Chapter 139: Got My Wife Into Trouble

Someone immediately asked, “Didn’t you say you got married back home?” The look in their eyes seemed to say, “You have one at home and one outside? That’s not right.”

Lu Chuan was in a good mood and didn’t bother arguing with them. He showed off, “Yeah, I got married. This is her.” No one really believed him.

That girl from earlier didn’t look like she was from the countryside at all. And the way Lu Chuan looked at her, all gooey-eyed—who grins like an idiot at their own wife like that?

Lu Chuan said, “Next time, when we have some free time, I’ll bring my wife out for a meal with everyone so you can get to know her.”

This time, they finally believed him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t introduce her so openly. “Sister-in-law, huh? You’re something, man. We thought you were just a country boy.”

From the way they talked, it was clear they weren’t that close.

Lu Chuan never hid his background from anyone. “I am from the countryside. Nothing to be ashamed of, right?”

Everyone looked at Lu Chuan strangely. With the way he dressed, and the way his wife looked, they didn’t seem like country folk at all.

Lu Chuan said, “My wife knows how to manage the household and save money. She even spends money to dress me up.” If he said any more, it’d just be bragging—he couldn’t help it.

A bespectacled guy nearby chimed in, “Lu Chuan, teach us your ways. If I had your skills, I wouldn’t be eating plain steamed buns every day.”

Lu Chuan knew this guy thought he was just spending his wife’s money, but he didn’t bother explaining.

People like that were never going to be close friends. There were already several versions of rumors about him—he couldn’t care less.

A dormmate came over and dragged Lu Chuan away, saying to the others, “Don’t talk nonsense. Can’t stand to see others doing well, can you?”

But honestly, none of them really knew much about Lu Chuan’s family background or how he ended up at school. Living together in the dorm, though, they knew what kind of person he was—down-to-earth.

Back in the dorm, Sun Long sighed and said, “Chuan, I want to ask you something serious.”

Lu Chuan hadn’t lived in the dorm for long, so he wasn’t as close with the others, but they all got along well. “Go ahead.”

Sun Long said, “Chuan, you’re married, but why do you always look so happy?”

The others listened in, and someone added, “Yeah, we just want to know—married life is all about the daily grind, right? How come you never seem to worry about anything?” Otherwise, who could be grinning all the time?

Lu Chuan replied, “Isn’t getting married a good thing? Isn’t it normal to be happy?”

Sun Long looked genuinely troubled, really seeking advice. “But when I’m with my girlfriend, I’m unhappy more often than not. Chuan, tell us—how do you keep your wife happy? How are you always so cheerful?”

The others teased, “So that’s why you’ve been looking so glum lately—got yourself a girlfriend, huh?” Maybe she was hard to please.

Lu Chuan bluntly shot back, “If you’re not happy most of the time, why bother dating?”

Everyone in the room thought that made sense, but… wasn’t it normal to try to make your partner happy?

Sun Long admitted he just couldn’t reach Lu Chuan’s level. “But Chuan, is your wife really happy all the time?”

Lu Chuan shot back, “Shouldn’t she be? If I can make my wife happy, I’m happy too.”

Sun Long sighed, “You’re something else, man. I respect that.”

A bunch of guys chimed in, “Come on, teach us your secrets. How do you keep your wife happy? How do you stay so cheerful every day?”

Lu Chuan said, “My wife is open-minded and doesn’t overthink things. She’s happy every day.” Wasn’t that obvious?

Everyone: “Get to the point.”

Lu Chuan: “That’s really all there is to it. We don’t have any huge dramas, nothing to worry about. We just live our lives—pretty ordinary.”

No one bothered with Lu Chuan anymore. They grabbed their books and headed to class. Ordinary life, yet you’re grinning like a fool every day?

Lu Chuan thought to himself, “You guys just don’t get my happiness.” He couldn’t help but smile, remembering how Fang Yuan had rushed over to find him, all flustered.

He couldn’t hold back a laugh, especially compared to Sun Long’s gloomy face.

Looking at Lu Chuan, the others almost wanted to smack that smile off his face. Why was he so annoying?

Lu Chuan just felt that married life was great. Even though people at school sometimes made fun of him for being married, he didn’t care much.

After all, he was from the countryside and didn’t know much about life in the provincial capital, so he’d made his share of embarrassing mistakes.

But just thinking about Fang Yuan made him want to smile. “Whenever I see you, I can’t help but smile.” Lately, even the tune he hummed was about that, even if he was off-key.

Grandpa was really helpful, finding several places for them to look at. Lu Chuan and Fang Yuan specially asked Wu Hu to come along, and the three of them went house-hunting together.

When Wu Hu heard that Lu Chuan and Fang Yuan were planning to buy a house in the provincial capital, his eyes went wide with shock. “My little sister’s actually settling down in the city!”

