Chapter 113: Human Relations and Social Exchanges

Mother Lu nodded. “That is true. She is someone who knows how to live a proper life. I really do like this daughter-in-law of mine.”

Lu Chuan said, “Big Brother is not a good person either, do not get upset over it.”

Mother Lu thought to herself that if the brothers were not like this, she would not be upset. The eldest son’s troubles were all minor issues. It was this second son whose minor issues never stayed minor.

Back then, she already knew this marriage was not ideal. In the future, it might cause friction between the brothers, or make the second son suffer grievances, or lead to an unhappy marriage.

But she truly did not expect Fang Yuan and the second son to live so well together, so well that the second son would even start to care about such things.

She also did not know whether this counted as a good thing. At least the second son had put his heart into Fang Yuan. If this continued well, then the second son’s marriage would be fine.

Over on the other side, the father and son were cleaning up the pig head, and the atmosphere became more and more lively. Outside the courtyard, the children were making a lot of noise.

Lu San said happily, “Our family has never been this lively before. We even get to eat pig head during the festival.”

Father Lu said, “That was given by your second sister-in-law’s father for us to keep.”

Then he added, “It is a festival, I originally wanted us all to eat a meal together, but how am I supposed to bring this up to your second sister-in-law?”

Lu San said, “Why bring it up at all? Forget about what Big Brother did. Just talk about the relationship between my second sister-in-law and my eldest brother and second brother. Do you really think my second brother does not care at all?”

That was why Lu Chuan himself said that the third son had the most scheming mind, and the eldest son was not good.

Father Lu’s thoughts were as rough as his wife’s. “What would your second brother care about?”

Lu San looked at his father and found it hard to explain further. If he said too much, it would sound like he was stirring trouble. “Anyway, do not worry about it, and do not try to organize anything. Our three brothers, if we can just have two of us getting along, that would already be good enough. Do not expect more.”

Lu San helped his second brother and second sister-in-law handle the situation. “Not to mention my second brother, even I look down on my eldest brother’s behavior. If he had even a bit of dignity as an older brother, he should not have ignored us when we were building the house, nor said those sarcastic remarks.”

Lu San continued, “If he had even a bit of conscience, he would not have watched that improper woman use her pregnancy to manipulate my mother. We are all sons, how can he just watch that happen? If my future wife acted like that, and I just stood by and watched her cause trouble, you can slap me in the face.”

This accusation was very skillfully made. Father Lu thought to himself that his wife must have suffered greatly, otherwise the youngest son would not be so emotional. In any case, he had no more desire to bring the eldest son and his wife over for dinner.

Better to let the eldest son properly reflect.

Seeing Father Lu’s expression, Lu San quietly achieved his goal and withdrew.

He thought to himself that without him stirring things up in the middle, his second sister-in-law would not even give his biological father face. The eldest son and his wife would not even be able to enter the second brother’s house.

Mother Lu returned and discussed with Fang Yuan. “Fang Yuan, let me tell you something. When we built this house, the neighbors all helped us a lot.”

Fang Yuan said, “Mom, I am not often at home. You handle the family relations as you see fit. I am not stingy with these things. You can arrange it.”

Mother Lu happily took apart a large pig head and four pig trotters, then asked Lu San and Lu Er to deliver them to the families who had helped them. It was a holiday, so it was a way to add some dishes.

In those days, human relations were like this. Every family would build a house sooner or later, and everyone helped each other this way.

Lu San, always quick with his mouth, muttered in front of Father Lu, “If Big Brother saw this, he would definitely say that handling these relations should be his job as the eldest.”

Father Lu immediately heard the troublemaking tone. “Your mouth is really cheap. I know you are not a good person.”

Lu San ran off.

Father Lu thought to himself that the second son’s household relations had nothing to do with the eldest son. Even though the third son ran his mouth a lot, everyone knew that the pig head and offal were definitely sent by Fang Yuan’s father. That was the second son’s family connection.

Mother Lu was also letting others know that people had helped the second son build the house, and the second son’s family knew it and remembered it.

Do not underestimate rural human relations. They were a deep art.

When the family sat down to eat, Lu San was the happiest. “Second brother, second sister-in-law, you two are not home often. If anything happens at home, just tell me. I have received so much benefit that if I do not do something in return, I will not feel at ease.”

Fang Yuan said straightforwardly, “With Mom at home, you are looking after things. With you here, your second brother and I feel at ease. What is there to feel uneasy about? Just do not let Mom suffer over there in the future.”

Lu San did not expect that in his second sister-in-law’s eyes, he was so reliable. “Second sister-in-law, do not worry, I can do it.”

Mother Lu said, “I do not need you to do anything. Stop showing off. I will not get angry over those things. I am willing to let her mess around. I am doing it for my grandson. In the future, whichever family has children, if I can help, I will do the same.”

Then she added, “Fang Yuan, do not get angry with me over this, and do not get angry on my behalf either. It is not worth it.”

Fang Yuan thought to herself, if you want to go take care of things, who can stop you. A spoiled temper cannot be changed. That saying really was true. “As long as you feel comfortable, that is fine.”

Mother Lu said, “That is exactly it. When the eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant, if I do nothing, I will not feel comfortable. It would be unfair to the child in her belly.”

Lu San thought to himself that his mother was really bold, not afraid that his second sister-in-law would get angry.

Lu Chuan simply watched quietly without speaking. They were all Father and Mother’s children, so it was only natural that they could not ignore Lu Feng.

He secretly held Fang Yuan’s hand, wanting to say that they were the real couple, that he would listen to her. His mother was two-faced, but he was not.

Unfortunately, Fang Yuan did not understand his gaze at all and added another piece of pig brain to his bowl. “Eat this, it is good for you.”

Lu Chuan silently let go of her hand and ate his meal. This woman really had no sense of romance.

The meal was quite pleasant as long as the eldest son’s family was not mentioned.

The most discussed topic at the table was what Lu Chuan was like at school, though Fang Yuan was not the one asking.

When Lu Chuan answered, he spoke directly toward Fang Yuan, but she was not very interested. Father Lu’s cooking was excellent, and the pig trotters were especially tender and flavorful.

Even Mother Lu, who rarely cared about outside matters, still asked a couple of questions. “Did he cause you any trouble, daughter-in-law?”

Father Lu said, “No, I did not have much to do. I just looked after our home. That was enough. It is just that your cousin brother gave a bit too much money, and I feel a little uneasy.”

Fang Yuan said, “If he gave it to you, then keep it. My Fifth Brother does not do unprofitable business. If he gave it, it is definitely worth it.”

Lu Chuan thought to himself that when his matters were mentioned earlier, Fang Yuan had barely spoken, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Over on the other side, the father and son talked about the construction work, letting the women in the family broaden their horizons. When Fang Yuan mentioned the Five Tigers, she complained quite a lot.

Father Lu laughed happily. After spending more time with his daughter-in-law’s family, he had come to understand their personalities well.

At night, Mother Lu placed boiled peanuts, roasted sweet potatoes, and mooncakes that Lu Chuan had bought into Fang Yuan’s room before going back to rest.