Taking a Wife Home Versus Marrying into a Bride's Family

Fang Chang'an did not proactively inquire about his father's borrowing of money, lest his father feel he was losing face.

The following afternoon, he made a phone call to Wang Ke. As they were chatting quite happily, Wang Ke's younger brother suddenly said that someone had come to look for her and was waiting outside the door.

Fang Chang'an asked who it was, and Wang Ke replied, "An elementary school classmate of mine. He used to be very unstudious, but for some reason, he has suddenly taken a liking to studying recently. For the past few days, he has come over almost every single day to ask questions."

Fang Chang'an had finally managed to make a phone call, only to be interrupted by someone else. The young girl's tone was clearly not very happy.

Realizing that his plan had taken an unexpected turn and seemed to be pushing things in the opposite direction, Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "Then you don't have to pay attention to him."

"I used to ignore him when he came looking for me to play. But studying is a good thing after all, just like you helping your classmates."

Wang Ke said in a light tone, "Besides, he hasn't been here for quite a while. He probably started doing his homework at home again and must have finished everything he knew how to do, leaving only the ones he couldn't figure out."

Listening to her tone, Fang Chang'an suddenly realized something and fell into a brief trance. Wang Ke had already said, "Then I won't talk to you for now. I can't keep him waiting too long."

"Alright. Besides, school is starting soon anyway."

"Mhm."

"Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

Wang Ke actually wanted to ask him what kind of surprise he had prepared for her, but her younger brother ran into the inner room to "report" and didn't leave afterwards, so she felt too shy to ask. Hanging up the phone, she went to the front room to help Li Meng with his problems.

Fang Chang'an hung up the phone, dazed for a moment, and then called Chang Wei to inquire about Li Meng's situation. Chang Wei said, "Li Meng was told by Liang Kuan to finish his summer homework, and he wasn't allowed to go out until it was done. Later, Liang Kuan found out that Li Meng couldn't do many of the problems and was afraid of being scolded, so he ran over to Wang Ke to ask questions."

"Chang'an Bro, didn't you say not to mention Wang Ke? So Liang Kuan had no choice but to tell Li Meng to study on his own and not go running to ask others about every little thing. Fearing he might finish, Liang Kuan even handed over another set of unfinished exercises to Li Meng."

"Did Li Meng go looking for Wang Ke again? I'll go tell Liang Kuan right now and teach him a proper lesson."

After listening quietly, Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "Brother Wei, let's end this matter here. Tell Liang Kuan that through this test, we found Li Meng actually has the potential for studying, but we shouldn't force things to grow by pulling on the shoots. From now on, don't assign any tasks. Let Li Meng decide how to study on his own, and no matter what, do not punish or scold him."

Chang Wei was stunned for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Chang'an Bro, what's wrong?"

Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "Nothing. Sorry to trouble you and Liang Kuan with this. Please say thank you to him for me. Just leave this matter alone from now on; it's nothing major. I just felt that doing this was unnecessary."

"Alright then. Call me if anything comes up."

"Will do. School is starting soon anyway, see you at school."

"Alright, goodbye Chang'an Bro."

Fang Chang'an hung up the phone, stepped out of the telephone booth, and walked slowly along the narrow, dilapidated alley back toward his father's car. He stretched lazily in the scorching summer heat, and then let out a gentle sigh accompanied by a somewhat complex smile.

"He who slays dragons eventually becomes a dragon himself!"

Fang Chang'an had initially been deeply repulsed and disgusted by campus bullying. Even later, when he leveraged his influence to become the de facto "boss" of the school, earning the cautious respect of hoodlums from other schools as well, he had always remained highly vigilant to avoid unconsciously using power to oppress others.

Yet, precisely because of this long-term vigilance, combined with a smooth-sailing journey, he had slowly numbed himself into believing that he was always on guard. Coupled with his involvement with Wang Ke and a somewhat mischievous mindset, he had pressured Li Meng through Liang Kuan.

Although the form of it was making him do homework, its essence was no different from campus bullying; it was still bullying people.

More importantly, throughout this process, he had never asked for Wang Ke's opinion, nor had he ever cared about Wang Ke's thoughts. He had made such a decision based solely on a few casual remarks made by the "old mister" in the car.

This incident wasn't a huge deal, but it truly sounded an alarm for Fang Chang'an, causing him to genuinely begin deep reflection. He instantly realized that this wasn't limited to the matter with Wang Ke.

When it came to his family—especially matters concerning the destiny of the entire household, such as opening a store, buying a house, and transferring schools—his behavior had also been a bit too anxious, almost forcing his parents to move forward. For a thirteen-year-old son, it was a bit too aggressive.

