Chapter 3: This Matter Is Not That Simple

Father Lu had only just taken two daughters-in-law into the family, and his youngest son still had not married yet. He truly had never thought about dividing the family, but it was not impossible either.

In a tone of discussion with Fang Yuan, he said, “Isn’t this not very good?”

Fang Yuan said bluntly, “I cannot live together with this kind of shameful thing. I care about face.”

Lu Er swept a glance at Fang Yuan and nearly blurted out, I really can’t see how you care about face.

Fortunately, he was steady enough to swallow the words that had reached his lips. Otherwise, he would definitely have angered this female fiend.

Lu Feng’s face flushed red from her calling him shameful again and again. Was she targeting him everywhere, saying he had no shame? “On what grounds? This is the Lu family. It is not your turn to decide.”

Fang Yuan did not even need to think before she spoke. “On the grounds that you are shameful, improper, and tricked me into marriage. On the grounds that your Lu family handled things dishonorably.”

Then she continued, “Could your Lu family really let a shameful thing like you be in charge and drag the whole family into disgrace?”

Following Fang Yuan’s words, Father Lu nodded along as well. It was true that they could not let the muddleheaded eldest decide. They could not have the whole family lose face together.

Mother Lu defended in a small voice, “Our Lu Er has prospects. He is a phoenix, a golden phoenix. We’ve already compensated you with him. You aren’t losing out.”

Fang Yuan said, “A phoenix? I don’t see it. He’s like a little chick, and he’s still studying too. Doesn’t that cost money? Where am I taking advantage?”

Lu Er was so angry listening to her that he almost crushed his silver teeth. This woman’s mouth really was vicious.

The problem was, they had already spoken of dividing the family, yet nobody had asked for his opinion. What he regretted most now was that he should never have stepped through this door and gotten involved in this rotten mess.

Father Lu looked at Lu Er. He still had not actually said that he would compensate this female tyrant with him. His second son was good-looking, a student, and had never been engaged before. It would still be easy for him to marry.

Then he looked at Fang Yuan’s female bandit-like stance and thought of the Fang family’s savagery. Father Lu could not bear to send his son like a sheep into a tiger’s den.

Though the family had no money, if they tightened their belts, they could still get the child through school. He discussed it gently and politely with Fang Yuan. “Could your marriage with Lu Er be discussed again?”

Fang Yuan swept a glance over this shabby family and lifted her chin. “Does your family have anything more valuable to compensate me with? Or do you think our Fang family is easy to talk to?”

Father Lu looked at his second son and lowered his head. The family really did not have anything more valuable.

Most importantly, this girl was too aggressive, and the Fang family really was not easy to talk to. Their whole family was made up of honest people, and they had never encountered anything like this.

Fang Yuan said, “Your family had a matchmaker propose marriage and tricked me into becoming your daughter-in-law. On the day of the wedding, you even brought in such a woman to disgust people. What? Do you think I, Fang Yuan, am easy to bully? Go out and ask around. When have I, Fang Yuan, ever suffered a loss?”

There was no need to ask around. If the Fang family’s sons stamped their feet, the whole countryside would tremble three times.

Father Lu was so ashamed that he did not dare look at his second son. “Our Lu Er is hardworking, good-looking, and literate too. He is more suited to you, Fang Yuan. It is the eldest who is not worthy of Fang Yuan.”

The husband and wife moved in perfect step, changing their tune the moment they said they would. They stopped struggling.

Father Lu comforted himself. If this marriage happened, Lu Er would have the Fang family’s help in the future, which was not bad either.

Fang Yuan still acknowledged this point. She looked at Lu Er, unable to see any advantage in him. “At least he is more proper than your eldest.” That was all.

Lu Er only felt like meat on a chopping block, being picked over by others for fat and lean.

Fang Yuan gave a cold snort. This day had been strangely tiring, and she was even less willing to see those two calamities. “That old house plot of your family’s, divide it to us. Do you have any objections?”

