Chapter 97: Just to satisfy my own petty jealousy over fishing, I'm building something new for my father‑in‑law's family

As a modern person from Earth, Lu Yuan still had the business acumen one should have.

The Forging Bureau was about to build two new factories.

Even thinking with your heels, you know that facilities will surely spring up around the factory gates.

Setting up a restaurant or a tavern at the factory gate would only mean making money, big money!

Not just restaurants—each factory has at least one or two thousand workers; with such a huge flow of people, what wouldn't make money?

Moreover, Lu Yuan was from the Bing Jia Chang factory and also knew Director Xu of the Forging Bureau.

He could gather some insider news, find out where Bing Jia Chang would build its factory, then go ahead and buy a shop, a location, etc., in that area.

Isn't that simple?

But…

To be honest, it's unnecessary.

The situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty now is that land belongs only to the state and the peasants.

Like the fiefdoms that princes and such once had in the Great Zhou Dynasty, those are long gone.

The land in this city is all the court's, the state's.

So there's no way for Lu Yuan to buy a piece of land in advance, hold it, wait for the factory to be built, then sell it when the surrounding land prices rise.

Besides, that would be speculation and profiteering.

If it were reported, no matter who Lu Yuan is or who he knows, he would be dragged straight into the streets to be paraded and criticized.

Lu Yuan is living well; how could he do such a thing?

Of course, Lu Yuan could rent a piece of land in advance and then run some small business himself.

But that's also unnecessary.

Lu Yuan has plenty of money; why bother with that idle thought?

This is merely a basic quality of a transmigrator; Lu Yuan knows he could make money, but he doesn't intend to do it.

But seeing how honest and simple his second uncle is, and considering we're practically family,

he might as well hand this good opportunity over to his second uncle.

"Don't let the fertile water flow to outsiders' fields."

Besides, Lu Yuan feels he's doing a good deed.

His second uncle's big-pot dishes are so delicious; the workers at the new factory will surely enjoy them!

996, what a blessing!

He'll take care of this when he returns, talk to Director Xu about reserving a good spot outside the new factory—it will definitely work.

This is a small matter.

Moreover, setting up a restaurant outside the factory doesn't require much—just use leftover materials from the new factory to throw up a simple shed.

It would only cost a couple hundred coins.

Then get a permit from the Food Bureau, the neighborhood office, etc., and the matter is settled.

After Lu Yuan took another sip of his small cup of wine, he looked at his bewildered second uncle and said:

"Second uncle, just relax; this year, stay home and live well, tidy up a bit—the new factory will be built quickly, finished in at most two months.

During these two months, you and I will handle the paperwork; at most two hundred coins, and the restaurant outside the new factory will be ready.

Those two hundred coins—you don't need to worry, I'll cover them."

Hearing Lu Yuan's words, the second uncle was so moved he didn't know what to say; after a moment's stupor, he hurriedly rose to pour Lu Yuan a cup of wine, then poured one for himself.

Then, with a face full of excitement, he looked at Lu Yuan and said:

"Father‑in‑law… I… I toast you a cup."

Before Lu Yuan could say anything, the second uncle tipped his head back and gulled down the small two‑liang cup in one go.

After downing that sip, the second uncle's face turned somewhat flushed, whether from excitement or the wine, he said:

"Father‑in‑law, look, I'd rather work for you; just give me some wages each month from what I earn."

Su Liyan's second uncle thought it over and felt he was receiving too much favor.

How could anyone just set up a restaurant for him like that? Where would he get the face to accept it?

After all, even though we're family, Su Liyan isn't really his own daughter, is she?

Even if he were Lu Yuan's true father‑in‑law, he couldn't bear such a thing.

Lu Yuan blinked, then smiled, his second uncle being honest; he immediately waved his hand and said:

"No need, second uncle; we're one family, no need to speak of two households.

I heard Liyan say that in those early years when the village suffered famine, you secretly sneaked out, brought back bits of food, and fed the children.

I still need to thank you; without you, I might never have met my wife."

The second uncle blinked, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassed and said:

"Well… cooks don't steal, they don't take the five grains… back then, when I catered banquets for rich families everywhere, I always managed to leak out a few spoonfuls…"

Lu Yuan refilled the second uncle's wine cup, smiling, and said:

"That's exactly it—these past years I've owed a lot to my second uncle; otherwise, where could I have met such a fine wife?

My wife brings prosperity to her husband; I'm doing so well now, half the credit goes to my wife, and thus half goes to you, second uncle."

In this era, the highest praise for a woman is to be a wife who brings prosperity to her husband.

Besides that, there is nothing else.

Su Liyan sat by the stove, feeding the fire, her heart overflowing with sweetness.

Meanwhile, Su's mother, beside her, couldn't help but sigh:

"This son‑in‑law truly deserves to be a city dweller—he can talk and persuade, he can even drag this onto you."

Liyan, we must have conscience as people; your husband loves you so much, you must not go down the wrong path.

