Chapter 61: Just That Kind of Bad Temper

They say that poverty makes everything difficult for a married couple, but the two of them had just managed to save up some money—and it wasn’t a small amount, either.

You couldn’t really call his wife a spendthrift; after all, she was trying to make even more money.

Fang Yuan said breezily, “Well, why don’t you go find another job like that? Then we’ll have enough money.”

Lu Chuan took a deep breath. Jobs like that did exist, but it wasn’t as simple as she made it sound. “You really think highly of me.”

Fang Yuan replied, “Aren’t you the man of the house? You don’t want me calling you useless, right? If we’re short on money, who else am I supposed to turn to?”

Well, thanks for your trust, I guess.

Lu Chuan gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t say anything back. It wasn’t like Fang Yuan was wrong. But if she was counting on him like this, he really wasn’t reliable.

He’d just handed over more than seven hundred yuan, and yet this woman still wasn’t satisfied. This kind of trust, he didn’t want.

Lu Chuan tried to explain patiently, “We still have to act within our means. Even if we buy that thing, we won’t have the chance to make money with it.”

Fang Yuan argued, “Why not? I’ve already thought it through. Big Brother won’t just sit around. When he goes to work, he’ll have to use my mixer. And that Sun guy, too. For the sake of making money, I’m willing to forgive him.”

Lu Chuan couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “He might not be willing to forgive you, though.”

Fang Yuan was absolutely confident. “He’ll definitely forgive me.”

Then she showed her hand: “I’ll have Big Brother bring a few of my brothers along to talk to him.”

With five brothers backing her up, of course he’d have to forgive her and work together. Who would dare cross her five brothers? Lu Chuan cupped his hands in mock admiration. She really had a plan.

Fang Yuan said to Lu Chuan with conviction, “Don’t worry, our family never bullies others just because we have numbers. We always reason things out.”

Lu Chuan chuckled dryly. Sure, when all five brothers are “reasoning” with someone, I’m sure everyone believes it’s just a friendly chat.

Lu Chuan was still hesitating. In reality, whether or not they bought it wasn’t even up to them—they just didn’t have the money.

To put it bluntly, even if Lu Chuan wanted to borrow, there was nowhere to borrow from. Suddenly, he realized that apart from studying, he was good for nothing. When it really mattered, he didn’t have a single solution.

Lu Chuan looked at Fang Yuan, thinking about her unexpectedly large expenses, and thought to himself, I really need to work harder and earn more.

Fang Yuan asked, “Are you worried about Big Brother? Is that why you look so serious?”

Lu Chuan answered honestly, “I think Big Brother might have his own plans.”

Fang Yuan said, “Don’t worry about what he’s thinking. If I have something and he doesn’t use it, that wouldn’t make sense. Let’s buy it. If we don’t, and Big Brother and the others buy it first, then we’ll have missed our chance. When it comes to making money, you have to be quick.”

People say you should only do what you can afford, but clearly Fang Yuan didn’t play by the rules. Lu Chuan gave a wry smile. “You really do think things through.”

Fang Yuan replied, “I’m not stupid. This isn’t hard to figure out. Right now, Big Brother and the others don’t realize how profitable a mixer can be. But sooner or later, they will. We have to act first.”

Fang Yuan continued, “Let me tell you, between us, when it comes to making money, I can turn on people just as fast as Big Brother.”

She sounded almost proud. Lu Chuan thought, You really don’t need to be this honest. Then Fang Yuan added, “That’s what Fifth Brother always says about me.”

Best not to continue this topic. Otherwise, he’d get distracted every time he saw his brother-in-law.

Lu Chuan said, “If we don’t do construction ourselves and just rely on renting out the mixer to people because of personal connections, it won’t last.”

Fang Yuan countered, “Who says there’s no construction work? Isn’t Fifth Brother free right now? If Big Brother doesn’t want to work with us, you can’t just sit around either.”

Of course Lu Chuan couldn’t just sit around, but he hadn’t expected Fang Yuan to have thought it all through like this. “What do you mean?”

Fang Yuan didn’t mean anything else; she just thought this was a good opportunity. “I’m just thinking, this thing can make us money right now—worth more than a few cows. Let’s not overthink it. If it stops making money, we’ll figure something else out.”

She really was the type who didn’t worry about consequences.

Lu Chuan tried to comfort himself: at least Fang Yuan was considerate—she even compared the mixer to several cows, just to show how much money it could make.

Lu Chuan felt he understood Fang Yuan a bit better. “But you have to let me think about it. Even if I want to listen to you and buy it, I still have to find a way to get the money. That’s the real issue.”

Fang Yuan was impatient. “What if I ask my parents for it?”

Lu Chuan was blunt. “My parents don’t have money. Don’t bother asking.”

Fang Yuan scowled. “I meant my parents.” She wasn’t about to borrow from just anyone.

