Chapter 187: The Demands Are a Bit Much

It’s not easy to find a good mechanic on short notice—especially someone like Master Liu. He’s truly skilled, and his reputation is even better.

Lu Chuan said, “Look, I’ve already set up this garage. You can’t just leave me hanging here. The job is stable, and things are good. If you have any conditions, just say the word.”

Master Liu was even more straightforward than Lu Chuan. “It’s not that I’m trying to make things difficult for you. You’ve set up your shop, and if I just walk away, that’s not right. It’s not even about getting a raise. Do you know your wife? Just to make money, she even takes on bicycle repair jobs. And that cement mixer at your construction site—she wants me to cross over and learn how to fix those too. She expects me to know how to do everything.”

Master Liu was clearly frustrated; it was obvious that Fang Yuan had been getting on his nerves for more than a day or two.

Lu Chuan blushed as he listened. That really was asking a bit much. “Master Liu, you know, the more skills the better, right? Besides, Fang Yuan trusts you. How about we give you another fifty a month?”

That was basically trying to buy him with money.

Master Liu was swayed by the offer and decided to keep dealing with this impossible lady boss. He told Lu Chuan, “Tell your wife, with my skills and my wages, I could be busy all year just fixing bikes, and she still wouldn’t be able to make up my pay.”

Lu Chuan replied, “I know, I know, you’re just looking out for her.” Using a master mechanic’s wages to fix bikes was a real loss.

The old master sincerely suggested, “Maybe you should just let your wife hang around the construction site instead.” In other words, keep her from coming over here and making trouble.

Lu Chuan said, “I think we should just have a kid sooner rather than later. Then she won’t have time to ‘help’ you anymore.”

The old master nodded. “That’s the way. Go for it.” He was really hoping the boss would have a baby soon.

When Lu Chuan looked at Fang Yuan, he didn’t try to talk her out of anything—he just watched his wife laugh.

What’s wrong with fixing bikes? There are bikes everywhere; there’s no shortage of work. My wife has good instincts.

Of course, it’s a bit of a waste of the master’s skills. He’s right—the pay he gets isn’t worth fixing bikes.

Fang Yuan couldn’t stand the look on Lu Chuan’s face. “What are you grinning about?”

Lu Chuan replied, “I’m just happy my wife knows how to run things.”

Fang Yuan was on guard. “Are you planning to buy something big? I’m telling you, don’t even think about it. I’m saving up for a crane.”

Lu Chuan hurried to reassure her, “No, I’m not buying anything big. I always follow your lead.”

Fang Yuan didn’t believe him. Anything Lu Chuan wanted to buy, he’d always managed to get—like houses, they had more than enough. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me.”

Lu Chuan said, “I really don’t want to buy anything. I’m just happy, that’s all.”

Fang Yuan couldn’t stand seeing Lu Chuan grinning for no reason. “If you’ve got time to kill, go next door and learn how to fix bikes.”

Lu Chuan leaned in and whispered, “If I learn, I’ll be your master. You want to save on hiring mechanics?”

Fang Yuan whispered back, “The pay is so high. I actually regret not making you learn this. Then we wouldn’t have to hire anyone.”

She sighed, “I don’t think I’m stupid, but no matter how much I watch, I just can’t figure it out.” She was genuinely upset.

Lu Chuan was surprised. “You tried to learn on the sly?” She was really determined to save money.

Fang Yuan said, as if it were obvious, “Of course! What a great opportunity. Not learning would be a waste. I even skipped the construction site for several days. But no matter how much I watched, I just couldn’t get it. Do you think the master is hiding his skills from me?”

Lu Chuan was impressed—this really wasn’t something you could just pick up by watching. He felt bad for his wife and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

Fang Yuan continued, “Remember that junk bike someone brought in last time? I got up in the middle of the night and fiddled with it for ages, but nothing worked. The next day, the master had to spend an extra day fixing it.”

Lu Chuan tried not to laugh. No wonder Master Liu wanted to quit—she was making more work for him. “No, you did manage something. Didn’t he have to spend an extra day fixing it? We saved on labor costs.”

Fang Yuan insisted, “It’s not about the money. I didn’t even have the nerve to ask for more. It was just embarrassing.”

Lu Chuan couldn’t hold it in anymore. He grinned so wide it was almost crazy. “My wife is really something.”

Fang Yuan shot him a glare. “What’s so funny? Be serious. Once I learn, I won’t have to put up with anyone’s attitude.”

Lu Chuan just couldn’t help laughing. He hugged his wife, resting his chin on her shoulder, laughing away.

Fang Yuan’s expression changed, and she twisted his arm until he finally managed to stop.

Lu Chuan reasoned with her, “One person’s strength is limited. We’ve got the construction business and the repair shop—if you try to do it all yourself, you’ll end up losing out and making less. We need to learn to use people, let others help us make money.”

That made sense to Fang Yuan. “But we still need to know how to do it ourselves, so we won’t get taken advantage of. The way that master looks at me, it’s like he’s trying to fool me.”

So it wasn’t just the master who had issues with Fang Yuan—she was wary of him too.

She had a point, but this wasn’t something you could pick up just by watching. Her standards were high, so as her husband, he couldn’t let her down. “You’re right. I’ll go over and learn when I have time. Even if I get seventy percent of it, that’s better than knowing nothing.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “Exactly. What if I find a cheaper mechanic and set up a little bike repair shop on the side? Just for bicycles.”

It would make money, sure, but the work was too scattered and exhausting. Lu Chuan didn’t want Fang Yuan to work herself to death. Keeping accounts and haggling with mechanics was tiring enough.

Lu Chuan said, “That’s not too convenient. People might think our mechanics can only fix bikes, and that’d be a loss.”

Fang Yuan nodded—Lu Chuan had a point. After all, they’d started out fixing bikes at the door, and that’s how they got business. “Alright, but it really does make money.”

Lu Chuan said, “Of course. My wife’s instincts have never been wrong.”

It really was a cheerful scene.

188."