Chapter 30: Hard to Make a Move

Mother Lu looked dispirited. In the end, she realized she had thought things too simply. She did not dare speak up in front of Fang Yuan, but her face was full of worry.

Father Lu puffed on his tobacco pipe. “The families are already split. Whatever trouble they stir up themselves, let them bear it themselves.”

Mother Lu gritted her teeth. “Their daughter came here on her own. If their family starts making trouble, then let them take her back.”

Lu Chuan said, “Would Big Brother agree to that?” Sons understood their parents best. Mother Lu was only talking tough.

Mother Lu said, “Whether he’s willing or not, there’s no helping it. So many things have happened just to get him married. Your father has bent over backwards for him again and again. What more could he want? That’s enough.”

That was what she said, but if something really happened to Lu Feng, Father Lu and Mother Lu could never truly stand by and do nothing.

Not only did Lu Chuan understand that in his heart, even Fang Yuan understood it.

Fang Yuan said, “If you ask me, if their family wants to make trouble, that’s the perfect chance to bring up the smashing, looting, and destruction from last time too. Our family can’t be this spineless.”

Fang Yuan was still thinking about making them pay compensation.

Their daughter had come to their home for nothing. How could they still act tough toward her family? Mother Lu felt rather lacking in confidence and did not dare speak.

Lu Chuan’s heart was dark. “Even though some time has passed, we should still report it to the commune. Today, the two of you should go and file a report.”

Whether they paid compensation or not could wait. They needed protection in case that family caused trouble. Better to be the villain first and the gentleman later.

Father Lu was an honest man. He had never done anything like striking first behind someone’s back. “Wouldn’t that look bad?”

Mother Lu was the type with little experience. “Can that really work? What would it accomplish? Would they really compensate us?”

Lu Chuan said, “If their family doesn’t come here to cause trouble, then the matter is over. If they do come, we’ll go to the commune and explain everything from beginning to end. We’ll insist that their family used their daughter in a marriage scam and kept using her to squeeze money out of people.”

Fang Yuan curled her lips. She understood now. This pretty boy was definitely not a good person. This move was far too underhanded.

If it were her, she would simply beat people into submission. Then whatever she said would become the truth. Why bother setting traps in advance?

Father Lu still felt sorry for his son. If things developed this way, Lu Feng’s reputation would be dragged through the mud as well. “Wouldn’t Eldest Son lose all face?”

Mother Lu shot her husband a glare. Had he learned nothing from last time? Did he want the house smashed up again?

“Fine. Anyway, Eldest Son doesn’t have much face left to lose.”

Lu Chuan looked at his mother and made a surprising discovery. His mother was especially willing to sacrifice her sons. Subconsciously, he edged a little closer to his father.

Father Lu had already prepared himself for the Li family to bite back. He had never expected another option like this.

Ever since his second son got married, he seemed different somehow.

He had become tougher, as though he now had a backbone.

He said to Lu Chuan, “Second Son, you’re married now. You’re carrying responsibilities. From now on, you should make more decisions about family matters. Of course, we’ll all listen to Fang Yuan.”

Lu Chuan felt his father was not much better than his mother. Better to stay two steps behind and follow his wife.

When they arrived at the Fang family, Wang Cuixiang warmly welcomed the couple from the Lu family. She did not mention the previous events even once. She completely avoided talking about Lu Feng as well.

Fang Dalen was even more enthusiastic. Every other sentence was “in-law.” He kept praising Lu Chuan, saying what a fine young man he was.

It was as though the person originally engaged to his daughter had been Lu Chuan all along.

The Lu couple were honest people. They had been watching their in-laws’ attitude and expressions the whole time. At last, they felt reassured.

Their son’s marriage had turned into such a mess that the elderly couple had suffered greatly behind the scenes.

They had settled matters with their second son’s in-laws, yet still had to face the in-laws connected to their eldest son.

Unexpectedly, the most difficult obstacle had been cleared away so easily.

