Chapter 35: Questions You Half-Understand

Lu Chuan fell silent, feeling stifled.

Fang Yuan wasn’t happy either. Her voice rose. “What’s your problem, really? Did the folks in my hometown ever do anything to you?”

Lu Chuan grabbed Fang Yuan’s hand and hurriedly pulled her back home. Only after closing the gate did he turn to her and say, “People in the countryside, in the village, don’t go around holding hands like that. Why are you holding my hand?”

Fang Yuan stared at their hands. “I’m holding your hand? Wasn’t it you who grabbed mine?” She looked at Lu Chuan seriously.

Lu Chuan had never seen someone turn the tables like this before, but the truth was, he was the one holding Fang Yuan’s hand. If it ever snowed in June, it’d probably be because of him.

Then Fang Yuan said, “You didn’t pick up this bad habit at school, did you? I heard you students are always talking about love and freedom. You need to fix this. Don’t go picking up all sorts of nonsense. Holding hands in public doesn’t look good.”

Then she added, pointedly, “You’re a married man now. You can’t act like that outside.”

Lu Chuan let go of Fang Yuan’s hand, his face dark, and went inside. He felt like he couldn’t clear his name no matter what he did. What kind of woman was this?

Fang Yuan pursed her lips, unhappy. Why was this man so petty? She was the one whose hand got grabbed, and she wasn’t even mad.

That night, Lu Chuan found himself once again agonizing over whether or not to go back to their room.

Fang Yuan frowned too. Didn’t he say he wasn’t sick? Why did he always dawdle so much every night before coming in?

Fang Yuan asked, “Are you sick or not?”

Lu Chuan remembered last night, when she’d suspected he was constipated. If he hesitated again tonight, she might say he had hemorrhoids.

He walked in, face dark, and saw Fang Yuan already resting at the head of the kang bed.

The words on the tip of Lu Chuan’s tongue—“We’ve visited your family, met your parents, got our marriage certificate, isn’t it time we shared a bed?”—he didn’t dare say.

Fang Yuan, hearing Lu Chuan shuffling around, said, “Lie down already, I have something to say to you.”

Lu Chuan’s heart started racing. He thought, if she makes a move, should I go along with it or not?

Not going along didn’t seem like an option—her brothers’ threats were no joke. And when it came to brains, he was probably on par with her mother-in-law. He really didn’t have the upper hand.

Just as Lu Chuan was thinking he might as well go along with it, Fang Yuan spoke up. “You went to school, and I grew up running around after my brothers. Neither of us really knows much about married life.”

Lu Chuan felt a chill in his chest. Fang Yuan hadn’t brought up anything intimate, so why did he feel so disappointed?

He’d just been debating whether or not to go along with her, and suddenly realized he didn’t really want to refuse at all. Maybe he even wanted something to happen. That realization was a bit unsettling.

And compared to Fang Yuan’s approach to life, he felt like he was on a completely different wavelength, a whole level below her.

Fang Yuan got impatient at his slowness. “Did you hear me? I’m talking to you.”

Lu Chuan felt like ever since he met Fang Yuan, his mind was always running wild. That was a problem—he needed to fix it. “I’m listening.”

Fang Yuan said, “What do you think? Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”

Lu Chuan replied, “I just think, since we’re married and have our certificate, it should be about the two of us now. We shouldn’t rely on others to live our lives.”

Mainly, he wanted to remind Fang Yuan that they were officially married now. The rest just slipped out.

Fang Yuan said, “You’re right. Relying on relatives won’t make you rich, and talking won’t fill your stomach. Our life is up to us.”

Lu Chuan’s face darkened. So she had no other thoughts at all. He couldn’t help but punch his pillow a couple of times. The two of them never seemed to focus on the same thing.

Fang Yuan asked, “What are you doing? Do you think we can’t make a life together, or do you think you’re unreliable?” Why was he punching the pillow? What was wrong with him?

Lu Chuan got even more anxious. Couldn’t this woman think something positive for once? “How could I be unreliable?”

Fang Yuan said, “Then why are you acting crazy? Did the pillow do something to you?”

Lu Chuan couldn’t exactly say, “I’m annoyed you’re not romantic,” or “I’m annoyed you don’t have feelings for me.”

Frustrated, he said, “I’m talking about our life—our future.”

Fang Yuan didn’t dwell on it. She immediately asked, “So where do you think we should start?”

Where to start building a life together? That was a new one. Lu Chuan was momentarily at a loss, then said, “First, we need money. I need money for school, and you need money for daily life.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “That makes sense. No wonder you’re supposed to be the smart one. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to my brother, and we’ll earn money together.”

Lu Chuan wasn’t so sure. “Do you think working with your brother, we can save up enough for my tuition and living expenses by the time I go to school?”

Fang Yuan didn’t catch the sarcasm. She just asked in surprise, “Is college really that cheap?”

Lu Chuan took a deep breath. Talking to Fang Yuan, you couldn’t hint at anything. You had to be direct, clear, and logical. “What I mean is, that won’t work. Even if we work ourselves to death, we won’t make enough.”

Fang Yuan nodded—he had a point. Then she got annoyed, sitting up. “Don’t try to fool me. You’re just afraid of hard work, aren’t you? Let me tell you, there’s no such thing as easy money. In my family, if you try to be clever and slack off, my dad would beat you.”

She added, “In our family, everyone fights to earn money. No one gets beaten for working hard—only for being lazy.”

Lu Chuan thought, Well, at least she’s down-to-earth. People say the Fang family’s five tigers are unreasonable and domineering, but it turns out they’re just serious about earning an honest living.

Then he caught a glimpse of Fang Yuan’s pale, slender arm. It dazzled him a bit, made him feel dizzy.

Fang Yuan, not hearing a reply, said, “Are you really trying to get my dad to beat you?”

Lu Chuan snapped back to attention, staring at the ceiling. “Do you want to borrow money to get by, or do you think you’re smarter than me?”

Fang Yuan definitely didn’t want to borrow money, so she had to listen to the one with brains. “You talk. But if you can’t come up with a good plan, or try to take shortcuts, don’t blame me for not being nice. I’ll deal with you myself before my dad gets the chance.”

Lu Chuan thought, With a girl like this, why am I so restless? Maybe I need to see a doctor.

He snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m not talking about shortcuts or shady business. Even with the proper way, I don’t have a clear plan yet. I just think we should look around first—go with your brothers, check out the town, maybe we’ll find a way to make money.”

Fang Yuan summed it up: “So basically, you don’t want to work hard with everyone else.”

Lu Chuan thought, Why is she so stubborn? “It’s not that I don’t want to work hard. It’s just that hard work alone won’t earn us the money we need.”

Fang Yuan said, “Even if you’re right, that doesn’t mean you can’t work with my brothers first. Work while you think.”

She was nothing if not practical and grounded.

Lu Chuan thought, If I don’t go, she’ll just assume I’m afraid of hard work.

Fang Yuan said, “Since you’re not as smart as you think, just go to sleep. Don’t overthink it. Rest your brain—maybe it’ll work better tomorrow.”

Fang Yuan didn’t know how smart people took care of their brains, but this would have to do for now.

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