Chapter 152: Family Banquet Shows Kinship, Remembers Bitter‑Sweet Days, Siblings Talk of the Past

Steam rose from the dining table as Wang Guilan kept shoveling braised pork into Lu Qingshan's bowl, muttering, "How can you get this in the countryside? Eat more, or you'll be so skinny you'll be nothing but a handful of bones."

Lu Qingshan could neither laugh nor cry, staring at the bulging muscle on his arm; if that counted as a handful of bones, the villagers would all be paper‑thin.

"Mom, keep adding, second brother's bowl is already brimming over," little sister Lu Xiaoyu giggled, covering her mouth.

Younger brother Lu Qingjun's eyes were quick; he slipped a piece of potato from Lu Qingshan's bowl, ate it, and asked vaguely, "Second brother, I heard from dad that your factory made it into the People's Daily—really? Isn't that paper only for top leaders and model workers?"

At that remark, everyone's chopsticks slowed, and they all turned to look at Lu Qingshan.

"It was just a tiny tofu‑sized article, mentioned in passing," Lu Qingshan brushed off, "Mostly luck—caught the right policy wave."

"Luck?" the third brother Lu Qinghe, an official in Zhengding, pushed up his glasses, intrigued. "Second brother, I heard your management system is impressive—profit sharing, salary bonuses, getting experts and villagers to obey obediently. That's no luck. Tell us about it, I want to learn."

Lu Qingshan glanced at his shrewd second brother and reluctantly gave a brief rundown of how he built the management system.

"Oh my god!" second sister Lu Fang slapped her thigh, her voice an octave higher, "Second brother, this isn't just running a factory; you've set up a little court in the village! There's a committee that answers to you. I sell mountain goods in Longhua and haggling is hard enough; you're overseeing over seventy people!"

"Back when I was drying salt, the foreman's shout was all we got for our hard labor," younger brother Lu Qingjun smacked his lips, "Second brother, you've got jerky and soda—heard that soda's selling like crazy in the provincial capital. How much profit per bottle?"

"Not much, just a modest profit," Lu Qingshan replied.

"You're just pulling our leg," little sister Lu Xiaoyu made a funny face, "Brother Zhang Yuanchao already said you're now a famous big boss far and wide!"

The eldest brother Lu Qingyuan, who had been quiet, set down his chopsticks, looked at Lu Qingshan, and in a low voice asked, "Qing Shan, running a factory isn't easy; the villagers are nosy. Have you run into any real trouble?"

Lu Qingshan felt a warmth inside; his eldest brother still cared most about him. "It's all past, just a minor hassle," he said, brushing off the incidents with Ma Liu, the Zhao Family brothers' dispute, and Ma Defu's troublemaking.

But Lu Hua, who was what kind of person, set down his cup and looked at his son: "Minor trouble? I've heard otherwise. You went into the mountains alone and felled a three‑hundred‑jin wild boar? And a four‑to‑five‑hundred‑jin black bear?"

Wang Guilan's hand trembled, the chopsticks clanged onto the table, her face went pale, and she anxiously stared at Lu Qingshan: "What? Wild boar? Black bear? You kid have no sense of self‑preservation!"

"Dad, your news travels faster than the People's Daily," Lu Qingshan laughed helplessly, "It was just coincidence—they didn't see the road and ran into a tree."

"Hahaha!" younger brother Lu Qingjun laughed so hard he nearly slid off his chair, "Second brother, your luck is insane—wild boars are practically racing to bring you meat! Next time something like this happens, remember to save me a leg!"

The whole family burst into laughter, and the atmosphere grew lively.

From noon until the lamps were first lit, three rounds of wine and five courses later, everyone shared their experiences of going down to the countryside.

