Chapter 27: The Power of Running the Household

Mother Lu’s tightly wound nerves finally relaxed after an entire day. So that really was the case. Excitedly, she slapped her thigh and said, “The in-laws are sensible people. We’ve met a family that listens to reason.”

As for Lu Feng, she could not spare any thought for him. If he got looked down on, then so be it.

Without even saying goodbye to Fang Yuan, Mother Lu ran off.

The matter with the Fang family had been weighing on Mother Lu’s heart all along. Now that she knew the Fang family was satisfied with her son, how could she not be excited?

Fang Yuan watched Mother Lu’s hurried retreating figure. “Does Mom have some urgent business?”

Lu Chuan looked at Fang Yuan. There was far too much in his gaze. He muttered, “Who knows.”

Then he went inside. A perfectly fine young man like him had gotten dragged into a marriage like this. His parents probably did not feel very good about it either.

After seeing that her second son had not been made to suffer and had even been regarded highly, Mother Lu could no longer hold back her tears.

When she got home, she said only one thing to Father Lu: “These in-laws are worth associating with. Later I’ll bring some pastries to Third Granny. She didn’t fool us. She found a good family’s daughter for us.”

Father Lu thought, What’s gotten into her? Look at how excited this woman was, she was practically incoherent.

Mother Lu said, “It’s not that I’m shallow and coveting the bicycle. What I care about is the way the in-laws treat their son-in-law. They didn’t take out their anger on our child. They even regarded him highly and gave Second Son all the face he deserved.”

Father Lu thought that his literate son was still young. If he had been properly introduced to a marriage prospect, would he ever have ended up with the Fang family’s girl?

After all, the Fang family’s girl was famous far and wide. Her marriage prospects had always been a major difficulty.

But there was nothing to be done. Things had reached that point.

It counted as the Fang family having good judgment. Their family had gotten an enormous bargain.

What Eldest Son had done left their family suffering in silence, forced to bow and scrape before others.

The one who had truly suffered was Second Son.

Lu Feng had also heard about Lu Chuan’s new bicycle.

Honestly, it had nothing to do with him, yet he still ended up being ridiculed.

After all, when Fang Yuan had married him, the Fang family had not given a bicycle. This directly elevated the status of the family’s second son. It would have been strange if Lu Feng had been happy about it.

Li Meng had heard about it too and was completely unimpressed. What was one lousy bicycle? In the future, her man would drive a luxury sedan. A car she did not even recognize.

She even comforted Lu Feng. “Brother Feng, don’t listen to their nonsense. You’ll be very capable in the future. What’s there to talk about over a broken bicycle? In the future you’ll drive an even better four-wheeled vehicle.”

Lu Feng looked at Li Meng with a dark expression.

But Lu Chuan’s bicycle had been bought for him by his father-in-law’s family.

Was this really about what kind of vehicle someone drove?

It was about how much his father-in-law’s family valued their son-in-law.

It was also their rejection of him, the former son-in-law.

He had been stepped on hard.

Besides, talking about driving a four-wheeled vehicle? They had already split the family and started their own household. They did not even own a one-wheeled cart.

Could a good life arrive just by thinking about it?

Li Meng also felt some regret. She had originally had money.

“If not for that overbearing woman, the money we had would have been enough to buy a bicycle.”

That made Lu Feng think even less of Li Meng.

Who told her to be so falsely generous?

There was one more thing Li Meng was dissatisfied with.

“Does Mom dislike me? She keeps praising the second son’s family everywhere.”

Lu Feng finally spoke.

“Have you forgotten what your family did at my house when the engagement was broken off?”

Then he returned to the west room.

He did not want to say another word.

How had his life turned into this?

The one everyone should have envied was supposed to be him.

Li Meng really had forgotten somewhat.

After all, to her, that had happened a very, very long time ago. It was almost impossible to remember clearly.

When she learned that Lu Feng had not yet married, Li Meng had been overjoyed.

All she had thought about was living well with Lu Feng in the future and accompanying him as he enjoyed endless glory.

