Chapter 43: Still Good at Talking His Way Out

Lu Chuan could really see that Fang Yuan felt bad for him—because his arm genuinely hurt.

But seeing Fang Yuan’s eyes turn red, Lu Chuan stretched his arm out again. “Why don’t you give it another twist?”

Fang Yuan replied, “Can twisting your arm get the money back?”

Well, obviously not. Lu Chuan gave her a sheepish grin. “You can’t catch a wolf without risking the kid. We’re aiming for more money here. Try to look at the bigger picture.”

Fang Yuan shot him a glare. “You’d better not lose money.”

Meanwhile, Oldest Brother Fang was circling the cement mixer, having come to terms with things. Well, it is what it is. Having this machine wasn’t a bad thing after all.

Oldest Brother Fang said, “I was worried we wouldn’t have enough hands and the deadline was tight. Now it’s fine—with this thing, it’s like we’ve got a whole team working. Brother-in-law’s got some skills.” Though still a bit of a spendthrift.

Fifth Brother Fang, who knew how the machine worked, said, “I’ll go find someone to hook up the electricity, so it won’t delay tomorrow’s work.”

Da Leng Fang really didn’t get it. “You guys think this is okay?” This brother-in-law was supposed to be a big shot, but he’d already gotten himself into trouble.

Oldest Brother Fang replied, “It’s fine.” He’s good at getting things done.

Da Leng Fang turned to Wang Cuixiang, “Looks to me like our son-in-law’s out of money. Why don’t you ask if he needs any?”

Wang Cuixiang shot him a look, and Da Leng Fang shut up immediately. Money matters weren’t his domain at home; what he said didn’t count. He lowered his head and helped tidy things up.

He muttered to himself, women are just stingy. But judging by the way his son-in-law looked at his mother-in-law, he was clearly closer to her than to his father-in-law. This son-in-law didn’t really know how to tell good from bad.

Lu Chuan, meanwhile, was explaining to Fang Yuan how he’d rented the mixer, how much it cost, and how he’d arranged for it to be delivered back.

Fang Wuhu, standing nearby, sighed, “Being a student really opens doors. If I didn’t have money, there’s no way I could’ve gotten this thing.”

Fang Yuan nodded. She could’ve brought five hundred yuan herself and still wouldn’t have been able to rent it—people just wouldn’t trust her.

Da Leng Fang came over. “That’s called credibility. When I go out to collect pigs, in all the nearby villages, whether people have money or not, I can always get the pigs back.”

Lu Chuan didn’t have the heart to say it, but that was mostly because of his reputation. The father of the Five Tiger Generals—who’d dare not give him face? Not much to do with credibility.

But Lu Chuan just said, “Exactly. Everyone in the area knows about your reputation. No one in our village buys meat from anyone else—only from you.”

Da Leng Fang nodded, pleased. Son-in-law really knew how to talk, even gave examples. He puffed out his chest with pride.

His sons all nodded along, and so did Fang Yuan. Their father really was like that. They were proud.

Wang Cuixiang, on the other hand, glanced at her son-in-law. Their family was the only one selling meat in the township—where else would people go, to the county?

Lu Chuan accidentally caught his mother-in-law’s look and felt a little guilty, giving her a fawning smile.

Wang Cuixiang turned away without saying anything, giving him some face by not exposing him. But she could tell—this son-in-law was a sly one.

He’d definitely be able to sweet-talk her daughter in the future.

Still, that was better than someone so deep you couldn’t see through them.

Wang Cuixiang said to her son-in-law, “If you need money, just say so. We can’t let you struggle outside. But you need to be more careful in the future.”

Today’s business was reckless—her sons had already grumbled to her about it.

Lu Chuan immediately agreed, “You’re right, Mom. I was too naive about this, and there’s a lot more to it than I thought. I should’ve discussed it carefully with Big Brother.”

Fang Yuan just snorted. If you’d really cared about my brother’s opinion, you wouldn’t have just gone ahead like that.

She wasn’t fooled—she’d noticed that the person in charge didn’t trust her brother at all. This whole thing was stirred up by Lu Chuan.

It was basically a slap in the Fang family’s face. Fang Yuan made a mental note of that manager.

Lu Chuan’s words, though, managed to flatter all the brothers. Wang Cuixiang looked at her sons, all dazed and pleased, and felt worried. Who could her daughter rely on in the future? Like she always said, even all of them together couldn’t outplay this brother-in-law.

The mixer was expensive, and they didn’t dare just leave it at the site. It represented all of Fang Yuan’s savings. She insisted on staying to keep an eye on it.

Oldest Brother Fang frowned at her, patience running thin. “What’s it got to do with you? It’s not like there aren’t any men in the family.”

Fang Yuan insisted—it was her five hundred yuan. She couldn’t rest easy unless she watched over it herself.

Lu Chuan tried to persuade her too, “We’re here. Why don’t you go home and rest with Mom?”

