Chapter 98: A Woman Whose Eyes Are Only on Her Career

When county trucks loaded with bricks, sand, and other materials arrived, Lu Chuan and Fang Yuan just happened to be catching a ride to the county town.

Seeing several truckloads of materials delivered beside Lu Chuan’s yard, everyone commented that capable people could make it anywhere.

Look at the Lu family’s second son. Not long ago he did not even have money for school, yet after getting married he was already building a house. It was probably his in laws helping him.

Lu Chuan heard some of it but said nothing. That was how the village was. Rumors were all based on guesses, and no one bothered to investigate.

Some people even said to Fang Yuan, “Your parents really dote on you.”

Fang Yuan did not understand what was going on, but she was sure her parents did love her, so she nodded and accepted it.

So the story spread that Lu Chuan’s house was being built by his in laws.

When Mother Lu and Lu San heard it, they felt it was not wrong. After all, if Fang Yuan did not agree, the house could not be built.

How life was lived was not something that came from other people’s mouths. Let them say whatever they wanted.

The only one getting upset was Li Meng, because Lu Feng had said, “You should just focus on taking care of the baby. I am not counting on my in laws to build me a house.”

If he was not counting on them, how could he say that?

Li Meng touched her chest, feeling a bit cold. You, a future richest man, how could you rely on your in laws?

Was she supposed to first help the future richest man set the right direction?

That was not in her rebirth plan. She wanted shared wealth and glory, but instead she had rushed in with blind determination, only to discover she might have to suffer alongside the future richest man first.

Li Meng felt like crying while holding her belly. Looking at this broken home made her want to cry even more. When would the richest man finally rise? She was afraid she would not wait for his success before starving first.

Seeing that Lu San was handling things well, Lu Chuan took Fang Yuan and left.

When they arrived in the county, they still had to stop by the construction site to speak with Wuhu.

Wuhu said, “What are you going to do? I am already busy here. If you leave, Fang Yuan will not have time to handle things.”

Afraid Fang Yuan would be reluctant to leave her work and go with him to the provincial city, Lu Chuan grabbed Fang Yuan and ran, saying they had to catch a ride.

Wuhu watched their retreating figures and thought this was what it meant to be trusted by a brother in law. It might even be better to have less trust.

Wuhu was stunned. The brother in law really treated his sister like a treasure, taking her everywhere. He was not even afraid she might embarrass him outside.

At the department store, Fang Yuan bought Lu Chuan several shirts. Lu Chuan could not stop smiling.

“You did not like shirts before, did you?” he asked.

“I do not like them,” Fang Yuan said. “But students like you all dress this way. I cannot let people point fingers at you because of my preferences.”

Back when they first got married, Fang Yuan never cared whether people pointed fingers at Lu Chuan. That was the change.

Lu Chuan felt extremely happy inside and kept telling himself that Fang Yuan cared about him.

He was so pleased he could hardly contain it.

“I only need two shirts,” he said. “I do not care if people point fingers. What matters is that you like it.”

Fang Yuan picked out another one anyway. “Shirts are not pretty, but they are better than wearing a tank top and letting everyone stare.”

It was simply choosing the lesser of two inconveniences.

Lu Chuan had not realized Fang Yuan actually cared about that. This was called being protective. He belonged to Fang Yuan.

His emotions surged again. He had thought Fang Yuan only cared about making money and did not care much about him. Now his imagination filled in the rest, and his feelings instantly reached full strength.

“If you care, then I will not wear tank tops anymore,” Lu Chuan said.

Before he could finish, Fang Yuan interrupted, “When you are outside, behave yourself. Women who actively chase after you are not good people, and you should not actively chase after others either. Someone like Li Meng is exactly what happens to your eldest brother. You see that, right?”

The affectionate moment turned into a lecture.

“I thought you did not even know her name,” Lu Chuan said.

Fang Yuan frowned. “Are you not understanding the point?”

Lu Chuan laughed. “I carry my marriage certificate and tell everyone I have a wife. Do not worry, no one will look at me.”

Fang Yuan immediately approved. “As expected of someone educated. That is a good idea.”

Then she added, “I will handle it myself so you do not have to trouble yourself.”

Just imagining Fang Yuan holding a marriage certificate and announcing to everyone that they were married made Lu Chuan laugh even harder.

So Fang Yuan cared that much about him after all. She was not as carefree as he thought.

Fang Yuan said, “Why are you laughing? This is serious. My mother and sister in law both said so.”

Lu Chuan insisted, “Mother Lu would never say that.”

Fang Yuan pursed her lips. “My mother said it.”

Lu Chuan just kept laughing. His mother in law was a smart woman and would never say something like that directly to someone as straightforward as Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan grew a little angry and pinched his arm.

Lu Chuan took it as playful affection and accepted it.

Travel was not easy in those days. The long distance bus was packed tightly with people.

Lu Chuan protected Fang Yuan and sat with her in the back. They were pressed close together, but neither of them had time to feel shy, because the woman next to them was carrying a chicken cage. The smell and noise were overwhelming.

Fang Yuan kept a dark expression. “We should have ridden a bicycle. It costs money and is uncomfortable.”

Lu Chuan thought that riding a bicycle would have exhausted their legs instead.

Fang Yuan was even more concerned about Lu Chuan’s new shirt. “We should have let you change after arriving. Now it is dirty.”

Lu Chuan nodded. “You were right. You are the one wearing it properly.”

Fang Yuan’s expression eased a little. She had refused to change clothes earlier, and it turned out she had been right.

If she had worn that white dress, it would have been ruined before they even got off the bus.

As they spoke, their heads were almost touching. Lu Chuan could not help but think this was the closest they had ever been, and it was actually the bus that made it happen.

When they arrived in the provincial city, Fang Yuan looked at the tall buildings on both sides, her eyes widening.

“They are so tall. How do they even build them?” she asked.

Lu Chuan thought she truly deserved to be someone who worked on construction sites, immediately focusing on the technical aspect.

“When I have time, I will take you to see a building construction site,” he said.

Fang Yuan grabbed his arm. “Really? I have to see that.”

Just a single sentence made her very happy.

Lu Chuan glanced at her and teased, “Did you forget about visiting my school?”

“That is not possible,” Fang Yuan said. “We are going there too. I know what we are here for.”

It was getting late, so Lu Chuan first took Fang Yuan to find a lodging house. Hotels were hard to find in those days, and even if there were any, they were too expensive.

When Lu Chuan showed his marriage certificate at the counter, Fang Yuan muttered beside him, “You are not very honest.”

The clerk looked at Lu Chuan a few times, thinking the certificate might be fake.

Lu Chuan quickly explained, “This is my wife. That is not what she meant. The certificate is real. This is not a joke.”

Fang Yuan leaned in curiously and looked at the certificate. “Can this thing be fake?”

Alright, that settled it. There was no problem. The certificate was real. It was just that the girl’s way of speaking made things hard to interpret.