Chapter 181: Even the Most Careful Can Slip Up

Fang Yuan: “So Fifth Brother’s money just gets split up among your other sons for nothing? Why? I haven’t even touched my Fifth Brother’s money.”

Lu Chuan was listening outside and felt a headache coming on. You shouldn’t be eyeing Fifth Brother’s money either.

Fang Daleng: “You’re out of line, girl. They’re all brothers. Stop always siding with your Fifth Brother.”

Fang Yuan: “I rely on my Fifth Brother to get by. If I don’t stand up for him, who should I stand up for? Your other sons—would they ever let me spend their money?”

Just listen to her—she really knows where her loyalties lie.

Fang Yuan continued, “Anyway, here’s the deal: if you want to use my Fifth Brother’s money, fine, but the contract has to be clear—none of your other sons get a share. If we make money, my Fifth Brother will have put in the hard work and taken the risks, and then someone else gets to benefit? If you ask me, that’s not happening.”

Fifth Tiger, who was still upset about his own mother scheming away his savings, perked right up when he heard this. “Brother-in-law, remember this: when I get married, my money will still be managed by my sister.”

Wang Cuixiang snorted at her son-in-law. “Don’t worry, son-in-law. There’s no way you’ll get mixed up in this. The men in their family—money never seems to end up in their hands anyway.”

Lu Chuan understood—what her husband’s family inherited was not authority, but being henpecked.

Fifth Tiger was all bravado: “Mom, who are you looking down on?”

Wang Cuixiang went straight inside, not bothering to respond, and said to Lu Chuan, “Don’t worry. Your father and I, if we have money, we’ll use it ourselves. If we don’t, we’re not about to go after our sons’ money.”

What could Lu Chuan say? He couldn’t bring up Fifth Brother and Fang Yuan, so he could only talk business. “Mom, it’s not like that. What Dad’s talking about—if we do it right, it could really make money.”

Wang Cuixiang: “So what if it makes money? Then your brothers will just fight over it. What am I doing all this for? Just to give others something to gossip about?”

Lu Chuan felt she was hinting at him. He really wasn’t trying to watch the drama.

Fang Yuan also thought the business could make money. “If you don’t want to do it, how about Fifth Brother and I do it ourselves? Dad, you can help us at home with the pigs.”

Fifth Tiger jumped in, “Mom, you can come to the city and help us watch the shop.”

The siblings nodded. This business seemed promising. “We’ll pay you a wage.”

They really had it all planned out—just skipping over their parents and putting them to work.

Lu Chuan saw Fang Daleng’s face darken and quietly slipped out again. This wasn’t a scene for a son-in-law.

These two really needed a lesson. You can’t just openly set your parents up like this.

He didn’t hear Fang Yuan’s voice after that, but Fifth Tiger’s yelps were loud and clear, and Fang Daleng could be heard shouting, “You really think your old man is past it? Who does things like this? Even trying to take my money! I’ll teach you to scheme against your old man!”

Wang Cuixiang shouted from inside, “Serves you right!” Lu Chuan thought to himself, Good thing I stepped out. Otherwise, Fifth Brother would really lose face.

Who knows what the family discussed, but that evening, Fang Daleng didn’t mention the idea of opening a butcher shop in the city at all.

Lu Chuan figured his father-in-law had been talked around by his mother-in-law.

The next day, Lu Chuan and Fifth Tiger got busy. They’d brought so many people to the city—they had to get everyone settled and assign work.

Fifth Tiger had also taken on a few jobs repairing old houses. Everything had to be arranged in advance, since work wouldn’t start until after the Dragon Heads-raising Festival—people in the city had their own customs.

The brothers were busy with all this, while Fang Yuan brought Fang Daleng and the others to the city to show them around and have some fun.

Every day, she took Fang Daleng and Wang Cuixiang all over—despite the cold, they visited parks, the zoo, and even the markets.

She even took them to see the little room they’d stayed in when they first came to the city, which made Fang Daleng tear up.

Look at the size of our house back home, and yet my daughter had to suffer in this tiny place, barely enough room to turn around, no big stove. What did she eat?

Fang Daleng took Fang Yuan’s hand. “If I’d known, I would have come to the city first and set you up. My daughter has suffered.”

Wang Cuixiang said, “That’s enough. Didn’t you see whole families living like that?”

But Fang Daleng truly felt for his daughter. Other people are other people—my daughter is my daughter.

After that, Wang Cuixiang and Fang Daleng went to thank the old man who’d helped the kids start their business.

Then they took the uncle who’d helped Fang Yuan buy her house out for a stroll. They really weren’t just here for a visit.

Fang Daleng and Wang Cuixiang stayed in the city for several days, and only after they were fully satisfied did they tell their son-in-law, daughter, and son that they were heading home.

Lu Chuan tried hard to get them to stay, but Fang Daleng said it would hold up business—the butcher shop at home needed to open.

Wang Cuixiang said, “You two take care of yourselves in the city. We’ve seen everything and we’re at ease.”

And with that, they packed up and left, neat and decisive.

Lu Chuan felt a bit out of sorts—it suddenly seemed so quiet at home.

By the time Lu Chuan noticed a new property deed at home, everything was settled. His in-laws had bought a shop in the city. They really were bold—when they decided to act, they acted.

Lu Chuan looked at the property deed and asked Fang Yuan, “Why is it in your name?”

Fang Yuan replied, “Mom and Dad said, just treat the money as if it’s gone. They bought the place, but they probably won’t live there. If it’s in their name, the brothers might fight over it later. Putting it in my name saves trouble.”

Lu Chuan had never seen anyone so focused on “saving trouble.” “Aren’t you worried your brothers will hold it against you?”

Fang Yuan: “Let them try. It’s my dowry anyway. Besides, if it’s in my name, it’s mine—what’s it got to do with them? But don’t get any ideas. Even though Fifth Brother will definitely make sure Mom and Dad have a place to stay, it’s good for them to have a backup.”

Lu Chuan could only think, You really are their daughter.

Then he heard Fang Yuan say, “It’s just a shopfront, barely over thirty square meters. If it didn’t have that long courtyard, there wouldn’t even be room to turn around. Dad just had to have this dump.”

Lu Chuan thought, Thirty square meters is still a shop—his father-in-law really had foresight.

Fang Yuan: “Don’t you think it’s a loss?”

You already bought it, and now you’re asking me? Isn’t it a bit late? Why couldn’t you have discussed it before buying?

Lu Chuan: “Didn’t Mom and Dad say? Just treat the money as if it’s gone. You can always rent it out.”

Fang Yuan: “True. Anyway, I don’t want Mom and Dad to have to rough it over there.”

Fang Daleng and Wang Cuixiang spent all their savings on this trip to the city, and left happy.

Lu Chuan realized that through all of this, Fifth Brother had no idea what was going on. The family had a new property, and Fifth Brother didn’t even know about it. Lu Chuan felt bad for him.

Fang Yuan remembered, “How did you know Mom and Dad bought a place? And that we have a new property deed?”

Lu Chuan: “I ran into someone I know. They asked me what our family background was, how we managed to buy another place.”

182."