Chapter 70: You’re at Home—Where Else Would I Go?

Lu Chuan couldn’t help but think, “No wonder they’re mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—both of them have to keep an eye on the family’s money, even if it means staying up all night.” He tried to reassure his own mother, “It won’t get lost.”

His mother, anxious and flustered, said, “What are you talking about? Don’t you know what our family’s situation is? If we lose that thing, even selling you wouldn’t be enough to pay for it! Take your dad over there on your bike first. Once your dad’s watching it, you can come back. I need to tell your dad to keep a close eye on it—can’t be as careless as you.”

Other people might give their daughters-in-law a hard time, but in this family, it was the son who got bossed around.

Lu Chuan hadn’t even caught his breath after getting home before his mother shooed him right back out.

Fang Yuan didn’t see anything wrong with his mother’s arrangements. She wasn’t comfortable leaving so much money’s worth of equipment unattended either.

So, Lu Chuan had barely gotten home—just long enough to help his wife heat up the kang—before Fang Yuan sent him right back to the construction site.

She even assigned his uncle, Wu Hu, to work exclusively for Fang Yuan.

Lu Chuan explained to his fifth uncle, “Fang Yuan said my dad should come over and learn from you how to look after the mixer. For the next few days, my dad will be your shadow. Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Wu.”

Wu Hu felt a bit embarrassed. “Uncle, how could we let you go through all this trouble? It’s just that Fang Yuan doesn’t know any better.”

Lu Chuan’s dad was circling the mixer, saying, “Don’t say that. That thing is worth so much money, just thinking about it makes me nervous. I can’t take my eyes off it for a second.”

Wu Hu was now certain—Fang Yuan and Lu Chuan’s family were cut from the same cloth.

He pulled Lu Chuan aside and whispered, “Anyone who knows my sister would understand she just doesn’t trust others and is afraid of losing something. But anyone who doesn’t know her might think she doesn’t trust me, bringing her own uncle over to keep an eye on me.”

Lu Chuan quipped, “Don’t worry, Uncle Wu. My dad only has eyes for the mixer—he won’t even notice you.”

Wu Hu laughed at his brother-in-law. “That’s not the tone I expected. What’s up?”

Lu Chuan sighed, “I mean, we finally bought something big for the house, even if it was out of desperation. Shouldn’t my dad at least say something to me about it, maybe scold me a little?”

Wu Hu nodded. “You’re right. You’re the man of the house now.”

Lu Chuan was genuinely frustrated. “From start to finish, my dad hasn’t said a word to me.”

After a long pause, Wu Hu said, “Maybe your dad thinks you’re not the one in charge, so talking to you is pointless?”

That hit home. Both Lu Chuan and Wu Hu fell silent. The truth stung, and Lu Chuan turned and walked away.

Better to keep it bottled up than complain to Uncle Wu and get even more upset. Clearly, that’s exactly how his dad saw things.

Wu Hu watched Lu Chuan push his bike in the wrong direction. “Hey, where are you going?”

Lu Chuan replied matter-of-factly, “Home.”

Wu Hu sucked in a breath. “Man, brother-in-law, you’ve been back and forth so many times today—don’t your legs hurt?”

Of course Lu Chuan’s legs hurt, but sometimes a man is willing to run dozens of miles for something—or someone—without complaint.

He just gave Wu Hu a look that said, “You wouldn’t understand. My wife’s at home—where else would I go?”

Of course, Lu Chuan himself wasn’t feeling particularly romantic. He just pedaled his old bike back and forth between the village and the site, full of silent grievances.

His stomach was growling, and he thought, “Fang Yuan, you’d better have saved me some food.”

But when he got to town, he realized he couldn’t count on it—Fang Yuan wasn’t the most considerate type.

So he headed straight to his mother-in-law’s place. Wang Cuixiang hadn’t seen Lu Chuan cycling back and forth, but she ran the butcher shop and always had her ear to the ground.

People passing by had mentioned more than once, “That son-in-law has been running back and forth all day. Who knows what he’s so busy with?”

