Chapter 116: Lu Chuan’s Game Plan

When it was just the two of them left, Wang Cuihua sighed, “The eldest, always full of hot air, thinks he’s so capable, but all he’s doing is putting on a show.”

Fang Daleng didn’t see anything wrong with that—he was proud of his son. “That’s not so bad. When I go out, everyone knows I’m Fang the Tiger’s father. They all give me some respect.”

Wang Cuihua scoffed. “What do you know? The kids all come to me, their grandma, for school money.”

What kind of person is the eldest? He’s never suffered a loss—always scheming.

People say the eldest really cares about his brother-in-law, but Wang Cuihua just couldn’t believe it. Who knows what he’s plotting? He’s always so petty.

Now, those two younger brothers who keep quiet—that’s what it means to be truly capable. Didn’t you see even the fourth doesn’t follow the eldest around anymore?

Look at the five brothers—when they came back for Mid-Autumn Festival, the fourth was practically glued to the eldest. No wonder the eldest was in such a bad mood he couldn’t even enjoy his meal. Anyone would feel annoyed.

Fang Daleng turned to his wife and asked cautiously, “I noticed you don’t seem too happy with our daughter lately.”

Thinking of Fang Yuan, Wang Cuihua got so angry her nose almost went crooked again. “I can’t stand how she never uses her head.”

Fang Daleng said, “She’s got enough sense to get by, hasn’t she? Our girl hasn’t suffered, has she? Kids should learn to be content.”

Wang Cuihua couldn’t really argue with that. But honestly, can you say our daughter really isn’t lacking in brains? Who would believe that?

She let a capable man slip by and only cared about a bit of money. If she’s not lacking in sense, then who is?

Wang Cuihua snapped, “Fine, if you say she’s not lacking, then she’s not.” After all, this lack of sense probably comes from her father.

The fifth brother took Lu Chuan to the county seat. When it came to their own construction site, Lu Chuan picked things up right away.

With Lu Chuan there, the fifth brother could finally relax for a few days and take it easy.

“Brother-in-law, you’re back and have a few days off. I’ll take a few days off too. I’ve been wound up tight lately,” said the fifth.

Lu Chuan replied, “I’m afraid I can’t, fifth brother. I found a job in the provincial capital. It’s our first time doing something like this—just a small gig.”

Then, a bit shyly, he added, “Fifth brother, why don’t you come with me and check it out? See if you think it’s worth doing. If you like it, you can find a few of our own people, some younger ones. Once they learn the skills, they won’t run off. We’ll go to the provincial capital and get a head start.”

The fifth brother perked right up. “Brother-in-law, that’s great! Why wouldn’t I like it? It’s the provincial capital! No matter how small the job, we’re breaking into the big city.”

“Of course I’ll go,” he said. “But brother-in-law, do you have time for this with your studies?”

Lu Chuan looked a little uneasy. “Not really, but I happened to meet a classmate whose family is in this business, and they’re expanding in this direction. It just worked out.”

The fifth brother was full of dreams about going to college. Otherwise, how could he have stumbled into such a job? “You can even learn this in college? Brother-in-law, you should study this too.”

Lu Chuan did plan on it. He’d met this new classmate while auditing classes. He didn’t dare hope to put what he learned into practice just yet, but getting to know more about the business could only help.

Lu Chuan said, “I’m not looking too far ahead, just trying to learn a bit for now. But fifth brother, there’s one more thing—if we take this job, we’ll need someone to keep an eye on things in the provincial capital.”

The fifth brother turned to Lu Chuan. “Of course, that goes without saying. Don’t worry, as long as there’s money to be made, I’m not afraid of hard work.”

But that wasn’t what Lu Chuan was worried about. He didn’t need the fifth brother to work himself to the bone.

Lu Chuan knew the fifth brother couldn’t leave the county seat for long, so the one to go to the provincial capital would definitely be Fang Yuan. “So, tomorrow, let’s go check out the provincial capital.”

The fifth brother was so fired up he didn’t even want to rest. “We could go today if you wanted!”

Lu Chuan, sly as a fox, said, “It’s too late today. But knowing how much you trust me, fifth brother, really puts my mind at ease.”

The fifth brother replied, “Of course! We’re brothers, aren’t we? Brother-in-law, you’re doing a great job—living in the provincial capital but still thinking about our business. But don’t let your studies fall behind.”

Lu Chuan said, “Of course not. But I’m worried Fang Yuan won’t be willing.” There, his real intention slipped out.

“Why wouldn’t she be?” the fifth brother asked.

He continued, “The provincial capital is just the beginning. No one trusts us yet, and these are all small jobs that don’t pay much—nothing like the big projects here.”

“But you’ve got to think long-term,” he went on. “Work in the provincial capital is on another level compared to the county. Just imagine, telling people we’re making money in the big city—doesn’t that sound impressive? Don’t worry, leave this to me.”

Lu Chuan said, “I trust you, fifth brother. I trust your judgment. When you chose to partner with me instead of the eldest, I knew you had vision. With your support, I feel much more confident.”

The fifth brother got a little carried away. “Are you praising me or yourself? But this just proves I really do have foresight—better than the eldest.”

Lu Chuan gave him a thumbs up. “You should be proud when it’s called for. I’m counting on you, fifth brother, counting on your long-term vision.”

Then he just sat back, satisfied, waiting for the results. He wasn’t worried about Fang Yuan refusing—he had an ally now.

That night, Lu Chuan, Fang Yuan, and the fifth brother all stayed in the workers’ dorm. After a month away, the scene felt a little surreal to Lu Chuan.

Tomorrow, Old Man Lu would come by. He could watch over the site for a day, no problem.

The fifth brother started enthusiastically telling Fang Yuan about expanding their business into the provincial capital.

But Fang Yuan was stubborn—she wasn’t easily convinced. “Travel all the way to the provincial capital, pay my own way, and not even make more than I do here? Why bother?”

To her, the fifth brother was just being gullible—letting himself get talked into something.

The fifth brother almost got talked out of it himself. Lu Chuan raised an eyebrow from the side. The fifth brother said, “That’s not right. You came back from the provincial capital saying everyone’s building high-rises there. Who knows, maybe our county will start building them too. If we don’t learn now, we’ll be left behind. Will we still have the momentum we do now?”

He tried to persuade her, “Fang Yuan, you should listen to me on this. You have to think long-term. Your husband’s in college, studying this stuff—he sees further than we do.”

Lu Chuan honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead, nor did he have any plans to build high-rises. All he wanted was to get his wife to the provincial capital. It was that simple.

But since the fifth brother had made such a big deal out of it, he had to go along with it.

Fang Yuan asked, “Really going? Is there any work for my cement mixer?”

Lu Chuan’s face darkened. “No. The county jobs still need your mixer. You can’t just leave those behind.”

In other words, there was no need for a cement mixer in the provincial capital.

The fifth brother chimed in, “Come on, this isn’t a joke. Even if we don’t make much, or even lose money, we still have to go. Don’t worry about your mixer—you’re already busy enough in the county, aren’t you?”

Fang Yuan replied, “Isn’t this ridiculous? I can’t even keep up with the work here, so why would I go to the provincial capital?”

Lu Chuan just looked at the fifth brother, silently cheering him on. He knew he couldn’t persuade Fang Yuan himself.

Thank you all for reading.

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**End of Chapter 116**"