Chapter 108: Which End of the Salt Is Salty

Neither Old Lady Lu nor Lu Xiaosan ever expected that just by providing a place, the foundation for the house would be laid.

Of course, everyone who helped out in the village was found by the mother and son themselves.

As for spending money, it was really just on meals, and even that didn’t cost much. All the skilled labor came from the Fang brothers.

The remaining odd jobs were handled by Si Hu, who organized everything and even leveled the foundation. He worked so efficiently that Lu Xiaosan couldn’t help but admire him.

Whenever they needed workers, Fang Sihu would bring them over, just like going to the market. In just a few days, the house was up.

The most amazing thing was that they barely spent any money on labor.

Lu Xiaosan found out that his second sister-in-law’s brothers came over purely to help out—they didn’t take a cent. Even those who got along well with the brothers didn’t ask for money.

That’s a huge favor, and all these favors would have to be repaid by Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law in the future.

Old Lady Lu said to Lu Xiaosan, “How come their brothers are so reliable? When you look for a wife in the future, make sure you pick one whose brothers can lend a hand.”

Their opinion of Sihu shot up even more.

Because of this, Lu Xiaosan made a special trip to the county seat to talk things over with his sister-in-law. They needed to show their gratitude.

Fang Yuan hadn’t expected that just to save a bit on labor costs, her fourth brother would go to such lengths, dragging the eldest, second, and third brothers into it: “Let him do his thing. You just cooperate, do whatever he asks, and learn some skills while you’re at it.”

Lu Xiaosan was a little embarrassed: “Second Sister-in-law, I’ll listen to you, but in our family, we’ll do what we can ourselves. No need to spend money on everything.” Otherwise, they’d owe too many favors.

Fang Yuan replied, “Don’t worry. When it comes to building the house, Mom and Dad will pay. No need to feel indebted to me or your second brother.”

With that, Lu Xiaosan dropped the matter. He wanted to say something polite to Fang Yuan, but that just wasn’t her style.

Oh well, Lu Xiaosan left without even saying a few words to Old Man Lu.

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan split some money with Wuhu, and the two brothers were so happy they could barely keep their mouths closed.

But as always, the money was quietly put away by the brothers. Other than Old Man Lu, who had a rough idea, no one else knew how much there was.

Then it was back to working hard, bringing people in to earn money, and carefully guarding the construction site.

You had to admit, Fang Yuan was truly focused on her business. Even when Old Man Lu suggested she go to the provincial capital to check on Lu Chuan, she said she didn’t have the time. “He’s not going to get lost in the city. What’s the fuss?”

Old Man Lu was a bit worried. If Fang Yuan wouldn’t go, and Second Son didn’t come back, would he just go wild out there?

During the busy autumn harvest, Wuhu didn’t even give the workers a break when paying their wages, and Old Man Lu was even busier and couldn’t go home.

At home, it was Old Lady Lu and Lu Xiaosan running things. Fang Yuan had said more than once that she never expected Xiaosan to be so capable.

Old Man Lu thought to himself, “What choice did we have? That’s why they say poor kids grow up fast.”

The three men were so busy at the construction site that they barely had time to eat—it was no easier than being at home.

When Fang Yuan was busy late at night arranging for materials to be delivered, Old Man Lu would quietly keep her company.

He said he could at least be there for Fang Yuan, to give her some courage.

With Old Man Lu around, Wuhu felt at ease too. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving Fang Yuan, a woman, working alone late at night.

As for Lu Chuan, in the first week, when he didn’t see his wife, he thought, “If I go home, will Fang Yuan say I’m wasting money on travel?”

The second week, still no sign of his wife, and Lu Chuan started to feel a bit resentful. If they were apart for a long time, would his wife still care about him?

Lu Chuan even packed his bag and got on the bus, but he wasn’t in a hurry to go home. Running back and forth like this wasn’t a long-term solution. He realized he needed to find a better way.

After some thought, he figured that with Fang Yuan’s personality, as long as there was money to be made in the county, she wouldn’t come to the provincial capital to be with him—unless there was even more money to be made there.

But where would the money come from in the provincial capital? That was something Lu Chuan had to figure out for himself.

Lu Chuan, thinking of the long-term, suppressed his longing and didn’t go home that weekend. He spent his Sundays wandering around, thinking things over.

By the time the Mid-Autumn Festival rolled around in August, the autumn harvest was over. Lu Chuan went home and was stunned to hear that the house was already built.

He’d only been away at school for about a month—how had the house gone up so fast?

Wuhu was still showing off: “Brother-in-law, happy now? I never thought Fourth Brother would work so hard for this house. I heard it’s just the finishing touches left.”

Old Man Lu came back with him this time too. Wuhu had arranged for someone to watch the cement mixer for Fang Yuan and the others, or else father and son would have had to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival out at the site.

