Chapter 34: Always Beyond Expectations

When seeing their group off, Lu Chuan felt that his mother-in-law’s mood must surely be weary and weathered. He understood her especially well.

Fang Yuan at least knew how to comfort Mother Lu: “Mom, don’t worry. As long as we’re not lazy, our family won’t have financial difficulties. As for other difficulties, I’ll go find her again. I remember her office, and I remember what she looks like.”

Mother Lu looked at her daughter-in-law with admiration and reflected on her own shortcomings: “The second son’s wife really has a clear head. That’s exactly how it should be. In the future, when Mom goes out, I’ll have to be more alert too. I was just nervous today. I didn’t perform well.”

Fang Yuan said, “It’s fine. We just haven’t seen enough of these things. In the future, we can go over there and have a look whenever we’re free. Naturally, we won’t be nervous anymore.”

If she had performed well, it would have turned into outright unreasonable pestering. Lu Chuan thought to himself that letting his mother spend so much time with Fang Yuan felt dangerous.

Lu Chuan was actually worried for that staff member. A moment of kindness in wanting to help him had caused Fang Yuan to fix her attention on him.

Mother Lu nodded vigorously. The second son’s wife really was knowledgeable. “Fang Yuan, your parents are truly wonderful, understanding and reasonable people. Mom has always said, what kind of family could raise a girl like you? Clear-minded, good at managing a household, kind-hearted, and so filial.”

Father Lu nodded along as well. “Your parents are open and straightforward people. They handle things honorably. Good people.”

Mother Lu spared no effort in her praise. “Your mother is even better. She’s someone you can truly rely on. If our family has any problems in the future and can’t make up our minds, we’ll ask her.”

Lu Chuan listened as his parents praised the entire Fang family, right down to the pigs in the Fang family’s pigsty.

As for Fang Yuan, she simply listened and nodded along, feeling that her parents were right. Not a single word was wrong. She was not even a little modest.

The direction things were taking was completely beyond Lu Chuan’s expectations and entirely outside his understanding. He could not figure out how things had ended up this way.

Nor could Lu Chuan say that this was a group of people blind to reality. Given his mother-in-law’s character and judgment, she could probably sell his parents off, and they would still praise her for making a good sale.

Looking at one side confidently boasting and the other side confidently accepting the praise, Lu Chuan felt stifled. He had a feeling life was going to become very lively in the future.

In the end, Fang Yuan even said, “My parents are good people, and they’re even better to us. They manage us well too. Not one of my brothers loafs around. They all know how to live properly.”

Father Lu nodded forcefully. No wonder their family lived so well. “That’s good. That’s the best. Your parents really know how to raise children.”

Fang Yuan said, “So our family has to be the same. We can’t have any lazy people. We can’t let others say we’re loafers. In a few days, Lu Chuan should go work with my brothers and earn money. I asked around, and there’s still some time before school starts. Every bit we save helps.”

Instead of feeling sorry for her son, Mother Lu asked, “Can your father go too?”

If there was a way to make money, they had to treasure the opportunity. They needed to keep up with their daughter-in-law’s pace. Mother Lu had fully grasped the situation.

Fang Yuan said, “My dad has three sons. If my dad has to go out and work himself to exhaustion, wouldn’t they be ashamed?”

Father Lu looked up at his daughter-in-law. Why was this girl so thoughtful? For that sentence alone, he was willing to bear any hardship.

Lu Chuan also looked at Fang Yuan several times with scrutiny. Was she deliberately saying this to make his father happy? But Fang Yuan truly did not seem like that kind of person.

Nor did she possess that kind of sophistication.

Mother Lu did not feel slighted by her daughter-in-law at all. “There’s truth in that, but our family situation is special. Let’s not even talk about the eldest. The second has to go to school, and the third is still young. Doesn’t your father have to step up? We’re still young. We can work.”

Fang Yuan said, “That’s not how it works. Sons don’t necessarily have to equal three men, but three sons should at least equal one father. Otherwise, how embarrassing would that be for my dad.”