Lu Chuan was even more against it—not for pride’s sake, but because he’d thought it through: “Your parents have five sons. If they know this thing makes money, and they give their private savings to their daughter instead of their sons—even if it’s just a loan—have you thought about how your parents will get along with your brothers afterward?”

Fang Yuan glared and stayed silent.

Lu Chuan tried to persuade her gently, “We have to think about your parents, too.”

Fang Yuan snapped, “Why do you have to make everything so complicated?”

She’d thought it was all settled, but after Lu Chuan’s words, nothing seemed to work anymore. She turned away and ignored him.

Why was she so annoyed? The thing was, she knew deep down that Lu Chuan had a point.

Lu Chuan thought to himself, What a temper. She says she’s done talking and that’s it. And she always claims her family is reasonable—where’s the reason in that?

But from the look of it, Fang Yuan had actually listened to him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be sulking by herself.

That night, Lu Chuan heard Fang Yuan muttering about the mixer in her sleep. She really was fixated on it. She was truly obsessed with making money.

Lu Chuan thought to himself, Maybe if I go to the township tomorrow and find another job like that, Fang Yuan’s dream might actually come true.

And to be fair, Fang Yuan’s investment idea was sound—it really would be a steady source of income.

The next morning, Lu Chuan got Fang Yuan ready to go to the township. Fang Yuan was in a bad mood. “Fifth Brother hasn’t gone to ask around yet. I’m not going.”

Lu Chuan said, “Come on, I heard yesterday that Big Brother has already gone off with someone to build a house.”

Fang Yuan’s face immediately darkened. “He didn’t even tell us? Oldest Fang really has no shame.”

Lu Chuan tried to comfort her. “With my build, there’s not much I could help with anyway.”

Fang Yuan was still upset. “Look at Oldest Fang, acting like he’s all that. Doesn’t even care about appearances.”

Lu Chuan said, “It wouldn’t be right if you got mad about this.”

Fang Yuan replied, “Well, I am mad. And if I have a mixer, he can’t use anyone else’s.”

Lu Chuan thought, Even when she’s angry, she’s still thinking about the mixer. How much does she want one?

Lu Chuan said, “Come on, the foreman we deal with sent word yesterday, asking me to drop by today if I had time.”

Fang Yuan brightened up immediately, put on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and was out the door. As she left, she muttered to Lu Chuan, “The God of Wealth has arrived.”

Lu Chuan thought, She really is quick to act. “To us, that guy really is like the God of Wealth.”

Fang Yuan asked, “If he asks us to work again, are you going to invite Big Brother, too?”

Lu Chuan answered tactfully, “I’ll ask, but Big Brother might not give me that honor.”

Fang Yuan frowned, not wanting to hear such wishy-washy talk. “So are you going to ask him or not?”

Thank you all for your support.

(End of Chapter 61)"

"Chapter 62: Ruthlessness and Injustice Should Be Subtle

Lu Chuan felt he’d explained things pretty clearly, but unfortunately, what Fang Yuan wanted was a definite answer.

But how could he just say it outright? When it comes to matters of ruthlessness and injustice, you have to be subtle, reserved. At the very least, it should be “only if my brother-in-law is ruthless will I be unjust.” He said, “We have to keep up appearances—your parents are watching, after all. Besides, he’s your big brother.”

Fang Yuan retorted, “Are you stupid? He hasn’t even come to you, and I’m still his little sister.” In Fang Yuan’s mind, there was no question—they needed to strike back.

Lu Chuan replied, “That’s exactly why we need to handle things gracefully. We can’t act like your brother.”

Fang Yuan grew anxious. “Handle it gracefully and lose all the money?”

Lu Chuan thought, Why can’t she just take a hint? “Even if we invite your brother, he won’t come. Don’t worry.”

Fang Yuan said, “I can’t not worry. We’ve already split up, so why bother inviting him?”

Lu Chuan felt exhausted. There was no need to argue about this, so he changed tack: “Aren’t you still hoping to lend him the mixer in the future?”

Fang Yuan conceded, “That’s true.” She knew how to endure humiliation for the bigger picture. “But I still feel uncomfortable about it. I just don’t want to invite him.”

Lu Chuan said, “You don’t have to. I’ll do it. Besides, we might not even get any work.”

Fang Yuan smiled, “Don’t worry, Fifth Brother is making connections. He said yesterday that you did a great job last time, and now you’re famous in the village. There’ll be plenty of people wanting to hire you. If this job doesn’t work out, there’ll be another.”

Lu Chuan was modest. If something wasn’t a sure thing, he wouldn’t count on it. “It’s still not certain, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Fang Yuan insisted, “Why not? I’ve never seen anything make more money than that big machine. It even makes more than my dad selling meat. With it, what’s there to worry about for college? I could support you for ten years, not just four.”

That was even harder to listen to—letting his wife support him? Was he supposed to be a kept man? Still, he was a little moved that he was part of Fang Yuan’s plans.

Fang Yuan, worried Lu Chuan would object, said, “Don’t say anything yet. Let’s go to the village first. Let me think about this, and you should think about it too.”

