Chapter 338: Grandson or Feng Shui?

After taking a good bath, the two brothers walked back to the Da Za Yuan.

"Lu Cheng, how are you going to that Siheyuan, on foot?"

Lu Cheng turned his head to look at the courtyard and said, "How about, big brother, you steal Dad's bicycle for us."

Lu Feng smiled helplessly; from childhood to now, he hadn't stopped taking the blame for this younger brother.

Pushing out the bicycle, Lu Cheng straddled it with one leg, slipped on a glove, and said.

"Big brother, you must think carefully about what I said; for the Lu family, for Qing'er and Xiao Hui, you also have to do everything possible to climb up."

He certainly doesn't want his big brother to be like in the previous life, satisfied just by reaching the position of town secretary, and finally dying of exhaustion on the job.

"I understand. Go back, and be careful on the road."

After seeing his brother off, Lu Feng finally returned to the house; when he lay on the bed, his mind was still filled with Lu Cheng's words.

Tonight Xiao Hui didn't cause a fuss; after Yan Baoyue soothed the child to sleep, she turned off the lights, lay down, rested her head on Lu Feng's shoulder, and asked.

"What's wrong? You look worried. Is it that you're being too much trouble for Mom and Dad here? If not, after the first day of the new year, we can go back."

It's not that the in-laws here are bad; precisely because they treat her especially well, Yan Baoyue thinks of returning quickly, after all, with so many people, how much rice must be eaten.

Food rations are fixed; if they eat a bit more, Mom and Dad have to eat a bit less.

Lu Feng turned his head, looked over, and said with a smile, "It's not that. Just stay here peacefully; Mom and Dad would love for you to stay a few more days."

Yan Baoyue nodded slightly, "Then I see you looking worried."

"I... was just thinking about what Lu Cheng said to me."

"Lu Cheng? What did he say?"

Lu Feng took a deep breath and relayed Lu Cheng's thoughts to his wife.

Yan Baoyue, after listening, strongly agreed: "I think Lu Cheng is quite right; you're the eldest son of the Lu family, raised for so many years; if you say you won't come back, then you won't. I believe Mom and Dad here must miss you a lot and hope you can return."

"Compared to that, Lu Cheng's words are ambitious; you shouldn't confine your vision only to our Big Team or the Commune."

Hearing his wife say that, Lu Feng was momentarily surprised; he knew his wife wasn't highly educated, having only attended elementary school, so it was rare for her to speak such insightful words.

"You also support my returning? Then can you bear to leave your Mom and Dad?" Lu Feng asked; he loved his wife and was willing to respect her thoughts.

Yan Baoyue changed her posture, placing both hands on her husband's chest.

"Of course I can't bear it, but as the saying goes, 'marry the chicken, follow the chicken; marry the dog, follow the dog.' You have knowledge and culture; I can't selfishly think only of keeping you in the countryside, that would be too unfair to you."

With his wife's support, Lu Feng no longer had any reservations, and his heart was deeply moved.

Grasping his wife's hand, Lu Feng finally made up his mind: "Alright, if I want to be transferred back to the Capital City in the future, I must first strengthen myself.

Coincidentally, our Commune recently has an opportunity to study in the province; originally I thought of giving it to someone else, but now I see I must fight for it."

My younger brother is right; to climb step by step, one must cherish every opportunity.

When opportunity arrives, you must hold onto it tightly.

Yan Baoyue felt very happy about her husband's change of mind.

Although she lacks much education, she knows that interacting with higher-level people broadens one's thinking.

For example, her little brother-in-law, though his speech may seem out of sync, never slacks when handling matters.

……

Passing through Jiaodao Intersection Street, turning onto Yu'er Alley, Lu Cheng greeted everyone he met, saying "Happy New Year."

In the future, staying here long-term is unavoidable; we must keep good relations with the neighbors.

Arriving at the Siheyuan entrance, perhaps due to the New Year, a new plaque reading "No. 08" was placed on the wall near the lintel.

Hmm! Lu Cheng likes this number.

He took out the key, opened the heavy door; perhaps from lack of maintenance, the hinge let out a "Creak—" that sounded especially harsh in the night.

This house isn't afraid of being lived in; it's only afraid of being left empty.