She glanced at Lu Chuan and thought, It’s even more embarrassing when a son is useless.

But this time Fang Yuan actually exercised some restraint and did not say it aloud.

Mother Lu did not dare say that they did not care about pride as long as they could earn money. If the family had money, all dignity could be regained.

After being moved, Father Lu chatted with his daughter-in-law. “When I’m old and can’t work anymore, I’ll have to rely on my sons. While I can still work, I should do more. Otherwise, how would I have the face to let my sons support me later?”

Truthfully, after hearing Fang Yuan say those words, Father Lu felt that even if he were asked to carry a mountain, as long as he could lift it, he would not feel tired.

Mother Lu nodded along. “What you said really put our minds at ease. As long as we can work, we’ll work. When we can’t anymore, we’ll have to rely on you youngsters.”

Lu Chuan thought to himself that a single sentence from Fang Yuan seemed to have given his parents a stimulant.

Fang Yuan was quite pleased as well. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law were not lazy people, and that made them likable.

Mother Lu wasted no time at all. On the way back to the village, she conveniently pointed out the family’s fields and trees to Fang Yuan.

Mother Lu even said, “In the future, it won’t matter even if the second son’s fields and trees are gone. Your father and I still have ours. You’ll have a share.”

Fang Yuan roughly surveyed the area. Even if she transferred her household registration here and gained an extra share of fields and trees, the harvest alone would not be enough to live on.

This matter required careful consideration over time. Although she was overbearing and impulsive and not particularly crafty, she was never careless when it came to earning money and making a living. Perhaps it was due to her family’s influence.

Lu Chuan had his own plans as well and spoke directly. “Forget about the fields and trees. I won’t be at home, and Fang Yuan won’t be able to manage them by herself.”

His father-in-law and mother-in-law would not just stand by and watch Fang Yuan suffer and toil either. The next few years might be difficult for him and Fang Yuan, but once he finished his studies, would he really let his wife stay home tending fields and trees?

That was the difference after getting married. He had already started planning for the future. Not for one person, but for two.

Mother Lu said, “You child, why don’t you know how to calculate things? Without fields and trees, what will you rely on? What will you eat? How will you pay for school?”

Lu Chuan did not bother arguing with his mother about such things.

Fang Yuan simply regarded it as Mother Lu’s good intentions, and she did not argue either.

They were all people who understood things in their hearts.

Only Mother Lu was left worrying about how these two children would manage their lives.

When they reached the doorway, the old couple saw that Fang Yuan and Lu Chuan seemed a little restrained. They wanted to invite them inside to sit for a while, but they were afraid Fang Yuan disliked the fact that Li Meng lived next door, and the matter between Fang Yuan and the eldest son was awkward.

In Mother Lu’s opinion, it was best not to bring everyone together.

Lu Chuan saw through his parents’ feelings. “No need to fuss over us. We haven’t been home all day. We’ll go back early and tidy up.”

Fang Yuan did not think much about it. From the start, she had never planned to go in and sit down.

Mother Lu smiled and tried to please her daughter-in-law. “Fang Yuan, what would you like to eat? Mom will make it and bring it over.”

Fang Yuan said, “No need. My mom packed food for me. We’ll just heat it up tonight.”

After saying that, she grabbed Lu Chuan and left.

She was not the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Lu Chuan, however, felt a little awkward after having his hand held like that.

He glanced at Fang Yuan. The girl was broad-minded. She probably felt no embarrassment at all about holding someone else’s hand.

Lu Chuan stammered slightly. “The village isn’t like the township. People in the village don’t go around holding hands and pulling each other about.”

Fang Yuan turned her head. “What do you mean by that? Are you mocking township people? Township people don’t go around holding hands and pulling each other about either.”

Lu Chuan’s face darkened immediately. He turned around and walked ahead of Fang Yuan, no longer wanting to talk to her.

He had merely wanted to remind Fang Yuan that she was holding his hand.

And what happened?

The girl somehow managed to take the conversation in an entirely different direction.

Any possibility of romance simply did not exist.