Eldest brother Lu Qingyuan spoke of the hardships of reclaiming rice fields in the Northern Great Wilderness; elder sister Lu Hong described the dangers of coal mining in Jiaozuo, Henan; second sister Lu Fang recounted her shrewdness selling mountain goods in Longhua; third brother Lu Qinghe narrated the toil of leading troops and civilians to design and repair the hardened three‑canal water‑conservation project; younger brother Lu Qingjun lamented the tedium of drying salt at Lu Tai; little sister Lu Xiaoyu shared amusing anecdotes of planting fruit trees in Weinan Fuping.

By the end, everyone's gaze returned to Lu Qingshan. Compared with his story, everyone else's hardships seemed rather ordinary.

Lu Hua looked at his children, a long‑missing smile appearing on his face; he cleared his throat, and the room fell silent instantly.

"You're all back, that's the greatest blessing. Children, I've made you suffer these years."

At the table, Lu Hua raised his cup, his gaze sweeping each person before settling on Lu Qingshan, "Especially you, Qing Shan—you've made a name for yourself in the countryside. Dad is proud of you."

"Dad, please don't say that," Lu Qingshan said, his heart a mix of emotions, "What I've done is nothing special."

"Nothing?" Lu Hua's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "Qing Shan, do you know how many people want to learn from your experience? The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries has sent investigators to your county."

What? Ministry of Agriculture?

The cup in Lu Qingshan's hand nearly slipped.

"Second brother, you're about to get rich!" third brother Lu Qinghe joked, though envy was clear in his eyes.

Just as the atmosphere peaked, the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked.

Dong—dong—dong!

The knocking was urgent, carrying an official air of authority.

"Who would come at this hour?" Wang Guilan's heart tightened.

Lu Hua set down his cup, his expression instantly stern, "I'll go answer."

Outside stood a man in his fifties, dressed in a crisp dark‑blue Zhongshan suit, his demeanor steady, eyes sharp, carrying several gifts wrapped in red paper; behind him followed a young secretary with a briefcase and glasses.

"Hello, may I ask if this is Comrade Lu Hua's home?" the middle‑aged man asked formally, "I am Director Han Zhenghua of the Central Organization Department, and this is my secretary Xiao Li. We are here to visit Comrade Lu Hua."

Central Organization Department?

Lu Qingshan felt a buzzing in his head and a tingling scalp; the newcomer's background was overwhelmingly big—his father's post‑rehabilitation impact was far deeper than he imagined!

Lu Hua's expression grew complex, then quickly steadied as he stepped aside, "Ah, Director Han! Please come in, please come in! I can't possibly accept you making the trip yourself!"

Director Han Zhenghua smiled as he entered the courtyard, shook hands with Lu Hua, his gaze sweeping over the obvious Lu Family children before landing precisely on Lu Qingshan, admiration in his eyes.

"You must be the renowned Comrade Lu Qingshan who led the villagers out of poverty! I've seen your name and deeds in the People's Daily more than once—great honor, great honor!"

Caught off guard by the sudden "calling out," Lu Qingshan hurried to his feet, modestly saying, "Director Han, you're too kind; I'm just an ordinary farmer who did a bit of my duty."

"An ordinary farmer?" Director Han Zhenghua smiled meaningfully, "An ordinary farmer who can, bare‑handed, start three modern factories, employ seventy‑to‑eighty villagers, and create the central‑stirring 'Shanwan Village Model'? An ordinary farmer who gets a near‑half‑page front‑page headline in the People's Daily reporting your advanced deeds? Comrade Lu Qingshan, you're far too modest!"

Front‑page headline?! Nearly half a page?!

At the table, younger brother Lu Qingjun's mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist, second sister Lu Fang's chopsticks hung mid‑air forgotten, and even the usually steady eldest brother Lu Qingyuan and shrewd third brother Lu Qinghe wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

Lu Qingshan felt a dizzying whirl, his mind blank. He only recalled Director Zhang mentioning his father's rehabilitation and had only ever seen a tofu‑sized article in the local paper—how did he suddenly become a front‑page exemplar in the People's Daily?

All of this far exceeded his imagination and expectations, as if an invisible giant hand were pushing him toward a height he had never envisioned.