Chapter 2: Compensate Me with a Good One

Mother Lu looked at her second son over there and swallowed. “Can we discuss this again? The one who married you is the eldest. This matter can’t be handled like this. It won’t sound good if word gets out.”

Fang Yuan’s face darkened. She threw an iron tray printed with Double Happiness at Lu Feng. “A shameful, shameless thing like Lu Feng deserves to be mentioned together with me?”

The Lu family watched as the Double Happiness tray struck Lu Feng on the nose before anyone could react, smacking his nose until it bled.

Lu Feng had only just had his face scratched up, and now his nose was bleeding after being hit by someone. He really looked utterly miserable. The scene was so brutal that the two Lu elders did not dare look.

This girl was unreasonable. She attacked the moment she felt like it. She was not the same kind of person as their Lu family.

Mother Lu could see the essence through the surface. Fang Yuan was already this overbearing as a girl, so what would those famously fierce brothers behind Fang Yuan be like? Just thinking about it made Mother Lu’s legs go weak. Her mouth flattened, and she wanted to cry.

Fang Yuan said, “Don’t think your family’s university student is better than me either. Educated people have too many schemes, and they don’t know how to live properly. I’m taking a risk too. Besides, no matter whether he’s a university student or a primary school student, they’re both students. They can’t earn money or support a family.”

Mother Lu shut her mouth. Her second son had to study, and for the next three to five years, there really would only be money going out and none coming in.

Fang Yuan swept a glance at Lu Er. “And this one has such a long face. There isn’t the slightest festive spirit about him. I haven’t even complained that he brings bad luck.”

A perfectly good university student had been despised to this extent. Lu Er nearly fainted from anger.

If he had not already seen that this girl was not someone who reasoned with others, he would definitely have argued it out with her.

After Fang Yuan finished speaking, she simply paused there and looked at the Lu family. Her aura pinned everyone in the room down completely.

The path had been drawn out for them. As for how to settle the matter, they could weigh it for themselves.

The Lu family did not speak. This matter was still rather serious, and they could not bear to let their family’s phoenix egg be snatched away just like that.

But when they thought of the Fang family, of the Fang family’s reputation in the countryside, and of the Fang family’s Five Tiger Generals, even if they had objections, they did not dare say them.

The main thing was that the Lu family had no ground to stand on in this matter. What Lu Feng had done was far too disgraceful. Of course, what Fang Yuan said about supporting a university student costing money was something the Lu family was also weighing in their hearts.

At this point, Lu Feng should have stepped forward to discuss this with Fang Yuan. If an apology was needed, he should apologize. If amends were needed, he should make amends. But Lu Feng did not even have that much responsibility, and Lu Er looked down on this elder brother anyway.

Fang Yuan’s expression darkened. Why had they suddenly become unable to say even a word? She kicked the table that had already been overturned once more. “Did you understand?”

By coincidence, the vegetable basin flew past Mother Lu’s ear.

Mother Lu instinctively covered her nose and hurriedly said, “We understand. We have to compensate you with a man. Lu Er. Our Lu Er is good. He has shame and virtue. We’ll compensate you with Lu Er. Only Lu Er is worthy of you.”

What a sin. How had they invited such a woman into their home? Lu Er was their family’s phoenix egg. After saying that, Mother Lu clutched her lower lip with one hand, looking as if she wanted to cry but could not.

Father Lu looked at his old wife and stammered for a long while without making a sound. Could this work? The old woman bullied the weak and feared the strong, and she changed her tune so quickly.

But Lu Er’s schooling also required money. Marrying a daughter-in-law had already drained the family’s money. Though Lu Er and Fang Yuan were not well matched, if they truly married, there would be someone to help.

The Fang family was wealthy. Father Lu considered this and did not refute it aloud.

Fang Yuan nodded. Those words were still pleasant enough.

She looked critically toward Lu Er at the doorway. It was still the same thought. That physique did not look good, and he was probably even less useful.

Meanwhile, Lu Er at the doorway was already stupefied with anger. What did this have to do with him? Lu Feng had caused this mess, so why should he clean it up?

And listen to what his own mother had said. He had shame and virtue. Was she trampling on him, or trampling on Lu Feng? His parents were so unreliable. Could they really follow the thinking of such an unreasonable girl?

The most dissatisfied one was still Lu Feng. He was the one getting married. Who had asked for his opinion? Covering his nose, he said, “Fang Yuan, Mom, what are you saying? I don’t agree.”

