Chapter 128: Got the Aura Down Pat

Fang Yuan glanced at Lu Chuan’s back, and the corners of her mouth curled up. She looked to be in a great mood.

At home, her mom, along with her second and third sisters-in-law, had already given her a crash course. Lu Chuan knowing how to coax her like this was definitely a good thing.

Her eldest sister-in-law wanted to chime in too, but Fang Yuan didn’t care for her and wasn’t interested in her getting involved.

Even though she didn’t really take to heart what her second and third sisters-in-law said, it didn’t mean she didn’t understand.

Lu Chuan coming over all eager to please her was much more reassuring than if he ignored her or avoided her. She couldn’t dampen his enthusiasm.

Especially after Old Sun’s incident spread through the village, Wang Cuixiang called all her sons over and lectured them half the night, focusing on their conduct.

Fang Yuan listened in too. Wang Cuixiang said she was the one in the most danger, and had to stay vigilant at all times.

Fang Yuan immediately declared, “I’m a decent person, I’d never do something like that.”

Tiger Five and Tiger Four burst out laughing right then. They couldn’t believe Fang Yuan could say that with a straight face.

The eldest, second, and third brothers all looked at Fang Yuan in confusion. Did their little sister see herself as one of the guys now?

Wang Cuixiang gave Fang Yuan a couple of smacks, face dark: “I’m talking about your man. Compared to Old Sun, he’s much better looking, younger, and way more capable. Just thinking about it makes me worry for you.”

Only then did Fang Yuan realize that the concern wasn’t about her causing trouble. But if Lu Chuan messed up, lecturing her wouldn’t help.

Wang Cuixiang gave all her sons a warning: making money is fine, but if any of them dared betray their wives, she’d deal with them herself.

The sisters-in-law, knowing what’s good for them, were grateful for their mother-in-law’s wisdom and authority. After all, she was helping keep their husbands in line.

Knowing their mother-in-law was worried about her daughter, they naturally passed that gratitude on to Fang Yuan.

The sisters-in-law took turns talking to Fang Yuan about her marriage, pouring their hearts out on how to keep her husband loyal, how to keep his heart at home.

In the middle of the night, two sisters-in-law even went together to the construction site in the village to give Fang Yuan a lesson—talk about deep sisterhood. It left Fang Yuan so moved she couldn’t sleep for days.

Even Lu Chuan’s dad asked Fang Yuan if something was going on with her family, since the sisters-in-law had come over several times.

Fang Yuan, being straightforward, told him everything: “Old Sun got into trouble, so my mom lectured my brothers, and my sisters-in-law came over to give me a lesson.”

Lu Chuan’s dad’s reaction was priceless: “Your family is really wise. But there’s no need for your sisters-in-law to go to all that trouble.”

He didn’t think much of it, didn’t suspect his second son, just assumed the in-laws were worried Fang Yuan might stray.

You couldn’t blame him for the misunderstanding. After all, Lu Chuan was always circling around Fang Yuan at the construction site, trying to please her. Anyone could see where his heart was—he wasn’t going anywhere.

The next day at noon, Lu Chuan’s dad even went out and bought a few kilos of brown sugar to send over to the Fang family.

Families like this are hard to find. Their daughter was really well taught.

When Wang Cuixiang received the gift, she thought it was the in-laws reassuring her that they’d educate their son and make sure he learned from Old Sun’s mistake. She thought, “The Lu family’s not bad.”

See, even the misunderstandings were so wholesome.

When it came to marriage, Fang Yuan had been well coached by her sisters-in-law. She knew what she was doing.

Lu Chuan came back with groceries and showed off to Fang Yuan: “Tang Sanjiao, your favorite. I’ll make you egg drop soup at home—I know how to do it.”

Fang Yuan looked at what Lu Chuan was holding—all things she liked. “What about you? Did you get anything you like? You should get something for yourself too.”

Lu Chuan was the type to bloom with just a little sunshine; his face flushed again. “Fang Yuan, you don’t need to worry about me. I eat at the canteen, they have everything.”

Then he perked up like he’d just taken a miracle pill, grabbed Fang Yuan, and off they went. If she got mad, there was no need to coax her—she’d get over it herself. This guy was easy to please.

Honestly, Fang Yuan didn’t even know what had gotten Lu Chuan so fired up all of a sudden.

That night, Lu Chuan’s rented place finally saw its first home-cooked meal. He, a grown man, was out in the yard making egg drop soup, humming a little tune in his happiness.

The neighborhood aunties passing by couldn’t help but peek in. One of them asked, “Young man, is your wife pregnant?”

Before Lu Chuan could shyly deny it, she followed up with, “Did your wife have a miscarriage?”

It was one thing to hope for a pregnancy, but why say something so nasty? Lu Chuan replied, “My wife’s perfectly fine.”

But the auntie was relentless: “Don’t try to hide it. It’s okay, just take care of her, you’ll have another chance.”

What kind of talk was that? Lu Chuan, usually so mild-tempered, almost argued with her: “Why do you talk like that? That’s just mean-spirited.”

