family dared not speak at all.

Whether it's the living room, which is much larger than their entire house, the soft, comfortable, and fluffy sofa they're sitting on, or the furnishings in the living room and the high-end-looking snacks, fruits, and treats on the coffee table...

Everything about them highlights the gap between the two companies.

The atmosphere was silent.

Lu Xingning wanted to say a few words to ease the atmosphere, but seeing the old man and woman's expressions, she ultimately didn't dare to speak.

When Jian Qingyi came out of the house, she didn't hear any noise and thought no one was home. When she got to the living room…

Good guy!

They're all putting on a pantomime!

Upon hearing the familiar footsteps, Qin Mengjie and the old lady both put down their needlework.

"Wang Ma, Chen Jie, Yi Yi is up." Qin Mengjie called out to the kitchen as she got up to help Jian Qingyi.

The previously quiet kitchen immediately became noisy.

In a short while, the table was filled with Jian Qingyi's favorite breakfast.

Although the portions were small, they were all very finely prepared.

There were many things that the Tao family had never even seen before.

While Jian Qingyi was eating her millet porridge, the old lady peeled a hard-boiled egg and handed it to her.

"Be careful, it's hot!" The old lady's cautious manner was as if she were coaxing a child.

There was no trace of the previous indifference.