The reason behind this attitude was that impatience was only part of it; the deeper cause lay in his adult mentality from a future life and his vision that surpassed the era. When facing parents who were only in their thirties and had accomplished little, he held an instinctive sense of superiority hidden deep in his heart, one so natural that it was hard for him to notice.

Just like how he thought about usurping power the moment he time-traveled, he always felt, "I am more capable than you, just listen to me, and I can give our family a good life."

However, if parents have no dignity or self-confidence in front of their children, even if the family becomes wealthy and they feel happy about their children's current lives, one must question how much genuine joy and happiness actually exists deep in their hearts.

People all have the need to "realize self-worth" and "be needed," even aging parents and the elderly are no exception, let alone Fang Luxun and Cong Rong, who were currently in their prime.

If this mindset were maintained, as time passed, it was very likely that the family would become wealthy, yet Fang Luxun and Cong Rong would become increasingly unhappy—even worse off than their current situation. How different would that be from the left-behind elderly with abundant material wealth in future generations?

Over the next two days, discarding his previous talkative self, Fang Chang'an became taciturn, well-behaved, and obedient at home, leaving the entire family thoroughly unaccustomed to the change. In the end, it was Fang Luxun and Cong Rong who worried he was unhappy and began proactively talking to him about the shoe store and buying a house.

Fang Chang'an felt increasingly guilty. After hesitating, he finally offered a sincere apology: "Dad, Mom, I was a bit impatient a while ago and didn't watch my words... I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me."

Fang Changming and Fang Yanran were both watching television and had no idea what was happening. Fang Luxun and Cong Rong fell into a brief silence, then Cong Rong turned her face aside, tore off a piece of tissue to blow her nose, and then tore off another piece to hold in her hands. Staring at the television, she said nothing.

Fang Luxun thought his wiping of the corner of his eye was subtle, put on a forced, relaxed expression, let out an "ah," and said, "What's there to be sorry about with your mom and dad... You're more capable and promising than your parents; that's a good thing... Dad just couldn't wrap his head around it before... Anyway, since everything is settled now, you should still put your studies first."

"I know, I won't let it interfere with my studies."

"That's fine then."

After saying this, Fang Luxun stopped speaking either. The family watched television in silence. The atmosphere was much quieter than it had been in the previous days, yet the feeling it gave people was that a disagreement, which had seemingly long ago reached a consensus on the surface, had finally settled into peace.

With this matter concluded, the four family members' trip to Wenzhou was also drawing to a close. They had bought train tickets back for the 23rd, because the 22nd was Fang Chang'an's birthday.

It was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Qixi Festival of Qiqiao. Shen Mo had once teased Fang Chang'an about this, saying that if he had a childhood nickname, it should be "Brother Qiao." This was a joke referencing *Dream of the Red Chamber*, as Wang Xifeng's daughter, "Sister Qiao," was also born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

Fang Luxun took another day of leave, went to buy groceries in the morning, had a simple lunch, and then began preparing for dinner.

The entire factory dormitory shared only a single public kitchen. Fang Luxun and Cong Rong busied themselves back and forth, while Fang Chang'an and his siblings watched television in the room, occasionally running back and forth to take a peek and steal some tasty treats. It vividly possessed the harmonious and joyful atmosphere of the New Year.

Thinking of "Brother Qiao" because of his birthday, Fang Chang'an then thought of Shen Mo, realizing he really did miss her a bit. Without any delay, he seized an opportunity to sneak downstairs and call Shen Mo.

"Beep—beep—"

The phone rang two or three times before it was quickly picked up. A tender, soft, and sweet girl's voice answered brightly, "Hello?"

A smile unconsciously formed at the corners of Fang Chang'an's mouth. Lowering his voice to make it sound deeper, he said, "Hello, I'm looking for Shen Mo."

"I kno—"

The girl's tender voice instantly became even brighter, seemingly accompanied by a suppressed laugh that she quickly held back. She also lowered her voice to sound serious, though it was too soft and didn't sound convincing at all: "Hello, is there something you want with Shen Mo?"

"I want to ask if she's having a happy summer vacation."

"She's having a great time."

"Oh, and here I thought she'd miss her old classmates a lot."

"She *does* miss her old classmates a lot! Like Wang Ke, Liu Bei, and Wang Yuwei, she's called all of them."

"Then why didn't she call Fang Chang'an?"

"Who's Fang Chang'an? Shen Mo says she doesn't know any Fang Chang'an."

