Chapter 8: As Long As You Don’t Lose Your Morals

The matter was settled just like that. From beginning to end, neither Old Man Lu, Old Lady Lu, nor the village party secretary ever asked Lu the Eldest for his opinion.

As for the two younger brothers, they didn’t even look at their big brother.

Li Meng, on the other hand, kept tugging at Lu Feng’s sleeve, wanting him to speak up for her, to not just accept this and let her reputation be ruined.

But Lu Feng’s mind wasn’t on her at all.

Lu the Eldest was a bit stunned. Why didn’t his parents discuss this with him? He was the eldest, after all. “Dad, Mom, why?”

Old Lady Lu comforted him, “Your father and I will live on our own, it’s more comfortable that way. Lots of families in the village do it like this. Now that we’ve split up, you all can go live your own lives. As for your youngest brother getting married, your father and I will take care of it. You don’t need to worry about it. This is for the best.”

Old Lady Lu had it all figured out. They didn’t have many expenses, and the money the sons gave them for their old age would be enough in a few years to marry off the youngest.

Lu the Eldest did his own calculations too. As long as his parents didn’t go live with the second or third son, he could save face. He was still the eldest of the family.

And so, the matter was agreed to, muddled as it was.

After the family division agreement was written up, Fang Yuan watched as the village secretary signed, then the Lu couple, then Li Meng, and finally, everyone stared at Lu the Eldest.

Before Fang Yuan could say anything, Li Meng softly said, “Lu Feng, our days will only get better from now on.”

She had staked her reputation on this, but the upside was that once they got rich, no one in this family could cling to them anymore. Let them regret it—Li Meng had her pride.

Lu Feng picked up the pen and glanced at Fang Yuan—the woman who’d sold herself for 350 yuan—then at Li Meng, the woman who’d bought him for 350 yuan. He couldn’t even figure out what he was feeling, but he gritted his teeth and signed.

The agreement even included a yearly 200 yuan support payment for his parents, with 100 of that falling on the second brother. It was like losing a wife and getting stuck with a 400 yuan bill.

Lu Feng was beyond frustrated. Why should he have to pay 200 yuan? That was a huge sum, more than he could save in a whole year.

At that moment, Lu Feng didn’t know whether to be proud that he was worth so much. He shot Fang Yuan a deep, complicated look—this woman really was something else.

But Fang Yuan wasn’t afraid of him. She didn’t even bat an eye. Did this useless man really think he could just coast through life with everyone else taking the hits? That’s not how a penniless bachelor should behave.

If I can skin Li Meng, I can skin you too. But she wouldn’t take the money herself—she had her pride. Giving it to the Lu parents was fine.

The village secretary glanced at Fang Yuan, then said to Old Man Lu, “Just need your second and third sons’ signatures now.”

Lu the Youngest poked his head in from the doorway. “Uh, my second brother’s right here.”

Lu the Second came in with a dark face, not a hint of a groom’s joy about him.

The village secretary figured Lu the Second must be unhappy about this marriage.

Fang Yuan held out the agreement to Lu the Second. “It’s all divided. Dad and Mom have no objections, neither do I. Sign it.” The implication: no one else’s opinion matters.

Lu the Second had already calmed himself outside—don’t get angry, don’t get angry—but the moment this shrew spoke, he wanted to grind his teeth.

Lu the Youngest tried to flatter her: “Second Sister-in-law, my second brother will be starting university soon. Life’s tough for you two now, but once he graduates, he’ll definitely make something of himself.”

Fang Yuan glanced at Lu the Second. “How much he achieves isn’t the point. As long as he doesn’t lose his morals, that’s enough.”

Lu the Eldest, who’d been subtly insulted, was grinding his teeth on the side.

Of course, Lu the Second didn’t feel flattered by this either.

This whole family had been worn down by this shrew until they didn’t even have the energy to argue.

Fang Yuan glared at Lu the Second. “What are you looking at? Sign.”

Lu the Second picked up the pen, staring at his parents, his mind in turmoil. He’d need money for university, but now that the family was split, no one had mentioned it.

He couldn’t help but wonder—maybe his parents were afraid he’d be a burden to the family. His eyes reddened. “Should I sign?”

Just three words, but for a scholar, the weight in his heart was heavy.

Old Lady Lu and Old Man Lu looked at their second son expectantly. “Go ahead, sign.”

Lu the Second’s hand trembled as he held the pen. He knew his own family—his parents and big brother must be relieved. Supporting a college student wasn’t easy.

Otherwise, with the Eldest’s stingy nature, he’d never have agreed to such a bad deal in the division.

He finally looked seriously at Fang Yuan beside him. Regardless of feelings, at this moment, Lu the Second felt a strange sense of solidarity.

No matter what happened in the future, at least right now, he wasn’t alone. He wondered if this tough, penniless girl beside him realized what it meant to have picked up a college student like him—there was no bargain to be had here.

Lu the Second signed with his eyes closed, his mind full of worries about school—maybe even going at all was in question now. He couldn’t really drag Fang Yuan down with him.

Then Lu the Youngest signed too, and the family division was finally complete.

The village secretary had never seen anything like this before. As he was sent off by the Lu family, his mind was spinning.

And as for the Eldest’s “not-so-innocent” wife—what exactly had she done, to sign an agreement like this? The village secretary was full of gossip.

But he weighed it up—everyone said that girl from the Fang family was wild, but she seemed pretty sharp to him.

He had to admire how the family was split. Over the next four years, she’d keep the Eldest couple firmly under her thumb. After four years, when the Second finished university, could the Eldest still compare to him?

The more he thought about it, the more impressive this woman seemed.

Once the outsiders had left, Fang Yuan spoke up again. “Tomorrow morning, your whole family is going to go door to door in the village and tell everyone that I am your second son’s lawfully wedded wife. If you don’t make it clear, I’ll go tell them myself.”

Lu the Eldest thought, wouldn’t that just drag him and his “bargain wife” through the mud? “Don’t go too far.”

Fang Yuan’s face darkened. “If I hear even a single bad word about me in the village, I’ll tell everyone how that ‘not-so-innocent’ woman is already several months pregnant.”

Scared? What a joke. Who was this immoral person trying to shame? She’d given them enough face.

Old Man Lu said, “I’ll go, I’ll go—Fang Yuan, I’ll go explain.”

Fang Yuan replied, “No. You don’t get to pick up a bargain like that. That ‘not-so-innocent’ woman has to go herself and explain. If anyone says a bad word about me in the future, it’s because she didn’t make herself clear, and I’ll come tear her house apart.”

She shot a glare at Li Meng, her tone unkind: “Don’t try to act all innocent after getting your way. That doesn’t work with me, got it?”

Li Meng looked at Lu Feng, aggrieved, then sniffled. For the sake of being a rich wife in the future, she’d endure it. This wasn’t much.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll explain. My family lives far away, so I was delayed on the road, which is why there was only one bride when we arrived, and people misunderstood you as the Eldest’s wife. My engagement to the Eldest is fine—there was never any talk of breaking it off. We just had a little spat because of family pressure, but our love is as strong as gold. From beginning to end, you were always the Second’s wife. You only married him because he’s good-looking and literate. You married for the man himself.”

Old Man Lu and Old Lady Lu nodded vigorously. That story sounded good—almost believable.

Fang Yuan snorted. “No wonder you’re so shameless. You can make up lies better than anyone.”

Li Meng’s face was indescribably ugly—she’d never been so humiliated."