Chapter 28: Changing Faces Faster Than Flipping Pages

After that, Old Lady Lu just up and left. She said tomorrow was the day for the bride’s return visit, so she had to get ready—she needed to visit her in-laws.

Lu Chuan watched his mother come and go in such a hurry that he hadn’t even had time to settle his nerves before Fang Yuan started bossing him around.

Fang Yuan didn’t give Lu Chuan a moment to think. “First, fill up the water jars. Then take me to see the fields. Also, do we have any other relatives in the village? Who are we close with?”

Lu Chuan didn’t have time to think about anything. He worked while trying to sort out the family’s connections. As for who they were close with, he honestly didn’t know.

Lu Chuan said, “My parents aren’t close with anyone. Maybe there are some, but I don’t know. I’ve been away studying all these years, so I’m not familiar with the village. The only people I’m close to are the ones who came by this morning.”

Fang Yuan replied, “Let’s not talk about your parents for now. As for you, you’re not married yet, so your relationships are pretty thin. Our family isn’t very popular in the village. That won’t do. In the future, when things come up, no one will help us.”

Then she started calculating, “But there’s no rush. We can’t count on your older brother, but once your younger brother gets married, you brothers can help each other out. That’ll work.”

Lu Chuan had never thought that far ahead. He’d always focused on studying and leaving the village, never caring much for these social ties.

Fang Yuan continued, “My dad has a butcher shop in town, but he’s never abandoned the family’s land in the village. He always says this is our root, our ancestral property, and it can’t be lost.”

Lu Chuan felt like this straightforward girl had seen right through him—she was saying he hadn’t put down roots.

He’d always wanted to leave, never caring about the village. “Dad’s right. From now on, we’ll settle down and live well here.”

Fang Yuan didn’t agree. “Living in the village? I don’t think so. It’s too far from town. The two of us—you’re not strong, and even though I’m capable, I’m still a woman. If we rely on farming, we might not even have enough to eat.”

Lu Chuan had been hearing all day about how he wasn’t strong enough. It was starting to get to him. “What makes you think I’m not strong? I just look skinny.”

He’d never planned on making a living by farming, but still, his strength shouldn’t be questioned.

Fang Yuan was as blunt as ever. “You feel skinny too.” She said it casually, without thinking much of it.

Lu Chuan’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Don’t say nonsense. When did you ever touch me?”

He had no idea when that could have happened. He was the type to overthink things—how could she just say something like that?

Fang Yuan replied, “Why are you upset? I touched your waist when we were on the bus. No meat on you.”

Lu Chuan was mortified. How could she just blurt that out? Didn’t she feel embarrassed at all?

Even the neighbor, Sister-in-law Sun, couldn’t take it anymore. “Ahem, Lu Chuan, don’t worry. You’re still young. Eat more, work more, and you’ll get stronger.”

She glanced at Lu Chuan’s waist through the fence, making him want to crawl into a hole.

Lu Chuan hurried inside, completely mortified.

That sister-in-law was always a gossip—now the whole village would probably hear about this.

Fang Yuan looked up as Sister-in-law Sun introduced herself, “You must be Lu Chuan’s wife. I’m your Sister-in-law Sun. If you ever need anything, just holler.”

Fang Yuan greeted her, “Hello, Sister-in-law Sun.”

Sister-in-law Sun grinned and immediately cracked a dirty joke, “So, did you really touch him?”

Lu Chuan shot out of the house, knowing this woman was trouble, trying to take advantage of Fang Yuan’s naivety to get gossip out of her.

She just wanted to make a joke out of their private matters. Lu Chuan was about to tell Fang Yuan not to pay her any mind—

But before he could, Fang Yuan splashed a ladle of cold water right at Sister-in-law Sun. Both Sister-in-law Sun and Lu Chuan were stunned.

Just a moment ago, Fang Yuan was greeting her politely, and now she’d turned hostile in a flash—no warning at all.

Fang Yuan followed up, “Fine, I’ll treat you as a respected sister-in-law, but you’re just making fun of me for laughs. I may not be clever, but my parents warned me: anyone who asks about what goes on inside our house isn’t up to any good—they just want to make me a joke.”

Sister-in-law Sun finally came to her senses, wiping water off her face, realizing this girl was not to be messed with. “No, no, I’m just your sister-in-law, just joking around. Why did you have to get physical?”

Fang Yuan replied, “If I didn’t, you’d be too pleased with yourself. I’m not going to let you make a joke out of me and spread it around. Come on, let’s go to the village committee and sort this out. I don’t believe there’s nowhere to get justice in this village.”

Sister-in-law Sun had never met anyone this fierce before. She didn’t get her way at all. If they really went to the committee, what would that make her look like? “No, no, let’s just drop it. I won’t joke around anymore, okay? No need to go to the committee.”

As for the ladle of cold water on her head, Sister-in-law Sun accepted it and didn’t pursue it further. This wild girl’s reputation was well-earned—she really would get physical without warning. Best not to mess with her in the future; she was even more unreasonable than Sister-in-law Sun herself.

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected that the whole thing would be settled with just a ladle of cold water, without him even needing to step in. Sister-in-law Sun slunk back to her own house, defeated.

Fang Yuan said, “Even though we need to put down roots in the village and build good relationships, that doesn’t mean we have to get along with everyone. People like Sister-in-law Sun just won’t do.”

Lu Chuan laughed, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. You really do have some sense when it comes to judging people.”

Just for the way she handled Sister-in-law Sun today, Fang Yuan had earned Lu Chuan’s approval—she really did have good judgment.

There wasn’t much entertainment in the countryside these days. Except for a few loafers hanging around outside, once it got dark, everyone shut their doors and stayed home.

Fang Yuan got familiar with the house inside and out, and was exhausted. After washing up, she went to bed without a second thought.

Lu Chuan, on the other hand, lingered in the outer room, hesitating—should he get into bed or not? Should he do the same as yesterday? Or… well, anyway, there was no backing out of this marriage now. After visiting his father-in-law’s house, Lu Chuan understood that much.

His wife was really his wife now, so he couldn’t help but have a lot on his mind.

In the inner room, Fang Yuan noticed Lu Chuan still hadn’t come in and called out with a frown, “Tell me the truth—do you have some kind of problem?”

Lu Chuan panicked, not daring to let Fang Yuan shout nonsense. He lifted the curtain and came in, “What did I do to you? Why are you saying I have a problem? You can’t just say things like that.”

Fang Yuan was even more anxious than Lu Chuan, “A physical problem—do you have one? It’s just the two of us, don’t be embarrassed.”

Lu Chuan was flustered, “What are you talking about? I don’t have any problems! Be clear about what you mean.”

This woman was always doubting his health—he’d had enough.

Fang Yuan said, “If you’re fine, why have you been wandering outside for two nights in a row instead of sleeping? Are you constipated?”

Lu Chuan was dumbfounded by this and just stared at Fang Yuan, not knowing how she could even come up with that idea.

At a time like this, even if there was a problem, that’s not the direction anyone would suspect. What a bizarre train of thought.

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