You must surely live up to your husband's kindness to you.

At home, take good care of your husband; you must certainly live up to his opinion of you, hear me?

At this moment, Su Liyan slightly raised her head, gazing earnestly at her mother and said:

Mother, don't worry; your daughter is not a clueless person.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone on the kang except Lu Yuan got drunk.

These three brothers are truly happy.

As for the matter of the restaurant, it's settled like this.

However, this second uncle insists on having Lu Yuan work for him; after all the back-and-forth, it just means that the second uncle will split his future earnings with Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan truly doesn't lack this money, but the second uncle insists on giving it; if he doesn't, it seems unacceptable.

Lu Yuan could only agree.

Anyway, for rural folks, actually being able to settle in the capital is better than anything.

Of course, this is the rural folks' own idea.

For Lu Yuan, as the Great Zhou Dynasty gets better and better, the countryside won't be so bad.

Maybe in a dozen years, the outskirts of the capital won't differ much from the city proper.

After all… there are examples on Earth.

The three Su brothers got drunk, but Lu Yuan didn't; after all, he was still thinking about fishing.

When Lu Yuan got off the kang and walked into the main hall, he saw Su Liyan leaning on the table, eyes half-closed, resting.

Su Liyan's beautiful face rested on her own arm, utterly adorable.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but move closer to Su Liyan's face, smiling as he gently pinched her cheek.

Su Liyan wasn't actually asleep; upon Lu Yuan's touch, she immediately opened her eyes.

Upon seeing her husband, Su Liyan immediately smiled, rose, and whispered:

"Brother~ let me help you back to the room for a nap~"

Lu Yuan then waved his hand and shook his head, saying:

"No need, brother hasn't drunk much, I'm going fishing."

"Go back to your room to sleep; don't sleep here slumped over, it's terribly uncomfortable."

Su Liyan immediately pursed her lips and nodded with a smile.

Finally, after seeing her husband off to the village entrance, Su Liyan returned to the courtyard with a blissful smile.

She quietly went into the inner room and removed the small table from the kang.

Her own father and two uncles were lying every which way on the kang, all asleep.

After removing the tables, Su Liyan came to the courtyard, washed the bowls, washed the bowls, washed the chopsticks, washed the chopsticks.

At this moment, Mother Su also came out of another room, holding a new quilt and said:

"Liyan, stop washing; I'll do it. Go to the room and add two more layers for your husband—it's cold at night, not as warm as your home."

Su Liyan quickly rose, wiped her watery hands clean on her apron, then hurriedly took it, and afterwards said somewhat surprised:

"Is this newly carded? So soft~"

Mother Su found a small stool, sat by the wooden tub holding the leftover dishes and bowls, and while lowering her head to scrub the bowls, she said:

"Wasn't it because I knew you'd be coming back that I had your father go to town last night to card cotton?"

Su Liyan smiled and nodded, then carried the quilt into her own room.

…………

At dusk, Lu Yuan stood by the reservoir's edge.

He crossed his arms over his chest, stuck one foot out, and frantically tapped his toes.

Damn it!!

Another air force?!!!

I'm not afraid of the air force!!

What I'm afraid of is that there's no place to buy fish here!!

Where am I supposed to buy fish?!

It's not…… such a huge reservoir……

Just as Lu Yuan was frowning in frustration, he suddenly froze, his eyes lighting up instantly!

The next second, Lu Yuan took a big step and rushed to the water's edge, grabbing his fishing rod and pulling upward.

Half a minute later.

A burst of wild laughter echoed across the reservoir.

At this moment, Su Liyan was walking down from the dam, and as she went, she said in a coquettish voice:

"Brother~~ it's time to go home and eat~"

And when Lu Yuan turned around and saw his wife coming, he picked up the fish in his hand, rushed over, and then said with a proud expression:

"See? I caught this fish!!"

Huh?

Su Liyan looked at the two-pound grass carp in her husband's hand and couldn't help but praise:

"Brother~~ you're awesome~~"

Lu Yuan laughed heartily with great pride; after finally stopping his smile, he raised his eyebrows and said:

"Going home to eat, right? Come on, let's go—tonight we'll eat fish; wife, you take my fishing rod, I'll carry the fish~"

Su Liyan also nodded with a smile and said:

"Okay, bro~"

After Su Liyan tidied up Lu Yuan's fishing gear, grabbed the rod, lifted the bucket, and walked over to Lu Yuan's side, she then said with a grin:

"Let's go, bro~"

On the way, Su Liyan noticed that her man would just smile at the grass carp in his hand whenever he had nothing to do.

Seeing her man happy, Su Liyan also felt happy, but she curiously asked:

"Bro, why are you so happy today? Before, even when you caught a seven- or eight-pound big fish, you weren't this happy!"

Lu Yuan's smile froze.

Can they be the same?

Before, those were bought; this is one I earnestly caught myself.