What could Lu Chuan say? What had he missed? If he’d known, he would have come home on the weekend instead of stubbornly competing with Fang Yuan. “Fifth Brother, thank you for all your trouble.”

Wuhu said, “Don’t let your Fourth Brother hear you say that, or he’ll think I’m stealing his credit.”

Lu Chuan replied, “Without you, Fifth Brother, Fourth Brother wouldn’t have worked so hard. I owe you for this.”

Wuhu said, “Alright, no need to be so polite. We’re on the same team. In the future, I’ll be counting on you to help me live the good life.”

Lu Chuan laughed, “That’s because you believe in me, Fifth Brother.”

Wuhu’s expression changed quickly: “Ahem, brother-in-law, let me ask you something. Are you really that busy on Sundays?”

No matter how well he got along with his brother-in-law, his sister came first. Wuhu knew exactly “which end of the salt is salty.”

If his brother-in-law didn’t even come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wuhu would have to go to the provincial capital and have a talk with him.

The topic changed so abruptly that Lu Chuan was caught off guard. “Huh? Fifth Brother?”

Wuhu said, “I’m your Fifth Brother, and sure, I’m counting on you to make money, but I’m only your Fifth Brother because I’m Fang Yuan’s brother.”

Lu Chuan replied, “Fifth Brother, I get it. I wanted to come home, but I was worried Fang Yuan would think I was wasting money on bus tickets.”

Wuhu rolled his eyes, “So you just didn’t come home? That’s just an excuse. Men know each other too well.”

Lu Chuan thought to himself, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to come home—he was just thinking about the long run.

Lu Chuan said, “Fifth Brother, let’s talk in detail when you have time.”

Wuhu didn’t mince words: “As long as you’re not messing around out there, say whatever you want.” If he had any funny business, there’d be nothing to talk about.

His goodwill toward his brother-in-law came with conditions.

Lu Chuan replied, “Fifth Brother, it’s not like that. Would I dare?”

Wuhu grinned, “I just hope you keep it together. My business isn’t easy.” The unspoken meaning: even if things fall apart, I’ll still have to deal with you. He’d drawn the line.

Lu Chuan could only rub his nose sheepishly.

After dropping them off in the village, Wuhu left in a hurry to get home for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Of course, he took a look at Lu Chuan’s new house on the way: “Not bad, Fourth Brother didn’t cut any corners.”

Fang Yuan checked it out too and was quite pleased. The young couple saw Wuhu off together.

Old Lady Lu was overjoyed to see her husband, son, and daughter-in-law all come home together, but the first thing she asked was, “You’re all back—who’s watching things outside? What if something gets stolen?”

Fang Yuan quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s been arranged.”

Thank you, everyone.

---

109."

"Chapter 109: Lu Chuan’s Resolve

After seeing the Five Tigers off, the whole family started checking out the new house. The framework was already up, the windows were installed, and with a bit of tidying, they could move in.

Not only was Lu Chuan surprised, even Old Man Lu was astonished—he hadn’t been back to see it either.

Old Lady Lu beamed as she introduced the house to her family: “Next year, when we have more money, we’ll do things up properly. For now, even if we’re making do, it’s still a new house.”

Then she pursed her lips and smiled, “You don’t know—just as the house frame went up, someone came to propose for our Xiao San. No need to worry about him not finding a wife. It’s all thanks to Fang Yuan’s good fortune.”

Fang Yuan said, “Don’t agree too easily. I’ve seen how Xiao San manages all these big things at home—he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

Old Lady Lu replied, “Of course we can’t agree right away. We don’t have the money to get him married yet. Give it a couple of years, he’ll be at the right age then.”

Building a house is never easy. Lu Chuan felt for his mother: “With Dad not at home, it must have been tough for you and Xiao San.”

Both Xiao San and Old Lady Lu shook their heads. “It wasn’t that hard, really. We owe so much to Fang Yuan’s fourth brother—he’s a good man. He thought of everything, big and small. All we had to do was follow his lead.”

Xiao San added, “Fourth Brother has helped us so much. Everyone in the village has seen what he can do. Some folks even asked him to help build their houses too. He told me to join him and work together.”

There was a lot in those words. Lu Chuan asked, “What do you think?”

Xiao San replied, “I’m not as capable as Fourth Brother, but I can help out, run errands, and learn a thing or two. Now that our house is done, I’d just be sitting around at home anyway.”

Lu Chuan said, “If you want to follow him for a year, that’s fine.” But he figured it wouldn’t last forever.

But Xiao San wasn’t really looking for Lu Chuan’s opinion—he looked eagerly at Fang Yuan instead. “Second Sister-in-law, what do you think? I hope I’m not just tagging along with Fourth Brother to make money and embarrassing you.”

Fang Yuan laughed, “You don’t know my Fourth Brother well enough. You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t work you to the bone. If you want to get money out of him, you’ll have to get a lot more capable. It’s fine to follow him for a year or so. Once you’ve suffered enough, you’ll wise up.”