When Father Lu saw that it was not he himself moving out, his heart relaxed, and before such a female tyrant, he very meekly agreed. “No objection. No objection at all. It’s just that you’re being wronged, Fang Yuan.”

Fang Yuan looked at Mother Lu. Mother Lu shook her head along with him. “No, no. As long as you don’t feel wronged, Fang Yuan.”

If Mother Lu had not been somewhat afraid of Fang Yuan and also unable to stop worrying about the eldest son’s side, she would actually have preferred the eldest and this improper woman to move out. If they stayed with the eldest son, it would be hard for Lu San to marry in the future.

The two elders did not object. Since it was not Lu Feng moving out, Lu Feng did not object either. Of course, objecting would have been useless. This matter was settled.

Fang Yuan looked at the man by the doorway with dissatisfaction. “What are you looking at? Hurry up and go tidy up the old house. You don’t even have this bit of perceptiveness. A university student? Is this all you are?”

Lu Er was about to speak when Father Lu grabbed his son. “Lu Er, Father has wronged you. Today’s matter is our family’s fault toward Fang Yuan. Our family was in the wrong first, and your brother can’t be split in two and divided between them.”

The key was that Fang Yuan now looked down on Lu Feng. Their family did not dare provoke the Fang family behind Fang Yuan.

Lu San, who had come in together with Lu Er, had watched everything from beginning to end. Knowing how formidable this woman was, he spoke while crying, “Second Brother, just, just submit.”

Otherwise, he feared he would be seized by the female bandit and made into the groom. That woman had glanced at him several times. He was a little sturdier than Second Brother.

Mother Lu went over and pulled at her second son, her face full of guilt. “Lu Er, hurry and take that woman away. Mom is begging you. Don’t let her shout at your mother in this house. She’s terribly frightening.”

Then she added, “You still have to marry a wife even if you go to university, don’t you? You’ll have to marry sooner or later. This is quite good.”

Lu Er was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. He had come in to break up a fight, only to get himself dragged into it. He knew his parents were spineless and could not take charge, but he had never thought it would reach this point, that they would be manipulated into such a state.

He laughed from anger. “You’ve thought it through. Once this marriage is done, it can’t be withdrawn. From now on, I will never clean up Lu Feng’s messes again. For Big Brother’s sake, the family’s money was thrown in, and you’ve thrown your son in too.”

Mother Lu choked her voice, carrying a sob. “Isn’t it because there’s no other way? Who knew your big brother would cause something like this?”

She looked at Fang Yuan over there. “We’ve thought it through. We won’t dare use you in the future.” That woman was not easy to provoke. In the future, they would not dare trouble Lu Er’s household either.

Father Lu had to state his position on this matter. He had a little cleverness and seized one end of it. “Lu Er, what your big brother did was wrong, and he should not have dragged you into it. But our family also cannot let people point fingers behind someone’s back. We cannot wrong Fang Yuan.”

Lu Er felt that even if he were eaten by the female fiend today, there was nothing left to say. This was what complete despair felt like.

With parents like these and a family like this, why should he stand up and shoulder the matter? Let the female fiend make trouble. This whole family deserved it.

He turned to leave, but the female fiend opened her mouth and stopped him. “Carry the things on the ground too.”

The whole family lowered their heads and looked at the things on the ground. There was only one bedding roll, but judging by its appearance, it was new. If they remembered correctly, this thing had been brought here by Li Meng.

Lu Er was a little dazed. Had this woman gone mad with anger and could no longer tell what belonged to her?

Li Meng became anxious. She pounced over and shielded the bedding roll. “These are all mine.”

Fang Yuan sneered and dragged Li Meng away. “Yours? Did you think a shameful man could be picked up for free? What, shall we argue it out?”

Li Meng was frantic with anger. How had she run into such an unreasonable person? “You woman, how can you be like this? You’re a bandit. This is robbery.”

Fang Yuan said, “With what you did in front of me, what does this count as? Is there any crime bigger than you stealing a man?”