Thinking carefully about it, when the engagement had been broken off, her family seemed to have come over and smashed up the Lu family’s house once.

Li Meng no longer dared find fault with anyone.

She carried firewood and tended the fire. She even heated the kang.

She needed to behave herself for a while first and curry favor with her parents-in-law.

In her previous life, the elderly couple of the Lu family had been famous for having no temper and no backbone.

They listened to whatever their son said.

As long as she pleased them, the old couple would be very easy to win over.

Meanwhile, after saying a few words to her husband, Mother Lu tucked some eggs into her clothing and ran back to Lu Chuan’s place.

When she saw that the second son’s daughter-in-law had opened the door, she immediately helped Fang Yuan’s household start the fire and heat the kang.

She even asked her daughter-in-law what she wanted to eat and was preparing to cook for her.

Lu Chuan said, “Mom, we just ate at Fang Yuan’s parents’ house. For dinner we’ll just eat something simple.”

Mother Lu said, “That won’t do. You’ve been out all day. How tiring. Whatever Fang Yuan wants to eat, we’ll make it. Tomorrow when we go to the in-laws’ house, we’ll pass through the township. We can buy Fang Yuan some snacks to keep at home.”

Lu Chuan twitched the corners of his mouth.

His mother knew how to manage a household.

Their family had three sons. There had never been such a thing as snacks in their house.

Fang Yuan called out to Mother Lu. “Mom, make a bit more food. Invite Dad and Little Third over to eat together.”

Mother Lu said, “No need. There’ll be plenty of chances in the future. You two have only just started your household. You only have so much grain. Your future arrangements aren’t settled yet. Save what you can.”

Fang Yuan nodded. That was true.

Mother Lu said, “Second Son has studied a lot and his body isn’t very sturdy. Your father and I will help you with the farm work in the future. Don’t worry.”

Lu Chuan pressed his lips together again.

What was so offensive about his physique?

Why did everyone look down on him everywhere?

Fang Yuan said, “My brothers said the same thing.”

Then Fang Yuan added, “Mom, don’t worry. I’m capable. When I was at home, I always followed my brothers to construction sites. Whatever work there was, I did it. Our life won’t be bad.”

Mother Lu felt distressed.

“No. That’s too exhausting. In the future, your father and I will handle the farm work.”

Given that their family was in the wrong, and the Fang family had not made things difficult for her son, she had to repay kindness with kindness.

Mother Lu sincerely cared about Fang Yuan.

Lu Chuan had not expected that the Lu family treasured this daughter so much, yet they were willing to let her work at construction sites.

Fang Yuan then said, “It’s not tiring. I like following my brothers around. There was no one to play with me at home anyway.”

That was a problem.

Most likely, the Fang family was too domineering, so Fang Yuan had no friends.

Mother Lu felt sorry for her daughter-in-law.

“You should still do lighter work. We women shouldn’t overexert ourselves.”

Unless there was absolutely no choice.

“Your father and I can help support you.”

Lu Chuan took a deep breath.

So in the end, he was the one who could not support a family.

The thing was, no one had even given him a chance to prove he could stand on his own before he got married.

Mother Lu said, “Second Son, in the future you should listen more to your wife. Fang Yuan is more sensible than you and knows better how to run a household.”

These words made Lu Chuan, who had only recently obtained household authority, fall into deep thought.

Setting aside his education for the moment, if he could not sort out household matters, he would not even have any say in the family.

Even his parents believed his wife should run the household.

Fang Yuan replied casually, “Mom, between the two of us, I’m slow-witted. It’s better if we listen to Lu Chuan.”

Mother Lu excitedly grabbed Fang Yuan’s hand.

“Child, why are you so reassuring? Listen to you. We’ll all listen to you. Who says you’re slow-witted? Your heart is upright. Not just Second Son, in the future our whole family will listen to you.”

Just like that, Mother Lu handed over the family’s authority.

She truly did it casually, as though it were no big deal.

Lu Chuan looked at Fang Yuan thoughtfully.

So this is advancing by retreating.

To please her daughter-in-law, Mother Lu was really giving it her all.

She even dared say things like that.