Chapter 36: The Future Tycoon’s Treatment

If it weren’t for Fang Yuan’s last remark, Lu Chuan really would have just gone to sleep. But with those words, how could his mind not be in turmoil?

Now that they’d gotten their marriage certificate, you really couldn’t blame a young man for having certain thoughts. His mind was running wild, completely out of control.

Unfortunately, Fang Yuan was seriously resting her mind, saving her energy for tomorrow. She didn’t have a single thought in that direction.

So Lu Chuan was left staring wide-eyed in Fang Yuan’s direction, his mood rising and falling, wondering whether Fang Yuan understood these things or not.

In the end, Lu Chuan couldn’t figure it out, so he just pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep.

The next morning, breakfast was made by Fang Yuan. The taste was, well, edible at best—mainly because the ingredients were limited. Lu Chuan didn’t dare complain.

By his father-in-law’s standards, he should have been the one cooking, so this was already beyond Lu Chuan’s expectations.

After breakfast, Fang Yuan spoke up: “Let’s go.”

Lu Chuan was momentarily confused. “Go where?”

Fang Yuan got annoyed again. “To earn money, of course! I’ve already fed you, and you still want to laze around at home?” Her attitude was even more overbearing than a landlord’s.

Lu Chuan slapped his forehead. “I just woke up, my head’s not clear yet, I forgot. Let’s go.” Even though Fang Yuan’s tone was harsh, she was right—Lu Chuan had never planned to sit around at home.

Fang Yuan couldn’t stand lazy men, and her tone was sharp: “Or do you want to stay at home for a few days, just thinking about how to make money?”

She emphasized the word “thinking.” Can you make money just by thinking about it? If sarcasm counts as progress, then Fang Yuan was definitely making progress.

Lu Chuan had never met such an un-gentle, sharp-tongued woman. “Can’t you speak a little nicer? And what do you mean by ‘stay at home for a few days’?”

Fang Yuan replied, “Don’t you know what you should be doing? You’re blaming me?”

Lu Chuan shut up immediately. This girl really had a temper—she could get mad in an instant.

Fang Yuan said, “When your classmates aren’t tutoring, let’s invite them over for a meal and get to know them.”

Then she added, “See, I know what needs to be done. If you were like me, I wouldn’t mind you yelling at me a couple times.”

Lu Chuan tried to be patient. “It’s not about who yells at who. Life should be lived peacefully.”

Fang Yuan’s face was already cold.

Lu Chuan picked up the lunchbox and handed it to her, then wheeled his bicycle out the door. Only then did Fang Yuan’s expression soften a little.

She’d thought Lu Chuan was just dragging his feet because he didn’t want to go.

By the time Lu Chuan’s mother came to deliver food, the house was already empty.

Lu Chuan’s mother looked around and confirmed that Fang Yuan really was someone who knew how to run a household.

Even though the couple had left early, the house was neat and tidy. There were greens and fresh water in the chicken coop, enough for the hens to eat for the whole day.

Lu Chuan’s mother nodded in satisfaction and went home to tell her husband, “Don’t be fooled by her bluntness and lack of pleasantries—she’s someone who knows how to manage a household.”

Lu Chuan’s father said, “She’s just a bit tough. But she’s filial and knows how to live properly. If she treats our second son well, there’s nothing more to ask for.”

Lu Chuan’s mother snorted, “The one in the west room knows how to be good to her man, but can just being good fill your stomach? Look at how she’s spoiled our eldest these past few days—he hasn’t done a lick of work. What are they going to eat and drink in the future?”

Just thinking about it made her anxious.

Lu Chuan’s father said, “The eldest is unreliable. If he can’t find work outside, there’s plenty to do at home. How can he just sit around?”

Even as a father, he couldn’t stand it. This wasn’t how a proper family should live.

Lu Chuan’s mother said, “I know my son—he’s not that lazy. He’s just been bewitched by that woman.”

Lu Chuan’s father felt awkward hearing this and tried to persuade her, “She’s still your daughter-in-law, the mother of your future grandchild. Don’t be so harsh.”

Lu Chuan’s mother said, “I’d like to say something nice about her, but look at her—when the eldest wants to chop wood, she says it’s too hot and unnecessary; when he wants to fetch water, she tells him to save it and not fill the vat, just enough to get by. These past two days, they’ve been cooking for themselves, and they’ve used up all our eggs. She says the eldest needs to build up his strength.”

By the end, Lu Chuan’s mother was grinding her teeth—how did she end up with such a daughter-in-law?

Lu Chuan’s father sighed. There was only one water vat in the house, and after the family split, it hadn’t been divided. If the eldest didn’t fetch water, he’d have to do it himself.

Oh well, at least a daughter-in-law who cares for her husband is better than one who doesn’t. “Let them eat. When I’m working, I’ll call the eldest to help.”

What else could he do? At least this daughter-in-law cared about her husband.

Meanwhile, Li Meng was really treating Lu Chuan’s elder brother like a future tycoon.

Lu Chuan’s elder brother was a diligent man, and he’d never been this idle in his life. He couldn’t stand it. “I need to go check the fields. You don’t want to work, but don’t drag me into being lazy with you.”

Li Meng said, “There’s not even a blade of grass left in the fields. Will you get any more corn by going? Besides, with what little we get from the land, we can’t even save any money. Brother Feng, you’re destined for great things and future wealth. We need to do something that shows our status.”

Lu Chuan’s elder brother was flattered, but quickly came back to earth. “But we still need to fill our stomachs. You’ve already eaten up all the fine grains we got from the split. How are we supposed to get by?”

Li Meng replied lightly, “We’ve finished it? Then we’ll just buy more.”

Lu Feng rolled his eyes. “With what money? We still have to give money to Mom and Dad at the end of the year. If we don’t work, where will we get the money?”

All the money had been promised by Li Meng, so she felt a bit guilty—they really were short on cash. Back in those days, even three or five hundred yuan was a big deal.

Li Meng had given Fang Yuan money without hesitation, but that was just after she’d been reborn and hadn’t adjusted yet.

Now she was starting to realize, but the money was already gone.

Li Meng said, “Brother Feng, we did lose out a bit, but you have to think long-term. I heard your younger brother is going to college. How much will that cost every year? It’s a bottomless pit. Honestly, even if the whole family worked themselves to death, it wouldn’t be enough for your brother to squander.”

Lu Feng didn’t say a word—clearly, he’d thought about this too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to split the family so readily.

Li Meng continued, “Luckily, it’s only three or four years. Let’s just think of it as buying a good reputation. It’s not easy for your brother to go to school, and we’ll take care of your parents’ retirement. That sounds great, and only my Brother Feng is so filial.”

Lu Chuan’s elder brother, who had been unhappy, couldn’t argue after being coaxed so sweetly.

He glanced at Li Meng—she was the one who’d have to come up with the money, over two hundred yuan, which was worrying just to think about.

Li Meng didn’t have any money left, so she didn’t dare say anything, but still comforted him: “We’ll have money in the future. I just feel bad seeing you work so hard in the fields when you’re destined for wealth and fortune, yet still have to suffer.”

Lu Chuan’s mother, listening from the outer room, felt a chill in her heart. They’d spent everything to get the eldest married, but he didn’t feel close to the family at all.

The second son was cleaning up the mess for his older brother, even sacrificing his own marriage prospects, while the eldest was calculating how to get his brother to pay for college. If the second son knew, how heartbroken would he be?

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