Then Wu Hu thought it through. “Makes sense. My brother-in-law is studying in the city, so it’s not likely he’ll go back to the village. If they didn’t have money, that’d be one thing, but since they do, why not buy a house here? Why didn’t I think of that?”

Lu Chuan was happy to give Wu Hu credit. “It’s all thanks to you, Fifth Brother. If you hadn’t managed that project in the county and shared some of the money with us, we wouldn’t be able to buy a house here.”

Wu Hu shot him a look. “Oh, come on. Save that for someone else. You think I don’t know how much money you guys have?”

Lu Chuan wanted to say, “But I really don’t know—Fang Yuan never told me.”

Then Wu Hu asked, “How much do houses cost in the city anyway? Do you think country folks like us can really settle down here?”

Before his brother-in-law mentioned buying a house, Wu Hu had never even considered the idea. It had just never crossed his mind that they could settle down in the city.

But Fang Yuan didn’t overthink it at all. “If you have money, you can buy a house wherever you want. Who’s going to stop you?”

Wu Hu agreed, “True. The house back in the village is still new, though. Feels a bit of a shame to leave it.”

Lu Chuan was afraid Fang Yuan would bring this up and call him wasteful again. “We’ll have to go back eventually. We need a place to stay when we do.”

Wu Hu thought about it. Before this year, they’d never dare think like this. “It’s only because we have money now that we can even talk this way.”

Fang Yuan said, “It’s really about having the ability to make a living in the city. Otherwise, you’d just be starving if you bought a house here.”

Wu Hu teased, “Listen to you, getting all cocky. But Fang Yuan, you’ve changed—you sound more confident now.”

Fang Yuan replied, “Even back in our village, I was more generous than most people.”

Wu Hu didn’t want to argue the difference between generous and confident. Ever since coming to the city, their horizons had broadened.

So the three of them went around the city, checking out houses like it was a big event—careful and thorough.

By the end of the day, Wu Hu was so tired he was rubbing his calves and said to Lu Chuan and Fang Yuan, “Earning money isn’t easy, but spending it isn’t easy either.”

Fang Yuan, rubbing her own calves, added, “Spending a lot of money is even harder.” Clearly, they were exhausted.

After a whole day, the three of them still hadn’t found a suitable place. Turns out, spending money really isn’t easy.

(Translator’s note: This chapter was originally out of order; apologies for any confusion in reading.)"

"Chapter 140: Another Level Up

Lu Chuan glanced at the sky, feeling sorry for Fang Yuan. “You must be tired. Let’s eat first.”

He crouched down and massaged Fang Yuan’s calves. “Why don’t we just settle on a place and stop worrying about spending money?”

It wasn’t easy to spend money, mainly because Fang Yuan wanted to get the best value. There were houses she liked, but they were all too expensive.

Fang Yuan said, “That won’t do. We have to compare, after all—it’s a lot of money. If we look around more, we might save a few hundred. What’s a little tiredness compared to that?”

Wu Hu nodded along. “Brother-in-law, it’s not easy to earn money. Don’t you feel bad just handing it over? I think we can keep looking.”

Lu Chuan felt embarrassed to say, I feel even worse for Fang Yuan.

Lu Chuan said, “Buying a house isn’t something to rush. We can look again next week.”

What else could he do? Fang Yuan hadn’t made up her mind yet. She’d compare everything: that house was too old, this one was too remote, or the alley was too narrow—her mixer wouldn’t fit through in the future.

And she wanted a big courtyard. She even said, what if she bought a big crane one day and there wasn’t space to park it?

Lu Chuan couldn’t very well say, “If you really bought a crane and just left it at home instead of working, you wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep.”

Wu Hu nodded again. “That’s true. If the house is too small, Fang Yuan will get mad, and you won’t even have a place to hide, brother-in-law.”

Lu Chuan thought, there’s no need for that. He didn’t dare say he’d never upset Fang Yuan, but he certainly wouldn’t hide from her.

When they got home, Wu Hu didn’t go back to the construction site or anything. The day had been more exhausting than working.

Lu Chuan boiled a big kettle of hot water, and Wu Hu watched as his brother-in-law carried a basin of water into the room for Fang Yuan.

Wu Hu sucked in a breath. None of them treated their wives with such care. Brother-in-law really knew how to put aside his pride.

He thought, next time they go house hunting, they’d better pick one with high courtyard walls. Otherwise, if people saw how attentive brother-in-law was to his wife, there’d be gossip all around.

Wu Hu really did carry a lot in silence.

Fang Yuan was truly tired and didn’t move from her seat. “You and fifth brother go wash up. I’ll do it myself.”

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected that suggesting they buy a house would make Fang Yuan even more exhausted. She was so meticulous when checking out courtyards, even inspecting the tiles on the roof.

