Chapter 297: The Daughter‑in‑Law Blushed: Let's Have Another Child!

In the afternoon, the sun was perfect. Lu Qingshan didn't go to the office; instead he brought the whole family, grandly, to the newly renovated Fuqiang Hutong 23 Courtyard. When the heavy vermilion‑painted gate was pushed open, revealing a massive complex of countless courtyards, corridors, and gardens, everyone was left speechless with shock.

"My God…" brother‑in‑law Zhang A Yu stood under a hanging‑flower gate of a second‑courtyard residence, his hand brushing the finely carved corridor pillars, his whole body trembling. "Is this really for us to live in? If I sleep here at night, will I collapse the beams...?"

"What nonsense!" Lu Hong glared at him fiercely, her eyes rimmed red. She looked at the lush crabapple tree in the courtyard, her voice choked, "Qing Shan, this courtyard is wonderful, wonderful..."

Eldest brother Lu Qingyuan and Lu Qingjun stood with arms folded, like generals inspecting their own territory, wandering from courtyard to courtyard, their faces showing unabashed excitement and pride.

Finally, eldest brother Lu Qingyuan made the final decision, rubbing his hands, his face unable to hide his excitement, and when he reached Lu Qingshan, his voice was eight notes higher than usual.

"Qing Shan, the courtyards have all been selected!"

His voice carried a sense of settled certainty.

"I, Qingjun, second sister, and little sister all chose ones close to Mom and Dad, just a few steps away. The third brother rushed out this morning; Ahu drove him back to Zhengding. He asked me to pick a place for him, so I chose the east‑side unit of our family, clean and bright."

When talking about the selection process, his face was both annoyed and amused.

"You know that brother‑in‑law of yours; the moment he stepped in his calf muscles cramped, he clung to the doorframe and wouldn't go further, muttering that staying here a night would make his ancestors' graves spew green smoke."

"I let him choose, and his head shook like a tambourine. He said the biggest house he's ever slept in was the warehouse of a production team in a village of Jiaozuo, and this courtyard is too big; he's scared of ghosts. It made me angry—if there weren't so many people, I would have kicked him twice!"

The whole family burst into laughter; even Lu Hong, who had been wiping tears, broke into a smile and glared fiercely at the still‑giggling Zhang A Yu.

"In the end it was the eldest sister who decided, picking the unit nearest the Handcrafted Flower garden, saying that later Xiao Xiao and Xiao Xue could run straight from the courtyard to play," Lu Qingyuan continued, "Second sister chose the street‑facing one for business convenience. Little sister's girl insisted on a study facing south with the best lighting, saying she wanted to study there."

Each choice reflected anticipation and planning for a new future life.

When the eldest brother finished, his expression suddenly became solemn; he stared at Lu Qingshan, his gaze blazing.

"I'll also pick one for you—the Wangfu Zhongting building, the most grand, with a large courtyard, three courtyards in total, spacious; you'll definitely need it in the future."

"Brother, I..."

Lu Qingshan was about to speak when Lu Qingyuan raised his hand and cut him off.

"Don't speak, listen to me finish," the eldest brother said, his tone unquestionable. "In the Lu Family we follow rules. You are the main pillar of this generation; you hold up this home, so you must occupy the main seat! Father has already approved. Anyone with objections must first ask whether my fist as elder brother agrees!"

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over each brother and sister; no one spoke, and everyone's eyes showed unquestioned agreement.

This family had been scattered for far too long.

Now, at last, there is a backbone, there are rules, there is a root.

Lu Qingshan looked at the genuine smiles on his family's faces and felt more grounded than any amount of money could bring. He then turned to his eldest sister Lu Hong: "Sister, if the hotel is short of staff, let Yue E go over to help you check the accounts and handle things. She manages the factory's finances and has experience."

"That's wonderful!" Lu Hong exclaimed, overjoyed; with a sister‑in‑law to help, she felt more than half at ease.