She was even stalling for time now. That was progress.

Lu Chuan couldn’t argue—Fang Yuan’s reasoning was sound.

He thought about the money he’d earned and felt the weight on his shoulders. He couldn’t keep up with his wife’s spending.

At the village, Lu Chuan wanted to greet Fang’s eldest brother, but the man avoided him, saying he was about to head out for work.

Still, the brothers looked a bit awkward. After all, this was a little embarrassing.

No matter how long Fang’s eldest had been in this business, going solo and taking the lead was a path his brother-in-law had paved for him.

Now, they’d quietly left Lu Chuan behind to go it alone. It wasn’t very honorable.

They couldn’t act natural around Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan couldn’t just let his brother-in-law leave like that. He wasn’t afraid—he had things to discuss with him. He stopped him openly.

Fang’s eldest was uncomfortable and spoke first, “Brother-in-law, you should focus on your studies. This line of work isn’t for you in the long run.”

Fifth Brother snorted. Was that just your excuse to keep all the profits for yourself?

Lu Chuan said, “Big Brother, I get it, I do. I just wanted to let you know—there’s a job at the site from last time. I thought we could check it out together.”

See? Even in this situation, Lu Chuan still invited his brother-in-law, showing his sense of duty—and, of course, making Fang’s eldest lose face.

But Fang’s eldest still tried to be loyal, “Over there? If you need workers, I can introduce some. Your second brother and the rest of us are just laborers, nothing more. We’ve got other things to do, so we’ll head off.”

In other words, he didn’t want to get involved. As for saving face, after going solo, he couldn’t hold his head up in front of Lu Chuan anyway, so what’s a little more?

As for Fifth Brother, he could join in whenever he wanted—the others would be fine with it.

Fang’s eldest felt embarrassed in front of his brother-in-law and left without saying much.

Lu Chuan, in his father-in-law’s house, had done the right thing and kept his dignity. He touched his nose—this was as good as it could get.

Third Brother said, “Big Brother, you don’t have to be like this. We all have families to feed.”

Fourth Brother added, “Exactly. We can’t block our brother-in-law’s way to make a living.”

Second Brother glared at Fourth Brother—he was the worst. “Let’s go. No matter how nicely you put it, it still looks bad.” The brothers hurried off.

Fifth Brother relaxed, “Alright, let’s go too.” He was pleased—Fang’s eldest had finally lost some face.

Lu Chuan called to Fang Yuan, “Come on, let’s go together.”

If there weren’t people watching, Lu Chuan would have wanted to show off to Fang Yuan: See? I told you, even if I invited Big Brother, he wouldn’t join us.

But he didn’t get the chance.

Fang Yuan said, “I’m not going. You guys go. I wouldn’t understand anything anyway.”

That wasn’t like her. Lu Chuan asked, “Aren’t you usually proactive? This is about making money.”

Fang Yuan didn’t even look up, “I’ll just wait for the results.”

Fifth Brother pulled Lu Chuan away, saying, “Why so hesitant? My sister’s not going anywhere. Without Fang Yuan, you wouldn’t dare take on a job.”

Lu Chuan was embarrassed. He didn’t dare say much more to Fang Yuan, just greeted Wang Cui Xiang and left.

Wang Cui Xiang was clearly unhappy. Earning a bit of money had caused so much drama in the family.

They were all in construction, but had split into two camps.

It hurt both the family’s pride and their reputation. Luckily, Fifth Brother was still with the son-in-law.

Especially seeing her eldest son get embarrassed by Lu Chuan—it was really humiliating.

Lu Chuan had “righteousness” written all over his face, making her own sons look bad by comparison.

But honestly, Wang Cui Xiang didn’t believe Lu Chuan really wanted to work with the older brothers. He was just putting on a show. He handled things more gracefully than the eldest.

Such a son-in-law made her anxious. If she wanted anything for her daughter in the future, she’d have to be clever about it.

Wang Cui Xiang looked at Fang Yuan, “You stayed home to complain to me about your brothers?”

Fang Yuan replied, “No. Making money is something everyone scrambles for. If my big brother wasn’t like this, he wouldn’t be my big brother.”

Her daughter was actually being reasonable? Though she was a bit sarcastic about her eldest, Wang Cui Xiang said, “At least you remember that.”

Fang Yuan said, “When I was little, my brother would trick me out of my pocket money, candy, snacks. He’s never been a good person.”

Wang Cui Xiang felt tired. Not much reasonableness here—just holding grudges. “He’s your big brother. How can you talk like that? Can’t you let go of childhood things?”

Fang Yuan replied, “I was little then—he wasn’t. People say a child’s nature shows early. Anyway, I never got along with him. If it was Fifth Brother, I’d definitely make a fuss.”

A poor sibling relationship was actually a good thing—it meant less drama.

Wang Cui Xiang didn’t know what to say. “No matter what, your brothers won’t let you suffer.” When sons lose face, mothers do too.

63."

"Chapter 63: Selfishness Runs in the Family