But the auntie wouldn’t let up: “What did I say wrong? In this whole courtyard, unless a woman’s doing her confinement, no man ever cooks.”

Lu Chuan had never met such a busybody: “I *want* to cook. I *want* to make food for my wife.”

Luckily, an old man came over to mediate: “Alright, alright, what’s a grown man doing arguing with an old lady?”

He turned to the auntie: “We men love our wives, we’re happy to do it. Why do you care so much? If I cook for my wife in private, is that your business?”

The auntie shot back, “Nonsense! There’s nothing in this courtyard I don’t know about.”

Just then, Fang Yuan came out, standing in the doorway, tapping a wrench in her palm: “What exactly do you want to know?”

Her aura was absolutely commanding. The auntie instinctively took two steps back, her voice trembling: “When did such a woman move into this courtyard?”

She didn’t even dare call her a shrew.

Fang Yuan wasn’t the patient type: “I’m asking you a question. What do you want to know?”

Fang Yuan was new here and didn’t want to cause trouble. If the old lady wanted to know something, she’d just tell her, to avoid any more pestering.

The auntie shook her head, her voice immediately shrinking: “No, nothing, I don’t want to know.”

She turned to Lu Chuan, full of sympathy: “No wonder you’re the one cooking. Must be tough for you.” Then she hurried off.

Fang Yuan walked over with the wrench, even wiped her face with it, still not getting what the old lady meant: “What’s so tough about it? What’s so hard for you?”

Lu Chuan looked at Fang Yuan and couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to wipe her face: “What were you doing? You’ve got dirt all over.”

Fang Yuan replied, “That rickety chair in the house was wobbling, so I gave it a few knocks. What’s wrong?”

The old man who’d broken up the argument listened in and realized that, despite her trendy looks and strong presence, this girl was on the straight and narrow: “Girl, you’re pretty hardworking.”

Fang Yuan was straightforward: “Uncle, if you need anything, just holler. We’re young, all we’ve got going for us is our energy.”

The old man looked Fang Yuan up and down—what a good girl. “Uh, girl, next time you talk, put down whatever you’re holding. People might get the wrong idea.”

Then he turned and left. That nosy old woman really had it coming, running into a girl like this—probably scared her half to death.

129."

"Chapter 129: This Isn’t How Things Are Supposed to Go

Fang Yuan glanced at the wrench in her hand. “What did he misunderstand?”

Lu Chuan replied, “It’s not the old man who misunderstood anything. The real issue is what that auntie misunderstood.”

Fang Yuan frowned. “That woman doesn’t look easy to get along with. This courtyard is small, there are a lot of people, and it’s pretty noisy. I bet there’s no shortage of gossip and trouble.”

Lu Chuan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, there’s definitely plenty of drama. But don’t worry—even if there is, they’ll steer clear of you.”

Fang Yuan shot him a look. “Why does it sound like you’re insulting me?”

Lu Chuan grinned. “I’m complimenting you! I just don’t have your kind of presence.”

Fang Yuan looked a little proud. “Of course. I learned it from following behind my fifth brother and the others—how to look the most imposing, so no one dares mess with me. But my mom says I should change.”

Lu Chuan, ever the smooth talker, said, “Our mom isn’t always right. You look way better than your fifth brother and the rest.”

Fang Yuan glanced at him. This pretty boy was at it again, trying to sweet-talk her. “Really? I look good?”

Lu Chuan lowered his head, his face turning red. Oh boy, this was definitely a female hooligan teasing a college student.

The nosy auntie who’d been trying to peek in just now quickly pulled back. Goodness, what had she just witnessed?

She went around telling everyone in the courtyard, “That new woman isn’t a good person. Best to avoid her. And that man? He’s a pushover, probably gets bossed around all day.”

Just this little incident was enough for the auntie to stir up a storm of gossip throughout the courtyard. Idle chatter spread from one person to the next.

Fang Yuan spent her days at the construction site and didn’t know a thing about it. Even if she did, she wouldn’t care.

Lu Chuan was either with Fang Yuan at the site or at school. He really didn’t know much about the gossip either.

The old man in the courtyard thought the young couple seemed fine—busy with their lives, obviously on the right track. But as a man, he had no interest in getting involved in all that idle talk.

Fang Yuan, who left early and came home late, would sometimes catch a kid peeking through the door. She’d call out, “What are you doing?”

The kid would take one look at her, then run off screaming.

Fang Yuan looked down at herself. Aside from being a bit dirty, she didn’t think she looked that scary. She muttered to herself, “Are kids in the provincial capital really this timid?”

That evening, when Lu Chuan came home with food from the cafeteria, Fang Yuan asked, “Did you ask when you rented this place if it’s safe to live here?”

Lu Chuan had definitely asked. He explained, “Most people in this courtyard are renters. The landlord doesn’t live here.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “Lots of different people. I’ll have to fix up the doors and windows. Don’t leave anything valuable at home.”

