Old Madam Lu was wholeheartedly thinking about her daughter-in-law’s future, but Lu Wenzhao could not wait any longer.

He had only come through this place while handling other matters and had merely stopped by to look for his family.

Now that he had found them, he naturally wanted to take his parents and children to the capital.

As for Shen Qingwan, he had originally planned to bring her along as well.

After all, she had taken care of the household for many years, so he had intended to give her the status of a concubine.

However, after waiting for a long time without seeing Shen Qingwan return, he felt there was no need to delay any longer.

Besides, he had other matters to attend to and couldn’t afford to stay here too long.

“Mother, I’ve already told you—Second Brother and his wife are still in the village. I’ll leave two guards behind, and when Shen returns, they will take her directly to the capital. As for the land and house, just leave them for Second Brother.”

Initially, he had considered taking his younger brother along as well, but since his brother was attached to the village and unwilling to leave, he wouldn’t force him.

However, he was determined to take the children with him.

“If Qingwan isn’t home, you won’t be able to take the children. They only cling to her now and won’t go with you. If you force them, they’ll hate you for it,” Old Madam Lu anxiously argued.

In the past, she may have had some opinions about this eldest daughter-in-law, but after all they had been through, she had come to appreciate everything the woman had done.

She had cared for the elderly and the children, even building them a big house.

Such a good daughter-in-law deserved their protection.

Lu Wenzhao was getting impatient, but since she was his mother, he held back his temper and explained, “Mother, I truly can’t stay here long. Who knows when Shen will return? If she never comes back, am I supposed to wait forever?”

Just as Lu Wenzhao was about to have his men carry the children onto the carriage, Shen Qingwan walked in through the main gate.

“Put the children down.”

Her voice was cold and commanding as she glared at the guards holding the children.

The guards didn’t listen to her and instead turned to look at Lu Wenzhao for instructions.

“Mother, sob… mother, save us!”

Xiaoyu and Xiaochen cried even harder upon seeing Shen Qingwan.

Even when they had been sold off before, they hadn’t wept this miserably.

Their hoarse voices made it clear they had been crying for a long time.

Yet their biological father, Lu Wenzhao, remained unmoved.

Ignoring Lu Wenzhao, Shen Qingwan strode over to the children.

Before the guards could react, she snatched the children away and kicked one of the men so hard that he flew several feet backward.

It had been years since they last met, and Lu Wenzhao hardly recognized her.

The woman before him was confident and radiant, completely different from the arrogant, unreasonable, and shrewish village woman he remembered.

Her beauty and demeanor were on par with the noble ladies of the capital.

Noticing Lu Wenzhao sizing her up, Shen Qingwan finally looked at him.

He still had the same features from her memories, but the rustic awkwardness was gone.

Dressed in a brocade robe, he looked distinguished, with an air of power and a sharp, ruthless gaze that made him even more striking.

Lu Wenzhao had always been handsome, but compared to Murong Wushuang and Beichen Yuan, he was nothing.

His face wasn’t even worth a second glance.

Their gazes met, each harboring their own thoughts.

However, Shen Qingwan had just injured his men—an undeniable sign of disrespect.

“General.”

The two guards clutched their chests and struggled to their feet, bowing to Lu Wenzhao.

That single word—”General”—clearly informed Shen Qingwan of his current status.

“Shen, how dare you attack my men? And where have you been all this time? As a wife of the Lu family, you should have been at home taking care of my parents and children. You’ve been gone for so long—what kind of wife does that?”

Lu Wenzhao’s first words were a scolding.

Shen Qingwan sneered and raised an eyebrow.

“And who do you think you are to question me? You disappeared for years without a word, ignoring your family and your children. And now you suddenly want to play the filial son and loving father? You have no right to question me.”

She was already furious over the children’s suffering, and hearing his rebuke only added fuel to the fire.

Since she had already made up her mind to divorce him, there was no need to tolerate anything anymore.

Lu Wenzhao knew she was strong-willed, but he hadn’t expected her to talk to him like this.

His anger flared.

“You don’t understand anything! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past years? If it weren’t for my ambition and hard work, how would I have been able to make a name for myself? I’m now a fourth-rank military officer, and I came here to bring all of you to the capital.”

Years ago, he had pursued enemy forces and was ambushed, sustaining life-threatening injuries.

A traveling doctor had saved his life, but by the time he returned to camp, his death had already been reported, and his family had received his war compensation.

Due to ongoing battles, he hadn’t had a chance to go back and explain.

Then, in the military camp, he met Su Ruoyun—a woman disguised as a man.

Their first meeting had been unexpected—Su Ruoyun had been drugged and stumbled into his tent, pleading for his help.

She had looked so alluring, so vulnerable, that Lu Wenzhao had fallen for her at first sight.

That night, they became intimately involved.

Not long after, Su Ruoyun returned to the capital, and Lu Wenzhao was reassigned there as well.

Only then did he learn that Su Ruoyun was the legitimate second daughter of the Grand Chancellor’s household.

He had been promoted because Su Ruoyun was pregnant.

Shortly after arriving in the capital, he married her.

At the time, he was ecstatic about marrying such a noble woman—he had completely forgotten about Shen Qingwan in Dahu Village.

After marrying Su Ruoyun, his career skyrocketed.

In just two or three years, he climbed from a low-ranking officer to a fourth-rank general.

He had once been an obscure seventh-rank officer serving under the mighty War King.

Without Su Ruoyun’s help, he would never have reached his current position.

To him, Su Ruoyun was his true wife.

He had never mentioned Shen Qingwan to her, though she knew about his parents and children.

Despite the years passing, she had never agreed to bring them to the capital—until this year, when he learned of the famine in Youzhou.

Only after much coaxing did she relent.

However, when he sent people to check, he discovered that the villagers of Dahu had all fled due to the disaster.

Since he happened to be traveling through the northern region for official duties, he took the opportunity to retrieve his parents and children.

But he had other urgent matters to attend to and couldn’t stay long.

He hadn’t wanted to wait for Shen Qingwan at all.

If not for his parents speaking in her favor, he wouldn’t have considered bringing her at all.

Yet now that they were face to face, she dared to speak to him like this.