Fang Yuan refused. “No way. Even if it gets stolen, I can’t let them pay for it.” She was being stubborn. The key was, she knew her family’s finances—they couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Who was Oldest Brother Fang? Even if he wanted to pay, it wouldn’t help. Fang Yuan only trusted herself.

They knew their own daughter’s temperament, so they let her stay in the shed to watch over the rented mixer.

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected Fang Yuan to be so cautious and distrustful.

Since they couldn’t talk her out of it, what else could they do? Lu Chuan and Fang Wuhu stayed with her.

Fang Wuhu was used to this—he’d been doing it since he was a kid. Whenever Fang Yuan got stubborn, he was the one who had to deal with it. After all, they’d been together since before they were born.

Lu Chuan didn’t think Fang Yuan was being difficult—he was actually touched that she cared so much about something he’d done.

As Da Leng Fang led his sons home, he was full of praise. “We’ve found a real treasure. Look at him—he’s made for big things.”

Oldest Brother Fang twitched his mouth. What kind of treasure was this? “That’s not necessarily a good thing. He’s young and impulsive, doesn’t know his limits. I’m afraid Old Sun will come make trouble tomorrow. Old Sun never planned to let this job go.”

Da Leng Fang’s response was completely unreasonable. “You grew up eating vegetables, and you’re just going to let him mess with our family?”

He was so tough—no wonder his sons were famous in the area. That was the kind of parenting they got.

Oldest Brother Fang thought Lu Chuan had been reckless. “Us brothers are only useful in the village. We’re no good in the county. Look at your brother-in-law—he went straight to the county today. Your sons don’t have that kind of ability.”

Da Leng Fang replied, “Then what use are you? If you can’t protect people, just get ready to take a beating.”

Oldest Brother Fang didn’t reply. Their father really lost his head when it came to this brother-in-law—just because he was a student, everything was great.

Second Brother Fang spoke up. “Dad, who’s really your kid? Don’t just treat the student like treasure.”

Da Leng Fang was already reaching for his shoe. “That’s your brother-in-law!” These two sons were too sly for their own good.

Wang Cuixiang cut in, “Alright, aren’t you tired yet?” She was exasperated—none of them ever got to the point.

Who would protect whom in the future was still up in the air. Wang Cuixiang worried that if her daughter ever got wronged, there wouldn’t even be anyone who could put her son-in-law in his place. Counting on this lot was hopeless. Even all their brains put together weren’t enough.

Third Tiger, always looking to stir things up, added, “Mom, you can’t spoil brother-in-law like this.”

Wang Cuixiang said, “Listen, all of you—don’t play games with your brother-in-law. If you can get along, then do. If you can’t, just keep your distance.”"

"**Chapter 44: Watch What You Say**

Boss Fang wasn’t having it. Just because his brother-in-law had a couple more years of schooling, did that make him better than him? What about his pride? “Ma, I’m the eldest brother-in-law here.”

Wang Cuixiang replied, “And your dad is the father-in-law. I’m saying this to him too.”

Fang Daleng protested, “Come on, I was just showing respect for someone educated. If we’re talking about skills or street smarts, I’m not lacking. I’ve eaten more salt than he’s walked roads.”

All the Fang brothers refused to accept it, nodding along. The lot of us together are definitely better than that brother-in-law.

Wang Cuixiang snorted at her silly sons and turned to Fang Daleng. “Your brother-in-law said everyone in the surrounding villages comes to your meat stall and nowhere else.”

Fang Daleng lifted his chin. “That’s true. He’s not wrong. Not that I’m bragging or anything.”

Fang Xiaohu chimed in with his brothers, “No lies detected. Dad’s got great connections.”

Wang Cuixiang rolled her eyes. “Are there any other butcher shops in the village? Huh? There’s only yours.”

Duped and still clueless—how dumb can you be?

She shot a glare at her blockheaded men and stormed off, muttering about how it was her fault for not giving her kids more brains, or for not being pickier when she chose a husband—now it’s affecting the next generation.

The men were left standing there, dejectedly trailing after her. Fang Daleng tried to comfort himself—his brother-in-law was something else, even he could be fooled.

Boss Fang thought to himself, better not mess with that brother-in-law in the future—he’s trouble. The rest felt the same.

Pretty boys are never up to any good.

Things were much simpler on Lu Chuan’s side. He just coaxed Fang Yuan, telling her not to worry about the money and to have a little faith in him.

Fang Yuan sighed. What else could she do? The money was already gone. For once, she clung to Lu Chuan, asking, “You really are smart, right?”

Lu Chuan blushed, feeling awkward admitting it himself. He glanced shyly at Fifth Brother beside him.

Fang Yuan continued, “Last night I let you rest, didn’t bother you, so your brain should be fine, right?”

If his brain didn’t work, the money would be gone—Fang Yuan was genuinely worried.

But these two sentences were enough to embarrass Fifth Tiger into fleeing the room. He’d have to talk to Fang Yuan later—some things just shouldn’t be said out loud. Even he was blushing.

He’d even seen his brother-in-law blush just now. People were definitely overthinking things.