Lu Chuan chuckled—her words had the flavor of a mother-in-law’s advice.

Xiao San was a bit confused. What did she mean? Was he supposed to follow Fourth Brother and learn to suffer?

Old Man Lu, worried his youngest son wouldn’t know how to respond—after all, they were siblings and could say anything—quickly changed the subject: “Ahem, things sure have changed fast around here.”

Then he asked, “By the way, where’s the eldest and his wife?”

Old Lady Lu’s face fell. “She’s pregnant.”

She held her tongue in front of her second son and said nothing more. The topic quickly passed.

But when only the old couple were left, Old Lady Lu finally spoke her mind: “Second son built the house and helped out Xiao San. Look at Xiao San—he’s grateful, always discussing things with his brother. But the eldest? Not only did he not help, he acts like he’s been wronged. He’s just short of coming over and demanding a new house from us.”

Old Man Lu was silent for a long time, then asked, “With such a big event at home, the eldest didn’t help at all?”

Old Lady Lu was on the verge of tears. “He came and asked me where the money for the house came from.”

Old Man Lu sighed. Others might not know, but how could the eldest not know there’s no money at home?

He said, “Forget it. If we can get the kids married, we’ve done enough.”

Hearing that, Old Lady Lu broke down in tears. Old Man Lu was at a loss: “What’s wrong, dear?”

Old Lady Lu pounded her chest, crying quietly so others wouldn’t hear: “My heart is cold. I’m willing to work hard and suffer to build this house—I’m happy to do it. But do you know, Old Man, the eldest and his wife are out there telling people we never did anything for him, that he found his own wife.”

Old Man Lu said, “But we went through so much to get him married. Doesn’t he remember?”

Old Lady Lu wailed, “What does he know? Didn’t we help the second son get married too?”

Old Man Lu was at a loss for words. It really was a mess.

Old Lady Lu’s grievance was all because of this. She’d poured her heart into getting the eldest married, to the point where she and her husband couldn’t even focus on their second son’s schooling.

And now, after all that, the eldest was making it out like they were biased and never helped him.

Li Meng could say whatever she wanted outside, but it was the eldest’s reaction that truly hurt Old Lady Lu.

Now that Old Man Lu was back, Old Lady Lu finally had someone to lean on, so of course she cried. She knew Fang Yuan had a temper, so she hadn’t dared mention any of this in front of her.

But just because Old Lady Lu didn’t say anything didn’t mean Fang Yuan didn’t know what the eldest had done.

Xiao San said, “Second Brother, the eldest is eyeing the new house. He’s been telling people the family never helped him, so why should he get nothing from this new house? Says Mom and Dad owe him, that he found his own wife.”

Lu Chuan’s face darkened. He knew the eldest had no shame. When they split the family, the eldest insisted that as the oldest, the house was his.

Now, seeing the new house, he was shameless enough to ask for a share.

Fang Yuan immediately grabbed a broom and stormed off. “He acts like being shameless is something to be proud of!”

Lu Chuan panicked and said to Xiao San, “You could have told me quietly. Don’t you know what your sister-in-law’s temper is like?”

But Xiao San had told Fang Yuan on purpose. He pulled Lu Chuan along, saying, “Let her put him in his place. She’s been running herself ragged for him—she even stayed up at noon in this heat to make him jelly. Do you know how hot it is?”

Lu Chuan realized Xiao San was a troublemaker. “Let go, I’m coming too. What if your sister-in-law gets taken advantage of?”

Xiao San thought to himself, “You’re worrying for nothing. How could my sister-in-law ever get taken advantage of?”

Still, Lu Chuan was worried. He’d just gotten home, and before he and his wife could even talk, she was already off to fight. Did she even care about him?

To Lu Chuan, Fang Yuan was rushing off to confront the eldest, and he just couldn’t stand it.

She was a college student now—she had her own temper. He got angry and chased after her, grumbling, “If we’re going, we’re going together.”

He grabbed Fang Yuan’s hand—he insisted they go hand in hand.

That was about as far as Lu Chuan’s authority went. Fang Yuan found it a hassle to walk like that, but she couldn’t shake him off.

Fang Yuan didn’t even go inside. She called out to Li Meng from the yard, “All you shameless, immoral people, get out here!”

Lu Chuan muttered under his breath, “Didn’t we agree to be more civilized now?”

Fang Yuan retorted, “Civilized? With people like this? Have you lost your mind after a few days in the city?”

Lu Chuan didn’t dare say another word—his wife was right. This really showed his place in the family. He was in charge, but only within certain limits.

Li Meng came out, holding her belly. “Second daughter-in-law, let me tell you, you’re a woman too. Don’t think that just because you work on a construction site, you’re a man. You’re always making Second Brother look bad. He’s a college student, you know. Aren’t you afraid he’ll stop liking you?”

How vicious—she went straight for the jugular.

110."

"Chapter 110: The Mindset of a Future Tycoon