Fang Chang'an finally stopped pretending and smiled, "Fine then, I'm hanging up."

Shen Mo stopped pretending too. She gave a light hum on the other end and playfully reproached, "I called you several times, but nobody answered."

"Didn't I tell you I went to Wenzhou to see my dad?"

"You didn't say you were going to be gone for so long."

The young girl's tender voice carried a hint of grievance, complaint, and a sweetness imbued with spoiled coyness. She asked again, "Are you back now?"

"Not yet, taking the train back tomorrow."

"Then why are you calling me today?"

Fang Chang'an sighed, "Just wanted to chat with you."

Shen Mo let out a small "tee-hee" and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I know today is your birthday, and I figured you'd definitely call. I haven't stepped out of the house all day, and I didn't even dare turn the television up too loud, just in case you called and I couldn't hear it."

"Really? Are you really that well-behaved?"

"I *am* well-behaved!"

Shen Mo felt this adjective was a bit strange, but since she was often told by elders to "be good" and "be well-behaved," she didn't mind it, only feeling a sense of inexplicable shyness.

"Then, does such a well-behaved classmate Shen Xiao-mo have a birthday gift prepared for me?"

"Yes, are you coming to get it?"

"Sure. But I'll be a bit late getting over there; don't go to sleep too early tonight, wait for me to come find you."

"Okay then, come on over! No matter how late it is, I'll wait for you."

The young girl was utterly innocent and pure, not finding these words ambiguous at all, and seemed rather happy and proud as she added, "But once it passes midnight, it won't be your birthday anymore. If you haven't come by then, I won't give you the gift."

Fang Chang'an sighed, "Then you can save it for me and give it to me together when school starts."

"Oh, I was just teasing! I gave it to Auntie, telling her to give it to you when school starts."

"What is it?"

"I won't tell you!"

"If you won't tell, you won't tell. I'll see it sooner or later anyway, and besides, it's already mine."

"Hmph hmph."

Fang Chang'an chatted with her for a while. Seeing that five minutes had passed, though reluctant, he hung up. Then he called Wang Ke. Her call was also answered quickly, and it was her in person.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking for your older sister."

"I *am* the older sister!"

The young girl was a bit confused by his out-of-the-blue remark. After giving a coquettish retort, she realized she had slipped up and almost laughed her head off. She hurriedly explained, "I mean I'm my brother's sister... No, you're so annoying, why are you looking for my brother?"

Fang Chang'an couldn't help laughing at her antics and continued to tease her, "I'm not looking for your brother; I said I was looking for your older sister."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore, you're so annoying."

"Alright, alright, I'm looking for you."

"What are you looking for me for?"

"Looking for you to wish me a happy birthday."

Wang Ke clearly knew the reason he called all along. She gave a light hum and said disdainfully, "Who asks people for birthday wishes like you do? So shameless."

"If I hadn't called, you probably would've said I was heartless."

"I would never! Whether you call or not is up to you."

"Does calling *any* time work?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, never mind."

Fang Chang'an hurriedly steered the conversation back, but Wang Ke reacted and reproached, "I meant calling *on the phone*, not *hitting* me. Do you dare try hitting me?"

"What if I *do* dare hit you?"

"Can you even beat me in a race?"

"..."

Fang Chang'an was choked up for a moment, knowing full well what Wang Ke meant, because during the final running race before the end of the semester, he had shamefully failed to beat Wang Ke, though the gap was already very small.

"Still feeling arrogant, huh? Just wait until school starts and I'll show you my true strength."

"Hmph."

The young girl scoffed, "You've been saying that for a whole year."

"What if I win?"

"Um..."

Wang Ke thought about it and said, "Then I'll share a desk with you."

Then she asked, "What if *I* win?"

"Then I'll share a desk with you!"

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"How is that the same? It's like marriage—does marrying a wife compare to being a matrilocal husband?"

The young girl thought about it, felt it made some kind of sense, but also felt something was off. After a pause, she finally reacted and reproached with a hint of bashful annoyance, "What kind of analogy is that? Who says things like that?"

"Just a random comparison, completely random."

Seeing that he had accidentally said the wrong thing, Fang Chang'an hurriedly made his escape, "Alright, go do whatever you need to do, I'm hanging up. We'll continue chatting about this when school starts."

"Who wants to continue chatting about this with you?"

Wang Ke retorted with dissatisfaction, then added, "Wait, don't hang up yet."

"What is it?"

There was a pause on the other end before her low, soft voice came through, sounding like a thief as she spoke very quietly, "Chang'an Brother... Happy birthday!"