Lu Yuan then raised his brows and said:

It's because I'm fishing in a new place, of course I'm happy.

Having said that, Lu Yuan looked at Su Liyan and said:

From now on, we should come back often; whenever we have free time, we'll stay a few days.

Su Liyan immediately smiled, gave a slight nod, and said obediently:

"Okay~ I'll listen to you, bro~"

Lu Yuan's impression of Qiu Qiu Village kept getting better.

This is practically a feng shui treasure land for me~

First, he got himself a perfect five-star wife.

And now he has earnestly caught a big fish for the first time!!

A two-pound fish is also a big fish!

It's a big fish!

Even if the heavenly king and old lord came, this is still a big fish!!

From now on, whenever I'm free, I'll come back to stay two days!!

…………

In the evening, the guys were eating on the heated brick bed.

The women were chatting underneath the heated brick bed, chatting.

The Second Elder's family had two children, a boy and a girl; the eldest was a son, one year older than Su Changliang, and now he's doing some business in town.

Isn't it winter? There's nothing to do in the fields either.

The Second Elder's eldest son, Lu Yuan, had not seen him; the last time Lu Yuan held a feast, he didn't come back.

The main reason was that Lu Yuan's return to hold the feast was too sudden.

The things were simply sent by someone, and no date had been set beforehand.

The Second Elder didn't have time to call, so he just didn't bother.

Besides, even if he had called, the employer over there might not have let him go.

The Second Elder planned that later, when he went to the city to open a restaurant, he would bring this eldest son along to help as a cook.

Besides this eldest son, the Second Elder's family also had a little daughter.

She's not big, just six or seven years old, and right now Su Liyan has her sitting on her lap, asking for candy.

This third uncle is about ten years younger than Su's father and second uncle; he married late, and now he only has an eight-year-old son.

This little kid kept pestering Su Changliang, asking what tasty things and fun things there are in the city.

After seven or eight at night, Lu Yuan and Su Liyan went back to the room and slept on the heated brick bed.

Although his wife was very alluring, after all they were at his father-in-law's place, so it wasn't proper to do anything.

He just slept holding his wife.

However, the heated brick bed was a bit too hot, and it scorched their buttocks.

In the village, this is the only thing that's better than the city.

The city has no heated brick beds; even stuffing a hot water bottle under the covers doesn't work.

In the village, when it gets cold, they heat the heated brick bed.

However...

Heating the heated brick bed doesn't work well either.

If the heated brick bed is heated too much, it's really too hot.

People who get scorched from it can hardly sleep.

Furthermore, if it had to stay hot all the time, that would be fine.

The warmth from heating the heated brick bed usually lasts only until about eleven or twelve at night; after one or two in the morning, it's no good.

The firewood in the pot has burned out!

This firewood isn't coal; even if you add more, it can burn all night.

No matter how much firewood you add, it burns out in a moment.

Once it's burned out, it starts to get cold.

The houses in this village are all earthen walls, with thatched roofs, drafty.

In the latter half of the night, the cold wind blowing on the face feels truly unpleasant.

Fortunately, there's a soft, jade-like, warm and fragrant Su Liyan in the blankets; holding her while sleeping makes it a bit more comfortable.

Otherwise, Lu Yuan really couldn't stay there.

……

In the morning, it was 9:30.

Lu Yuan's biological clock woke him up on time.

Now it's fine; it's not cold.

When cooking this morning, I used the stove in my own room, and I also heated the kang, which made it a bit warm.

However, Su Liyan rose early in the morning to help with household chores; after she left, and moreover, the kang wasn't heated at that time, it was truly unbearable.

Lu Yuan, chilled, couldn't sleep soundly.

He didn't sleep well at all, drifting in a daze until 9:30.

After getting up, Lu Yuan decided on a matter.

He must install Kang heating ducts in his own room!

Otherwise, how will he stay here when he returns in winter?!!

Immediately, Lu Yuan got out of bed and started examining his own room, preparing to see where to design the installation.

But after just a glance, Lu Yuan began to think.

He couldn't just install Kang heating ducts in his own room; what about the father-in-law's and mother-in-law's rooms?

That also won't do!

Forget it, install them all.

Anyway, he'll be coming back often.

However, after glancing at the father-in-law's house, it still wouldn't work.

These village houses are all earthen walls, and the roofs are thatch, with no covering.

How can he install Kang heating ducts?

Even if installed, it would have no effect!

Not to mention the heat would escape through the earthen walls, and the thatched roof isn't covered, so the heat can't be retained.

Just saying, if the fire gets too big, it could crack the walls and burn down the house.

Finally, Lu Yuan thought it over.

Alright.

For the sake of his little bit of vinegar from fishing, he might as well directly build a new house for his father-in-law's family!

Thanks, be quicker, you give to Sun Rong (female lead) I'll vote for you, curtain call, tiger can't be loved, these four old brothers gave a 100-book-coin tip, thanks a lot, mua mua~

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(End of chapter)