Seeing her son-in-law show up again at this hour, Wang Cuixiang got worried. “Is something wrong?”

Lu Chuan felt a little embarrassed. “No, Mom. Fang Yuan’s staying home for a couple of days, but she’s worried about the mixer, so I took my dad over to keep an eye on it.”

Wang Cuixiang thought, “No need to explain. I know my daughter. If she doesn’t sign off on something, you can’t make the call. And you’d never be able to talk her into anything.”

Her daughter had been stubborn for twenty years at home. If she suddenly became easygoing after less than a month of marriage, Wang Cuixiang would be worshipping her son-in-law instead of Buddha.

Wang Cuixiang said, “I knew that girl would make a fuss. Good thing your family is so patient with her.”

But then again, it was rare for her daughter to trust her in-laws with something so important.

Lu Chuan said, “It’s nothing. My dad’s happy to help out with Fang Yuan.”

Then he added, “My mom’s even happier.” His tone was a little off, a bit sour.

Wang Cuixiang couldn’t help but laugh. She understood exactly what her son-in-law meant.

Lu Chuan said, “Mom, I’m running late, and I don’t know if Fang Yuan’s eaten yet. Do you have any food at home? I want to bring some for her.”

Wang Cuixiang actually blushed. Her son-in-law had been running around all day and was still worried his wife hadn’t eaten. She felt a little guilty. “You must be tired too, and probably haven’t eaten yet, right? Go wash your hands and eat something first.”

Lu Chuan was a bit shy, but didn’t stand on ceremony. “Mom, it’s getting late. Could you pack me a meal to take home and eat with Fang Yuan?”

Wang Cuixiang wouldn’t dream of neglecting her son-in-law. “There’s no rush. Go wash up.”

But Lu Chuan was worried about his wife at home with nothing to eat, so he packed up the food and hurried off.

Wang Cuixiang watched him leave. “He’s really adapted well.”

Fang Daleng also watched his son-in-law’s back. “He’s got a thick skin—not like a scholar at all.”

Otherwise, how could he come over so comfortably to his in-laws’ place to bring food to his wife? Other new sons-in-law would never be so at ease.

Wang Cuixiang was quite pleased with this. “Doesn’t it feel like he’s really part of the family?”

Fang Daleng nodded. “It really does. He doesn’t treat us like outsiders.”

Wang Cuixiang glanced at Fang Daleng but said nothing. Their family was no match for this son-in-law—he had them wrapped around his finger in no time.

When Fang Yuan saw Lu Chuan come home in the middle of the night, she was surprised and quickly put down the spatula she was holding.

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected to be greeted by this scene—not a hot meal, but a spatula in hand. “What are you doing?”

Fang Yuan said, “It’s the middle of the night. I have to be on guard, don’t I? Why are you back again?”

Lu Chuan really wanted to retort, “Why am I back? You’re at home—where else would I go?”

But he knew Fang Yuan’s mind would never wander into anything sentimental.

He muttered, “If I didn’t come back, how would you get to the county tomorrow?”

Fang Yuan said, “I’m not stupid. Why are you running back and forth so much? Don’t your legs hurt?”

Only then did Lu Chuan realize how weak his legs felt. After a whole day of biking, he was finally feeling the exhaustion.

But Fang Yuan wasn’t one to dwell on things. Seeing Lu Chuan, she was happy. “Have you eaten?”

Lu Chuan handed her the lunchbox he’d brought, still warm. “I was worried you hadn’t eaten, so I got this from Mom’s place.”

Fang Yuan took it, her heart softening a little. “Did you eat?”

Lu Chuan blushed. “No, I’ll eat with you.”

Fang Yuan handed him a pair of chopsticks. “You eat. I already ate—Mom made dinner for me. We ate well.”

Lu Chuan felt all his efforts had been for nothing.

The author thinks the next chapter will be even more exciting.

[End of Chapter 70]"

"Chapter 71: Can We Not Do This?