It seems that when Dad goes to work, we should have him bring some lubricating oil from the factory to properly maintain the hinge.

As for the courtyard layout, there are rockeries and a pavilion; Lu Cheng likes it, and when there's a chance, he'll have someone renovate it.

That small pond over there, he'll raise koi carp to adjust the courtyard's feng shui.

One may not believe in this thing, but it cannot be absent.

Unfortunately, although there are flower and bird markets nowadays, imported varieties are few, especially fish, which are mostly locally bred.

Tropical fish are even rarer.

So, koi are probably unavailable for purchase.

Lu Cheng squatted by the dried-up pond, thought for a moment, and decided to clean the pond first; in a few days, he'll take Sister Bao Feng and others to the Guanyuan Bird Market in Xicheng District, and conveniently buy some ornamental fish.

He got up, clapped his hands, and surveyed the courtyard.

So many houses, which one should I live in?

Logically, Lu Cheng is the owner of this Siheyuan, so he should live in the Main Hall, the one previously occupied by Lin Zhenfeng and Yu Wanrong.

But his steps involuntarily led him into a side room, which was Lin Qingyan's boudoir.

Before entering, it was clearly cleaned; the room was very tidy, with only the bed, desk, and wardrobe left, and nothing else.

He took the bedding off the bicycle, spread it out, and lay on the bed.

But he couldn't fall asleep! He didn't know if it was because of this room, but the image of that beautiful figure kept floating in his mind.

He recalled that it was in this room he forcibly kissed Lin Qingyan, which made her cry.

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched into a smile, though it carried a hint of sadness.

Indeed, living in a separate courtyard is comfortable; at night it's very quiet, you can't hear any fart sounds, snoring, or arguments…

However, if you really did hear them, it would seem strange.

After a dreamless night, he rose early full of vigor, and practiced boxing in the courtyard, breaking a sweat.

When the chance arises, he'll have to spar with Senior Sister, and surely make Su Feixue dance for him.

Lu Cheng didn't want to cook himself, so he rode his bicycle back to Da Za Yuan.

Because his older brother returned, this year's New Year celebration has been too lively.

When there's nothing to do, he drags his older brother to repair the pond over there, then goes for a round in the flower‑and‑bird market, buying a fish variety called 'betta fish', which in Capital City dialect is also called 'fire‑roasted carp'.

He also bought a painted bunting for Master; Xu Erye is old, and it's not bad for him to carry a birdcage around for fun.

Xu Erye was very pleased, but he didn't understand Lu Cheng's habit of keeping fish.

"I'm old, living a retired life; keeping a finch is perfectly normal. You, still so young, keeping what fish? Playthings ruin ambition!"

Chen Xianglan was also furious: "I serve the younger ones, I serve the older ones, and later I'll still have to serve your fish, right?"

Lu Cheng thought that made sense; sometimes he has to be on duty with a carriage, and during the time he's not in Capital City, he'll have to rely on his mother to feed the fish.

There's no other way, so he could only flatter, saying, "Mother, you don't understand—keeping fish can change Feng Shui; this thing not only attracts wealth, it also makes the family harmonious and everyone safe.

Take this, for example: look at you and my father—why do you two always argue? It's because our family's fortune is poor. So if you sincerely tend these fish, your relationship with my father will surely prosper, and the Lu family's fortune will keep growing…"

Chen Xianglan rolled her eyes widely: "Why do you and your father always argue? Isn't it because you and your sister irritate each other! Day after day…"

If you really want to change our family's fortune, your sister should hurry and get married, give me a grandson; you should also hurry to marry, give me several more grandsons. With more people at home, the fortune will naturally flourish.

"No matter how many fish you keep, are they my grandsons?"

Why are we circling back to the 'grandson' issue again!

"Mother, look at you, bringing this up again! I'm talking about Feng Shui, and you keep mentioning grandsons! This is a discipline; once mastered, it can even be a livelihood…"

"Move aside, move aside, don't disturb me while I'm cooking!"

Chen Xianglan brandished her dough rod: "I don't care what craft it is, I only know that my skill can't be displayed today, so we'll all go hungry."

Watching his sister‑in‑law laugh out loud there, Lu Cheng let out a deep sigh.