To Lu Chuan, Fang Yuan’s thoroughness was her way of being responsible for their future. He really cherished this about her. “No rush. Fifth brother can handle it himself.”

Fang Yuan didn’t catch the tenderness in his words. She raised an eyebrow. “You think I can’t do it?”

Lu Chuan simply put Fang Yuan’s feet in the basin. “I’m saying you work harder than us and pay more attention to detail.”

Fang Yuan didn’t notice his actions and just followed the conversation. “Of course. It’s our home, after all. We have to be careful. We’ll be living there for a lifetime.”

Lu Chuan smiled and, without hesitation, started washing his wife’s feet. Fang Yuan was working so hard for their home.

What’s wrong with being picky about a house? It just means you care.

Lu Chuan suggested, “Why don’t we increase our budget a bit?”

Fang Yuan, feet in the basin, refused crisply, “No way.”

Lu Chuan got splashed in the face by the water.

Fang Yuan quickly wiped him off. “I didn’t mean to. But you can’t just spend money recklessly. That’s a bad habit. You need to change.”

Lu Chuan said, “And you shouldn’t lose your temper so quickly. Aren’t we just discussing? That’s not a bad habit—I don’t think you need to change. But at least let me finish what I’m saying.”

Fang Yuan was silent for a while. Lu Chuan was always easy to talk to and never lost his temper, which made Fang Yuan feel awkward and self-reflective. “I’ll try to change too.”

Lu Chuan said, “No rush. Take your time. Tonight, read with me for a bit—it’ll help you calm down and be more mindful.”

Fang Yuan’s expression changed instantly. “Are you saying I’m not mindful?”

Then she added, “If I was good at studying, I’d be in college by now.”

Lu Chuan replied, “That’s just because you didn’t have the right method. Look at your math before, and now you’re great at keeping accounts. Clearly, it’s the method that was wrong.”

Fang Yuan’s expression softened. “That makes sense. Maybe if I study with you, I’ll end up with a ‘money’ character at the end of it.”

Lu Chuan paused, still holding her feet, his shoulders shaking with laughter. He thought, at this rate, she’ll write a whole book on money.

Fang Yuan asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Chuan looked a bit giddy with joy. Fang Yuan said, “Don’t make fun of me.”

Lu Chuan said, “No, no, don’t get mad. Really, I’m just happy. Let me enjoy it for a bit.”

Lu Chuan might not have much of a temper, but he could always coax the fiery Fang Yuan around. Look, now she was even willing to study with him.

When Lu Chuan came out of the room, Wu Hu saw his brother-in-law beaming, looking like he was walking on air, grinning from ear to ear.

Wu Hu was impressed. What kind of level was this? Carrying water to wash your wife’s feet and still being so happy about it, coming out of the room looking like you’d lost your bearings.

As a bachelor, he really couldn’t understand.

Anyone who didn’t know would think he was washing gold nuggets, not feet.

Wu Hu refused to believe his own sister could be so good at coaxing people—after all, he’d lived with her for over twenty years and knew her well.

So the problem must be with his brother-in-law. He really wasn’t an ordinary person.

Lu Chuan truly was different. When chatting with Fang Yuan, he’d mention stories about couples in the dorms.

He’d sigh, “You know, some people date and are always worried and frowning. What’s the point? Clearly, they’re not right for each other, and yet they ask me for advice.”

Fang Yuan glanced at Lu Chuan. “Weren’t you just like that when we first got married?”

Lu Chuan immediately sat up and shouted, “No way!”

Then, despite claiming he’d never get mad at his wife or storm out, Lu Chuan stayed outside for a long time, unable to remember what he’d been like back then.

Even the easygoing Fang Yuan didn’t understand why Lu Chuan had gone out. She’d just told the truth—whether he admitted it or not, it was what it was.

When Lu Chuan finally figured it out and went back, Fang Yuan was already asleep.

Lu Chuan realized that Fang Yuan would never really understand how he felt.

He even massaged her calves for a long time before finally lying down beside her to rest.

On Sunday, it started to snow lightly. Lu Chuan suggested to Fang Yuan that he and fifth brother could go house hunting without her.

But Fang Yuan wouldn’t hear of it. What was a bit of snow? She’d grown up following fifth brother around, having snowball fights and skating—she loved it.

So Lu Chuan, with a dark face, prepared a hot water bottle for Fang Yuan to hold, and even changed the water twice on the way, making Wu Hu wince.

His sister really didn’t need that much pampering—she could hold a snowball with no problem.

Was it really necessary? Even Fang Yuan was getting impatient, but Lu Chuan just said, “Don’t you know your own situation?”

Wu Hu was completely baffled. What situation? He had no idea.

But Fang Yuan obediently hugged the hot water bottle the whole way.

Wu Hu was now certain—he just didn’t belong in their world, and he didn’t understand what they were talking about.

141."

"Chapter 141: A Wave of Dog Food Incoming