Chapter 32: Don’t Provoke Honest People

Lu Chuan truly did not mean anything else by it, and he certainly did not dare make Fang Yuan angry. “You’ve misunderstood. Mom being like this is actually very good, really. Having someone like Mom in the family makes people feel so secure.”

Fang Yuan thought to herself, You think I didn’t see you holding back your laughter? “Don’t make it sound so nice. My mom is still ultimately on my side.”

Lu Chuan thought to himself, You really don’t need to explain that to me. I know perfectly well. “I understand. It’s because I’m your family’s son-in-law that Mom likes me. If the two of us had a disagreement, Mom would definitely protect you.”

Fang Yuan said, “Wrong. When I find you unpleasant, my mom is still my mom.”

Lu Chuan genuinely could not hear what the difference was, then he heard Fang Yuan say, “In our family, you don’t even have the right to have a disagreement.”

Lu Chuan directly shut his mouth. There was no reasoning with this unruly girl. When a married couple lived together, how could only one person be allowed to get angry? How could someone be so overbearing?

Besides, what she said did not count anyway. How could anger be controlled by human will?

Unfortunately, there was no way to argue this point with Fang Yuan.

In any case, they were going to get the marriage certificate.

The two rode bicycles to the commune in the township to get their marriage certificate.

Fang Yuan was highly recognizable in the township, and Lu Chuan had only recently been admitted to university, so the people in the township had seen him not long ago. He was also quite recognizable.

So when these two came together to get a marriage certificate, the commune staff naturally asked a few extra questions.

For example, one staff member asked Lu Chuan, “Comrade Lu Chuan, are you doing this voluntarily? Has your family encountered any difficulties?”

Fang Yuan immediately felt something was off and became unhappy. “Comrade, what are you saying? What do you mean by that? Could I have tied him up and forced him to get married?”

The staff member glanced at Fang Yuan and felt that was entirely possible. He even subconsciously looked out the window, worried that Wuhu might be outside coercing Lu Chuan.

Still, he spoke politely. “Comrade Fang Yuan, we’re simply following procedures. We don’t mean anything else. Don’t overthink it.”

They were truly taking advantage of the fact that it was the girl’s first time getting a marriage certificate.

But Fang Yuan was not so easy to fool. “Following procedures? Then why don’t you ask me whether I’m doing this voluntarily?”

The staff member replied sternly, “We have to ask people one by one. Don’t be in such a hurry.”

Lu Chuan quickly said, “Ahem, we’re doing this voluntarily. Sorry for the trouble.”

Unfortunately, the staff member genuinely did not believe it. Getting into university was already a huge achievement. Marrying a rural wife was understandable, but marrying a notorious troublemaking girl known throughout the area, what was he after? There had to be some problem here.

The staff member truly took his responsibilities seriously. “Comrade Lu Chuan, this is the township office. If you have any difficulties, you can tell us.”

Lu Chuan felt extremely awkward. He knew they meant well, but they truly could not solve this problem. “Thank you for your concern. There really aren’t any difficulties. We’re here to get our marriage certificate. Our parents are still waiting at home for us to return for a meal.”

All right then. Maybe there really was no problem.

Only then did the staff member begin filling out the paperwork.

Marriage certificates at this time were just a sheet of paper. They did not even require photographs.

The process was not particularly formal either. Lu Chuan signed his name, Fang Yuan signed hers, a stamp was applied, and that was it.

After Lu Chuan signed, he handed it to Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan got stuck at this point and stared at the staff member. “You haven’t asked me yet.”

The staff member was confused for a moment. “Asked you what?” He muttered inwardly that this girl was really troublesome.

Fang Yuan’s expression darkened. “Asked whether I want this.” She thought to herself that the staff member was not very bright and was not taking his job seriously.

Only then did the staff member remember. He asked perfunctorily, “Comrade Fang Yuan, right? Are you doing this voluntarily?”

The staff member’s thoughts were lively. It’s probably a marriage she fought to obtain. Of course she’s willing. Do I even need to ask? So many demands and so much drama.

Fang Yuan nodded and answered very seriously, “Yes.”

The staff member resisted the urge to roll his eyes and casually said, “If that’s the case, then sign your name.”

Fang Yuan frowned and became quite unhappy. Her voice rose several degrees. “Comrade, why are you so careless in your work? You’re neglecting your duties.”

The staff member had a quick temper and had never been spoken to like this before. “What are you talking about? How am I being careless?” He had never been as conscientious and responsible as he was today.

Fang Yuan pointed at the staff member’s nose. “We’re both getting marriage certificates. Why are the questions you asked him different from the questions you asked me?”

Remembering that she was Wuhu’s sister, the staff member restrained his temper and patiently said, “How are they different?”

Fang Yuan was even more domineering than the staff member. “They are different. You asked him whether he had any difficulties.”

Once again, Lu Chuan broadened his horizons. Fang Yuan truly had courage. She was not afraid of anything. Even in a place like this, she was completely unflustered. Her voice was especially loud and clear.

The staff member’s face turned red from being cornered by her words. He really had omitted that question. This girl truly was single-minded. “Comrade Fang Yuan, do you have any difficulties?”

Fang Yuan’s answer was different. “If I have difficulties, can you solve them? Or will the township solve them?”

Lu Chuan lowered his head, struggling not to laugh.

This incident taught him a lesson. Never bully people with simple minds. They fixated on principles and followed them to the end.

The staff member was so flustered that he no longer cared about avoiding trouble with Wuhu. “Your answer isn’t the same as his either.”

Fang Yuan replied, “Do your regulations require everyone to give the same answer?”

The regulations certainly did not require that.

The staff member took a deep breath. Knowing this girl was difficult and impossible to reason with, he said, “That depends on the specific circumstances.”

He truly did not dare casually promise to solve any problems. One look at Fang Yuan told him she was a thorny customer.

Fang Yuan frowned. Her expression darkened again. “If you can’t solve difficulties, then why are you asking all these questions? Are you deliberately making things difficult for people?”

The staff member directly looked at Lu Chuan. If not for him, the staff member would never have created all this extra trouble.

Lu Chuan understood exactly what that look meant. “Ahem, our parents are still waiting for us to go home for dinner. They haven’t seen the marriage certificate yet.”

Only then did Fang Yuan sign her name.

Even while signing, she told the staff member, “If I have difficulties, I’ll come ask you to help solve them. You can solve them slowly. I’m not in a hurry.”

The staff member could not understand how sitting peacefully in his office had led to this kind of trouble. He was so angry that he kept rubbing his chest.

Lu Chuan pulled Fang Yuan out of the office. As they left, he did not forget to hand the staff member a couple of handfuls of candy. His mother-in-law had given it to them before they left home.

The staff member held his chest and said, “Why would I eat candy? What I need is medicine to calm my temper.” Unfortunately, neither Lu Chuan nor Fang Yuan heard him.

After leaving the township office, Fang Yuan’s expression still had not relaxed. She was genuinely angry. “Don’t you think they judged people differently based on who they were? I’ll come back later and argue this out with them.”

She still was not willing to let the matter go.

Lu Chuan thought about that staff member. If Fang Yuan came back again, the man would probably avoid her entirely.

Lu Chuan said, “What difficulties could you possibly have that you’d insist on bringing to the township office? Tell me instead. I can handle them too.”