Chapter 13: This One Really Knows What’s Up

Lu Chuan understood very well why his mother was being so sweet to Fang Yuan—this daughter-in-law was truly precious. Back when their family wanted the eldest son to marry this “wild girl,” they’d put in a lot of effort.

So, Lu Chuan, who knew the family’s situation, also knew that this expensive daughter-in-law was carrying the hopes of the whole Lu family. She was someone they couldn’t afford to lose.

Inside the house, Fang Yuan heard what the old lady said and didn’t see anything wrong with it. “Mom’s right. Our mom’s a sensible person.”

The old lady replied, “Of course. From now on, I’ll follow your lead. If I do anything wrong, just tell me and I’ll change. We’re sure to get along well as mother- and daughter-in-law.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m not the type to hold back if I have something to say.”

Lu Chuan, standing by, could only let out two cold laughs—quiet ones, not daring to make a sound.

But the old lady wasn’t bothered at all. As long as her second daughter-in-law didn’t get physical, and only used her words, she was happy to play along.

Beaming, she said, “Exactly, exactly, that’s what I’m saying. We’ll definitely get along. We still have a few chickens at home. Tomorrow, I’ll have the second son bring over a couple for you to raise. I’ll pick out the ones that lay the best eggs for you.”

Lu Chuan had never seen his mother treat anyone with such flattery in his whole life. She must have been scared out of her wits.

When he escorted his mother out, Lu Chuan had a stern face as he said to her, “You’re really willing to give those away?”

The old lady glanced back at the house before whispering, “It’s no use being stingy. If she finds out tomorrow, she’ll tear down the whole chicken coop. If I offer a couple myself, maybe she’ll leave me two old hens.”

Then she added, “Besides, you’re all my sons. I’m happy to give you food. Second son, your wife might be a bit wild, but she’s smart. Be nice to her, give in a little. Sure, you’re a college student, but Fang Yuan’s right—college students are still students, and they still need to get married.”

She continued, “Our family’s not well-off. Your schooling and marriage have been a headache. But now things are settled, so just treat your wife well and live a good life, okay?”

Thinking of how his own mother was bending over backwards to please Fang Yuan, Lu Chuan felt a pang of bitterness.

The old lady went on, “I know it’s been hard on you, but look around—there are plenty of bachelors in the village who can’t get wives, even though their families are better off than ours. You should be grateful to have a wife, right? Even though you’re a college student, marrying a city girl in the future might not be any better than Fang Yuan.”

Lu Chuan wanted to say, “I didn’t have to spend money to get married,” but now that he’d met someone like Fang Yuan, even if he had the ability, he wouldn’t dare say it.

The old lady spent quite a while outside coaxing her second son before finally saying, “Second son, Fang Yuan really is a good girl. I’m not lying to you.”

Lu Chuan didn’t want to hear any of this. When the eldest got married, the family spent so much money—he knew more about it than anyone. “You should worry about the eldest instead.”

He didn’t want to say another word about it.

His mother had even handed over the right to discipline the children to her daughter-in-law. What was the point of talking about this now?

To his surprise, the old lady nodded. “You’re right. That one in the eldest’s house is no good. I need to keep an eye on her.”

Then she hurried off—not because she trusted her second son, but because she believed his wife was more than capable. If she could handle the whole family, she could certainly handle her husband.

As for the one who refused to leave the house, the old lady really did think there was something off. She still remembered the way she acted when she broke off the engagement with their family.

She’d looked down on them so much back then. Because the eldest had been rejected, the old lady couldn’t hold her head up in the village for days. The eldest’s reputation was so bad, it was hard to find anyone willing to marry him.

Then suddenly, she came back, acting all devoted to the eldest. How could the old lady believe it?

Luckily, there wasn’t much to covet in their family anyway. The old lady knew that—they were truly dirt poor.

So, when she got back from the second son’s house, she pulled her eldest aside and asked, “She must be after something, coming back like this. We don’t have much, so it can’t be our family’s assets. If she was after you as a person, she wouldn’t have broken off the engagement in the first place. You need to think about this.”

The eldest hadn’t even considered this. “Didn’t she say she was pregnant? Otherwise, why would she come back?”

The old lady gave him a couple of punches. “She’s been gone so long and comes back with a baby—who can guarantee it’s yours? Are you stupid?”

The eldest was dumbfounded. Why was she hitting him? It must be because Fang Yuan set a bad example.

The old lady looked at her eldest and decided to keep quiet. They were poor. If this daughter-in-law ran off, her son’s reputation would be ruined, and it would be even harder to find a wife in the future.

With that thought, she just sent her eldest away. What a headache. Maybe being a little slow wasn’t so bad.

Watching her eldest go into the west room was like watching him walk into a den of monsters. She clenched her teeth and thought, as long as there’s no trouble and they can live a good life, the Lu family will accept it. This great old lady was carrying a heavy burden in her heart.

Truth be told, the old lady wasn’t educated, and didn’t know there was a phrase—“endure humiliation for the greater good”—that fit her perfectly right now.

Old man Lu was in the east room, puffing on his pipe. When he saw the old lady come back looking so troubled, he asked worriedly, “Is everything okay with the second son? Did you manage to calm things down?”

The old lady replied, “It’s fine. The second son’s wife is a good one. The second son is clever and knows what’s going on. As long as the two of them don’t make a fuss, it’ll be fine.”

Old man Lu said, “So we really have two daughters-in-law now. I can hardly believe it.”

Then he added, “But what about the second son’s schooling? Won’t he feel wronged, marrying a country girl? Will there be trouble in the future? The Fang family isn’t easy to deal with. We can’t do anything that’ll make people talk behind our backs. I’m really not sure about this, dear.”

The old lady was even more worried than he was. “What can we do? We’ll just have to go with it for now. The eldest really screwed over the second son.”

Old man Lu said, “Look on the bright side—at least our sons have wives now.”

Thinking of both her sons being married, the old lady felt a bit relieved. “Next, we’ll find a wife for the youngest, and then we can finally hold our heads high.”

Old man Lu agreed, “That’s right. Then those gossipy women can’t say our family’s so poor we can’t even get wives for our sons.”

The old lady said, “I’ll finally be able to walk around with my head held high.”

Then the two of them exchanged a glance and sighed, thinking about how the second son would probably have to live according to his wife’s mood from now on.

Whether or not she could hold her head high didn’t seem so important anymore. That night, both the old lady and old man Lu tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

After sending his mother off, Lu Chuan looked at his old house. For the first time, he hesitated at the doorstep, unsure whether to go in or not.

The wedding night was going to be a real problem.

But Fang Yuan didn’t seem to care at all. This shabby house had so much that needed fixing—how could this man not see it?"