Lu Chuan said, “Why bother with all that? I think your fifth brother wants to come over, and this place is too small anyway.” The implication: maybe we should move.

Fang Yuan immediately shouted, “You spendthrift! Always thinking about spending money.”

Lu Chuan just laughed, not the least bit embarrassed. “I’m your spendthrift.”

Fang Yuan hadn’t expected Lu Chuan to be so shameless. “When did your skin get so thick?”

Lu Chuan blushed. “I’m not a kid anymore. I have to take responsibility.”

Fang Yuan only heard the first part and immediately got upset, genuinely angry this time. “What do you mean, you’re not a kid anymore?” That wouldn’t do.

Lu Chuan realized they were thinking about completely different things. “Yes, yes, yes.” He didn’t even have time to be embarrassed—he had to calm his wife down first.

Fang Yuan started, “Lu Chuan, let me tell you, you need to—” But Lu Chuan cut her off by covering her mouth. This wasn’t the kind of argument to have out loud.

And then, of course, Lu Chuan got kicked away.

He clutched his chest and complained, “You know, this really isn’t right.”

Fang Yuan realized she might have kicked him a bit hard. “Ahem, yeah, that was a bit much. Are you okay?”

Lu Chuan glared at her, feeling wronged. “You know it’s wrong, but you still do it.”

Fang Yuan, feeling guilty, started rubbing his chest. “I’ll try to do better.”

Lu Chuan was still sulking, mostly because his pride was hurt. “Weren’t you the one in a hurry to have a kid?”

Fang Yuan quickly cut him off, turning away with a blush. “Enough, stop talking.”

Lu Chuan, seeing his wife blush, was overjoyed. Look at that—Fang Yuan actually knows how to be shy! That must mean something. Getting kicked a few times? He was used to it by now. No big deal.

Lu Chuan said, “No rush, no rush. We’ll take our time. We’re both in the provincial capital now—it’s convenient.” And then he got kicked again.

Lu Chuan looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, still rubbing his chest. “If I’d known, I’d have kept my mouth shut. Would’ve saved myself a lot of pain.”

Fang Yuan snapped, “Just shut up and go to sleep. Give your brain a rest.”

Lu Chuan decided he definitely didn’t want to keep telling the truth to Fang Yuan. Rest his brain? Fine by him.

When his wife wasn’t shy, she was generous and open. When she was shy, she really could kick.

In this big courtyard, with five or six families living together, the women started to gossip. What exactly did Fang Yuan do for a living?

She always came home dirty, while the man dressed pretty well. They wanted to say Fang Yuan was up to no good, but they couldn’t. She just didn’t seem like that kind of person.

If anything, she looked like someone who worked hard and suffered a lot. It was a real mystery.

Then someone said, “That woman doesn’t look like a good person, but she doesn’t look like a bad one either. But that man—he’s a pretty boy. Maybe she’s been tricked by a conman?”

The auntie refused to admit Fang Yuan was a good person. “At best, she’s a female hooligan who’s taken a liking to a pretty boy. Neither of them are any good.”

When the old man passed by and overheard, he shook his head. “You all should really watch your mouths.”

But gossiping was the women’s favorite pastime. Who cared what the old man thought? The speculation just got wilder and wilder.

According to the women in the courtyard, Fang Yuan changed jobs eight times a day.

Fang Yuan had been assigned all sorts of identities by the women, but the most obvious effect was on the kids.

One day they’d look at her one way, the next day another. Sometimes, they’d run off as soon as they saw her. It was all very strange and ever-changing.

Fang Yuan was starting to get used to the rhythm of life in the courtyard.

Then one day, Lu Chuan had class and came home late. Fang Yuan was alone when there was a knock at the door.

Fang Yuan, who’d grown up in the countryside and was always warm and hospitable, was a bit at a loss when she opened the door to find a group of kids standing there, nervously greeting her.

The kids, a bit timid, shuffled forward. “Auntie… Auntie…”

Fang Yuan softened her tone, not wanting to scare them. “You kids are never this polite. You even know to call me ‘Auntie’?”

The kids looked at her nervously. “Auntie, you’re the boss around here. Everyone in the courtyard is afraid of you.”

Fang Yuan scratched her head. This was the first she’d heard of it—she had a reputation now? “Who decided that?”

The kids replied, “We did.”

Fang Yuan figured she’d inherited the Fang family’s aura. She felt a little embarrassed but figured she could accept it. “So what now?”

The kids said, “The spot at the entrance of the alley where we usually play—someone took it from us.”

Fang Yuan immediately understood. As the boss, she was supposed to help the kids reclaim their spot for jump rope. “You want me to go beat up some kids? No way, that’s embarrassing.”

She was so easy to talk to that the kids stopped being afraid.

They pulled her along, and one honest kid said, “Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to fight anyone.”

That was even less reassuring—she couldn’t win a fight anyway. Her mom always taught her: if you can’t win, run.

130."

"Chapter 130: That’s Our Sixth Sister