In the evening, Lu Qingshan deliberately went early to pick up his daughter from school.

When Lu Xiaoxue saw her father standing at the kindergarten gate, her eyes instantly lit up like stars in the sky.

She let out a "Ya" shriek, like a happy little bird, shaking off the teacher's hand, sprinting with her short legs and diving straight into Lu Qingshan's arms.

"Dad! Dad, you're still home! You didn't leave!" the little girl clutched his neck tightly, her small face rubbing hard against his, her voice full of surprise and anxious joy.

"Dad isn't leaving today," Lu Qingshan said, holding his soft daughter in his arms, inhaling the faint milky scent on her, feeling the invisible mountain on his heart—burdened by three hundred million dollars and the nation's trust—melt away under her tiny body.

"What about tomorrow? The day after?" Lu Xiaoxue looked up with her little face, her grape‑sized dark eyes full of longing, "Dad, can you stop going out? Xiao Xue misses you so much, every day."

Lu Qingshan felt his heart gripped tightly by a small hand, a slight sourness. He knew he was about to depart for London, stepping onto a battlefield of finance—no gunpowder yet more perilous than any war. Everything he did was to build an impenetrable shield for his daughter and this family. Yet for a child, all she wants is her father's companionship.

He kissed his daughter's forehead, burying the heavy responsibility and guilt deep within his heart, his voice exceedingly gentle: "Not yet. Because Dad has to chase away the bullies who want to hurt Xiao Xue. But I promise you, once they're gone, someday I won't be so busy and will stay home every day with Xiao Xue, okay?"

"Hook!"

"Alright, hook."

Lin Yue'e stood nearby, watching the father and daughter, a gentle smile on her face, her eyes slightly moist.

At night, Xiao Xue was coaxed to sleep, and the house fell quiet. Lin Yue'e sat on the edge of the heated brick platform, watching her husband's broad back as he rinsed his hair under the lamp, her heart softening.

Since that winter that had left her desperate, the man seemed reborn. He was no longer the "Lu Lazi" who had terrified her, but had become—no, had surpassed—the young man who once made her heart flutter. With his solid hands he lifted a sky for her and their daughter, a sky so vast she could not even dream of it. Living in a warm, spacious courtyard, they no longer feared cold or hunger, and their daughter's smiles grew ever more frequent. The heart once filled with Fear and despair is now swollen with a warm current called "happiness" and "solidity".

She wanted to do something for him, to make this house feel more like a home.

When Lu Qingshan finished washing up and was about to return to the house, Lin Yue'e gathered all her courage and gently grasped his hand from behind.

He turned his head, seeing his wife under the warm lamp, head bowed, a charming flush spreading across her cheeks, even the white skin at her ears reddened. Her heart pounded, her palms sweated, yet her gaze was unwavering.

Her voice was soft, like a humming mosquito, yet it pierced Lu Qingshan's heart clearly, carrying a shy, hair‑raising resolve.

"Qing Shan… we… we should have another child."

Lu Qingshan was startled, his mind instantly blank, his heart overwhelmed by a massive, scorching wave of joy. He looked at his wife's shy yet utterly earnest gaze, understanding that behind those words she had dropped all her defenses, placed complete trust in him, and hoped for the family's brightest future.

He said nothing, unable to speak, but grinned, a bright, slightly foolish smile, and hoisted her into a sideways embrace.

"Ah!" Lin Yue'e cried out, instinctively clutching his neck, her flushed cheek buried against his solid chest, "What are you doing! Put me down… the child is still inside the house…"

Before she could finish, the inner door curtain was pulled aside a crack; Lu Xiaoxue, rubbing her sleepy eyes, stuck out a tiny head, saw her mother cradled in her father's arms and giggled, "Dad's holding Mom! Shy face!"

The laughter rang clear as a string of silver bells, spreading circles of happiness in the warm night, heralding a brand‑new life quietly gestating within this love and protection.