Chapter 69: A Little Late to Get Motivated

It wasn’t until they got home that Lu Chuan finally spoke up: “You go rest in the room, I’ll go check on Mom and Dad.”

Fang Yuan relaxed a lot when she saw they were home. “No matter what, it’s never as comfortable outside as it is at home. I’ll go rest—don’t call me unless it’s important.”

With that, she went straight to her room, muttering, “It’s just a place we’ve stayed for a few days, but somehow it feels so comfortable.” Even Fang Yuan herself was a bit puzzled.

As for the frustration Lu Chuan had been holding in the whole way, Fang Yuan didn’t seem to notice at all.

Lu Chuan just stood there, blushing. Counting from the day they got married, the two of them had only stayed in the old house for three or five days, but Fang Yuan already considered it home and felt most at ease here.

Rounding up, what Fang Yuan really meant was: being with him was when she felt most at home.

That’s how Lu Chuan understood it, anyway. At least, thinking about it that way made him feel like he truly had a wife now, and he felt a bit more at ease.

Fang Yuan didn’t really care for romance, so he figured he’d make up for it by being a little more romantic himself. There’s always a bit of romance in everyday life together.

Since Fang Yuan was all about her career, he’d just be a bit more of a hopeless romantic to balance things out.

Lu Chuan ended up not going to see his parents after all. He watched Fang Yuan go into the room to rest, and decided to light the fire to warm up the kang bed for her.

But then, the chimney started smoking, and Mother Lu came over. Fang Yuan also came out of the room, looking annoyed.

Mother Lu pointed at her son. “Why are you lighting the fire? When you two aren’t home, I never know when you’ll be back, so every night I light the kang for you, just a small fire, so it’s not cold.”

Fang Yuan came out of the room with a dark look on her face. “The kang was just right—not too hot, not too cold. Are you afraid I’ll get too much rest, so you deliberately made it too hot so I can’t sleep?”

Mother Lu hurried inside to feel the kang. It was burning hot—how could anyone rest on that in the middle of summer? “Fang Yuan, he’s just a student, not good at housework. Don’t get mad. I’ll put on an extra layer for you, and when you go to bed, I’ll fan you.”

Lu Chuan was a bit frustrated—he’d gone overboard with his good intentions. He needed to dial it back a bit.

Fang Yuan said, “No need, Mom. I can’t sleep now anyway. By the way, how have things been in the village lately? Has anyone been giving you trouble or making things difficult?”

Mother Lu replied, “No, everything’s fine. Everyone knows I’m your mother-in-law, so no one dares bother me.”

Lu Chuan felt something was off. How could his mom say that so openly—relying on her daughter-in-law’s reputation?

Fang Yuan said, “That’s good. If anyone bullies you or gives you a hard time and you can’t handle it, just remember—when I’m home, we’ll go settle the score together. If you’re bullied, it’s like I’m being bullied, which means our Lu family is being bullied by the villagers. That’s not acceptable.”

Mother Lu was fired up. “You’re right! Our Lu family can’t be pushed around.”

Seeing his mother’s sudden fighting spirit, Lu Chuan thought to himself, You’re a bit late to the game.

Fang Yuan nodded. “That puts my mind at ease.”

Mother Lu said, “Fang Yuan, with you around, I feel much more secure too.”

Lu Chuan decided to just go fetch water—he really couldn’t listen to this anymore. These two always made him feel out of place.

Mother Lu started reporting all the household matters to her daughter-in-law: “The old hen’s been doing well lately, only taking a break every three days. I was worried the eggs wouldn’t be fresh, so I sold them to Aunt Sun’s daughter-in-law in the village. Made three yuan and twenty cents. The vegetables in the yard couldn’t be sold in the village, so I pickled them for you. If we can’t finish them, I’ll take some to your dad’s place. Other than that, the neighbor’s daughter-in-law keeps peeking over here, but nothing else.”

She really went over every little detail with her daughter-in-law.

Fang Yuan felt her mother-in-law was easy to get along with. “Mom, you have a great memory! It’s been days and you remember everything.”

Mother Lu blushed a little. “I don’t really remember that well. Your dad can read a bit, so he helps me write everything down in a notebook, just in case I mess something up.”

Fang Yuan said, “My dad can read? No wonder he raised a college student.”

Mother Lu was modest. “He can just jot things down, nothing more.”

Then she handed the three yuan and twenty cents to Fang Yuan. “Here, you take the money.”

Fang Yuan said, “No need. I’m always coming over anyway—keep it and buy something to eat with Dad.”

Mother Lu insisted, “No, if your dad and I run out of money, we’ll ask you for more. What’s yours is yours—we can’t just take it.”

Fang Yuan agreed. “You’re right. Business is business.”

Mother Lu said, “Your dad always says, business is business, but money must be kept clear. That’s the way to get along in the long run.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “My dad’s right. No matter how close you are, once money gets mixed in, things get complicated.”

Her eldest, second, third, and fourth brothers were all examples of that.

Mother Lu nodded in agreement. “That’s because accounts weren’t settled clearly.”

Fang Yuan nodded, completely agreeing. “Exactly.” The two of them really saw eye to eye.

Looking at Mother Lu, Fang Yuan suddenly felt her mother-in-law was easy to get along with, and her father-in-law was decent too. He might be a bit timid, but at least he knew right from wrong.

Like with the issue of Lu Chuan’s eldest brother, her in-laws had always been clear-headed—they knew their family was in the wrong and never tried to argue otherwise.

Of course, the main reason was that, whether they were in the right or not, the Lu family never dared argue with the Fang family.

Fang Yuan thought for a moment. “Mom, what’s my dad been up to lately?”

Mother Lu replied, “He’s been tending the fields and trees. Even when there’s no work, he finds something to do—can’t just sit around.”

Fang Yuan asked, “Mom, what do you think about having Dad work with me?”

Mother Lu got excited. “Of course! But… doing what?”

Fang Yuan explained, “I bought a mixer and need a family member to keep an eye on it. The pay isn’t much, but as long as the machine is running, there’s a wage. It’s steady work.”

Mother Lu immediately asked, “Where did you get the money for that?”

Fang Yuan admitted, “I’m a bit in debt.”

Mother Lu was instantly worried. “You’re in debt? What are we going to do?”

Fang Yuan reassured her, “It’s fine. I’m earning money every day, aren’t I?”

Mother Lu, for once, spoke firmly to Fang Yuan. “What do you mean, earning money? You’ve barely started and already you’re hiring people? If your dad’s not enough, I can help too. The priority is to pay off the debt.”

At this point, Mother Lu didn’t even mention splitting up the family, nor did she accuse her daughter-in-law of being reckless or getting into debt.

Maybe she really didn’t dare. But she was genuinely anxious.

They’d only had a few good days, and now they were in debt—it felt like the sky was falling.

Fang Yuan said, “Don’t worry, Mom. Once I get paid at the end of the month, I should be able to pay it off. After that, all the money will be profit.”

Mother Lu’s life experience told her that she wouldn’t feel secure until the debt was paid off.

When Lu Chuan came back, Mother Lu was already getting ready to pack up some clothes for Father Lu, so he could go into town and help his daughter-in-law make big money.

Mother Lu said to her son as he came in, “You two shouldn’t just rest at home. That machine is so expensive, and you don’t even have a family member watching it? How can you be so careless?”

Then she added, “Are you sure you don’t need me to come to town and help keep an eye on things? Don’t sleep too soundly at night—what if something gets stolen?”

It’s no wonder Mother Lu got along so well with Fang Yuan—they really thought alike.

(End of Chapter 69)"