Chapter 42: Such a Big Spender

Lu Chuan stared at Fang Yuan in a daze, then nodded, impressed. “That actually makes a lot of sense. Remind me later to have my big brother keep an eye on this.”

Anything his wife said was as precious as gold.

Fang Yuan said, “Aren’t we not providing the materials? Why bother worrying about this?”

Lu Chuan replied, “But wasting materials is the same as wasting labor.” Clearly, Lu Chuan had thought this through.

Fang Yuan said, “I’ve come here before with my brother and the others. The foreman wasn’t like you, always calculating everything. But I guess you do have a point.”

Lu Chuan got a bit smug. “Of course. Foremen aren’t college graduates.”

Then he added, “At least I’m doing better than some shovel-wielding laborer.”

He was still holding a grudge over what Fang Yuan had said that morning—comparing him to a manual laborer.

Fang Yuan had already forgotten about the shovel comment. “A college student who can’t even pay tuition—what are you so proud of?”

Lu Chuan was left speechless by Fang Yuan’s sharp tongue. This woman really knew how to put him in his place.

After walking around the construction site with Fang Yuan, Lu Chuan had a good grasp of the situation.

He told Fang Yuan, “I’ll show you what a college student is capable of.”

Fang Yuan thought to herself, “Isn’t being a foreman already impressive enough?”

Then Lu Chuan told her he was leaving this side of things to her, that he needed to go into town and would be back late, so she shouldn’t wait for him.

With her brothers-in-law around to look after his wife, Lu Chuan felt at ease, but still added, “If you go home, have Dad come over to keep an eye on things. Don’t stay here alone. I mean your dad.”

Fang Yuan thought, “What’s the point of your dad being here? He’s so honest, he’s not much help. Isn’t that just pointless?”

Watching Lu Chuan ride off, Fang Yuan realized she hadn’t even asked what he was going to do.

When Fang Laoda (the eldest Fang brother) arrived with a group of people, only his little sister was left at the site. They’d actually left Fang Yuan, who didn’t know anything, in charge.

With the person in charge gone, how were they supposed to start work?

Although Fang Laoda was familiar with the site, he’d never actually done this kind of thing before and had no idea where to begin. He was getting a headache and thought his brother-in-law was unreliable.

But since he’d already brought everyone over, and they’d all be expecting their pay for the day, Fang Laoda had no choice but to bite the bullet. “Alright, we all know what needs to be done. Let’s move the materials to where they need to go first. I’ll be honest with everyone—this is my brother-in-law’s job, so let’s help him out like it’s our own work. I’ll owe you all one.”

Anyone who came over must have been on good terms with them, otherwise they wouldn’t risk offending the previous foreman who’d been giving them steady work.

Everyone who showed up today had already upset the last foreman, which could make it harder to find work in the future.

So there was a lot that Lu Chuan didn’t know—his brothers-in-law were really taking on a lot for him. This was a job that could easily offend people. After all, everyone was fighting for a piece of the pie.

Fang Laoda tried to get Fang Yuan to go home, but she refused, insisting, “No need, I’ll stay here and fetch water for you all.”

Fang Laoda knew how stubborn his sister could be. “Where did your brother-in-law go?”

Fang Yuan replied, “He said he was going into town.”

Fang Laoda’s face darkened and his tone was harsh. “What’s he running off to town for at a time like this? The wall has to be built here, not in town!”

Why wasn’t he in a hurry? These college kids just weren’t reliable.

He looked at his sister but couldn’t bring himself to scold his brother-in-law in front of her. Still, he felt college students just weren’t dependable. He was so angry, even his breathing felt hot.

The other Fang brothers could see it too—this guy wasn’t reliable, and this job was bound to lose money.

The brothers rolled up their sleeves and got to work, figuring that the less they lost, the better. Otherwise, their sister’s life would be tough in the future.

When the day was over and the hired workers had left, the Fang brothers were still working hard.

They really wanted to use their own labor to help their brother-in-law make up for the inevitable losses. True feelings show in hard times—they were genuinely worried Fang Yuan would lose the 500 yuan she had.

When Lu Chuan arrived back at the site, he saw this scene: his brothers-in-law eating their meals right on the construction site, and his father-in-law working alongside them.

Lu Chuan thought to himself, “This project can’t be done with just family. We’ll still need to hire people.”

Fang Laoda heard the commotion and shouted, “Where have you been?”

Lu Chuan replied, “I went to find something good. Luckily you all were here to help unload it.”

Then the brothers unloaded a big hunk of metal from the tractor—a cement mixer, the kind you only saw on city construction sites.

Fang Laoda was knowledgeable. “Where did you get this thing? It’s expensive! We haven’t even started, and you’re already bringing in equipment?”

He was thinking to himself, “Fang Yuan’s 500 yuan probably isn’t enough to cover the losses.”

Lu Chuan quickly explained, “It’s rented, rented—not expensive.”

But everyone knew how much these things cost. The brothers’ faces grew serious.

Fang Yuan had never seen such a thing before. She walked around it and asked, “They just trust us with this?”

Lu Chuan was a little embarrassed. “Of course they don’t trust us. Come here, come here.” He pulled Fang Yuan aside to talk.

Everyone watched as Lu Chuan whispered to Fang Yuan, and then she handed him the money. Over 500 yuan—all given as a deposit.

Fang Daleng felt his heart clench. “This isn’t just about losing money. No wonder people say it’s hard to put a college student through school—he’s a real spendthrift.”

The Fang brothers all nodded, feeling a cloud hanging over them. Things couldn’t get any worse. Why was their brother-in-law always making such a fuss?

Wang Cuixiang kicked them from behind. “Who are you talking about?”

Then she and her husband and sons all looked over at their son-in-law, their eyes dark and heavy. This son-in-law was really ambitious.

Fang Yuan thought the same as her father—this man was a real spendthrift. Money came easy, but it was even easier to spend. He really had the makings of a big spender.

Could she really blame herself for only seeing that he was a college student and not looking deeper?

Lu Chuan handed the money over and got a receipt, which he gave to Fang Yuan. “Driver, take it slow on the road and be careful.”

The driver said, “Alright. You really are a college student—didn’t try to cheat me. But it’s funny your ‘wife’ is the one paying.”

Fang Yuan glared at him, unhappy that her money had just turned into a piece of paper. “Mind your own business.”

The tractor chugged away, belching exhaust in Fang Yuan’s face.

Fang Yuan, with her fiery temper, almost chased after him. “He did that on purpose!”

Lu Chuan pulled her back. “I think you’re just upset about the money.”

Fang Yuan pinched Lu Chuan’s arm. “And you’re not? That was over 500 yuan, and now it’s just a piece of paper!” If you’re not heartbroken, you’re a fool.

Lu Chuan clutched his arm, baring his teeth. He knew this woman was tough—she even used force. “Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of losing money? Besides, it’s just a deposit. Once we return the equipment, we’ll get the money back.”

Fang Yuan glared at him. Lu Chuan took two steps back, a little intimidated. “Anyway, it’s already rented. Don’t worry, we won’t lose money. This thing does the work of several people—it’ll save us money.”

Fang Yuan wasn’t about to let him go. She grabbed his arm tightly, as if she could pull the money back. Lu Chuan said, “Let go, that hurts.”

Fang Yuan watched her 500 yuan disappear into the distance. “My heart hurts even more.”

She steeled herself and stomped her foot. “Fine, I’ll trust you one more time.”

Lu Chuan grimaced in pain. He hadn’t expected his first “intimate moment” with Fang Yuan to be like this.

Well, it still counted as an intimate moment."