This is a three-bedroom, one-living-room suite, not very large, just over a hundred square meters. By modern standards, such a room is completely out of fashion. But back in '88 or '89, this was a standard high-ranking cadre residence, and the design was very trendy and reasonable. If The Lawson Family weren’t a division-level cadre, he would never have been able to live in this kind of suite.

Breakfast was noodles, with a poached egg added. The Lawson Family and William Lawson used large bowls, while Megan Lincoln and Helen Lawson used small ones. There was also a plate of ham sausage and a plate of pickles on the table.

“Time to eat!”

The Lawson Family said coldly, picked up his bowl, and started eating noodles in big mouthfuls.

William Lawson wasn’t in a hurry to eat, looking around curiously.

“Bro, what are you doing?”

Helen Lawson asked in surprise.

“Uh... is there any chili sauce?”

Although William Lawson was a true native of the capital, he had spent four years at university in Chunan Province, and had been working there ever since, so he was long used to the local flavors of Chunan.

No dish is complete without spice!

“Hehe, do you think you’re still in the countryside? Chili sauce, really!”

Helen Lawson glanced at him, teasing.

William Lawson was startled, quickly picked up his bowl, grabbed some noodles, and started eating, not looking for chili sauce anymore.

Chapter 2: The Rebellious Scion

William Lawson had always been rebellious.

A few years ago in high school, he hung out with a group of rich kids in the capital, eating, drinking, and making merry—he was one of the “bad boys.” Because of this, his family already disapproved of him. When it came time for the college entrance exams, he filled in “Chunan Agricultural University” out of spite. This almost made the elders in his family faint with anger. Ordinary folks living in the shadow of the imperial city all had a sense of superiority, thinking all other provinces were “the countryside.” Not to mention a prominent family like the Liu’s—whose children didn’t attend prestigious schools?

Originally, there was still hope to fix this. The Liu family’s influence was no joke. William Lawson’s scores were good enough, and getting him into one of the famous universities in the capital would have just taken a word—a trivial matter. But William Lawson himself absolutely refused. It wasn’t that he thought Chunan Agricultural University was better than Capital University or Northern University; he was just being rebellious. Anything arranged by the family, he opposed. He went off to study in Danning City on his own.

Because of this, William Lawson almost lost his financial support.

The Lawson Family was nearly driven mad by his son’s rebelliousness. As the second son of the Liu family, he had always been obedient, and after more than twenty years in the army, he was used to following orders in everything. Yet he ended up with such a thoroughly rebellious son, making him lose face in front of the old man, and the other siblings secretly laughed at him.

In a fit of anger, The Lawson Family stopped giving William Lawson any living expenses.

Later, it was Megan Lincoln who felt sorry for her son and secretly sent money to William Lawson, helping him out of a tight spot. When The Lawson Family found out, he quarreled with his wife again, but in the end, he tacitly accepted it.

No matter what, William Lawson was his son, his only son. He couldn’t just let him starve outside, could he? If word got out that the legitimate grandson of the Liu family didn’t have money to eat at university, it would be a huge joke.

William Lawson’s third act of rebellion was that after graduating from university, he refused to return to the capital to work, obeyed the school’s assignment, and went to Qingfeng District Agricultural School to be an ordinary teacher.

This move basically made the Liu family completely give up on him.

If his previous antics could be excused as youthful folly, now that he had graduated and officially started working, he was an adult and should think like one. Yet he still did things his own way, continuing to go against the family. Since that was the case, the Liu family stopped caring about him. There weren’t that many, but not that few, third-generation members of the Liu family—over a dozen boys and girls in total. Among the boys, there were several who were all more promising than William Lawson, especially Edward Lawson, the family’s favorite. Everyone had high hopes for him, believing he was the most likely to inherit the Liu family legacy and achieve great things in politics.

As for William Lawson, let him be.

But this time, for the old man’s eightieth birthday, William Lawson managed to make it back to the capital, which made The Lawson Family feel a little better. No matter how rebellious, blood is thicker than water—William Lawson still had a basic sense of family.

Even without chili sauce, William Lawson still ate with great relish, and while eating, said to Megan Lincoln, “Mom, these noodles are really delicious.”

The three of them looked at him in surprise.

Had William Lawson really changed? When had he ever said such flattering words? They remembered that in the past, he’d sulked with Megan Lincoln several times, just because he thought the food at home wasn’t good.

Could it be that after suffering for a few months in the countryside, he’d finally come to his senses!

William Lawson smiled slightly, kept eating noodles, and added lots of ham sausage to his bowl.

He really was a bit hungry.

This young body was full of vitality.

William Lawson’s action made Megan Lincoln very happy. She simply picked up the plate and shoveled more than half the ham slices into her son’s bowl. Her son praising her cooking—this was a first. Not only did he praise her with words, but also with actions.

The Lawson Family gave another “hmph.”