The couple, on the other hand, didn’t think much of it. To reassure Fang Yuan, Lu Chuan called Fifth Brother back and started explaining everything to Fang Yuan and Fifth Tiger, jotting down notes and calculations in a little notebook, laying out exactly how the money was being spent.

After a thorough explanation, Fang Yuan still looked confused. Lu Chuan had no choice but to sum it up: “So, we’re not going to lose money.”

That last sentence she understood. As for why they wouldn’t lose money, she had no idea.

Fang Yuan and Fifth Tiger stared blankly at the notebook. Lu Chuan blinked at them. “You can read, right? You know how to do accounts?”

They both nodded. They’d gone to school, just hadn’t gotten very far. Otherwise, their dad wouldn’t have gotten so excited over a son-in-law who could actually study.

Lu Chuan frowned. “Then you should be able to figure it out.” The math was pretty basic, not hard at all.

Fang Yuan mumbled, “I get it.”

Fifth Tiger said, perfectly innocently, “Doesn’t mean we actually understand it, though.” He said it with such childlike honesty, completely unabashed.

Lu Chuan rubbed his chest, feeling bad for their teachers. In the end, he stuck to the one thing they could grasp: “Anyway, we’re not going to lose money.”

But Fang Yuan’s focus was elsewhere: “But can we make money?”

Fifth Tiger stared eagerly at the college student’s notebook. He cared about that too. Not losing money and making money were two different things.

Lu Chuan replied confidently, “Yes. As long as things go as I calculated, we’ll make a profit.”

Fang Yuan thought he was being vague and missing the point. “How much?” That was what mattered.

Lu Chuan thought, how could he give such a specific number? He made a conservative estimate. “Definitely more than the deposit you gave me.”

Fifth Tiger’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot! Normally this job would take about twenty days, but with this thing, my brother says we’ll be done in half a month, easy.” Earning five hundred in half a month—where else could you find a deal like that?

Lu Chuan raised his eyebrows at Fang Yuan. “See? With this mixer, we’re saving five days’ wages. Worth it, right?”

Fang Yuan stroked the mixer. “But the deposit was five hundred. You think that’s cheap? What’s there to be proud of?”

Then she asked, “Is this thing really that good? Can it really make money?” After all, she hadn’t seen it in action yet.

Lu Chuan explained carefully, “With machines, things are naturally easier and faster than doing it by hand.”

Fang Yuan, still stroking the mixer, felt like a whole new world had opened up. “If I’d known, why bother with a man? A mixer makes more money than a man ever could.”

Fifth Tiger and Lu Chuan stared at her, dumbfounded. She actually said that out loud—what was going on in her head?

After all that, this was her only takeaway? Wasn’t she missing the point?

Lu Chuan didn’t think he was inferior to a mixer, but when it came to work, he really couldn’t compete. Still, it felt a bit humiliating.

He looked at Fang Yuan and said seriously, “It can’t cook for you.”

Fang Yuan shot back, “You’re not that great at cooking either.” Lu Chuan clutched his chest—ouch, that stung.

Fifth Tiger was even more blunt: “It can’t have kids with you.”

Fang Yuan glanced at Lu Chuan, but at least didn’t say anything. After all, the machine really couldn’t have kids.

But after that, Lu Chuan’s face turned red. Now that someone had brought it up, should he start thinking about it?

He kept sneaking glances at Fang Yuan, but she didn’t seem to care and wasn’t blushing at all.

She just commented calmly, “This thing is really valuable.” Clearly, she and Lu Chuan were on totally different wavelengths.

Lu Chuan couldn’t exactly ask her how she felt about having kids.

He turned to look at Fifth Tiger, who’d been born less than five minutes apart from his own wife. Maybe he’d stolen some of Fang Yuan’s nutrition in the womb—how else could she be so slow?

Then again, this brother-in-law didn’t seem much sharper than Fang Yuan.

Lu Chuan’s thoughts wandered off—he started worrying that their future kids would take after them. His face grew even redder.

After all, that brought up a very old, very primal question.

That whole evening, Fang Yuan circled the mixer, barely sparing Lu Chuan a glance. The two siblings discussed things among themselves, only asking Lu Chuan for help when they didn’t understand something. “So you just plug it in? Do you know how to use it?”

Lu Chuan patiently taught them how to use it, explaining everything in detail. They listened carefully, and if they weren’t worried about wasting materials, they would have tried it themselves.

Fang Yuan asked, “How do you know all this? You’re not just making it up, are you?”

Lu Chuan replied, “Why would I rent it if I didn’t know how to use it? That’d be a waste of money.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “True. This big guy is really great—it can even make money.”

Lu Chuan finally understood: in Fang Yuan’s eyes, as long as something could make money, it was good and useful.

Everyone outside praised him for being a good student, a college graduate, but Fang Yuan never cared—except when she was fighting to marry him.

To her, his only use seemed to be stepping on Fang Daleng’s pride.

That realization left Lu Chuan feeling a little indignant.

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