If this got out, he would lose all face.

Li Meng covered her face and said pitifully, “Brother Feng, are you thinking about this woman? I’m carrying your child, Brother Feng.”

Fang Yuan looked away, refusing to look at these two improper things. They hurt her eyes.

Mother Lu pulled at her eldest son, crying miserably. “But what else can we do? How can our family compensate the Fang girl? Eldest, the Fang girl is right. What you did was improper. Count back several generations of our old Lu family, and nobody ever did something like this.”

Mother Lu had thought it through. As long as Fang Yuan was not angry, as long as she looked down on Lu Feng, belittling her eldest son was not a problem.

This girl had a fiery temper, acted barbarically, and did not reason with others. They could not afford to provoke her. More importantly, if the matter was spoken of outside, they had no justification and would lose face.

Fang Yuan gave a cold snort and nearly stretched out her foot to kick Lu Feng again. She was that aggressive. “What does this have to do with a man like you who doesn’t keep male virtue? Do you have any right to speak?”

Then she said to the Lu family, “Drive this woman and this man out. As long as I’m in this family, I can’t see them.”

She was more of a female bandit than a female bandit.

Lu Er nearly laughed from anger. Nothing had even happened yet, and this woman was already acting like a tyrant in their house.

Of course, he also did not want to see that useless thing Lu Feng, or that coquettish woman Li Meng. It would be quite good if they were driven out.

Old Madam Lu was troubled. Though he had acted rather improperly, he was still her son. Drive him where? Scolding him a few times was fine, but actually driving him out, she could not bring herself to do it.

Lu Feng was about to go mad with anger. He stood up, rubbing his backside, stamping his feet. “This is my home. I am the eldest son. You, you’re going too far.”

Fang Yuan looked down on this kind of man. If the matchmaker Third Granny had not praised him to the skies, she would never have taken a liking to such second-hand goods. “Your home? As if you’re worthy.”

Father Lu timidly raised a hand, indicating that he wanted to speak. Fang Yuan looked over. “If you have something to say, say it.”

Only then did Father Lu say, “He, he’s still worthy. He’s my son too.”

Lu Er looked at his father’s manner, grinding his back teeth flat. How had he been frightened to this extent?

Fang Yuan’s face darkened, and she immediately became unwilling. “So your Lu family still wants these two men and women who don’t know their place to enter the door? Keeping them here to ruin the family style?”

Father Lu fell silent. It was indeed somewhat shameful. After what happened today, the Lu family would count as unable to lift their heads in the village.

Lu Er was educated, had prospects, and cared about face. The whole family could not lose face along with them. A great deal circled through Father Lu’s mind.

Although Mother Lu feared Fang Yuan, she still said weakly, “He’s still my son.”

Fang Yuan was not very satisfied with her parents-in-law’s inability to distinguish right from wrong. “If I’m here, he isn’t. If you recognize such a shameful son and such an improper daughter-in-law, I can’t lose face along with you. You tell me, what are we going to do?”

The last time Fang Yuan had asked what they were going to do, their family’s phoenix egg had been dragged in. Hearing another what are we going to do from Fang Yuan’s mouth, the Lu couple instinctively shivered.

Father Lu and Old Madam Lu also did not know what to do. They both stared at Fang Yuan, waiting for Fang Yuan to speak.

Besides, the family only had these conditions. Otherwise, would they have let the eldest marry the unreasonable girl from the neighboring village?

Li Meng did not want to be driven out. It would be best if this woman could be driven away instead. If she wanted to stay in the Lu family, the time had come for her to perform.

Her eyes rolled, and she placed herself in the position of a Lu family member as she spoke. “You woman, you’re so unreasonable. A wife follows her husband, whether he’s a chicken or a dog. The Lu family is already being generous by tolerating you, an unwanted woman like you. If you don’t want to stay at home, then leave. Nobody is keeping you.”

Fang Yuan swept a glance at Li Meng, raised her brows, and looked utterly contemptuous. “What does this have to do with you? If I hear you making noise again, do you believe I’ll slap you?”

Li Meng shrank back in fright. “You unreasonable woman. Then what do you say we should do? I definitely won’t leave. Without Lu Feng, I won’t live.”

Fang Yuan snorted coldly and swept a glance over this shabby house, then said to the old Lu couple, “Fine. If they won’t leave, if you won’t make them leave, then divide the family.”