Father Lu became emotional. “In-law, we truly adore Fang Yuan. She’s a good child and knows how to run a household. For our Second Son to catch your eye, that’s his good fortune. No matter what, we didn’t handle this matter properly. I owe you an apology.”

His attitude was sincere. He genuinely meant it.

Mother Lu said, “In-laws, don’t worry. From now on, Fang Yuan is my daughter. If Lu Chuan ever treats her badly, even I, his mother, won’t let him off.”

Every mother-in-law said things like that. But mothers-in-law who truly treated daughters-in-law like daughters were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Wang Cuixiang merely listened without taking it too seriously.

At least the couple looked honest. They seemed to know right from wrong. From beginning to end, they never mentioned the disgraceful and shameful Lu Feng.

Wang Cuixiang said, “What are you saying, in-laws? The two children were destined to be together. As parents, we’re happy to see it. Don’t talk about the past. There was never any problem in the past.”

In other words, everything before this was forgiven.

Wang Cuixiang spoke openly. “Our Fang Yuan is fortunate too, fortunate enough to meet Lu Chuan and parents-in-law like you.”

Mother Lu became so emotional her eyes reddened. “In-law, don’t worry. I’ll do my best. I won’t become an evil mother-in-law.”

She genuinely meant every word she said. She had never met anyone more reasonable than the Fang family. Her favorable impression of the couple increased dramatically.

Looking at Wang Cuixiang, she completely forgot that the Fang family’s reputation outside was that they were easy to provoke.

As for whether she could become an evil mother-in-law, that depended on whether Fang Yuan gave her the opportunity. The Fang couple had tremendous confidence in their daughter.

Wang Cuixiang said, “We’ve all been daughters-in-law ourselves. If something needs saying, say it. If something needs managing, manage it. Our two families were meant to share this fate.”

Father Lu said, “In-law, you’re absolutely right. These two children were meant for each other.”

Wang Cuixiang said, “But when it comes to the children’s future, we parents still need to help them plan things out. They’re young after all, and their thinking is shallow.”

Mother Lu felt those words made perfect sense. “In-law, go ahead and say it. Whatever you suggest, we’ll do.”

Faced with such agreeable in-laws, Wang Cuixiang found it somewhat difficult to make her move. This was not what she had expected.

“In-law, you see, it wasn’t easy for Dachuan to get this far in his studies. The two of us even went to his school to ask around. Our Dachuan is practically famous throughout the commune. He should continue studying. We can’t let the child ruin his future.”

The moment Fang Dalen heard this, he became excited. “That’s right. Marriage is marriage, but we can’t delay our son-in-law’s education.”

Mother Lu’s eyes turned red. “As long as you and Fang Yuan agree, then he’ll continue studying. Don’t worry, in-laws. His father and I can still work. It’s still early before Third Son gets married. The two of us will pay for Second Son’s education. The only one suffering is Fang Yuan, following Second Son through hard times.”

Father Lu slapped his thigh. “We’ll pay for it.”

He had never expected such reasonable people. They could not drag Fang Yuan down because of them.

Others might have been speaking politely, but the Lu couple were honest people. Before they spoke, they thought things through. They were gritting their teeth as they offered to spend the money.

Wang Cuixiang suddenly felt that being scheming seemed useless against honest people.

If only the Lu family were not so determined, if only they were stingier and more calculating toward their son, then this son-in-law would belong to the Fang family in the future.

Fang Dalen did not have so many thoughts. “In-law, what are you saying? Going to school is a good thing. It’s something that concerns both our families. We’ll only suffer for a few years. Once Dachuan becomes successful in the future, won’t Fang Yuan be the one sharing in the benefits?”

Wang Cuixiang picked up the conversation. “That’s exactly right. Supporting one university student between our two families isn’t such a heavy burden.”

People always said the Fang family was domineering and unreasonable. Yet the things they actually did moved the Lu couple so deeply.

Mother Lu even shed tears. “In-laws, I truly never expected your family to be like this.”

Wang Cuixiang had not expected it either. Honest people were really hard to make a move against.